Thekla is getting her first shot at AEW gold tonight—and now she’s opening up about why she picked AEW over WWE in the first place.
Ahead of her AEW Women’s World Title match against Kris Statlander on Dynamite in Ontario, Thekla appeared on Talk Is Jericho and revealed why she signed with AEW instead of WWE. For her, it all came down to freedom—and attitude.
“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 asked about WWE, Thekla didn’t hold back—saying the rigid structure and image control weren’t for her. She added that AEW’s identity as a creative and cultural outsider made it feel like a better long-term fit.
“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.”
Thekla’s journey to AEW wasn’t drama-free. After attacking STARDOM President Taro Okada at the All-Star Grand Queendom event in April 2025, she was fired from the promotion and placed on a 45-day probation by AEW following her May 28th debut. Tony Khan validated her contract on July 19, officially making her All Elite.
Now she’s about to wrestle her biggest AEW match yet—a strap match against Statlander for the top women’s title. And judging by her own words, she’s right where she always wanted to be.
Do you think Thekla made the right choice going to AEW over WWE? Could she be the next AEW Women’s World Champion? Sound off in the comments below.
