Report: AEW Bought Out Thunder Rosa's NWA Contract
AEW and NWA worked out a deal
Jul 23, 2021
Almost one year after her All Elite Wrestling debut, AEW announced Thunder Rosa had officially signed with the promotion.
Many were surprised by the announcement as Rosa's contract with the National Wrestling Alliance wasn't up until the end of 2021, but it appears AEW and Billy Corgan's promotion were able to work out a deal.
According to Fightful Select, AEW and NWA organised a buyout of Rosa's contract which meant she was able to sign with the Jacksonville-based company. Tony Khan in particular was very careful about ensuring he didn't tamper with Rosa's NWA contract and he wanted to "play by the book on the situation."
Fightful also noted that Thunder Rosa initially requested her release from the NWA back in 2020, but that request was rejected at the time.
Rosa made her AEW debut ahead of All Out 2020 and she would go on to unsuccessfully challenge Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women's World Championship at the September pay-per-view. Rosa has since established herself as one of the top stars in the AEW women's division and she faced Britt Baker in a widely praised Lights Out Match earlier this year.