Thekla (wrestler)

Last updated
Thekla
STARDOM WORLD CLIMAX 2022 IMG 6886.jpg
Thekla in March 2022
Born (1993-04-30) April 30, 1993 (age 31) [1]
Vienna, Austria
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) The Toxic Spider
Thekla
Billed height155 cm (5 ft 1 in) [2]
Billed weight52 kg (115 lb)
Trained by
Debut2017

Thekla Kaischauri (born April 30, 1993), better known by her mononymous ring name Thekla, is an Austrian professional wrestler. She performs primarily in Japan for joshi puroresu (women's professional wrestling) promotions, and is currently signed with World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a member of the villainous stable H.A.T.E. [4]

Contents

Considered one of Stardom's most prominent performers, [5] [6] Kaischauri is the reigning Goddess of Stardom Champion, alongside tag-team partner Momo Watanabe, and a former one-time Artist of Stardom Champion and one-time SWA World Champion. She is also known for her tenure with Ice Ribbon, [7] where she won the Triangle Ribbon Championship and developed a reputation for her technical fighting style. [8]

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2017–2021)

Kaischauri made her professional wrestling debut in 2017 at independent Austrian promotion World Underground Wrestling (WUW), [9] under the mononym Thekla. [10] She trained under veteran Austrian professional wrestler Gerhard Hradil (ring name "Humungus"), reportedly performing in pub cellars throughout Vienna. [11]

Thekla's first relatively well publicized performance was on April 21, 2018 at Independent Pro Wrestling Germany's Eishaus Explosion 2 in Lübeck, Germany. [12] While she continued performing sporadically in her native Austria—mostly for Rings Of Europe (RoE) in Vienna [13] —the following year she began wrestling for independent Japanese wrestling promotions, including Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, [14] Gleat, [15] Seadlinnng, [16] and World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana. [17]

Ice Ribbon (2019–2021)

Kaischauri in March 2021 THEKLA.jpg
Kaischauri in March 2021

Thekla made her first appearance in Ice Ribbon on July 27, 2019, where she teamed up with Hamuko Hoshi and Suzu Suzuki in a losing effort against Asahi, Matsuya Uno and Tsukasa Fujimoto in a six-woman tag team match. [18] On February 23, 2021, Thekla unsuccessfully challenged Tsukushi Haruka for the IW19 Championship. [19] On April 21, 2021, Thekla unsuccessfully challenged Risa Sera for the FantastICE Championship. [20]

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2021–present)

Thekla and Mirai kept attacking various wrestlers from World Wonder Ring Stardom under masks from the beginning of the first event of the Super Wars trilogy which took place from November 3 to December 18, 2021. [21] On December 25, Giulia announced that both of the masked wrestlers would join her Donna Del Mondo unit at the beginning of 2022. [22] On January 3, 2022, Thekla and Mirai were unveiled as the masked assailants and teamed up with Giulia to defeat Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Unagi Sayaka and Mai Sakurai). [23]

At Stardom Nagoya Supreme Fight on January 29, 2022, Thekla defeated Mina Shirakawa for the vacant SWA World Championship. [24] At Golden Week Fight Tour on May 5, Thekla lost the SWA World Championship to Mayu Iwatani. [25] At Flashing Champions on May 28, Thekla unsuccessfully challenged AZM for the High Speed Championship. [26] Thekla was announced as one of the 2022 5 Star Grand Prix participants, to compete in the Red Stars Block. [27] However, she was unable to compete in the tournament due to injuries. [28] [29]

In February 2022, roughly a month after her debut at Stardom, Thekla was described as one of the "10 best wrestlers" in the promotion by The Sportser, which highlighted her bout against Shirakawa and the subsequent winning of the SWA World Championship in her first attempt. [30] In October 2022, Thekla was for the first time named one of the top 150 female wrestlers in the PWI Women's 150, ranking No. 69. [31]

On May 27, 2023, at Flashing Champions 2023, Thekla, Giulia and Mai Sakurai, also known as the Baribari Bombers, defeated REStart to win the Artist of Stardom Championship. [32] At New Years Stars 2024 on January 3, 2024, Baribari Bombers participated in the 2024 Triangle Derby. After reaching the finals and deciding to defend the Artist of Stardom Championship, they lost the match and titles to Abarenbo GE. [33]

Thekla was a main contender at the Historic X-Over II pay-per-view crossover event between Stardom and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, which was broadcast live on November 17, 2024 from EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan. [34]

Personal life

Prior to her professional wrestling career, Kaischauri performed in a punk rock band. She has a master's degree in fine arts, designs her own wrestling gear, [3] continues to paint and exhibit her artworks. [35] In 2020, Kaischauri moved to Japan to further her professional wrestling career. [3] She has expressed interest in performing outside Japan, [36] and in a November 2024 interview stated she was exploring opportunities in the United States. [37]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

