Britt Baker has shared her thoughts on AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa’s hiatus from the company.
Thunder Rosa was scheduled to defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Toni Storm at the now infamous All Out PPV. She announced on the Dynamite before the PPV that she was pulling out of the match due to injury in a backstage interview.
Toni Storm is the current AEW Interim Women’s Champion and has taken some shots at the situation surrounding Thunder Rosa. She said the following to Bleacher Report:
I guess my first thing would be to beat Thunder Rosa and stop this interim nonsense. That’s kind of what’s been bothering me. I think that’s been bothering a lot of people because she’s still calling herself the AEW women’s world champion and I’m the one here every week doing the work.
Thunder Rosa responded on Busted Open Radio and said she will hopefully be returning to AEW in January. The AEW Women’s Champion added that she doesn’t book the show and it is not her problem what is decided backstage.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker recently spoke with Swerve Strickland on The Swerve City podcast and commented on not missing time from All Elite Wrestling while out with an injury. Britt noted that she was at TV every week because she wanted to be there.
I never missed any episodes of TV, with every like broken bone and injury. I’m just sayin’.
What bone have I not broken at this point? My leg, my nose twice now, my wrist, the concussion, and I was at work every week because that is where I wanted to be.
I had my nose surgery on a Monday, Dynamite was on a Wednesday, and I was there cutting a promo. Because I wanted to be.
Tony (Khan) is the most caring and wonderful guy. But I was like this is an opportunity, I’m going to have a black eye, I’m sick in the head and thought I’m going to look cool.
Britt added during the podcast that they don’t get along but complimented Thunder Rosa for upping her game.
It is kind of like The Batman and Joker, like one needs the other for the success story to happen.
We don’t like each other. There’s always tension but that tension makes good TV. So, I still think it’s my division.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Swerve City podcast and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa hasn’t appeared on television since before the All Out PPV.
Thunder Rosa announced in a backstage segment that she would be unable to compete at the PPV. Toni Storm went on to capture the Interim Women’s Championship and has recently taken a couple of shots at Rosa.
Toni recently spoke with Bleacher Report and said she’s the one here doing all the work and is getting tired of the “interim nonsense”. The 27-year-old debuted with All Elite Wrestling in March. Thunder Rosa defeated Britt Baker in a Steel Cage match at Dynamite: St. Patrick’s Day Slam to capture the title.
I guess my first thing would be to beat Thunder Rosa and stop this interim nonsense,” she said. “That’s kind of what’s been bothering me. I think that’s been bothering a lot of people because she’s still calling herself the AEW women’s world champion and I’m the one here every week doing the work.
AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa Responds to Toni Storm
Thunder Rosa recently responded to Toni’s comments during an appearance on Busted Open Radio. She told Toni to go complain to the booker (AEW President Tony Khan) if she has an issue. The 36-year-old added that she hopes to return to All Elite Wrestling in January. Rosa suggested that the AEW Interim Women’s Champion check out her updates on her YouTube page as well.
They haven’t given me a time yet when I’m coming back. I’m saying it’s January, and I hope it is January.
Again, if Toni Storm disagrees with what’s decided in the back, that’s not my problem. That is not my problem, Toni.
If you have something to ask, you can go on my YouTube and watch my YouTube videos I have posted every time I’m in a doctor’s office, showing you and explaining what’s going on with me.
AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa was supposed to defend her title against Toni Storm at All Out but had to pull out of the match due to injury. She has not appeared on AEW TV since the Dynamite before the PPV on September 4th. Toni Storm is currently the Interim AEW Women’s Champion.
Thunder Rosa announces she’s stepping down as AEW Women’s World Champion due to injury.
On Dynamite Grand Slam, Toni defended the title against Britt Baker, Athena, and Serena Deeb in a 4-Way match. Toni emerged victorious but Britt Baker attacked after the match. Jamie Hayter and Serena Deeb joined the D.M.D. in the attack before Falling in Reverse’s Zombified echoed throughout Arthur Ashe stadium.
Britt stood in the ring confused as the blood poured down her face from another busted nose incident. The name “Saraya” flashed on the screen and the crowd popped. Saraya (FKA as Paige in WWE) made her way to the ring to an incredible reaction from AEW fans as the heels retreated. Saraya then hugged Athena and Toni Storm in the ring to end the segment.
Thunder Rosa Praises Saraya After Her Debut
The AEW Women’s Champion was interviewed by Dave LeGreca on Busted Open Radio today and had some kind words to say about Saraya following her debut at Dynamite Grand Slam. She said that she is one of the stars that AEW helped create and she’s excited to have someone the caliber of Saraya to work with.
