There’s no denying that Nyla Rose’s recent Women’s Title victory is a historic one for pro wrestling. She’s the first transgender wrestler to win gold on a nationally televised platform, a fact that’s been highly touted everywhere but AEW television. Speaking with TV Insider, the AEW Women’s Champ says that she doesn’t mind the lack of spectacle.
They don’t make it a checkmark. It’s one of those things that is there. Everyone knows about it, but nobody talks about it. That’s not a matter of us wanting to be hush-hush or hide this. They’re not making it a thing because it shouldn’t be a thing. You are a person and a performer first. That’s what I love so much and makes me feel so proud to be part of this company because they are helping normalize these ideals.
That isn’t to say that Nyla isn’t affected by the reaction to her title wins. When talking about her first promo after winning the title, the online reaction to her victory came up right away.
Some of the motivation came from a lot of the online flak you see out there. A lot of pushback. That added fuel to the fire. I was trying to wrap everything up and have it make sense. I wanted to keep it short and sweet and to the point. I wanted to put all the competition on notice that I’m not going to take this lightly. I’m not going to take anything lying down.
Online critics that aren’t obsessed with Nyla’s identity have stated that AEW’s women’s roster isn’t all that it could be. According to the champ, the mood backstage among the women’s roster is nothing but excitement, especially considering AEW’s new TV deal. “We’ve gotten this TV extension. Our hours are potentially going to be stretched there. We are all excited that we can get an equal chance to be showcased and really put ourselves out there.”