  1. ↑ Saalbach, Axel. "Thekla • General Information". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  2. ↑ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Thekla/Career Data". cagematch.de (in German). Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Fain, Thom (January 14, 2022). "Thekla Talks Ice Ribbon, and Being the Hardest Working Joshi in the Game". Monthly Puroresu. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  4. ↑ "WRESTLER". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Thekla: I've Already Got My Eyes Set On One Opportunity In The United States | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  6. ↑ "Thekla: STARDOM And New Japan Are Fantastic Companies With Badass Wrestlers, Why Not Put It Together | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  7. ↑ Internet Wrestling Database (IWD). "Thekla Profile & Match Listing". profightdb.com. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  8. 1 2 Harris, Bethany (2021-01-16). "Thekla Returns to Ice Ribbon". Last Word on Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  9. ↑ "WSA - Wrestling School Austria". www.undergroundwrestling.at. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  10. ↑ "Weekly Pro Wrestling". Wien.Info. Retrieved Jun 2, 2021.
  11. ↑ ConnyGrotte (2022-02-01). "Wiener Wrestlerin "Thekla" ist in Japan ein Star". vienna.at. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  12. ↑ "IPW Germany Eishaus Explosion 2 « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  13. ↑ "Rings Of Europe (RoE) « Promotions Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  14. ↑ Daly, Wayne (October 24, 2021). "FMW-E Results: Sky High – Yokohama, Japan (10/24)". wrestling-news.net. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  15. ↑ Daly, Wayne (November 26, 2021). "GLEAT Results: G Pro Wrestling Ver. 10 – Tokyo, Japan (11/26)". wrestling-news.net. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  16. ↑ Seadlinnng (August 19, 2021). 2021年8月19日(木)18:30 START /17:45 OPEN 東京・後楽園ホール「SEAdLINNNG〜6周年記念大会！〜」観衆305人. seadlinnng.com (in Japanese). Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  17. ↑ Purolove (July 18, 2021). "Diana "DIANA HOME MATCH", 18.07.2021 Kawasaki Diana New Dojo". purolove.com. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ Ice Ribbon (July 27, 2019). ◆2019年07月27日 開始時間 18時00分～ ／ 開場時刻 17時30分 藤本つかさ生誕プロデュース興行-つっかだらけのアイスリボン973- 18時00分開始. iceribbon.com (in Japanese). Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  19. ↑ Ice Ribbon (February 23, 2021). ◆2021年02月23日 横浜リボン2021・Feb.. iceribbon.com (in Japanese). Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ Ice Ribbon (April 21, 2021). ◆2021年04月11日 開始時間 12時00分～ ／ 開場時刻 11時30分 アイスリボン1109 in SKIPシティ. iceribbon.com (in Japanese). Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  21. ↑ WrestlingwithDemons (December 18, 2021). "12/18 STARDOM OSAKA SUPER WARS PPV REPORT". pwinsider.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  22. ↑ Coyle-Simmons, Patrick (2022-02-15). "10 Best Wrestlers In Stardom Wrestling, Ranked". TheSportster. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  23. ↑ Edwards, Scott (January 3, 2022). "Stardom News: Lady C Joins Queen's Quest, Mirai Maiumi and Thekla Revealed as Momo Masks". lastwordonsports.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  24. 1 2 World Wonder Ring Stardom. 【大会情報】1・29『創立11周年記念 NAGOYA SUPREME FIGHT 2022 ～名古屋どえりゃ～！スターダム～』愛知・ドルフィンズアリーナ（愛知県体育館）大会決定！. stardom.com (in Japanese). Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  25. ↑ Peterson, Karen (May 5, 2022). "STARDOM Fukuoka Goddess Festival: Saya Kamitani vs. Maika, Goddesses of Stardom match". postwrestling.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  26. ↑ Richards, Alex (May 28, 2022). "Stardom Flashing Champions 2022 News Round-Up". lastwordonsports.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  27. ↑ World Wonder Ring Stardom (June 29, 2022). 【真夏の祭典】最強＆最高女子決定戦『5★STAR GP 2022』ブロック分け決定！. wwr-stardom.com (in Japanese). Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  28. ↑ Thompson, Andrew (July 26, 2022). "Thekla unable to compete in STARDOM's 5 STAR Grand Prix due to injury rehab". POST Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  29. ↑ NoPrimaDonna.com (July 27, 2022). "INJURIES & ILLNESS BEFALL JAPANESE WOMEN'S WRESTLING SCENE". PWInsider. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  30. ↑ Coyle-Simmons, Patrick (2022-02-15). "10 Best Wrestlers In Stardom Wrestling, Ranked". TheSportster. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  31. 1 2 Ross, Patrick (October 27, 2022). "Full 2022 PWI Women's 150 list revealed". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  32. 1 2 Edwards, Scott (May 27, 2023). "STARDOM Flashing Champions 2023 Results (5/27/23): Tam Nakano vs. Mina Shirakawa". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  33. ↑ Richards, Alex (January 4, 2024). "STARDOM New Year Stars 2024 (January 3) Results & Review". Voices of Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  34. ↑ "NJPW And STARDOM Announce Full Lineup For NJPW x Stardom Historic X-Over II | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  35. ↑ Hetfield, James (2024-11-21). "Thekla To Host Art Exhibition Ahead Of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom - PWMania - Wrestling News" . Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  36. ↑ "Thekla Interview: Her Stardom contract expiring, Working with Giulia, Toxic Spider & Dream opponents in the U.S." 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  37. ↑ "Thekla: I've Already Got My Eyes Set On One Opportunity In The United States | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  38. ↑ Ice Ribbon. Triangle Ribbon Championship History (in Japanese). Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Female 50 for 2024 - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  40. ↑ Goodwin, Rob (September 4, 2024). "NEWS: Stardom Announce Awards for 5Star Grand Prix Ahead of Korakuen Hall". thestardomcast.com. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
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