Thunder Rosa Provides Injury Update, Talks Chasing AEW Women's Title Again and More

Thunder Rosa.AEW

At this time last year, Thunder Rosa was on top of the world. She was the AEW women's world champion and one of the most featured stars in the company. Due to a back injury, she was forced to relinquish the title on August 24, 2022.

Over the last 11 months, La Mera Mera has been rehabbing the injury while staying in the public eye by continuing to be active in other parts of the business.

Rosa runs her own vlog, social media and Patreon, and she is one of the co-hosts of Busted Open Radio alongside Dave LaGreca. She also continues to be involved with Mission Pro Wrestling.

We had a chance to speak with the Tijuana, Mexico native about her injury, the process behind returning to the ring, representation in women's wrestling, her other ventures outside of the ring and much more.

When Rosa announced she would have to vacate the AEW women's title due to injury, fans were shocked. She had been an integral part of the women's division and All Elite Wrestling programming, and it was very disappointing to see her relinquish the title without losing it.

However, the 37-year-old has worked hard to rehab her injury and has seen positive results.

"It's been a long road, I will say," Rosa said. "From the beginning, there was a lot of speculation about my injury. But I was always very clear and very honest about what was happening to me. Everything has been documented on my YouTube. It was physical and mental, all this rehab that I've been receiving.

"Some days were really positive, some other days were not as positive, but that's part of the recovery part of having an injury such as the one that I still have. Lately, there's been more of a bright light on it, because as my MRI read, I don't have the tears in my back anymore. And now I'm able to train without pain, with compound training, as well as I've been jumping in the ring in the last three weeks.

"So, I'm excited about the advancements that we have. And now I'm excited about the possibility of returning to the ring. Again, it's just been giving me a perspective about the opportunity to wrestle, because it's a privilege if I get to come back."

Whenever an athlete has to take a significant amount of time away, they not only have to worry about treating the injury but also work hard to get back to where they were physically beforehand. Rosa has been getting back in the ring to prepare for a comeback, but she is making sure she isn't rushing it.

"It's been almost a year since I stepped in the ring last in AEW," Rosa said. "So it will be amazing if I get that opportunity and to have another match, or more matches, in the future. Like I said, I'm very hopeful.

"I stepped in the ring last Tuesday. I actually took my son with me to help do cardio. I'm training, I have a doctor who's a professional trainer for athletes in San Antonio, and I have another physiotherapist I work with when I was doing MMA and professional wrestling.

"So, they're helping me to get to the best physically as possible. And I'm not talking about 'Oh, I'm gonna come back with a six-pack' and everything. I have to come back healthy. In the ring, what we do, it's extremely dangerous. I always pray for my opponent and pray for me to come back the same way that we come in. And sometimes we don't. So I'm praying that this time will be positive."

One of the premier radio/internet shows for wrestling fans is Busted Open Radio. The program has a group of hosts that includes Tommy Dreamer, Bully Ray, Mark Henry, Dave LaGreca, and as of last year, Thunder Rosa.

"It's been such a blessing," Rosa said. "I love Dave LaGreca. He's such a great friend of mine. I love my co-workers. I love [executive producer] Paul [Erlick], I love Gabby [LaSpisa]. She no longer works with us, but she's a great friend, Mark was a really, really, really good supporter of mine. Tommy, Mickie James, Bully Ray, everyone, everyone. It's been amazing."

While professional wrestling is obviously the main topic of the show, Rosa and the other hosts also discuss other aspects of their life, which gives fans a chance to see alternative sides of these people we have been watching on TV for years.

It has also given her a chance to find out more about herself as Melissa Cervantes.

"We do [a segment called] 'Falls Count Anywhere.' So we talk about everything and anything we want. It's been very refreshing," Rosa said. "The fans are really involved in it and it has given me a second opportunity to really discover who Melissa is. I speak my mind about what I see in professional wrestling, especially with women professional wrestling, things that could be done better.

"Also, it opened the platform in a way that I never really thought it would. And there's all this time that I've been off TV, it's been really refreshing to hear fans say, 'Hey, I listen to you on Busted Open every Friday.' So, it's really fun because we talk about everything and anything.

"And it's really cool to hear my peers talk about historical facts and talk about so many people who come from different walks of life and share their love for professional wrestling, their love for music, their influences and everything. So, it really has made me more critical of professional wrestling. And also, it makes me demand more of myself when I returned, right? It made me fall in love again with professional wrestling in general."

