Former AEW Champion Shoots On WWE WrestleMania Kickoff Misfire

AEW star unloads on WWE WrestleMania Kickoff omission - "Put some respect on people's names!"

by Michael Hamflett
Thunder Rosa
AEW

Thunder Rosa took aim at a prominent omission from the WrestleMania Kickoff held in Las Vegas last week.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, she said;

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"Where the F was Bayley?...Why are they not giving her the respect she deserves?...put respect on people's names!"

Rosa echoed the sentiments of many - including CM Punk - who opined that the Royal Rumble winner should have been one of the key speakers on the event, having laid out the challenge to former Damage CTRL partner Iyo Sky just days earlier. The event featured Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, The Rock, Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes, but the Women's Grand Slam winner was nowhere to be found.

On the state of play across WWE and in light of stories outside of the on-screen product, Rosa added;

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"They need to do better with the women, with all of them...especially right now, in 2024, with how things are going...it is imperative that women get more respect in more places that they deserve."

The comments come as optimism around women's wrestling in AEW is perhaps at an all-time high. Big Business looks set to mark the debut of Mercedes Moné, and alongside the recent arrivals/returns of Deonna Purrazzo, Serena Deeb, Queen Aminata and Rosa herself, the roster looks ready to accommodate a deeper creative direction than any other time in the company's history.

Contributor
Contributor

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