Beloved San Antonio wrestler Thunder Rosa talks about her comeback and her future

Among hardcore San Antonio wrestling fans, few names perk up interest like that of Thunder Rosa.

The Tijuana native became an Alamo City favorite thanks to her hard-hitting style and fierce persona. In 2020, she gained even more prominence by becoming the first Mexican-born wrestler to hold the NWA World Women's Championship.

Thunder Rosa last wrestled in San Antonio when she won the All Elite Wrestling Women’s World Championship in 2022. However, a subsequent back injury put her out of action for 16 months. Even so, the former world champion has a lot on her mind and a lot on her plate.

With AEW coming back to the Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Dec. 23, the Current caught up with Thunder Rosa for an interview, during which she talked about her recovery process, how she’s been keeping herself busy and what she has in store for us both in the ring and out in the world.

The last time you performed in San Antonio, you won the world title, an incredible moment. How did that title win change things for you personally, both in and outside of wrestling?

It really cemented me as one of the best in the world. Now I’ve had a championship on my shoulder. It was just the prize you’ve been working towards for so many years, almost a decade. I think it was also an opportunity to represent Hispanic women in a way that has never been represented in professional wrestling, or modern professional wrestling.

How have you been involved in AEW shows while not actively wrestling?

I have been very active in AEW, especially helping develop and grow the commentary table in Spanish. I’ve been doing commentary for Dynamite and now Collision for over ten months. And it's been amazing. Now we have a new contract with ViX, [on] which we are being shown in more than 30 countries in South America and in Mexico too. And it's been really amazing, because I've been able to really explore this market in a different way than when I was doing it as as a professional wrestler. So now the voice of the Latino community, and in a different way.

What will be your involvement in the upcoming AEW show?

I will be in attendance! But as you know, in professional wrestling, the card is subject to change. We have not announced the card yet. As you know, in professional wrestling, there's storylines. You just know that we're going to have amazing performers coming here: Andrade El Idolo, Rush, Bryan Danielson, Julia Hart, Willow Nightingale and many more that can be a part of this show. Ricky Starks! I always forget to mention him. Ricky is probably going to be there with Big Bill and FTR. So, many people's favorites are going to be performing that night.

You also run a promotion here in town, Mission Pro Wrestling. What has that been like?

It’s been challenging as everything changes. Women’s wrestling is going through another change again, another wave. After we started with Mission Pro in 2019, many other women's promotions have been opened. We're trying to rediscover where we want to take the approach for women's wrestling, and especially in the independent scene. So we're working on that, but we're still running shows here in San Antonio, helping the Salvation Army as much as possible. And we will continue to support women and advocate for women's rights and women's equality

You’ve mentioned before that your back injury nearly ended your career. How is the recovery process going?

It’s been tough. It's been tough. But we are in the last part of the recovery. I've been following the AEW health protocol to the T. The medical staff have been absolutely amazing. They helped me with so many things from physical to mental. And right now we're working on not physical therapy, per se, but mostly on strength training and just getting back in the ring as much as possible.

You’ve also mentioned severe mental health problems that emerged while you were in recovery. What has been the biggest thing that has helped you get back on track?

Have a good support system and have positive people around you that are going to uplift you. And I think that has helped me a lot. Staying busy, finding a passion within the passion that you feel like you have. Singing has been one of the things that has helped me tremendously in exploring my feelings when I'm feeling down, when I feel unhappy, when I'm feeling sad. Speaking engagements and telling my story. I had an opportunity to do plenty of speaking engagements in UC Berkeley, speaking to other female athletes, and also speaking to students in Tijuana, Mexico. That has really helped me. It’s part of a healing process of not being able to be in the ring and do something that I love and finding all these other hidden gems that I knew I had, and now I can tell my story and maybe it’s gonna help somebody else and really give them a voice. It’s been pretty amazing.

What advice would you give to other athletes who are dealing with major injuries or mental health struggles independent of injuries?

It is important that you seek help, that you find the help and that you follow through. As I was mentioning to you, I was speaking to athletes at UC Berkeley, and I spoke to five or six that were on the bench. They were all super eager to get back and everything, but I told them about the importance of taking care of their bodies and taking care of them properly so they can come back and … they don’t get re-injured and then they're out for a lot longer, because that's so heartbreaking. Especially when you're in the peak of your career and something like this happens, and you have to all of a sudden make a choice to either take care of yourself or hurt yourself. So, it’s just really important that you take care of yourself first before you can continue to perform to the peak of where you want to be.

Considering that you’ve been out of action for a while, how do you see yourself fitting into the current landscape of the AEW women’s division?

There’s always space for Thunder Rosa. Let’s put it that way. There’s always space for Thunder Rosa. The fans have asked for it, social media outlets have asked for it. And I think people are ready for the new Thunder Rosa to return from The Graveyards of Tijuana, Mexico.

What opponents are you excited to face when you make your return?

At this point, because I bottled up all this energy, anybody who steps in front of me is gonna get it.

This year has been incredibly interesting and exciting for professional wrestling and for AEW, but there has been some uncertainty regarding AEW recently as well. What's your perspective on the general environment of AEW?

