I still remember the first time I laid eyes on Thunder Rosa, September 2nd, 2020. I rarely instantly glom onto a wrestler, but with Thunder Rosa it was love at first sight. From the moment she walked down the ramp on that episode of Dynamite, I knew everything I needed to know. From her ring outfit to her Mex-American flag face paint, Thunder came to AEW polished. She did what good wrestlers do, acting as if she was the biggest on the lineup.
From there I was continually impressed by her. The brutality of her Lights Out match with Britt Baker, her promos and her overall presence as a wrestler. Thunder’s journey through AEW and eventually to the Women’s Championship, is one all been on together.
Like many Latina’s/Latino’s/ Latin X people, Thunder proudly wears her heritage, but has equally managed to craft her own identity. She wrestles a hard-hitting strong style, favoring elbow strikes over the flips and flying of Lucha Libre. Still, she sprinkles in Spanish to her promos, and crafts ornate attire as nods to her home.
What impresses me most about Thunder is that her mistakes have made her, and the wrestling industry, a better place. She is one of the few women to not shy away from Wrestling industry after taking a big hit. Thunder was a part of a collective of wrestlers responsible for filing a class-action lawsuit against Lucha Underground producers, the El Rey Network and Baba-G production company, over a no-compete clause in their contracting.
In one of the rare examples in wrestling where the little guy wins out, California lawmakers deemed the contracts were illegal according to California law. Rather than swearing off the wrestling industry and running away to plough her efforts into a new venture, Thunder Rosa instead uses her experiences to help others. Through Mission Pro Wrestling she not only trains other women but teaches them the value of their labor.
Thunder continues to shape the wrestling business in the ring and out. She is a worthy champion with a strong work ethic. She is kind and thoughtful person who has given her all to wrestling whether that be through spilling blood in the ring or training and empowering the next generation of women wrestlers. One thing is for certain Thunder Rosa truly is La Mera Mera.
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