More on Thunder Rosa Vs Marina Shafir elsewhere in this article, but a quick note here on the bigger picture of AEW, its continued mistreatment of women's wrestling and why more people should have taken the (later doubly confirmed) news of Rosa's displeasure seriously before racing to the company's defence.
Jon Moxley fought the world to get to Chris Jericho. Kenny Omega hatched a cruel super-villain's scheme. Hangman Page rose back up the ranks overcame years of self-doubt and anxiety. CM Punk went on an emotional and physical odyssey to prove himself equal before he could prove himself the best again. The entire roster had a stake in an interim variant of his currently-parked prize.
Marina Shafir...walked up to Rosa, asked for a shot and got one three segments later. Which conveniently fell in the dreaded death slot too. These are the damaging differences that have dogged this promotion for three years and will continue to do so until tangible and consistent change is achieved.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
