Thunder Rosa won’t be wearing a cap and gown at AEW Double or Nothing, but she’s still treating the buzzworthy show like it’s her graduation.
Rosa is the reigning AEW Women’s World Champion; she dethroned Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. on the special St. Patrick’s Day Slam episode of AEW Dynamite in March. On May 29, she’ll have her first pay-per-view defense when she faces Serena Deeb, a veteran who has been on quite a hot streak in recent months.
In an interview with Blake Oestriecher of Forbes, Rosa previewed her clash with “The Professor” by looking back to their previous match in 2020, which marked the current champion’s AEW debut. “La Mera Mera” highlighted the importance of the bout, as the two competitors wanted to showcase women’s wrestling to Dynamite’s national audience.
“This one is two years in the making,” said Rosa. “I was just trying to make a name for myself [in 2020] ..and we were both trying to establish what women’s wrestling looks like.”
The 2020 bout was also remarkable because the two competitors got plenty of TV time; Kenny Omega, a producer for the women’s division, told the duo to show the world what women’s wrestling is all about.
“We were backstage and were trying to see how much time we were going to have, and Kenny said, ‘You have 13 minutes,’ and then I remember that he said, ‘I want you to show what women’s wrestling looks like,'” Rosa recalled. “And I was like, oh yes. Say no more.”
Almost two years later, Rosa and Deeb have cemented themselves as two of the best wrestlers in AEW’s women’s division. While Deeb has plenty of momentum, Rosa plans to “graduate” by winning the match and becoming the new “professor.”
“My expectations are really high,” said Rosa. “This is a very important match for me. This will be my graduation not from community college or from university. I got my Master’s the last few years, but I will become another Professor of Professional Wrestling.”
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