Former WWE Superstar Ember Moon has discussed being told she was returning to her old character only for plans to change which saw her completely pulled off WWE TV.
Ember Moon had most of her success in WWE as part of the NXT brand. She initially competed on the black and gold brand between 2015 and 2018, capturing the NXT Women’s Championship. Moon then graduated to the WWE main roster but in 2020 returned to NXT at TakeOver 31.
During that time Ember Moon captured the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship with Shotzi Blackheart before being released from her WWE contract in November 2021.
Now known as Athena, Ember Moon discussed the state of play towards the end of her WWE career with Chris Van Vliet on his Insight podcast. Moon explained that a match with Sarray kept being delayed and in the meantime, she was tasked with teasing a heel turn against Cora Jade:
“I was supposed to do a match with Sarray, but I ended up getting a rash on my arm, which was an allergic reaction to something. But they thought it was something else and they pulled me from the match. Ok, cool, whatever, we will keep trucking.”
“Then 3 weeks later we are going to do this match, but then that gets pulled from tv. One of the head coaches just goes ‘Will you do me a favour and work 205 Live with Cora Jade? We really like her and it will be a fun match in the main event of 205 Live.’ I’m like ok, cool, that’s great. I’m never going to say no to having a match on tv regardless of where it is.”
“Me and Cora go out there and have this banger of a match. They say they want me to go heel in this match, but to make it subtle. They turn me, but they don’t, and there was a lot of confusion of what was going to happen. And I remember going online and people were like ‘Did Ember turn heel?’ And I don’t know if I did or not.”
Ember Moon then explained that after a short hiatus from TV, she was told that she was going to return to her original character in the company with hair like flames and her old music:
“Then I am off TV for 3 weeks and I have the match with Mandy [Rose] and they tell me ‘You need to dye your hair fire-coloured again and get the red contacts. You’re going back to the old Ember character, this is from Vince. You’re going to turn heel but as your old character and it’s the old music again.’ I’m like great!”
“I go home, get my bottle of whiskey and I’m dying my hair. I have to hand dye it and it takes an astronomical amount of time, it’s a minimum of 8 hours. During COVID my supplier shut down so I am trying to find the colours and it costs an astronomical amount.”
However, when Ember Moon returned raring to go, she received the devastating news that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon now didn’t want her on WWE television at all:
“2 weeks later I show up to tv and I am super motivated and happy. I remember we went to film a demo of the vibe that I wanted, come back and get the video ready. They then say ‘We have some bad news. Vince is pulling you off of tv indefinitely.’”
“I just kind of sat there and I was like, what did I do wrong? I have done everything you have asked me and have gone over and above. Even when they put me with Shotzi, everyone backstage knows I am not a tag team person and I hate tag teams, too many moving parts. It’s not that I hate tag team wrestling, there is just so much more to give, and rely on 3 other people to make sure it all works in the ring. Me showing up to that tv and it’s 2 am, I have done everything you have asked me to, branched out, gone above and beyond.”
During the conversation, Moon also discussed how WWE Superstars were taken to meetings where they were told how to dress “sexy.”
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