Thekla had a ‘good feeling’ she’d end up in AEW, liked its punk feel
Thekla says she told her friends when AEW first started that it was likely where she would eventually end up.
Thekla will challenge Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s World Championship in a Strap Match on tonight’s AEW Dynamite from Ontario, California. She recently appeared as a guest on Talk Is Jericho, where she told host Chris Jericho what it is about AEW that appeals to her.
Thekla said:
“I had always told my friends back when AEW first started, I was like, ‘Hey guys, just so you know, this is where I’m going to be at some point. So just heads up.’ So then my cocky attitude kind of led me also to be like, you gotta follow up on that one.”
“When I first started watching WWE and learning about how things are done over there, I think generally I didn’t love the idea of having to not (do) things my way. Everybody knows that you gotta drop your name and have to do whatever somebody tells you. I’m not great with authority.
“When AEW started, I thought, okay, something new. I love a good underdog. And I just liked the melting pot of people who started there. It just had more of a punk feel and more of a fresh feel. I was like, that’s probably a good place for me at some point. I was super green at the time still. It was a far future type of thing. But I just had a good feeling about it.”
She was later asked about her thoughts on AEW President Tony Khan and responded:
“I think Tony’s great. I think he’s a f—ing saint. He’s doing something that hasn’t been done before, and he’s taking care of so many people, and he’s doing it all by himself.”
Asked about her team with Julia Hart and Skye Blue, The Triangle of Madness, Thekla said:
“Julia and Skye are phenomenal. Skye is, especially since we’ve worked together, I’ve been watching her stuff more. She’s getting so vicious, just kicking people straight in the face.
And Julia is just crazy when it comes to aura. She knows how to command a room and she’s one of the most creative people I know. Backstage, we’re just vibing.”
In May 2025, reports surfaced that Thekla had signed with AEW following an angle in which she was fired from Stardom. She made her AEW debut on the June 4 edition of Collision, defeating Lady Frost.
Thekla unsuccessfully challenged Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s World Championship on the January 28 edition of Dynamite, but was later granted a rematch after Statlander agreed to give her one if Thekla promised that the Sisters of Sin would not interfere in the Babes of Wrath’s AEW Women’s Tag Team Championship defense against MegaBad.
Thekla’s full appearance on Talk Is Jericho is available below:
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.