Thunder Rosa’s time in AEW has been fraught with controversy, and she hasn’t been seen in active competition since suffering an injury back in August of 2022.
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.
Thunder Rosa had reigned as AEW Women’s Champion ever since defeating Britt Baker inside a steel cage at St. Patrick’s Day Slam, but her injury rendered her unable to participate in the match at All Out.
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 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.
Thunder Rosa’s AEW Return Caused A Backstage Talent Meeting
Now, a new report from Fightful Select reveals that Thunder Rosa’s AEW return sparked the need for a talent meeting that involved the entire women’s roster. According to the report, the meeting on February 8th came about as a way to resolve tension from frayed relationships between Rosa and members of the women’s locker room.
Sources who spoke with Fightful indicated that Rosa did a lot of “making amends” for dissention that occurred during her previous run, including the fact that some women felt Rosa made other members of the roster look like bullies. The issues of sandbagging and working stiff were also addressed. One source said that Rosa had faced similar criticism early in her All Elite Wrestling career, but that had long been rectified until this recent run.
The report also notes that while Rosa is not currently cleared to compete, those close to her believe she will be cleared soon. Therefore, she won’t be wrestling immediately despite returning to the road.
One source in the company’s management told Fightful that the meeting was believed to be productive and that they hoped they were starting over with a “clean slate.”