On the November 23rd edition of AEW Dynamite it was revealed that Thunder Rosa finally relinquished her AEW Women’s Championship, bringing to an end a reign that began back in March.
The latter portion of Rosa’s title reign wasn’t without controversy, even though the star was unable to compete. Thunder Rosa had been scheduled to face Toni Storm at All Out with the title on the line, but pulled out citing a back injury. With the champion missing, Toni Storm was crowned Interim Champion at the event after defeating Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida and Jamie Hayter.
Original AEW Plans For Thunder Rosa
Around the time that her absence began Rosa was surrounded by reports that she had treated some AEW extras badly, while she was said to have heat with both Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter. The nature of her injury was also the source of much speculation as the exact details of the issue have been kept secret. This speculation only increased as it became clear that there was no timeframe for a return to action for the star, despite her still holding the Women’s Title.
Toni Storm publicly vented her frustration with the situation on more than one occasion while she held the Interim Title. However, Storm was defeated at Full Gear by Jamie Hayter, who became the new Interim AEW Women’s Champion. On the following episode of Dynamite, she was named the lineal champion, while Storm’s reign was also recognised as a ‘full’ title reign.
Speaking on a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer lifted the lid on the original plans for the Women’s Championship. Meltzer stated that Storm as scheduled to defeat Thunder Rosa at All Out before the star withdrew from the match.
“The deal with Rosa was that, when she went down, she was going to lose the title at that pay-per-view (All Out) to Toni Storm. They expected her back November/December, in that timeframe, and I think the feeling was, because of what happened with Punk, where they gave him a couple of months, to be consistent they would have to do the same thing here. Now it’s looking like February, so now I think they’re saying February’s too long.”
After the announcement about the future of the title was made Thunder Rosa took to social media to thank fans for their support.
H/t to WrestleTalk