“I hope she is completely cleared to wrestle. She is going to teach a lot of the girls a lot of cool stuff that otherwise they wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. Wrestling was her bread and butter for a long time and she knows the grind.
Before she got signed, she was in the indies struggling just like everybody else. One of the things that Saraya has is that she has not changed her core. She continues to be the same person that she was before. I’m really interested to get to know her on another level.
I know that fans are very excited to see her because they haven’t seen her wrestle in a while and they are very eager for that. Company-wise and ratings-wise, this is going to be great for ratings and going to be great for the women’s division. You cannot deny that.
I want to come back a way that you guys have never seen me before and having Saraya there, I’m like ‘alright yeah’ there’s even more competition. Yes I’m on top, but when you have bigger sharks in the tank you better start eating because you have to get bigger than the shark that wants to take what you have.
So, it is going to be very interesting. She brings a lot to the women’s division. She brings a brand, something that is needed in the division too. That you cannot deny. I know Tony does a lot of stuff because he wants ratings. We want to be number one. If you start something and you don’t want to be number one, don’t start it.”
But for me as an athlete, for me as a champion, that is top competition right there, on every single aspect. Experience, persona, character, how well-known she is, she’s a star. She has what I want and I’m striving for.
AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa has a long road back to the ring ahead of her as she continues to recover from her injury.
During the pre-All Out episode of AEW Dynamite, Rosa confirmed that she is injured, and will be unable to defend the Women’s World Championship.
Despite the injury, Rosa has remained champion, with an Interim AEW Women’s World Championship created in her absence, which is currently held by Toni Storm.
Recovery
Speaking during her latest vlog, Thunder Rosa discussed her recovery and the process she’s undergoing.
“I’m here at the South Texas Spine & Joint Institute with Dr. Kaiser. He is the one who helped me out, find out that I had a back injury. I’ll be coming here pretty often. I’ve been treated by him for over four years so he knows me very well.
“I just had my first treatment. It’s gonna be six weeks, just to start. I’m going to be here four times a week.”
Rosa added that not being on the road has already made a huge difference to her injured back.
“I’m doing my first physical therapy session today. This is after six weeks of being injured. Not traveling has actually made a huge difference.”
TripleMania
Thunder Rosa is keeping positive about her recovery, but it’s not just her bookings for AEW that have been effected.
AAA have confirmed that Rosa will not compete at Triplemania XXX: Mexico City on October 15.
Taya Valkyrie had previously been set to defend her Reina de Reinas Championship against Rosa but will now defend against NWA Women’s World Champion Kamille.
Thunder Rosa announced her injury on August 24 episode of Dynamite and confirmed that she will be taking time off.
This was just a couple weeks before she was supposed to face Toni Storm for the title at the PPV event and it appears that the timing of the announcement got her some heat.
Dave Meltzer provided the latest update on the situation in Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He reiterated that Rosa’s injury is legit. She stopped wrestling in fear that she may require surgery if she continued.
However, the Women’s Champion informed people of the damage only hours after she was told that she would be dropping the title to Storm at the PPV.
This peculiar timing created a lot of conjecture about the situation, with some comparing it to Shawn Michaels in the 90s.
The women’s division already had divisive issues about Thunder Rosa before the announcement. It has only been fuelled further because Rosa didn’t drop the title in the ring before taking the time off.
Talents like Storm and Britt Baker have publicly taken shots at Rosa insinuating that the injury isn’t really that serious. She took the time off to avoid dropping the title at All Out.
There is no word yet on how long Thunder Rosa will stay out of action and it would be interesting to see if she drops the title when she comes back.
AEW had been battling the injury bug pretty badly over the last few months. As soon as one star would come back, another would go down in its place. Most recently the promotion lost two of their top women’s division stars, as Kris Statlander tore her ACL and women’s champion Thunder announced that she was battling a severe back injury. In La Mera Mera’s absence an interim women’s champion will be crowned at ALL OUT.
One of the women competing for the interim championship will be Rosa’s ThunderStorm tag partner, Toni Storm. However, Storm may have just missed out on missing some action as she recent underwent dental surgery. She shared a photo on her Instagram Stories of her recovering at home, assuring fans that she will be back on AEW Dynamite this Wednesday.
In case you forgot…one of AEW’s biggest superstars is in fact, a dentist. Britt Baker saw Storm’s post and took the opportunity to weigh-in with her expertise.
Baker writes, “Toni should probably stay home and rest, but I know a great dentist if any post-op problems arise.”
