Athena‘s first WWE tryout didn’t go the way she wanted it to, but she made a friend for life in Natalya through the process.
All Elite Wrestling‘s Athena was a recent guest on Talk is Jericho to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about her first WWE tryout, Athena revealed she dropped out of college when she got her first opportunity to join the company.
“I dropped out of college because I had a WWE tryout. I think it was like the first one at FCW, and I used my tuition money to pay for a way to get there,” Athena said. “And so I went to FCW, and they were like, ‘Alright, you’re great.’ And I remember Norman [Smiley] said the most eerie thing to me at the time he goes, ‘I just want you to know it’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.
“But you did great, though.’ And I’m like, what was that? So I’m waiting and just kind of delaying my second or third-year eta, and I’m just kind of just like, Alright, where’s that phone call? They said I was good. They said I was good. And then nothing really happened. I remember getting this form that said, ‘doesn’t have the diva look, work on that.’
“They had this whole pamphlet on the coach, like what you did well, what you didn’t do well, what you need to work on. I wish I still had it because it was just this little packet. It was thick, and they gave you a DVD with you training with your matches and stuff. It was a really cool packet that I wish they still did. And so yeah, the main critique was doesn’t have diva look, and then had some suggestions like maybe get hair extensions, maybe get new gear, maybe get this.”
Athena also revealed that she made friends with Natalya during that tryout and reflected on how much The Queen of Harts helped her early on in her career.
“This was like when they were doing that weird version of NXT with the obstacle courses and singing contests. Yeah, it was like, okay, I’m gonna go do it. And I remember I made friends with Nattie. She was at my tryout, and she’s like, ‘I’m gonna help you out, girl. I’m gonna help you.’ She was like, ‘Girl; we’re gonna get you in.’
“She hooked me up with a gear lady. She hooked me up with hair extensions. She told me everything I needed to do, how to do it, how to do it on a budget, and I’m always eternally grateful for that because she didn’t have to do that. She’d already been signed. She’s Nattie Neidhart. She didn’t have to do any of that. And it meant so much to me.
“And even when I saw her like years later, she was like, ‘Athena?’ And I was like, No way. It’s been five years since I’ve seen you. She just has that memory that’s so good. And it was just like, man. She’s just genuinely a good person. I know they say don’t meet your heroes. But that meant the world to me at the time because she was the first person that I kind of idolized for being different. And she was willing to help me when she didn’t have to.”
READ MORE: Athena Discusses Her WWE Release, Says She Had Interest From IMPACT Before Signing With AEW
What do you make of Athena’s comments? Are you happy to hear how much Natalya tried to help her during her WWE tryouts? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit Talk is Jericho with a link back to this article for the transcription.
