Shortly after her in-ring return on Saturday night, former AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa posted a statement to social media regarding a hateful comment she recently received.
In the video, AEW’s Rosa described being sent a message that didn’t critique her work as a performer, but instead went after her background as a Mexican woman who now lives in the United States.
View this post on Instagram
While not calling out the specific account that sent harassment her way, noting that she doesn’t want to give them “more oxygen,” Rosa published a video strongly condemning such acts. She specifically talked about what it means to be of Mexican heritage in the current U.S. political landscape, and how that influences the xenophobic messages she has received.
“In the United States right now, a lot of people are being treated like suspects,” Rosa said. “Not because of what they’ve done, but because of their names, their accents, or the place that they came from. That is not strength, that is fear dressed up as power. I am Thunder Rosa, and yes, I am proud to be Mexican, and yes, I am proud to be from Tijuana, and I have earned every step I’ve taken in this business with discipline, sacrifice, and love for wrestling. If you don’t like my matches, my promos, my style, that’s your right. Wrestling is a passionate sport. Debate is part of it. But dehumanizing people, threatening them, turning their immigration into a punchline? That’s not fandom, that’s hate.”
Rosa stressed two points at the end of her video: Wrestling should reject hateful remarks like she described, and those who see such comments should not engage.
“So here’s my message to the locker room, to the audience, and to everyone listening: We can keep wrestling tough without being cruel,” Rosa said. “We can be loud without being dangerous, and we can protect this community by refusing to normalize intimidation. And to my Thunder Army, don’t spread hate to clap back. Don’t share it, don’t repost it. Report it. Stand up for each other, because the ring is where we fight. Not the comments, not someone’s identity. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll keep showing for the people who see themselves in me, and for the fans who believe wrestling is for everyone.”
Rosa made her in-ring return last night, wrestling for the first time AEW All In: Texas last summer. The former world champ was successful in her return, beating Julia Hart in singles action.