At ALL OUT Storm will be competing against Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, and Britt Baker, but ahead of that four-way she’ll team up with Shida to battle Hayter and Baker on this Wednesday’s go-home edition of Dynamite.
The AEW women’s champion recently revealed that she would not be able to compete at next weekend’s ALL OUT pay-per-view due to a back injury, and that an interim women’s champion would be crowned in her absence. Competing for the interim title will be Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, and former champions Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker.
However, Rosa’s injury wasn’t the only news that surfaced this week. Multiple reports claimed that La Mera Mera had a ton of backstage heat due to working stiff in the ring. This apparently included some problems with Hayter, who had her nose broken by Rosa when they wrestled earlier this year. It also reported that Rosa was set to lose the title to Toni Storm at ALL OUT so that there would be a new face of the women’s division.
Rosa addressed the rumors of her backstage heat on today’s edition of Busted Open Radio.
Thunder Rosa says there’s been a lot of misinformation about her spread online. She faces her issues head on and anybody who has a problem with her should speak to her directly.
“Stop reading the dirt sheets, guys. Not everything that’s being said is true. Seriously, and that’s why I’m here to clear the air. If anyone has a problem with me, anyone, you can call Busted Open, you can call my number, tell me to my face. I don’t hide from my problems, I don’t run from my problems. You can talk to me, my door is open and that goes for anybody.”
“I have taken accountability for things that have happened, we have talked about it on Busted Open, we have talked about it with people and that’s the person I am. I’m straightforward and some people don’t like that. Some people are scared of that, but I’m not. I’m a trained fighter, I don’t run away from sh-t, so stop reading stupid shit online. That’s all I have to say about that.”
Her Back Injury Is Bad Enough She Can Barely Walk
The next subject the champ would address is her back injury. She clarifies that not only is her injury legitimate, but pretty severe.
“I’m not the best physically right now, I’m not going to lie. I was in a lot of pain yesterday and one of the reasons I called — thank you for having me — a lot has been happening the past couple weeks and unfortunately, I’m going to be out of commission. I don’t know for how long, [but] for a couple months, probably. I have a problem with my back. And Tommy can [attest to this], back problems are not easy. Some days it’s very good, some days they’re not. Yesterday was not a good day. It was not a good day and I was in a lot of pain.”
Unfortunately, Rosa also reveals that she’s had some trouble walking due to the back pain.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m taking time off. I want to clear the air — this is not fake, this is not a work. I am not comparing injuries to [others], but if I can f-cking walk, I can f-cking work, I’m sorry. My doctor, he didn’t clear me to wrestle. I’m not cleared to wrestle and it’s not that I don’t want to wrestle on Sunday, I can’t work.
It’s a shame about — and we were talking about this last week about how people just want the dirt — it’s a shame to put it out on social media because it discredits me as an athlete, but it also discredits me as a wrestler. I’m sorry guys, I want to walk when I’m 40. I have the right to say no, I can’t walk. I can’t do it. I’m in my rights, because I don’t want to have surgery. And if we keep going, and you know this Tommy, if we keep going through the pain, then I’m going to be out for longer and I don’t want to do this.”
This week’s AEW Dynamite saw the surprise announcement by Thunder Rosa that she is not medically cleared to compete. As a result, she will be unable to defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against Toni Storm at All Out on September 4th.
During her absence, an Interim Champion will be crowned. a fatal-four way matchup will occur between Toni Storm, Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida, with the winner being crowned AEW interim women’s champion.
BREAKING NEWS: #AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa announces that she is injured and cannot defend the championship.
Thunder Rosa vows to return with a chip on her shoulder and solidify her spot at the top of the card. She did not disclose the nature of her injury on Dynamite, but PWInsider reports that Rosa is dealing with a back injury. It’s something she has been working through for some time and there is no timetable for her return.
There was a rumor going around that Thunder Rosa has been suspended by AEW, but we can confirm this is not true.
Original Plans for the AEW Women’s title
According to the Wrestling Observer, Thunder Rosa was booked to lose the AEW Women’s World Championship to Toni Storm at All Out.
Say what you want about Rosa’s title reign, but AEW officials are well aware that interest in the women’s division has taken a considerable hit since Britt Baker dropped the title to Rosa earlier this year.
It will be interesting to see if Toni Storm still gets the Women’s title at All Out. Britt Baker is the most popular female performer on the roster and they might just put the gold back on her as a ‘reset.’
This isn’t the first time AEW has had to rely on an interim championship. CM Punk went down with an injury one week after winning the world title at Double Or Nothing, with Jon Moxley capturing the title at Forbidden Door. The Purveyor of Violence solidified his second championship reign when he squashed Punk on last night’s Dynamite.
