Thunder Rosa highlights that AEW’s characters are edgier and the wrestling style is superior compared to other wrestling promotions. In an interview with The Rockin’ Ride Home, she emphasized that AEW offers a distinct experience with more mature storylines and intense in-ring action, setting it apart from its competitors.
Since its inception in 2019, AEW has maintained a TV-14 rating, allowing for more adult-themed narratives and violent matches than the traditional TV-PG programming seen in many other promotions. This approach extends into AEW’s women’s division, which frequently features hardcore and stipulation matches. Although the difference has somewhat lessened with WWE’s Raw returning to a TV-14 rating in 2023 after nearly 15 years of PG content, AEW still pushes boundaries in how it showcases women’s wrestling.
Rosa has been integral to this shift, particularly known for her groundbreaking Unsanctioned Lights Out match against Britt Baker during the 2021 St. Patrick’s Day Slam episode of Dynamite. This brutal, bloody confrontation was widely acclaimed and underscored AEW’s commitment to booking its women’s roster just as intensely as the men’s. The two rivals faced off again the next year at the same event, where Rosa captured the AEW Women’s World Championship in a steel cage match.
When asked if she ever doubts herself during hardcore matches, Rosa admitted that those thoughts do enter her mind but serve as motivation to create unforgettable moments that deepen the story for herself, her opponent, and the audience.
She also described AEW’s live shows as intimate experiences that resonate well with fans who have attended them. Before fully signing with AEW in July 2021, Rosa worked with Stardom, Impact Wrestling, and the NWA, where she held the NWA World Women’s Championship. AEW acquired her contract from NWA, and she had already been appearing for the company during her rivalry with Baker.
Rosa relinquished her AEW Women’s World Title in August 2022 due to a back injury and did not return to wrestling in AEW until 2024. Since then, she has balanced her time between AEW and Mexico’s CMLL, where she currently holds the Mexican National Women’s Championship. Additionally, she is the Riot Cabaret Women’s Champion.
The women’s division in AEW has evolved significantly since 2021. The company crowned its first Women’s World Tag Team Champions after a tournament that began at Fright Night Dynamite in October, and it has recruited talent with experience in harder wrestling styles, such as Stardom’s Thekla. AEW continues to incorporate stipulation matches into the women’s division regularly rather than treating them as rare spectacles.
Outside the ring, Rosa holds a degree from UC Berkeley and has worked in social services. She is also the founder of Mission Pro Wrestling, a promotion based in Texas.
Fan Take: This insight into AEW’s distinctive approach highlights the company’s commitment to pushing wrestling’s creative and physical boundaries, especially for women’s matches. For fighting fans, it signals a promising shift toward more intense, story-driven competition that raises the bar for the entire sport.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
