Thekla, who stunned Kris Statlander to claim the AEW Women's World Championship earlier this month, credits her newfound confidence to a realization about 1-2 years ago in Japan. The 32-year-old Austrian describes herself as a creative kid who embraced punk rock and art before discovering professional wrestling at age 19.
'I consider myself Japan-bred. Most of my experience came there,' Thekla says. She believes her advantage comes from not being influenced by past wrestling styles, allowing her to create everything from her name and gimmick to her fighting style and look.