For the past month, it has been reported that there has been conflict and unhappiness within AEW.
On last week’s Dynamite, CM Punk reportedly went off-script to bury ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, as a reported receipt for comments made by Page during their feud earlier this year.
Both Andrade El Idolo and Miro have liked tweets suggesting that they are being wasted in AEW and would do better working for WWE.
Baker and Rosa
It’s not just the male wrestlers of All Elite Wrestling that are dealing with drama and tension.
A new report from Voices of Wrestling’s Joe Lanza claims that AEW’s women’s division has plenty of issues within their roster.
Lanza claims that there is legitimate heat between AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa, and the woman she defeated to win the title, Britt Baker (via WhatCulture.)
“Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa cannot stand one another. They have been mortal enemies for years now at this point. They can’t look each other in the eye. They hate each other’s guts.”
“They Have been mortal enemies for years.”
Joe Lanza on the reported real-life beef between Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker.
Broken Nose
Baker isn’t the only wrestler reportedly at odds with the reigning AEW Women’s World Champion.
In his report, Lanza adds that Jamie Hayter also has a genuine disdain for Rosa, after the former suffered a broken nose during their match at AEW Battle of the Belts III.
It is claimed that after the match, Rosa was afraid that she would be attacked by Hayter behind the scenes and hid backstage.
“Rosa was scared that Jamie Hayter was going to beat the living sh*t out of her and was hiding in a bathroom.”
Joe Lanza
Responding to Lanza’s report, Fightful’s Will Washington tweeted that he too has heard of backstage conflict between Rosa and Baker & Hayter.
Not to add fuel to the fire but both of the stories coming from VOW tonight were things I heard about. One of which was immediately after it happened, so I have zero reason to doubt their reporting on the matter. https://t.co/ogwh5nOrwu
AEW is still dealing with the ramifications of CM Punk getting injured right after his AEW world title victory, and now another champion has gotten injured.
The current AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa announced in a backstage segment tonight that she won’t be able to defend her title at the upcoming All Out PPV and an interim champion will be crowned at the show:
“I for today have to step down as the Women’s World Champion. I’m no longer able to defend the Championship due to an injury. So on September 4, at All Out, there will be a new interim world champion.”
Though Rosa later claimed that this injury will not stop her from getting better. She is going to come back stronger and with a bigger chip on her shoulder.
Is Thunder Rosa’s Injury Real?
There were speculations about this injury being a work after this sudden announcement but Sean Ross Sapp confirmed that it’s not the case:
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) August 25, 2022
AEW has since announced a fatal four-way match among Toni Storm, Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida to crown the Interim Women’s Champion at All Out.
There is no word yet on what kind of injury Thunder Rosa is dealing with. So it’s hard to say how long she’ll stay out of action.
In March this year, Thunder Rosa captured the AEW Women’s World Championship, ending the 290-day reign of Dr. Britt Baker DDS and doing so inside of a steel cage.
The win was made even more special as it happened in her adopted hometown of San Antonio, Texas.
Rosa has held on the title since then, defending against the likes of Toni Storm, Nyla Rose, Serena Deeb, Marina Shafir, and Miyu Yamashita.
The Challenge
Prior to signing full-time with AEW, Thunder Rosa competed for the NWA, where she is a former NWA Women’s World Champion.
Rosa’s 277-day reign as NWA Women’s World Champion began in January 2020 and would end at the hands of Serena Deeb that October.
Speaking to Bullet Cast, Thunder Rosa explained how being the Champion of AEW has brought on more challenges than her time with the NWA (via Wrestling Inc.)
“It’s been really challenging because being a champion on a major platform is different than when I was the NWA Women’s Champion. There’s a lot more at stake, there’s a lot more that you’re representing, and also a little bit of pressure.
“It’s been really challenging… There’s a lot more at stake.”
Thunder Rosa on her reign as AEW Women’s World Champion.
“Every time you stand in front of the camera, you just want to make sure that you’re perfect. The thing is, it’s not about perfection, it’s about making a difference and I hope that I have been making a difference in the women’s division.”
Rosa’s most recent title defense saw her retain against Jamie Hayter on the August 5, Battle of the Belts III special taping.
Thunder Rosa made her latest title defense as the AEW Women’s Champion against Toni Storm at Sunday’s AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view event from Chicago, Illinois at the United Center.
The match saw Storm get the early advantage early. They brawl around the ring and Storm hit a DDT. It ended when Rosa hit a Final Reckoning for the pinfall
Storm defeated former champ Britt Baker on the June 14th edition of Dynamite. She had a staredown with Rosa for the second consecutive week and the match was officially announced later in the show.
