Thunder Rosa Discusses Origin (And Meaning) Of Her Face Paint

AEW star Thunder Rosa is known for her signature half-face-painted look when she comes out to the ring to compete. But for those who don't know its origin or meaning, Rosa explained those details during a recent appearance on "Hey! (EW)," with RJ City.

"[A promoter] said, 'Use the face paint because we need to get more Latino fans,'" Rosa recalled. "And then I put it on and he's like, 'You're too pretty and you should use half of it.” Rosa then confirmed that her face paint is based off of the Calavera decorative skull for Dia de los Muertos, which is the Mexican celebration of the afterlife and translates to "day of the dead."

City tried asking Rosa who she's happy about being dead, to which she responded, "That's a really wrong question." She then went on to say, "We throw parties after our ancestors pass away, not because we're happy that they're dead, but we're celebrating their life. It's not that we're happy they're dead."

Fans may be seeing more of Rosa on AEW programming again as she made a surprise backstage appearance during the May 10 episode of "AEW Dynamite" and was seen walking into Tony Khan's office. The former AEW Women's World Champion has been sidelined with a back injury since August, which forced her to officially relinquish her championship in November after AEW introduced an interim title.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Hey! (EW)" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.