10 Ways AEW Has Listened To Its Audience

6. Bringing In Thunder Rosa

Kenny Omega Don Callis Impact
AEW

When AEW Women's Champion Hikaru Shida threw out the gauntlet that she wanted somebody to step up to the plate and provide her with a proper challenge, many fans instantly took to social media to offer up Thunder Rosa as a viable contender to attempt to take Shida's crown.

Having made her in-ring debut in 2014, it was 2019 that stuck out as a true breakout year for La Mera Mera. She'd worked under a mask as Kobra Moon in Lucha Underground and had competed for Ring of Honor, but 2019 saw Rosa's popularity taken to a new level thanks to her appearances for Billy Corgan's NWA.

Not only did her NWA Powerrr appearances make Thunder Rosa feel like a huge deal, it also helped that the NWA put its weekly programming out online for free - thus allowing even more eyes to see Powerrr and likewise Thunder Rosa.

That buzz meant that fans were clamouring to see the then-NWA Women's Champion step up and accept the offer of Hikaru Shida. And to the immense credit of AEW, they heard this fanfare and approached Billy Corgan about using one of his most prized assets on All Elite programming.

Of course, Thunder Rosa knocked it out of the park when afforded the opportunity to showcase her skills in AEW, hence why All Elite Wrestling has continued to use Rosa on a semi-regular basis since then. When the hugely talented grappler's NWA deal expires next year, one has to imagine AEW will be extremely keen to offer her a contract.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.