As we reported yesterday here on eWn, the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission sent a “warning” to All Elite Wrestling regarding Nyla Rose competing against other women in their state.
Back in January, the OSAC unanimously passed a motion to warn AEW over a match that featured Rose, who is a transgender woman, facing off against Alejandra Lion at a set of ROH tapings.
Rose has received a significant amount of support from both fans and wrestling talent.
While speaking at Thursday’s AEW Dynasty 2024 media call, AEW President Tony Khan shared his opinion on the matter.
You can check out some highlights from the media call below:
On the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission issuing a warning over the Nyla Rose match: “I was really surprised by this. It was not something I was expecting and of course I was disappointed by the commission’s position and by that warning. I don’t think we did anything wrong. I’m really, really disappointed. Shocked by it. I don’t think there should be discrimination against transgender wrestlers or transgender people at all and, you know, they have rights and to that end, I absolutely stand by Nyla Rose. AEW stands behind Nyla Rose and all transgender people who want to play sports and this is wrestling. There is, was nothing wrong with it. Nyla Rose is a great wrestler. She’s been a great world champion and I love Nyla. I love working with Nyla. She’s been a great part of our history. She was the first transgender world champion ever and she’s a great part of the AEW Together program. She does a ton for the community. She’s a great person with a great heart. and very supportive of the other wrestlers. One of the funniest people on social media, I personally have nominated Nyla to TBS for the best social media presence on more than one occasion over the years and she’s an amazing 2019 going back to the very first year of AEW, the first shows, the first Dynamite. And look at everything Nyla’s accomplished and to just put that label on her that’s not right. She’s much more than that and, you know, she’s a great athlete and I hope everybody can look at Nila and see that she’s accomplished. A great wrestler, a great person, and she deserves the same chances as everybody else. And if the AEW locker room, which consists of people from all over the world, all kinds of different backgrounds, all different beliefs, if everybody in the locker room can embrace Nyla, I would hope that the Oklahoma Commission could do the same thing. So, thank you.
“So I’d also like to mention speaking of Dynasty, Nyla is working with one of our new pay-per-view partners for the domestic digital presentation of AEW Dynasty, PPV.com. Nyla is going to be a special guest host for the PPV.com AEW Dynasty event. Very happy about that. We were thrilled when she accepted the invitation weeks ago and we’re all excited about all the different ways you can watch this pay-per-view. This is going to be the most widely available event for digital distribution domestically ever in the history of AEW. For AEW Dynasty, there’s a lot of choices. Of course, Nyla is going to be there on PPV.com. We have great providers with Triller TV, YouTube, and our long -term time base at Bleacher Report. We really appreciate Bleacher Report and Warner Bros. Discovery working with AEW to make sure our fans have a lot of options to watch the pay-per-view and I’m glad Nyla is going to be hosting that. That’s something that’s been in the works for a while. I think the world of Nyla and that’s how I feel about it.”
On whether AEW will continue to run Oklahoma: “I definitely am treating this as a developing story. It was kind of surprised by this, but definitely wanted to do our best to support the fans across America and all over the world and bring AEW wrestling everywhere. We have great fans. We have great fans in Oklahoma that are important to us and great fans all over the country. And so we’ll do anything we can to support those fans. So it’s something we’re going to have to think about, but you know, it’s a fair question. Thanks for asking.”
The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission recently issued a warning to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) regarding transgender wrestler Nyla Rose competing against other women in their state. This decision has sparked a significant amount of controversy and debate within the wrestling community.
In January, the OSAC unanimously passed a motion to warn AEW over a match that featured Nyla Rose facing off against Alejandra Lion at a set of ROH tapings. The commission’s concern stems from Rose being a transgender woman competing against cisgender women. However, Rose has received overwhelming support from both fans and wrestling talent.
AEW President Tony Khan expressed his surprise and disappointment at the commission’s warning during a media call. He firmly stated that he does not believe there should be discrimination against transgender wrestlers or transgender people in general. Khan emphasized that transgender individuals have rights and should be able to participate in sports, including wrestling. He reiterated AEW’s support for Nyla Rose and all transgender people who want to play sports.
Khan highlighted Rose’s accomplishments and contributions to AEW. She was the first transgender world champion in wrestling history and has been an integral part of the AEW Together program, which focuses on community outreach. Khan praised Rose’s athleticism, character, and positive impact on social media. He urged everyone to recognize her as more than just a label and to appreciate her as a great wrestler and person.
In addition to addressing the warning, Khan also announced that Nyla Rose would be a special guest host for the PPV.com AEW Dynasty event. This event is set to be the most widely available event for digital distribution domestically in AEW’s history. Khan expressed his excitement about the various platforms fans can use to watch the pay-per-view and his gratitude towards the partners involved.
When asked about whether AEW will continue to run shows in Oklahoma, Khan stated that it is a developing story and that they are committed to supporting fans across America and around the world. He acknowledged the importance of fans in Oklahoma and expressed a willingness to do whatever they can to support them.
The controversy surrounding Nyla Rose competing against cisgender women raises important questions about inclusivity and equality in sports. It highlights the ongoing struggle for transgender individuals to be accepted and respected in athletic competitions. While AEW stands firmly behind Nyla Rose, the issue serves as a reminder that there is still progress to be made in creating an inclusive environment for all athletes, regardless of their gender identity.