Rosa made her previous title defense on pay-per-view as the AEW Women’s Champion against Serena Deeb at the Double Or Nothing.
The former WWE star made her promotional debut on the March 31 edition of Dynamite as AEW President Tony Khan’s latest mystery signing where she beat The Bunny in the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament qualifying match with her finisher.
Time will tell whether AEW continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into Wednesday’s Dynamite.
What are your thoughts on Thunder Rosa retaining the AEW Women’s Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa and Marina Shafir aren’t going to let recent claims cause problems between them.
Recently, the pair made news after there were accusations of Rosa sabotaging a match between them.
The reigning AEW Women’s World Champion responded to the claims when speaking to Ariel Helwani, and said that people will always talk, but she will move forward.
On Twitter, Rosa shared a couple of photos of herself and Shafir breaking bread, a sign that they have made amends.
Today day we take responsibility and work on being better. Because at the end of the day we break bread. Two mothers navigating a world in where we both never ending learners. @MarinaShafirpic.twitter.com/OyViMgqJgr
During the match though, several spots didn’t go as planned, and at one point, Shafir struggled to lift the Women’s World Champion.
Online, some accused Rosa of ‘sandbagging’ making her body go limp and as difficult to maneuver, in an attempt to make Shafir look bad.
A fan who tweeted about the match, claiming that Rosa had sabotaged the match had their tweet liked by both Shafir and former Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker.
The Past
This is the latest accusation against Rosa, after ex-AEW star Ivelisse had a match with her in 2020 in which both women were not on the same page.
After departing the company, Ivelisse claimed that Rosa had sabotaged the match and said the bout had been a factor in her departure.
AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa isn’t too worried about claims that she deliberately sabotaged a recent title match on AEW Dynamite.
During last week’s show, Rosa defended her title against Marina Shafir in a match that left fans scratching their heads.
One fan thought the clunky spots in the match were a perfect example of a wrestler ‘sandbagging:’ deliberately making it difficult to work in the ring.
Both Shafir and former Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker liked the tweet from the person that was accusing Rosa of sandbagging.
The AEW Women’s World Champion said that she has nothing but respect for her opponents, and while she’ll try harder next time, chalked this experience up to people talking (via WrestlingNews.)
“I have nothing but respect for my opponents. Anyone who dares to stand in the ring with me, I have nothing but respect to my opponents and send them nothing but blessings. Moving on forward I will continue to work harder to have the best matches I can bring and to bring the most opportunities to all of the women that are behind me. When they step into the ring with me they’re like ‘cool.’ People are going to talk and that’s fine, I’m not worried about that. I will continue to move forward and I will continue to show with my body of work what I’m all about. That’s all I have to say.”
“People are going to talk and that’s fine, I’m not worried about that. I will continue to move forward.”
Thunder Rosa on accusations of sabotaging her match with Marina Shafir.
Speaking to @arielhelwani on #TheMMAHour, AEW women's champion Thunder Rosa dismissed accusations of sandbagging in her recent match against Marina Shafir.
Thunder Rosa may have made herself some enemies and we’re not talking storylines.
Rosa is the reigning AEW Women’s Champion. Some haven’t been impressed by her title reign thus far. She had a well-received title defense against Serena Deeb at Double or Nothing but the build was lackluster.
She then had a match with Marina Shafir, which wasn’t very good but some have pinned the blame on Rosa for deliberately sabotaging the performance of her opponent.
Thunder Rosa’s Reputation
(via AEW)
Twitter user @ericinsarasota, who happens to be Erick Stevens, a former ROH star, recently shared two interesting tweets on the Thunder Rosa vs. Marina Shafir match from the June 8 episode of Dynamite. The user believes that Rosa was blatantly “sandbagging” her opponent, making Shafir look weak in the process.
It might just look like a bad match to the untrained eye but it’s pretty clear when somebody doesn’t want to play ball. Which sucks because it just makes you and your opponent look bad.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a match where somebody so obviously tried to make themselves look better than their opponent by sandbagging and no selling, but I just saw a perfect example of it on Dynamite.
“It might just look like a bad match to the untrained eye but it’s pretty clear when somebody doesn’t want to play ball. Which sucks because it just makes you and your opponent look bad.”
One might think the tweets are from someone sharing a wild theory but there could be something to this.
Britt Baker, the biggest female star on the AEW roster, actually ended up liking the first tweet, while Marina Shafir liked both.
This isn’t the first time Thunder Rosa has had an incident in the ring with her opponent. Back in Sept. 2020, she had a match with Ivelisse that went off the rails. Ivelisse told Chris Van Vliet that Rosa forgot her spots and the match ended up turning into a shoot.
