Adrienne Palmer (née Reese), born on August 31, 1988, is an accomplished American professional wrestler. Currently, she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Women's World Champion. At 1114 days, she holds the record for the longest reign for the title.
Before her time in WWE, Athena wrestled on the independent circuit, making a name for herself in promotions such as Shimmer Women Athletes and Women Superstars Uncensored. This article delves into her career history, championships, and other notable achievements.
Ember Moon during her time in NXT
Early Life and Training
Adrienne Reese was born in Garland, Texas, on August 31, 1988. During her high school years, she attended Lakeview Centennial High School, where she participated in tennis and softball. Additionally, she was a member of the chess club and a math team. She was sometimes bullied by other students. Her introduction to professional wrestling came through her grandfather. She began her formal training in April 2007 with Skandor Akbar, followed by further training at Booker T's wrestling school in Houston, Texas.
Independent Circuit Career
Athena made her debut for SHIMMER Women Athletes on September 11, 2010. Initially portrayed as a heel, she teamed with Jessie Brooks in a match against Rachel Summerlyn and Jessica James at SHIMMER 33, but they were defeated. The following day, at SHIMMER 43, Athena wrestled to a double count-out against Mercedes Martinez. Her willingness to fight Mercedes again led to a face turn. At SHIMMER 44, Athena defeated Mercedes via disqualification after Mercedes turned heel and attacked her with a steel chair.
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On October 17, Athena received her first opportunity at the SHIMMER Championship but lost to Saraya Knight at SHIMMER 49. On April 6, 2013, Athena defeated Ayako Hamada at the SHIMMER 53 IPPV. The following week, at SHIMMER 54, Athena was defeated by Courtney Rush in a #1 Contender's four-way match that also included Saraya Knight and Madison Eagles.
Athena debuted for Women Superstars Uncensored at their Mutiny event on February 8, 2014, in a losing effort against LuFisto. She was defeated by LuFisto again at the annual Queen and King event on May 10, this time in a 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match for the vacated WSU Championship. At Resurgence on September 13, Athena defeated Hania. However, she lost a rematch to Hania at Breaking Barriers III on November 8. Athena defeated Hania at the WSU 8th Anniversary Show on February 21, 2015, in a TLC Match. After the match, she was attacked by Hania, turning Hania into a heel.
Athena debuted for Shine Wrestling on November 16, 2012, defeating Ivelisse in singles action. She returned at SHINE 19 on May 23, 2014, and was defeated by Amazing Kong.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
In September 2015, Adrienne Reese signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to their developmental territory, NXT, based at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. She made her in-ring debut at an NXT live event on October 10 in a tag team match. From October 2015 until June 2016, she wrestled as Adrienne Reese or Adrienne Reese.
At NXT TakeOver: The End on June 8, 2016, she defeated Peyton Royce during a Dark match under her new ring name, Ember Moon. After a series of introductory vignettes, Moon made her televised debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II on August 20, where she defeated Billie Kay. Upon her arrival, Moon started a winning streak both in tag team and single matches.
Shayna Baszler vows to end Ember Moon's NXT Women's Title reign at TakeOver: New Orleans
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Moon returned on the June 21 episode of NXT, where she defeated Royce. On August 19 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, Moon was once again defeated by Asuka, who successfully retained the NXT Women's Championship. In August, Asuka had to vacate the NXT Women's Championship due to an injury. On November 18, 2017, Moon won the vacant NXT Women's Championship in a fatal-four-way match, defeating Royce, Nikki Cross, and Kairi Sane.
On the December 27 episode of NXT, Moon made her first successful title defense, defeating Sonya Deville. After the match, Moon was confronted by Sane, who would then be attacked by the debuting Shayna Baszler. The following night, she made her first appearance on the main roster and competed in the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match at the 2018 Royal Rumble. She entered at #23 but was eliminated by Asuka.
After losing the NXT Women's Title, she was promoted to Raw, and made her in-ring debut on the Raw episode after WrestleMania 34 as Nia Jax's tag team partner, taking on Alexa Bliss and Mickie James in a winning effort. At Money in the Bank, she participated in the Money in the Bank ladder match, but failed to win the briefcase. At the 2019 Royal Rumble event, Moon participated in the women's Royal Rumble match, entering at number six and lasting 52 minutes before being eliminated by Alexa Bliss.
