Thekla's championship victory came as no surprise to the confident new champion, who developed her self-assurance over the past year or two while wrestling in Japan. "Confidence can come and go, that's part of the journey," she shared, "but one of my biggest accomplishments is getting to a point where I can say, 'I'm that good,' and actually believe it."
The 32-year-old Austrian found wrestling at age 19 and quickly realized it could combine her diverse creative passions. "I tried everything: Drawing comics, playing guitar, being in a band, fashion, photography," she explained. "When I started wrestling, it clicked early that all those creative passions could be combined into this universal art form." Her unique background gives her an advantage, as she notes, "I draw from everything" rather than being influenced by wrestling history.