Rosa's main focus right now is returning to the ring, but she has always been interested in learning other parts of the business along the way. One thing she has been given the chance to work is as a Spanish commentator in AEW.

Being able to give promos and doing commentary are two different skills. Some might think someone who is used to talking in front of thousands of fans would automatically know how to be a commentator, but Rosa has developed a healthy respect for the skills it takes to do the job.

"I did a little bit [of commentary] in AEW in Spanish before I got injured," she said. "I want to thank the whole team at AEW for allowing me an opportunity to learn another skill. People might think it's easy, but it's not. Sometimes we will be out there for five or six hours during pay-per-views. They're doing marathons.

"It really forced me to get better at my Spanish. Not my ghetto Spanish, but my proper Spanish because you can't be talking like that on TV (laughs). But I'm a color commentator. Actually, a couple of weeks ago when we had Forbidden Door, there was a video going around because I got overly excited and reacted really crazy when there was a move between [Kenny] Omega and Will Ospreay."

One thing Rosa takes pride in is that AEW is expanding into other markets, including Spanish-speaking countries. Being the voice fans hear during matches is a big responsibility, but she has embraced the challenge.

"I get very animated, and it's just part of me, right?" she said. "And a lot of my character comes out of there, and again, it's such a great opportunity because we're opening markets, and AEW just opened and has an opportunity to open new markets in Latin America. We continue to grow, and we're just going to want to continue to grow.

"So, for me to be part of this growth in the company, not only as a professional wrestler but also as a broadcaster, I love representing my culture. I love representing Latinos all over the country and all over the world. And utilizing a skill that I have, which is Spanish-speaking skills and also broadcasting, it just makes me a lot more diverse.

"As part of the company in general, for them to give me the opportunity and trust me, and trust my team too, it really means a lot."

One thing Rosa has been passionate about is increasing visibility for women's wrestling, not just for herself but for all women and future generations.

We asked Rosa what can be done to help strengthen women's wrestling in AEW and across the industry.

"I think one of the things that I always talk about is giving us the platform, an equal platform for all of us to shine," she said. "And that means more time, better storylines, and equity just in general. There are a lot of steps that have been taken, and there are great matches that have happened and great storylines that have happened.

"But I feel like we can do more. We always want more. And I think that's the one thing I've said, just all across the board. And we're all working on it, I've been reading a lot of my peers' books from the 1980s and the 1990s and they continue to talk about more spaces for women and inequality in the workforce, and that's probably one of the main ones.

"But again, when we have more women being represented in different parts, broadcasting as ring announcers and administrators in production, that is important, too. I'm not just talking in wrestling, but in general."

In addition to working with AEW and other promotions, Rosa is also heavily involved with her own promotion, Mission Pro Wrestling.

The Texas-based company has seen names such as Ricky Starks, VertVixen and Roxanne Perez walk through its doors, and Rosa is looking to continue cultivating the next generation of wrestlers with the promotion.

"We've been trying to continue to run our shows and continue to give opportunities to new women that are coming up from the state and also outside of the state," she said. "It's been challenging at times, but we continue to work very hard. And the owners that we have right now, they are very invested in the product.

"Actually, the numbers have gone up the past three months and the last two shows, and that just shows that the storylines that are being written by one of our owners, Brian Cervantes, have been really successful. We are working really hard to continue to represent new talent from all over the country when it's possible."

Representation is a big deal to Rosa. She is always trying to make sure anyone from any background is given a fair opportunity to prove they have what it takes by booking a wide variety of talent on MPW shows.

"One of the things that I noticed is a lot of our talent are women of color," she said. "African American, Latinas, first-generation wrestlers or wrestlers who had been wrestling for quite a while and are not your typical 19-year-old. And we continue to represent all of them from all parts as well as LGTBQ talent.

"So, we try to do as much as possible, but we are working really hard to move a little bit from just the independents trying to do something else so there's a bigger platform for these girls before their next steps so they can feel ready with promos and working with a camera. They can feel ready with working in a positive environment and where they feel respected.

"That's why we continue to call on those new people who don't necessarily want to be in the ring but want to try other things. Our door is always open.

"You can watch us on Title Match Network, all of our library is there. And also, we are very active on YouTube and our socials. You can go on Mission Pro Wrestling on YouTube, and you can watch us on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

AEW has added two new shows to its lineup in 2023. Collision recently began airing on Saturdays, but we also have the reality show All Access that debuted in March.