Throughout June and July, Moon feuded with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, who bullied her. After losing singles matches to both Deville and Rose on the June 25 and the July 2 episodes of SmackDown, respectively, Moon teamed up with SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley to defeat Rose and Deville on the July 16 episode, ending the feud. After the match, Bayley picked Moon as her challenger for SummerSlam. However, Moon lost the match and started a losing streak, going winless in five straight televised matches. Moon would then suffer an ankle injury, and she was not in either of the draft pools for the 2019 WWE Draft in October.
In 2020, after months of inactivity, Moon was assigned back to NXT, where she debuted a new character. In September 2020, vignettes advertising a mysterious figure on a motorcycle appeared on NXT on consecutive weeks. At NXT TakeOver 31, the mystery figure took off her helmet and revealed herself to be Moon. She formed a tag team with Shotzi Blackheart, participating in the first ever women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, where they lost to Dakota Kai and Raquel González in the finals.
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They won the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship on March 10, 2021, when they defeated Kai and González. Despite retaining the titles at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver against The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell), they lost it against them on the May 4 episode of NXT in a Street Fight, ending their reign at 55 days. At NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Moon challenged Raquel González for the NXT Women's Championship but was defeated.
On November 4, Moon was released from WWE.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH)
Athena as the ROH Women's World Champion
Athena made her debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on May 29, 2022, at Double or Nothing as a face. She appeared at the end of Jade Cargill's match, coming to the aid of Anna Jay and Kris Statlander. On the June 3 episode of Rampage, Athena wrestled in her debut AEW match against Cargill's Baddies teammate Kiera Hogan, winning via pinfall. Athena was undefeated in singles matches for the next few months and began feuding with Cargill, challenging her for the TBS Championship at All Out, but was unsuccessful.
On September 21, at Grand Slam, Athena challenged the interim Women's World Champion Toni Storm in a four-way match which also involved Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. In late 2023, Athena became the mentor of Billie Starkz and Lexy Nair, with Starkz and Nair becoming her 'minions' and formed the stable "M.I.T.". On the November 23 episode of ROH Honor Club TV, Athena and Starkz lost to Ronda Rousey and Marina Shafir. On the following episode of ROH Wrestling, Starkz defeated Shafir in a one-on-one match, with Starkz proceeded to attack Shafir after the match.
Athena and Nair come out and feigned announcing that Starkz had graduated from 'minion training'. Athena then announced that only Nair was the valedictorian. Starkz then got upset and attacked Athena. Starkz then met Tony Khan backstage and requested a championship match with Athena, which Khan accepted. The match was then made for Final Battle. At the event, Athena defeated Starkz to retain the ROH Women's World Championship.
On the March 14, 2024, episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, Athena issued a title match open challenge at Supercard of Honor after declaring that she needs someone other than the ROH roster to push her to the limit. The open challenge was answered by a debuting Hikaru Shida. At the event on April 5, Athena defeated Shida to retain the title. On April 13 at Battle of the Belts X, Athena successfully defended her title against Red Velvet.
On the June 20 episode of ROH Wrestling, she announced that she has tore her ankle ligaments and will be out for four to six months.
Championships and Accomplishments
Athena has achieved significant success throughout her wrestling career. Here's a summary of her major titles and accomplishments:
| Promotion | Championship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ACW | ACW American Joshi Championship | Three-time champion |
| ACW | ACW Television Championship | One-time champion |
| NXT | NXT Women's Championship | One-time champion |
| NXT | NXT Women's Tag Team Championship | One-time champion with Shotzi Blackheart |
| ROH | ROH Women's World Championship | Current champion, longest-reigning in history |
| WSU | WSU King and Queen of the Ring | Won in 2013 with A. R. Fox |
Personal Life
Reese is married to fellow professional wrestler, Matthew Palmer. She is a fan of comic books and the 1960s Batman television series starring Adam West.
Theme Songs
- "The Fallen Goddess" by Mikey Rukus (May 29, 2022 - Present)
- "Rise from the Ashes" by def rebel (October 4, 2020 - November 4, 2021)
- "Free the Flame" by CFO$ feat. M.I.T. (December 15, 2023 - Present)