Overview
- Thekla kept the AEW Women’s World Championship in her match with Starlight Kid at the co‑promoted Forbidden Door event in San Jose.
- After the match, members of Thekla’s stable supplied scissors and removed Starlight Kid’s mask while Thekla spat in the mask and shoved it into Stardom president Taro Okada’s face.
- Julia Hart and other stablemates actively aided the post-match beat by handing Thekla the scissors and helping carry out the humiliation.
- AEW’s official social post labeled the action “blatant disrespect,” which amplified the angle and increased public scrutiny of the incident.
- Because masks hold strong cultural and identity meaning in wrestling and Thekla has a past history with Stardom leadership, this moment raises the prospect of real-world fallout between AEW and Japan’s Stardom and is likely to shape the companies’ next steps and booking decisions.