The show offers fans a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of AEW stars, and one name that was mentioned more than a few times during its six-episode run was Thunder Rosa.

"I did keep up with it. And it was, you know, it was controversial," she said. "And like I told you at the beginning of the interview, there was a lot of speculation. And I was given an opportunity to sit and share what happened during the time that I was gone. And I'm really happy that I was able to do that.

"It all comes with talking and being able to put our differences aside to listen, to be empathetic and to be able to move forward if you feel that you made a mistake or you offended someone.

"I think that's very important for helping save a professional relationship. And I think that really gave me a lot of perspective about that. So, I don't know about an All Access Season 2. Even if I knew, my dear friend, I will not be able to tell you."

After Rosa relinquished the AEW women's title, Toni Storm became the interim champion. The "interim" tag was dropped during Jamie Hayter's reign, and Storm is now holding the title for a second time.

Rosa and Storm were working as teammates when the injury happened, but the former ThunderStorm allies might not be on the same page when Rosa returns due to the current champ now being aligned with Saraya and Ruby Soho.

"It's all about leaving you in suspense," Rosa said. "I don't want to tell you all the details of my plan. I wish I could tell you what I mean. Any promotion with a champion that leaves the championship vacant due to injury, the first thing that everybody wants, or that everybody expects, is for them to come back and get the title back, right?

"And it will be an honor for me to have that opportunity again because any champion in any promotion works very, very hard to gain the respect of their peers and to get the respect of the fans first and foremost. And to have left that title the way I left it was really hard for me.

"I wish I would have had the opportunity to finish this chapter. But again, you have to take care of your health first. But I'm not gonna deny that I will like to reclaim what is rightfully mine. But if it doesn't happen right at the time, that's OK if I have to work from the bottom to the top to earn my spot. I will do that too because that's what real competitors do.

"You have a setback and you just clean your knees and heal your wounds, and you go in and do what you need to do to get back on top. And I'll have to do that if they ask me to do that. But if not, I guess all bets are off the table. And then La Mera Mera will come back with a vengeance for what is rightfully hers."

AEW also has ties with Ring of Honor and when it comes to that promotion, the most dominant champion on the roster has been Athena. She has torn through the competition and established herself as the measuring stick in the famed company.

Rosa and Athena have only done battle a couple of times, but the former has considered the possibility of having to step back into the ring with The Fallen Goddess.

"That minions BS she's doing, I don't think I like that very much," Rosa said. "Her attitude toward all her opponents has been really nasty. I call a lot of her matches, and I'm just like, 'Oh my god, she really hates her opponents.'

"We faced each other in Warrior Wrestling and went on a 30-minute broadway tie. And I can tell you that she pushed me to the limit. She's that opponent who will push you to the limit.

"Again, I'm excited just to come back and have an opportunity to wrestle once more. If I get to step in the ring with Athena and have a match like we had on the independent scene, you guys are in for a treat. Like seriously, I was just thinking about that not too long ago."

To wrap things up, we always like to end our AEW interviews by having the wrestlers review a movie to give them a chance to give readers a glimpse into the person behind the character.

When asked what she wanted to discuss, Rosa immediately mentioned the recently released Flamin' Hot.

"It was directed by Eva Longoria. So let's talk about representation right there," Rosa said. "Her directing a movie that has a Latino-based cast, and it's a story of success from somebody who came from nothing, and it was pretty amazing.

"My son, he loves Shark Tank. So we watch hours and hours of Shark Tank together. But to sit and watch a movie, I have ADHD and I can't watch anything for more than five minutes, and watch it in pieces together was really cool.

"He watched it before I was able to finish it and told me, 'I can't tell you about it because it's so good. You've got to watch it with me again.' So he watched it with me. I really enjoy it. Sometimes those movies, they make them really corny, but it spoke to me because this guy just wanted an opportunity to show that even though he didn't have the education, he could make it but just needed someone to believe in him.

"And I feel that for a lot of us who come from being a janitor—I was a janitor myself when I was in college. Just to have one person who believed in me say, 'Hey, I think you can go to college. I think you can do this and I think you'll be very successful.' It really changes your life, and that to me is so important, that there are more stories that talk about success in our community."

You can see Flamin' Hot on Hulu and Disney+, and you can see Thunder Rosa every week on Busted Open Radio. When La Mera Mera returns to the AEW women's division, she is going to put the rest of the roster on notice.

You can follow Rosa on Twitter @thunderrosa22, and you can follow Chris Mueller @BR_Doctor.