Thunder Rosa Talks AEW Schedule, Double Or Nothing, Retirement, Singing Career, More

Thunder Rosa will defend her AEW Women’s World Championship against longtime rival Serena Deeb at Double or Nothing on May 29th, and their lengthy rivalry will finally come full circle.

It was two years ago in September 2020 that Rosa took on “The Professor of Professional Wrestling” in her AEW debut match. Now, Rosa is holding AEW’s top title and sees this match as a milestone in her career. “This one is two years in the making,” said Rosa. “I was just trying to make a name for myself [two years ago]..and we were both trying to establish what women’s wrestling looks like.”

Prior to that match, former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega—who also works as a producer for AEW’s women’s division—shocked Rosa when he told her how much TV time she and Deeb would have in her debut match even though she was an NWA talent at the time. “We were backstage and were trying to see how much time we were going to have, and Kenny said, ‘You have 13 minutes,’ and then I remember that he said, ‘I want you to show what women’s wrestling looks like.’ And I was like, oh yes. Say no more.”

Indeed, Thunder Rosa has demonstrated exactly what women’s wrestling should look like. She captured the AEW Women’s Championship from Dr. Britt Baker at AEW’s St. Patrick’s Day Slam in March in her adoptive hometown of San Antonio, Texas, ending Baker’s near-300-day reign in what was the culmination of an extended rivalry that has ranked among the best storylines in AEW’s brief history.

What made Rosa’s long-term feud with Baker so compelling was the time and effort put into it. Perhaps their most memorable moment came in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match in March 2021, an unforgettably brutal bout that didn’t officially count as a win for Rosa but was one of many marquee moments in her feud with Baker. Rosa said, “I think it was well developed and well done. We took our time telling the story and I think that’s what drew people in the most…I think people have such short-term [memory] spans and that includes me too. But when you have stories and you take your time and you develop the background, it’s a lot more meaningful.”

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Thunder Rosa has been involved in two of AEW’s most meaningful feuds—with Baker and Deeb, respectively—and she considers her Double or Nothing match with Deeb as her “graduation” to bigger and better things. “My expectations are really high. This is a very important match for me. This will be my graduation not from community college or from university. I got my Master’s the last few years, but I will become another Professor of Professional Wrestling,” said Rosa.

Rosa’s impact extends well beyond the squared circle, too. A former social worker who worked with at-risk persons between the ages of 18 and 25, she doesn’t take lightly the impact she has on fans, especially young girls who view her as a role model. “I always tell the young girls that come to my table that it’s always important to follow your dreams, whatever that is. And it’s very moving that I get girls from different diverse backgrounds and they see me as somebody that they look up to.”

Who they are looking up to is arguably the top female wrestler in the world. Rosa said she believes that the fact that she is holding the AEW Women’s World Championship proves that she is “the best” at what she does. “The championship says that I’m the best. I am the best. I’m just gonna leave it at that.”

Rosa takes pride in the fact that she blends a number of different in-ring styles and can adapt to any style depending upon who she faces in the ring. Thus far, she has crossed paths with a number of AEW’s biggest stars, including former Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida, but there are plenty of others she would like to step in the ring—or back in the ring—with, naming Kris Statlander, Ruby Soho, Toni Storm and Jamie Hayter as some of the stars on her wrestling bucket list.

Rosa also had high praise for fellow champion Jade Cargill, the current TBS Champion, who she called a “superstar in the making.” As one of the most seasoned performers in AEW’s women’s divsion, Rosa also made it clear that she wants to help AEW’s newer talents get that extra nudge to reach the next level.

“I would also like to do some matches with some of the new talent because I think it is important that the ones you know that they can make it—or that they are on the brink of doing something really really good but they just need a really good match—I would love to do that,” said Rosa.

Rosa also noted that pro wrestling legends Dustin Rhodes and Mercedes Martinez are both instrumental to the development of AEW’s women’s division but that she is open to providing constructive criticism to any of AEW’s female stars who ask for her help. “I always tell new talent that if they need to train with somebody or that if they have a question or if they want to roll around that I’m available,” Rosa said. “It’s very important for them to feel like they’re supported… You want to get better, you want to improve? I’m here for you.”

Just as Rosa supports her fellow AEW stars, AEW supports Rosa in her outside efforts, too. Although she is most known for her in-ring skills, Rosa considers herself a very creative person and has a number of outside interests, including raising money for non-profits, creating short films, and singing. She hopes to put out a song or two within the next year and eventually release an album, focusing on regional Mexican music that appeals to the Latino market. She even has aspirations of working with Snoop Dogg and knows that her role in AEW can help her achieve goals that she may not have been able to reach otherwise.

“They [AEW] are very supportive of us doing other things because it looks good on the company and it keeps the talent happy,” said Rosa. “[AEW President] Tony Khan is very supportive on our personal endeavors…AEW has opened the door for me to start diving into other things that I never thought I would.”

Although Rosa has plenty of options outside of pro wrestling, she still has plenty of gas left in the tank and doesn’t see retirement in her near future. “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,” Rosa said. “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.”

One thing that has allowed Rosa to take care of her body is AEW’s friendly schedule. Rosa praised AEW’s schedule for giving her more time to heal: “My body feels 100 percent right now. I cannot tell you, for so long, I was in so much pain because I was wrestling so much. This schedule that we have, if you have a family, it’s really good because you get to spend more time with your family, unless you’re like me and you’re a workaholic and you’re always working.”

Rosa’s strong work ethic has catapulted her to the top of AEW, and she doesn’t take that responsibility lightly. Although she enjoys the money, the fame and the financial freedom that being on global television has given her, Rosa knows exactly what she wants her legacy to be when it’s all said and done.

“I love helping other people. If you ask me what drives me, that’s what it is,” said Rosa. “Yes, I want the money, I want the fame and everything. But the fact that I’m able to, with this platform, to be able to help others that [I] never would otherwise, it’s amazing.”