Thekla may be riding high as AEW Women’s World Champion, but her early days in the company were anything but smooth.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Thekla opened up about transitioning from Japan’s STARDOM system to American television wrestling. Less than a year after arriving in AEW, she captured the Women’s World Championship from Kris Statlander. However, she admitted her initial locker room experience was tense.
“It was a hostile environment. Once you get in the locker room I was like ‘Damn why am I beefing with everybody? What’s going on?’” Thekla said. “But I understood – but I’m also like Japan trained so I would be like going up to people like ‘Hey what’s up? I’m new, My name is Thekla, nice to meet you. I’m here now, what are you going to do about it?’ Some people love that, some people didn’t, but now I feel like I’ve proven myself and everybody’s cool.”
Her approach reflects the cultural differences between Japanese wrestling and American locker room dynamics. In Japan, strong presentation and direct competitive energy are often encouraged as part of performance identity. In a new environment, that same intensity can be interpreted differently.
Despite the rocky start, Thekla emphasized that she enjoys AEW’s atmosphere, especially the opportunity to work alongside talent with diverse backgrounds and accomplishments.
She also discussed adjusting to the production demands of American television wrestling. While AEW is known for prioritizing in-ring performance, backstage promos and camera awareness are still essential components of the presentation.
“Some of it I think I’m a natural at, like when it comes to entrances and stuff, but when it comes to like find the camera and that, I really have to actively think about that aspect of producing TV,” she explained. “When it comes to the backstage promos, I could tell some of the stuff was completely new to me you know? And then I get a little nervous and I think a little too much, but honestly that’s the stuff that I’ve enjoyed the most because it’s new.”
From a performance standpoint, the shift is significant. Japanese promotions often focus heavily on in-ring storytelling, while American television wrestling requires awareness of camera framing, timing cues, and promotional cadence. Those are separate skill sets layered onto physical performance.
For Thekla, the learning curve appears to have accelerated her growth rather than slowed it down. A year removed from that “hostile environment,” she now sits atop the division.
In professional wrestling, proving yourself can change the temperature of a room very quickly.
