On the August 22, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite, the NWA World Women’s Champion, Thunder Rosa made a surprising debut appearance in All Elite Wrestling. She challenged the AEW Women’s Champion, Hikaru Shida to a title match at the upcoming AEW pay-per-view, All Out. Revealing her motives behind the sudden appearance on AEW and the challenge to Hikaru Shida, Thunder Rosa claimed that she wanted to bring the AEW women’s division some respect.
On the August 27 episode of Dynamite, the title match between Hikaru Shida and Thunder Rosa was finally confirmed. The winner of the match will become the new AEW Women’s Champion.
Melissa Cervantes a.k.a Thunder Rosa, is the current National Wrestling Alliance World w
Women’s champion. Her cross-promotion match against AEW women’s champion Hikaru Shida added excitement to the already star studded AEW All Out Match Card.
Rosa went on to make statements before her big title match against Hikaru Shida. She said .
“If you don’t know who I am, you will. People are going to know exactly who I am after All Out.”
“I’m the NWA women’s champion, and I get to walk into an AEW pay-per-view for a match against Hikaru Shida—to me, that is an honor. I know people have been very hesitant about what they’ve seen in the last couple of weeks in the AEW women’s division. I’ve read the criticism, but we are going to show what a championship match should look like. I’ve been visualizing my entrance, my moves, my MMA technique, and I wish I was getting in the ring with her right now.”
A 34-year old Rosa won the NWA Women’s Championship after defeating Allysin Kay at the NWA’s Hard Times pay-per-view in January. Her playing style involves a lot of ground-and-pound mixed with brawling attacks and submission techniques. It’s evident that Rosa is a master of her trade. And now by appearing at the AEW, she has made her intentions clear to put herself on the map.
At an AEW promotional video, Rosa said that she does not care for scraps but she has come to AEW to take Women’s Wrestling at the promotion to the next level and command the respect they deserve, and she is after only one thing which is the AEW Women’s Championship, currently owned by Hikaru Shida.
In the past, Thunder Rosa has given enough evidence about her passion for the sport, her aura and her intensity. But at AEW All Out, she will have to make more if she plans to make fans register her name.
But that’s not all Thunder Rosa brings to the table. She adds an international flair to the competition after having travelled all around the world, from Japan to Mexico. In fact she is also the reigning international princess champion for Tokyo Joshi Pro.
But what drives Rosa’s obsession to prove herself to the world has an even more interesting story. While Rosa was looking to join a prominent wrestling promotion, she was never respected as a wrestler. In her interview with Fightful, Rosa revealed how she was never approached by WWE or IMPACT Wrestling as an in-ring competitor. Infact, WWE wanted to hire Rosa as a referee. Maybe that’s what fuels Rosa’s obsession to make an impact on the Wrestling world and leave an impression on the fans as a female wrestler.
Going on record she said-
“Me and Shida at All Out, it’s going to be magic. You’re going to see passion, you’re going to see conviction, and you’ll learn why I am who I am.”
Whether Rosa will stand true to her word and make an unforgettable impression on wrestling fans, only time will tell. It seems we have to wait till September 5, 2020 and watch it for ourselves at AEW All Out.