AEW Officially Signs Thunder Rosa
A huge, permanent boost for the AEW women's division, as the former NWA champ signs on.
Thunder Rosa has signed with All Elite Wrestling.
The promotion broke the news on Thursday, doing so via the standard X is #AllElite Twitter announcement.
Rosa, who debuted with AEW last year and was one of the promotion's chief beneficiaries of the working relationship with the NWA, has reacted with the following:-
Never in my life doubt that I would be where I want to be! Today one of the biggest accomplishments in my career has been announced! #lameramera Is FINALLY WHERE SHE BELONGS https://t.co/iOX3sIM0pg
— Thunder Rosa (@thunderrosa22) July 22, 2021
The timing of this is interesting, given that Rosa was under NWA contract through 2021. Fightful Select report that AEW ended up buying that deal out, with Tony Khan particularly careful to avoid tapping the divisional standout up while she was still bound to another company.
Fightful's report also notes that the NWA rejected Rosa's request to be let go from her contract in 2020.
The NWA released a classy statement in response to its former Women's Champion's departure:-
She'll always be #NWAFam for a lot of us, but we want to send love to @thunderrosa22 and wish her well in the next chapter of her journey.
Go show 'em all what we already know. ??? https://t.co/sZxNujc1NO
— NWA (@nwa) July 22, 2021
Rosa has been appearing on AEW shows since September 2020, amassing a record of 25-5. Her first bout, a defeat to Serena Deeb, led to a shot at Hikaru Shida's AEW Women's World Title, and her early run saw her mount two NWA Women's Title defences on AEW television. Of course, her most famous match played out in March of this year, when Rosa went to war with Britt Baker in their Unsanctioned Lights Out main event.