Thekla Reveals Fans Sent Death Threats After STARDOM Exit Angle

Thekla is revealing just how wild the fallout became after her explosive STARDOM exit angle — because according to her, fans were sending death threats, telling her to leave the country, and even spitting at her during shows.

While speaking with Daily Express US, the AEW Women’s Champion star opened up about the backlash she received after attacking Taro Okada following her loss to Sayaka Kurara at STARDOM’s All Star Grand Queendom event in 2025.

The angle was designed to write Thekla off STARDOM television before eventually transitioning her into AEW, but according to Thekla, some fans reacted like it was completely real. She described the situation escalating fast once the angle aired, since she received death threats.

“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…”

But instead of panicking, Thekla admitted her immediate reaction was realizing just how invested fans had become in the storyline: “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I think this is actually really working.’” That original angle became one of the most talked-about exits in recent STARDOM history.

After losing at All Star Grand Queendom, Thekla attacked Okada at ringside, leading to the storyline explanation that she had been fired from the promotion. That eventually paved the way for her AEW debut before Tony Khan officially finalized her contract months later. The situation also never fully cooled down.

Thekla and Okada have continued revisiting the rivalry multiple times since the original incident, including altercations at Arena Mexico and again during STARDOM’s American Dream event in Las Vegas during WrestleMania weekend.

Bottom line — Thekla’s transition from STARDOM to AEW clearly blurred the line between storyline heat and real-life backlash in a major way. But judging from her reaction, she seems to view the controversy less as a problem and more as proof she successfully got fans emotionally invested.

Do you think wrestling storylines are most effective when fans emotionally buy into them this deeply, or does it become too much once performers start receiving real-life threats and harassment? Drop your thoughts below and let us know.