Summary

Thekla says she realized just how effective her heel work had become in STARDOM when the reaction turned ugly.

Reflecting on that stretch of her career, the current AEW Women's World Champion said the backlash escalated after she attacked STARDOM president Taro Okada at STARDOM All Star Grand Queendom 2025. Thekla said that was the point where the hostility from fans made it clear the character was connecting exactly the way a villain is supposed to.

Quote from Thekla

"When the death threats came in and everybody was like, ‘Hey, somebody call the police, she needs to leave the country,’ and people started spitting at me at the shows," she said, "I was like, ‘Oh my God, I think this is actually really working.'"

Thekla later went on to say:

"It took me a long time to find a place where I feel most comfortable, and that is fortunately not tied to a physical place. It was tough in Austria; it was always a fun time. Being in Japan, it was a tough time, but also challenging and very, very fun. And now the States, I’m kind of a baby here."

What it means for Thekla ahead of Double Or Nothing

Thekla framing her STARDOM run this way reinforces how much of her presentation is built on provoking a reaction, and that matters with AEW Double Or Nothing coming up. As AEW Women's World Champion, she is heading into that title defense with the kind of edge that can keep the focus on her even in a multi-person match.

It also underlines that Thekla sees her current United States run as a new phase rather than a repeat of what came before. That gives AEW room to keep leaning into the same menace that defined her STARDOM work while presenting her as a champion still settling into the biggest spotlight of her career.

Sources

Thekla while speaking with The Express