Backstage Update On Thekla VANISHING From AEW TV (AEW News)

Why is 'The Toxic Spider' still not a part of AEW's Wembley plans?

by Michael Hamflett
Thekla
AEW

What's going on with Thekla and All Elite Wrestling? And more specifically, what's going on with 'The Toxic Spider' and All In: London?

These have been the questions many fans have been asking since she lost the AEW Women's Championship to Willow Nightingale at the company's Redemption pay-per-view in July. The former titleholder has lit up the women's division and the company in general with stellar promo and in-ring work in 2026, easily forcing herself into MVP conversations for the year during a run with the gold that kicked off in February. Yet, since falling to Nightingale, she's not been seen on television and - as of writing - isn't in the frame to do anything at the Wembley showcase.

Speaking during a Fightful Select Answers Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp was able to offer some insight (and crucially a sliver of hope) to those that were fearing the worst. He said; "Every time I've asked, I'm told that she was penciled in for All In, but I've never been given context as to what it is she's actually doing. She got red hot on TV this year, and they need something valuable for her to do. I know they had plans involving Willow and Mercedes for quite some time, but it definitely seemed forced to have Thekla lose the title".

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Champion Willow Nightingale Vs Challenger Mercedes Moné will present Moné with the second opportunity to win the belt at All In, having lost to Toni Storm at All In: Texas last year. Nightingale has been a bogey wrestler for the 'C.E.O' though, having beaten her for the TBS Championship in December, and the NJPW Strong Women's Championship in 2023. Tony Khan was presumably aiming to use this lore as part of the build between the two, but Thekla's popularity has inserted her into the conversation, if not the card.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 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 over 70,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, 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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.