Thunder Rosa has been out of action since suffering a back injury in August when she was the reigning AEW Women’s World Champion.
At the time, she was scheduled to face Toni Storm at the upcoming All Out pay-per-view, a show that would end up being mired in controversy of its own. At the time, some members of the locker room were said to question whether the injury was legitimate, with some believing she was faking it. Rosa refuted those claims.
Toni Storm was crowned Interim Women’s Champion at All Out, and Thunder Rosa remained the company’s official champion until after Storm was defeated months later by Jamie Hayter at Full Gear. Some were frustrated that Thunder Rosa was allowed to hold onto the championship for so long during her injury. She also came under fire with accusations of “sandbagging” her opponents during her previous run.
At long last, the star made her way back to AEW television on the February 8th episode of Dynamite, though not in a role many would expect. Instead, she served as part of the Spanish-language commentary team. Her return sparked a talent meeting where she reportedly apologized to the locker room in an attempt to make peace.
Speaking on the latest episode of Busted Open, Thunder Rosa opened up about the controversy surrounding her, particularly when it comes to her injury status and the decision to have her hold onto the championship. The star says she wanted to drop the title when she found out she was hurt, but Tony Khan decided that she would remain champion.
“First and foremost, I want to make sure people understand, at the beginning of this drama, everyone was speculating that I wasn’t hurt. It was proven that I was hurt. There are MRIs, they talked to my doctor, I had multiple epidurals, and I’m still not cleared. I had another MRI last week and the pain is still there.
“For me, personally, I wanted to drop the title the day that I couldn’t wrestle because they told me I was going to be out four to six weeks. My boss [Tony Khan] made the decision and said, ‘you’re going to be the champion and we’re going to have an interim champion.’ For me, as a competitor, I wanted to make it fair so my peers had an opportunity to defend the championship because it wasn’t fair that I wasn’t there, I wasn’t going to be there, and I was going to hold the title.
“The problem comes, and this has been the question raised about me not showing up; I wasn’t booked to go there. When I got the news that I wasn’t going to keep the title, it caught me by surprise. ‘Today is the day, okay.’ I wasn’t able to go. I wasn’t able to get in the ring and say, ‘Guys. Unfortunately we made the decision, here is the title, thank you for the opportunity to let me represent.’ That opportunity wasn’t given to me. That’s pretty much it.”
“I Want To Make Sure We Focus On The Women’s Division” – Thunder Rosa On AEW Goals
Continuing, Thunder Rosa made it clear that she wants to focus on the future of the AEW women’s division. She confirmed that she spoke with members of the locker room to make amends, and while she’s not able to wrestle now, she hopes to return to the ring.
“I want to make sure we focus on the women’s division now. I’m not there in the ring. I’m not a superhero to be able to get in the ring. We have to respect the people that are now representing the company. I have talked to the locker room.
“I took accountability for the things that some people had issues with me, and I went out there and apologized. That’s the best thing I can do. I want to make money. I want to make sure I can work with everyone, regardless if we have any issues or not. At the end of the day, I’m booked to wrestle, unfortunately I can’t wrestle right now. I’m human, I don’t pretend to be a superhuman. I’m not here to be a martyr and I don’t want to be a victim.
“Right now, there is no storyline between Britt Baker and I. God as my witness, every morning and every night, I pray to God that there is one thing I want to do and one thing only. Not to get the championship, but to settle this in the ring, for once and all, and wrestle Britt Baker and show the world what a real professional wrestler is.”
There is currently no word on when Thunder Rosa will be medically cleared to return to active competition.
h/t Fightful