All Elite Wrestling, the new professional wrestling company funded by billionaire Shahid Khan and run by his son Tony, has made history as the first major wrestling promotion to sign a transgender wrestler.
AEW made the announcement that it has enlisted wrestler Nyla Rose on Thursday at an event held at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and event where they also announced the signing of Kenny Omega, quite possibly the best wrestler in the world.
Many fans will be familiar with Rose’s work with Lucha Underground and it seems like she could face Kylie Ray at AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view on May 25.
Rose appeared in Vegas but also confirmed the news after the event with a tweet saying: “Oh it’s true alright.”
Providing an alternative to the WWE has been the goal for AEW since their inception just last month, but they are already gaining a lot of momentum with their shrewd and powerful signings.
A lot of credit has to go to the Khans for backing their talent financially, but also socially.
LGBT representation in professional wrestling is still in its infancy in many ways, but there has been more inclusion in recent history.
WWE currently features an openly lesbian wrestler, Sonya Deville (real name Daria Berenato), on its SmackDown Live show while Darren Young became the first wrestler to be openly gay a few years back, also in the WWE.
However, Rose is certainly the first transgender superstar to reach the big time and it has everything to do with her talent.