Thekla loves meeting wrestling fans, but she says there’s one place where she’d rather be left alone—the airport. In fact, the former AEW Women’s World Champion admitted she once snapped at a fan so badly that she still feels guilty about it.
While speaking to TMZ’s Inside the Ring, Thekla explained that conventions and signings are completely different from airports. When she’s traveling, she says she’s usually focused on getting where she needs to go and isn’t in the mindset to stop for photos or conversations.
“Something I don’t love, uh, and I will say this, and I can be really harsh sometimes actually when I get stopped at the airport. It’s just not… I’m not in my… I’m not in my zone. I got a thousand things on my mind, you know. It’s like… I’m a civilian, you know?”
She then shared one airport encounter that has stayed with her. Thekla said she was clearly rushing through the terminal when she noticed a fan approaching, so she tried to politely signal that it wasn’t the right time.
“One time I remember I was, like, I was, like, walking and I was obviously, like, really walking fast, you know, and I could see from the back of my eye. I had already, like, kind of given somebody the nod, like, ‘Not now.’”
According to Thekla, the fan kept coming anyway. That’s when she stopped, looked him directly in the eye and made herself crystal clear as she snapped at him.
“And then he kept on walking and I stopped, froze, looked him in the eye and was like, ‘Not f****** now.’ Okay? So, yeah. So, so, so don’t… don’t f*** with… don’t… if I give you the no nod, don’t f*** with me.”
Despite laughing about the story, Thekla admitted she regretted how she handled it almost immediately. Looking back, she believes the fan was completely embarrassed, and she still feels bad about the interaction.
“Actually, I kind… actually, I kind of felt really bad because he felt… he looked mortified. I’m not… he might not ever talk to anybody ever again actually, ’cause that may have been one of the worst human interactions of his life.”
Bottom line: Thekla’s message wasn’t that she dislikes meeting fans. She simply drew a line between conventions, where fan interactions are expected, and airports, where she’s just trying to travel like everyone else.
Do you think airports should be off-limits for fan interactions, or is it okay to politely ask for a photo if you see a wrestler traveling? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
