Thunder Rosa Says AEW Has Fully Established Itself: 'We're No Longer The Alternative'

For the last few years, All Elite Wrestling has provided fans with more wrestling to enjoy, from weekly television shows like "AEW Dynamite" to massive pay-per-views. It's often been seen as the "alternative" to WWE, due to just how different the two companies are. After six years of AEW, former AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa spoke about how she believes the company is no longer the alternative in the professional wrestling space during a chat on REAL 92.3 LA.

"For the longest [time], we were the alternative. We're no longer the alternative, we're here," Rosa said. "We've been here for six years. The stuff that we have been able to accomplish, and I've always been very proud of this, I was part of one of the biggest changes in mainstream wrestling, having one of the most compelling and brutal matches that people in mainstream media have seen."

Rosa spoke about her lights out match against Dr. Britt Baker on a March 2021 edition of "Dynamite." She said it was the first time those in the mainstream saw two women bleed on TV in an extreme match involving ladders, chairs, and thumbtacks. Rosa recalled that she wasn't even signed to AEW at the time, but she knew she had to do well in the match, not just for herself, but other women of her heritage.

"I remember Britt was telling me, 'We gotta make sure this goes great and we don't mess up,'" Rosa said. "I'm just thinking, 'Girl, I know you're doing it for the clout. I'm doing it because people don't understand that this is not going to change my life, this is going to change a lot of... brown people's lives.'"

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit 92.3 LA and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.