Thunder Rosa Talks NWA And AEW Working Together, Nick Aldis Possibly Appearing In AEW

Thunder Rosa recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet about her time working with AEW and talked about if she got that opportunity for calling out their women's division on social media. She said she believes she got the opportunity because of the overwhelming fan reaction to wanting to see the match between her and AEW Women's Champion, Hikaru Shida.

"No, I think it's because... you know, Shida, she was saying she can fight anybody, and we weren't doing anything, and I was just like, 'I'm just going to say something on Twitter.' 'I'm ready. Who is with me?' or something like that," Rosa said. "'I'm ready,' and we got bombarded. I think they saw something like that and I think they might have already had me on their radar, and be like, 'We should bring her over just to do something.' But because of my situation with my contract, I don't think anybody thought it was going to be possible. Even me – I didn't think it was going to be possible."

Rosa and Shida's match at All Out was very well received, and Rosa took the time to share her thoughts on how she felt the match went. She mentioned the challenging aspect of knowing she's working for NWA but trying to be respectful of AEW since she's doing business there, and she credited Shida for being able to step up and deliver a great performance.

"It was so challenging because I have to come to AEW, representing NWA, but I also have to be respectful of where I'm working," Rosa said. "I'm like, 'This is not good. Where is my agent?' I'm so used to having an agent. Trevor Murdoch was one of the people that really helped bring that Thunder Rosa that you guys saw at Power. He's like, 'If anybody asks you, you tell them you're a 5'3 little monster because that's who you are!' and I was like, 'That actually makes sense'. 'And don't let anybody tell you otherwise, okay? Because that's who you are!' I'm on the phone and he's pumping me up. I was like, 'Okay, okay, Trevor, okay!' It's a big stage and there's so much at stake.

"There is no room for error," Rosa added. "I feel like I'm quoting the Eminem song, Lose Yourself. It's exactly how I felt. You can't think too much and you have to just go there and kill it. So, it was a really good experience because Shida was ready. She was ready to show something that she's never, ever showed before in AEW, and she knew that we will be able to perform. She trusts me 100% and I trust myself 100%."

Rosa also mentioned that she does not feel the loss devalued her championship and actually thinks it helped strengthen it by showcasing the caliber of athlete she is.

"No, it did not," Rosa said. "I will double-dog dare anybody to get in the ring and do what we did there. One of my friends, she just lost her fight. It was for the contender and she's a champion for the LFA [Legacy Fighting Alliance]. She unfortunately lost. It didn't devalue that she's still a champion in the LFA. She's still a fighter. She's going to get her dream. It's the same thing.

"Just because I lost this one and I was the champion, it doesn't devalue anything," Rosa added. "On the contrary; I think it just shows the caliber of talent and the caliber of an athlete that I am, and I'm valuable with or without a championship on my waist."

The door has seemingly been cracked for AEW and NWA to have a working relationship of sorts, and Rosa mentioned that she hopes to see some of the women from AEW come over to challenge for her NWA Women's Championship.

"It's 2020, man, anything is possible at this point," Rosa said. "That's how I feel now. It's just after this, anything is possible, and I hope so because it will enrich their division and enrich our division. I feel like the women we have in our division have a very different style than the women that they have in AEW, and you saw that."

Fans have been vocal about wanting to see a rubber match between NWA Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, and Cody Rhodes. Rosa weighed in, and while not mentioning Cody specifically, she wasn't sure enough to comment about Aldis defending his title on AEW programming.

"I would like to know that answer, but I don't know the answer. So, we will see," Rosa said. "Only time will tell."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Mehdy Labrini contributed to this article.