Thunder Rosa has been on a roll since debuting for AEW in 2020 and has dispatched of all challengers for her AEW Women’s World Championship.
Former Champion Nyla Rosa and wrestling veteran Serena Deeb are just some of the names who have failed to take the title from Rosa, but her next challenger may not be signed to AEW at all.
Thunder Rosa’s Next Opponent
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there have been talks about Rosa defending her title against Miyu Yamashita, a star from the Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling.
The idea for the match came about after Yamashita was said to have done extremely well in terms of streaming during a recent run in the United States.
Yamashita wrestled twice for Prestige Wrestling in Portland Oregon, defeating Impact’s Masha Slamovich on May 28 and fellow TJPW star Maki Itoh the next day.
Yamashita’s biggest match in the U.S. to date was on the June 1, edition of AEW Dark: Elevation, where she and Skyle Blue came up short against Nyla Rose and Deeb.
Who is Miyu Yamashita?
Miyu Yamashita
27-year-old Yamashita began her wrestling career in August 2013 as one of the first members of TJPW.
In 2016, she became the first-ever Tokyo Princess of Princess Champion and holds the records for the most reigns (3) and the most combined days as champion (1,065.)
Outside TJPW, Yamashita has a sole reign as Shine Champion with Shine Wrestling, and three reigns as Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion for DDT Pro-Wrestling.
With her strong kicks and karate-based offense, Yamashita is known as ‘Pink Striker’ in TJPW.
When videos of her devastating head kick circulated online, Yamashita was compared to AEW’s Malakai Black, and the two met when Yamashita worked on Dark: Elevation last week.
That’s goddamn beautiful and what a way to make something that is already out there your own. The stance & angle afterwards are beautiful. https://t.co/HquIFMzcDm
One current AEW Champion is said to not be very happy with the company.
We have seen reports claiming that some AEW stars have been frustrated with the promotion over a lack of TV time among other things.
The company has signed a slew of talent to the point where many of them end up on Dark and Dark: Elevation in a matter of weeks.
Thunder Rosa Not Happy
Those concerns seem to have resonated with AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa. While Rosa wasn’t seen on the June 1 episode of Dynamite due to an illness, as reported by PWInsider, she has some issues behind the scenes.
WhatCulture was the first to report that Thunder Rosa has expressed gripes over her lack of TV time. Fightful has since confirmed the report, while noting that her frustration had nothing to do with the June 1 episode of Dynamite.
It’s also been said that the AEW Women’s Champion wasn’t given an opportunity to speak about auctioning her Double or Nothing gear to help support the families of the victims of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas during the post-event scrum.
While Rosa’s situation hasn’t been described as reaching a boiling point, she has been left puzzled over some of AEW’s decision-making.
One notable absence was AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa.
PWInsider is reporting that Rosa was in attendance for Dynamite this week but wasn’t feeling well. A decision was made by a company doctor to send her home.
It’s a tough break for the AEW Women’s Champion. She had already been dealing with nagging injuries and at this time, it’s unknown whether or not she worked the Double or Nothing match with Serena Deeb banged up.
It’s important to note that it isn’t known if those injuries caused her not to feel well on Wednesday.
Thunder Rosa made her latest title defense as the AEW Women’s Champion against Serena Deeb at the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
They went back and forth early. They traded submissions. The crowd was dead for this match. Rosa with her finisher for the win.
The challenge was issued on the May 4th edition of Dynamite following a confrontation between the champion and the new challenger. Rosa called out the number one contender, which was Deeb, on this show. Deeb stated that in order for the AEW women’s division to be the best in the world, the best wrestler in the world needed to be champion, and she considered herself on another level. Deeb stated that she would be taking the title from Rosa at Double or Nothing, she would be taking the title.
Deeb became the top ranked AEW women’s wrestler after defeating Hikaru Shida in a street fight.
Time will tell whether AEW continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into Wednesday’s Dynamite.
What are your thoughts on Thunder Rosa retaining the AEW Women’s Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
The Get to Know Series looks at The Jobber Tears Podcast. The podcast is having great success, with all three hosts making strides in the professional wrestling business. The group will also hold its second live wrestling event called JobberSlam this Summer.
A strong work ethic and consistency can be crucial to a successful content creator. The wrestling podcast business has grown in recent years, with independent content creators getting opportunities in the wrestling business. In the case of The Jobbers Tears Podcast, they’ve grown to be one of the most popular wrestling creators amongst wrestling fans and talent.
