AEW Star Thunder Rosa Recalls Fraught First Trip To Wrestle In Japan

Long before she became one of AEW's most dominant female performers, Thunder Rosa had to cut her teeth the same way everyone else did; traveling around the world perfecting her craft. Less than a year into her wrestling career, Rosa landed herself on a tour of Japan with STARDOM in 2015, which was a true learning experience for "La Mera Mera."

During a recent interview on Maria Menounos' YouTube channel, Rosa looked back on when she traveled to the other side of the world with no work visa, no understanding of the Japanese language, and $500 to her name, all with the goal of becoming the best wrestler in the world. "On my fourth match I got a major concussion and I was out for a whole month," Rosa said. "That company was going through a transition, so the old trainer quit and then they had somebody new, and then they brought some veterans. I didn't really know, I live in America so it's different, I totally did something terrible to one of my Senpai ... I didn't sell, and I got concussed."

Rosa explained that she got by during her time on the shelf through the Japanese wrestling fans helping her, and the rest of the girls on tour with her, by providing food and products for them since their allowances weren't getting them very far. Rosa would finish her first tour with STARDOM, and would return to the company the following year, before touring with Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling in 2019. However, Rosa never forgot about her first trip to Japan, and the people who helped her the most such as Starfire, current WWE star Nikki Cross, and the late Hana Kimura, who was only a teenager at the time.

Please credit the original source when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.