"I couldn’t believe what they were offering me"- Ember Moon (Athena) on why she did not re-sign with WWE

Former WWE Superstar Athena (fka Ember Moon) detailed why she parted ways with the company.

The former NXT Women's Champion was a part of Vince McMahon's global juggernaut for more than 5 years. She made her main roster debut on RAW after WrestleMania 34 but returned to the former black and gold brand after a lack of creative direction.

Athena was released from her WWE contract in November last year.

Speaking about her release on the INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast, she stated that although the company offered her a lot of money to stay, her decision to leave was final.

“So I knew that I wasn’t going to re-sign so I knew that my release was coming. My contract was up in April, and they had offered me a ton of money to stay at one time. It was 5 times what I was making at that time, this was life-changing. Sometimes money can’t buy you happiness, and I know that sounds stupid to some people,"- said Athena

Moon also expressed how it felt to work in WWE, comparing it to her 9-5 job.

"I couldn’t believe what they were offering me. I was so unhappy, but some things you don’t do for money, you do for love. And this wasn’t fun for me, it was like a 9 to 5 job. For what we do every day, we risk our lives and no day is the same, so why do we feel this way?” (from 35:12 to 36:16)

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Ember Moon also talked about her release from WWE

Athena continued to talk about her release from the company, stating that they decided to release her after she refused to renew the contract.

“They ended up releasing me 3 days later, which was kind of a swerve. I got a call from creative the same day, the same hour. As I am texting creative, I saw my phone and I’m like ‘I think I am getting fired.’ So I am playing Far Cry 6, trying to sneak into the mansion and texting the writers. I get a call and I’m like ‘Here it is!’” (from

Although Ember Moon had a lackluster run on the main roster, she was a mainstay on NXT. She won the NXT Women's Championship once after defeating Royce, Nikki Cross, and Kairi Sane in a fatal-four-way match.

The former NXT Women's Champion is currently wrestling for independent promotions and recently faced AEW Women's Champion Thunder Rosa for the Warrior Wrestling Women's Championship.