Their success didn’t happen overnight, as they had to work hard to produce content consistently. However, it has earned them the ability to commentate on wrestling and helped them gain opportunities in the wrestling industry.
I recently had the chance to speak with the group. Here’s the video of our discussion, followed by written highlights.
How Did The Jobber Podcast Begin?
The road to becoming a popular podcast didn’t start well for The Jobbers Tears Podcast. It began in 2017 with Wilkins “Sir Wilkins” Petit-Frere and Janelle “Janella From The HR” Garcia from HR as the wrestling debators, with another individual acting as a moderator. The original podcast called Yep, I Got a Podcast only lasted a few episodes before the moderator went on vacation, leaving Sir Wilkins and Janelle from HR to find another member. Sir Wilkins’s brother Yardley “Mr. Blacc” Petit-Frere replaced the moderator, and the group began to find their stride.
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Unfortunately, the moderator returned and had creative differences, which resulted in the individual erasing the first six episodes from streaming platforms.
“…In general, he deleted all the episodes, got rid of them, whatever. So I asked my brother, would you want to do a podcast with me. I still wanted to continue it because I knew it was something there, said Sir Wilkins. Along with their ex cameraman, the group got together at a bar to figure out the new name of the podcast. “…We literally sat there, and then we googled names. Ironically, all of them were taken. Anything that was like somewhat wrestling related it was taken,” said Sir Wikins. He continued, “So then we went with Jobber and then we have this friend named Larry, who we are cool with, who used to always troll on sports websites. I got a cup of tears of Giants fans or I got a cup of tears of like Knicks fans stuff like that. So then Janelle was maybe like tears and then we were like Jobber Tears!”
The Jobbers Tears Podcast officially started on Jan. 11, 2018.
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Spotlighting The Independent Wrestling Scene
Once the podcast officially started, the group began to think of ways to differentiate themselves from most wrestling content creators. Instead of focusing on popular wrestling companies like WWE, they also spotlighted the indie wrestling community. They networked with talent by interviewing independent wrestlers and going to events and rose in popularity.
“…We had these built with certain people because we met them through the independent scene or we spoke to them. One of my first interviews was Austin Theory,” said Sir Wilkins. He shared that signed talents like Theory and Carmelo Hayes know them because they networked with them before WWE. The podcasts have numerous high-profile interviews, including Shad Gaspard, Tasha Steelz, Nick Aldis, and Thunder Rosa.
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The group also became more involved in the professional wrestling business by getting into independent wrestling. They better understand the decision-making behind wrestling, which Janelle from HR believes sets them apart from other podcasts.
“…As we progressed with the podcast, we’ve also been understanding to the business side of wrestling, which I think a lot of podcasts and it’s not a shade or anything or a shot to anybody, but a lot of podcasts don’t do, because they are in that fan realm,” said Janelle from HR.
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What’s Next For The Jobber Tears Podcast?
Although the podcast has reached success, the group is getting more involved in professional wrestling both together and individually. Mr. Blacc is training to become a referee and is working on a lifestyle project with The Dirty Heelz Podcast called The Sped Ed Kids Podcast. Sir Wilkins is preparing to have his first wrestling match and is working for Complex alongside Church of Joshi’s Alex Lajas for Complex Unsanctioned on Spotify. Janelle from HR has become part owner of Battle Club Pro Wrestling, which has an upcoming event Welcome 2 War on Jun. 19.
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The group is preparing their second live wrestling event under Battle Club Pro Wrestling called Jobberslam for Aug. 20. The event is still in development, and shared that more information will be released later. The Jobber Tears Podcast is also planning their AEW Double or Nothing watch party for fans at Legends Bar in New York, NY, on May. 29.
The Jobber Tears Podcast hopes to have a legacy as great wrestling content creators who also have positively impacted the business. The achievements that they have earned are a reminder that a great work ethic, consistency, and ambition can lead to incredible opportunities.
35-year-old Thunder Rosa is an inspiration for anyone who hasn’t found their path early in their life. The AEW star made her wrestling debut at the age of 28 back in 2014. Since then, she has not only forged a career path for herself but Rosa has gone on to become the women’s champion in the second-largest pro wrestling promotion of the world.
The current AEW women’s world champion recently spoke to Forbes. She talked about things such as her singing career and more.
When asked about her retirement plans, Rosa said that she will be competing for as long as possible. Though the former Lucha Underground star then explained why she doesn’t want to be wrestling after 45:
“I’m going to wrestle as long as possible, but I don’t think I want to be wrestling after I’m 45. I know some of my peers at that age and they’re still wrestling. I personally don’t want to because it’s very taxing on your body.”