I think everybody at AEW is working really hard to continue to make AEW what it always was. Before people were calling it alternative — I don't call it an alternative, I call it that place where people can make their dreams come true. People like me that came from the independent scene have had a platform where AEW has helped them rise to a level that they never thought they would. I personally work extremely hard to represent the company that has helped me get to the next level, and I think it is important for wrestling fans to enjoy professional wrestling. We're in such an amazing time in professional wrestling where you turn around and there is wrestling from Monday through Sunday. So, I think we need to start respecting the performance and respecting that you can choose! There’s not just one flavor of chocolate, there is mint chocolate, there is cookies-and-cream chocolate and there's so many different things, and I think we should enjoy it at this moment.

On the subject of choice, AEW has been good about allowing performers to go all over the place. Do you see yourself making appearances in other promotions?

I have a bucket list. On my social media, I went to CMLL [Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre] and talked to one of their champions there who was one of my friends for a long time. For me, it would be an honor to wrestle in Arena México. It’s one of my dreams as a professional wrestler, so if I’m allowed to go and do that and wrestle there, fine. I want to go back to Japan, I want to go back to London and do some small projects there. And, like I said, I have other endeavors such as singing, coaching, public speaking, and I have been blessed that I have the opportunity to do that.

Do you feel that AEW, and in particular the AEW women’s division, is heading in a positive direction?

It is different. It’s definitely different. They’re highlighting new talent, but before when they first came in, they were different. So it's like, everything is changing. And I think we are all working extremely hard to represent women athletes to the best of our ability.

You started training to be a professional wrestler at the age of 27. What factors contributed to your success despite having a late start?

A sense of urgency. I always had a sense of urgency, a sense of “I don’t have a lot of time to be wasting, so I need to get it done now, and I need to be as successful as possible in a short amount of time." And it also had to do too with training and the previous experience that I had as a social worker too — to navigate and network in a different way and access opportunities as much as possible.

Your trainers have mentioned that you were a quick learner as well. What factors contributed to your ability to pick it up very quickly?

I don’t know, some people have that ability. I was always athletic, but I didn’t know how athletic I was until I tried it. There’s certain things that click with me very well, and there’s some other things that didn’t. So the things that I didn’t, I didn’t do them. The things that I did well, I picked them up pretty quick and I continued to do them until they were perfect.

On the subject of athleticism, considering the injury and the long recovery process, do you expect to have to adjust your in-ring style much when you make your return?

Yeah, because you have to think about your livelihood, the shelf life that you have. And I want to wrestle as much as possible for as long as possible.

You graduated with a degree in sociology from Cal-Berkeley and worked as a social worker in the Bay Area. How has that level of social consciousness affected how you approach your career?

I think for me, it's educating the fans on many aspects, like access to resources, being able to ask for help and not being afraid of speaking up when things are hard or when changes need to be made. I think that's one of the reasons why I was so appealing to so many fans. And because, as a social worker, I had to be real. And I think that real recognizes real, so they appreciate that. That’s probably one of the things that helped me a lot. But I think for me now, in the focus that I'm taking in my career and as a professional is educating others that education is so important. And I'm not just talking about going to schools. As an independent contractor and as a wrestler [I am] educating myself on business, because I’m my own business. Educating myself on contract negotiations and how to do interviews properly. All that stuff, educating yourself no matter what age you are. Whatever you feel like is a passion of yours, get information, seek for it, learn it and apply it.

What advice would you give to other wrestlers and athletes who want to have a greater positive impact through their platform?

I think it’s educating yourself and understanding the dynamics of where you work. And also being respectful and being a good businessperson — not burning bridges. And even when you burn them, how can you rebuild them? That’s a very important thing to do. Just because you make a mistake, there are ways and sometimes people give you other opportunities to rebuild and relearn. I think that’s important that as a person you learn from your mistakes and you do what it takes to amend them and move forward.

Outside of the world of wrestling, where do you see yourself going?

I see myself starting other businesses, most likely encouraging other athletes. We are in a very interesting time where athletes from universities can actually start getting money from sponsors, and what better way than to have another athlete that has gone through the same things to help you get where you want to be? I think it’s important that when we find people that have been there done that, they can really understand what you’re going through. So it’s either doing agency or I want to pursue a sports psychology degree and be a sports psychologist as a master’s. But I really want to start my own business helping others in another aspect that is not social work.

You have mentioned how important it is to you to represent Latinas. How do you see that affecting your career in the future?

I think I can do more public speaking, but more than public speaking is creating probably another organization that can help that specific group of people. And it’s probably not going to be just for women, but it will be more general — women and men that are interested in pursuing sports but also want to pursue a career or higher education. Although there’s still been a lot of strides in the Latino community in terms of people getting their degrees and going to college, I think we can still do a lot more for them. But we need support, and we need people that actually have the knowledge that can take them to the next level.

Are there any organizations you’re interested in working with right now?

Yes, but I can’t really give details because we’re in talks with some very big organizations, and I’m really excited. I have so many projects that are in the works, but I don’t want to spoil them until it’s actually a go.

$44 and up, 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com.

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