Thunder Rosa should have been part of the TBS Title Tournament Finals, or at the very least, she should have received an even chance at making that happen. When she faced Jade Cargill in the Semi-Finals at Dynamite: New Year’s Bash, it certainly felt like the momentum was swinging La Mera Mera’s way but then a mysterious assailant assaulted Rosa from outside the ring, and all but guaranteed that would not be the case.
After Jade dropped Thunder to got the victory, the mystery proved short-lived as Mercedes Martinez revealed herself to the world and resumed the assault. Martinez had not been seen in AEW since way back in 2019 where she first entered as the Joker Card in the All Out 2019 Women’s Casino Battle Royale, and then competed in a AEW Dark tag team bout.
So what better way to declare her return to the fold than by targeting one of the premier women on the roster, someone with whom she has plenty of history, Thunder Rosa! Over the course of their careers Thunder and Mercedes have battled in tag team bouts and in singles competition, eight meetings in all since 2017, and the balance of victory is tipped quite handily in the favor of La Mera Mera.
Is it that history that has brought Martinez here to AEW? Is she aiming to balance the scales of what came before? Or is this all about the now, and targeting one of the top athletes in the company, using Thunder Rosa to make a statement to the rest of the Women’s Division? Whatever the case may be, this is absolutely going to a fight once that bell rings!