Thunder Rosa went on to describe how she can wrestle at her level and caliber for only so long, before her age starts catching up to her:
“I can wrestle to the caliber, to the level that I’ve been wrestling at, for another three to four years… But I also have to scale back and take care of my body.”
Rosa also discussed her current health and said that her body feels 100 percent right now. She recalled how she was in a lot of pain before because she was wrestling so much.
Thunder Rosa has responded to those who feel the way she’s being booked as AEW Women’s Champion is lackluster.
Rosa has been the champion since only March but some feel the reign has already been disappointing. She had a successful title defense against Nyla Rose. The buildup to that match left a lot to be desired for the critics.
While her upcoming Double or Nothing title defense against Serena Deeb has drawn some interest, their first face-to-face promo was less than stellar.
Thunder Rosa spoke to talkSPORT and she addressed those who believe that AEW isn’t presenting her as strongly as it should.
“I just know that people are never going to be satisfied with everything that you do, or anything that happens. Bottom line. I’m going to do my best with everything I’m given all the time and people will criticize that too – which is OK.
“People are going to talk and if they’re talking that means they’re watching. At the end of the day that’s what we’re trying to do.
“I had a banger of a match with Nyla Rose and I was able to show some sides that I haven’t been able to in years in that ring. It was a dynamic match and something different. David vs Goliath in that aspect.
“Everyone is different and there’s always going to be criticism, but whatever is in my hands to make better I will. This match at Double or Nothing, and I say this now, I’m going to show that I am the best wrestler in the world. That AEW has the best women’s division in the world. That’s what I’m here for.
“Like it or not, I’m the AEW Women’s champion, so get used to seeing my face, get used to hearing my voice and get used to seeing me wrestle in that ring the way that I wrestle.“
Rosa captured the AEW Women’s Title against Britt Baker on the St. Patrick’s Day Slam edition of Dynamite. The title match was contested inside a steel cage.
Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker are the top two stars in AEW’s women’s division and with such fanfare behind their feud, it’s one that Tony Khan can go back to when needed.
They had their first match against each other at AEW Beach Break 2021 before their memorable Lights Out match that ended the rivalry for the time being at St. Patrick’s Day Slam 2021.
AEW ran back the feud a year later with Baker beating Rosa at AEW Revolution 2022 before Rosa dethroned Baker in a cage match at St. Patrick’s Day Slam.
Speaking on Under The Ring, Rosa discussed the evolution of her rivalry with Baker. She compared it to The Rock vs. Steve Austin and Trish Stratus vs. Lita.
“The rivalry that we had, it’s real. Now that I took the title from her, it’s not something that is going to end. It’s like The Rock and Stone Cold (Steve Austin), something similar, or Trish (Stratus) and Lita. Something of that sort. Something that is never going to end. Our matches were definitely more physical in terms of female wrestling. We pushed a lot of boundaries that I don’t think people were used to seeing women in the mainstream media, doing something of that sort, especially on the last one.”
Rosa stated they had an opportunity to elevate women’s wrestling to another level with it.
Baker is slated to defend the title against Serena Deeb at AEW Double or Nothing while Baker is competing in the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament.
AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa’s next challenger has been revealed.
Rosa is approaching the two-month mark of her AEW Women’s Championship reign. She captured the title during the St. Patrick’s Day Slam edition of Dynamite, defeating Britt Baker.
Thunder Rosa made her way out to the stage during the May 4 episode of Dynamite. Serena Deeb saw it as a perfect opportunity to address the champion. We then learned that Rosa vs. Deeb is now official for the Double or Nothing PPV set for May 29 in Las Vegas.
Much like NJPW, it appears Stardom has warmed up to the idea of working with AEW.
Dave Meltzer hopped on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast to discuss all things wrestling. During his appearance, he reported that Stardom is high on the idea of working with AEW. In particular, the company would like to bring in some big names for some of its more high-profile events.
Which AEW Talents Have Stardom’s Eye?
Stardom has certainly grown in popularity and served as a bright spot in Japanese wrestling during the pandemic. As the promotion gears up for some of its major events, eventually at full capacity with Japan starting to open up more, there is interest in top AEW talent.
Meltzer noted that Stardom wouldn’t hesitate to have the likes of AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker for some of its key shows.
The report may not come as a surprise to many. After all, Bushiroad owns both Stardom and NJPW. We’ve seen NJPW team up with AEW ever since Harold Meij was replaced by Takami Ohbari as the promotion’s president.
AEW and NJPW will be holding a joint PPV event dubbed, “Forbidden Door” on June 26. At this time, Stardom isn’t expected to participate. The promotion has its own event on that date.
