Thunder Rosa has opened up about a surprising career crossroads that nearly took her away from wrestling altogether.

The former AEW Women’s World Champion revealed that WWE approached her in 2019 with an offer, but it came with a major condition that would have changed everything. Speaking on The Cruz Show on REAL 92.3 LA, Rosa reflected on her journey, including how attending WrestleMania 25 shaped her view of WWE compared to the TNA Knockouts matches she had followed.

During the interview, Rosa was asked about a planned WWE tryout that ultimately never materialised. That is when she shared details of the offer she received, which would have seen her step away from in-ring competition entirely.

“In 2019, (WWE) called me and they were like, ‘Are you ready to hang up the boots?’ I was like, ‘Well, you know, I need money.’ So I was like, ‘I need steady money’ because, brother, being an independent professional wrestler is, when you’re talking about hustle, it’s a hustle.

“I had a job when I was in the Bay Area, but when I decided to do wrestling full time, I was depending on my ex-husband and my hustle,” stated Rosa. “I was hustling all the time and I was tired. Like hustling after seven years, you’re like, man, I need a job or something.”

Rosa went on to reveal that WWE had offered her a referee position worth $60,000 per year. While it represented more financial stability than she had at the time, circumstances prevented the opportunity from moving forward.

“And (WWE) offered me like $60,000 a year, which at the time it was like, ‘All right, it’s better than what I was making.’ There was a hurricane that happened and then they just kept pushing my tryout and then, it never happened. But it was meant to be that way and that’s when I made the decision to jump into MMA, because they offered me a $3,000 contract.”

With the tryout repeatedly delayed and ultimately scrapped, Rosa pivoted into MMA, signing with Combate before eventually making her way to AEW in 2020. Her career would reach new heights there, capturing the AEW Women’s World Championship in 2022 following a brutal steel cage match against Britt Baker.

However, her momentum was halted later that year when a serious back injury forced her to relinquish the title in November 2022. Around the same period, she also stepped away from MMA competition.

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