Thunder Rosa works a joshi show, picks up new challenger for her AEW title

AEW Women’s champion Thunder Rosa is in Tokyo, and she worked today’s TJPW Summer Sun Princess ‘22 show.

Rosa is no stranger to Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, and even held their secondary belt (the International Princess championship) briefly before pandemic lockdowns & travel restrictions forced her to vacate the title.

Heading into their July 9 match, Rosa told her opponent Miyu Yamashita that if she won, she could have a future shot at the AEW belt (essentially what AEW usually calls a Championship Eliminator match). Yamashita pulled out a victory by reversing an inside cradle, and La Mera Mera honored her promise.

At her post-show presser, Rosa hinted the match could happen on AEW television — something Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported was a possibility a couple weeks back.

It’s an interesting crossover. Yamashita only has one AEW appearance on her resume, from when Elevation taped in Los Angeles last month. But TJPW wrestlers make regular appearances in Tony Khan’s company, including fan favorite Maki Ito.

TJPW is part of the CyberFight group of Japanese promotions with DDT Pro and NOAH. AEW announced a partnership agreement with DDT, but not much has come of it. Cyberfight is is a competitor to Bushiroad-owned New Japan — with whom AEW just held the successful Forbidden Door show — and Stardom — a women’s promotion U.S. fans will start seeing more of in New Japan of America, and that many are hopeful they’ll see in All Elite rings as a result of AEW & NJPW’s partnership. NOAH and New Japan have worked together this year, though, so it seems likely everyone is on the same page.

We’ll see how that plays out... and when we get Thunder Rosa vs. Miyu Yamashita for the AEW Women’s championship.