Nyla Rose has reflected on the controversy surrounding her wrestling in Oklahoma and expressed her gratitude to AEW President Tony Khan for publicly defending her.
In 2024, the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission warned AEW against booking Rose to wrestle in the state again, saying her participation had violated commission rules. Khan subsequently spoke out in support of Rose and said he did not believe transgender wrestlers or transgender people should face discrimination.
During a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, Rose strongly criticized the commission and its handling of the situation. “We can touch on that a little bit. So basically, to be perfectly blunt, hateful bigots, you know, with no basis for anything. Athletic Commission is a scam. They’re just a bunch of greedy people who have found an avenue to work people out of money, and they’re using new laws and loopholes to do what they want to do, basically. I was a little shocked [that Khan came to her defense], to be totally honest with you. I was very shocked, very surprised, and incredibly grateful that he would, with zero hesitation—like, there was no thought there. He just knew the right side of history to be on, and that’s where he stood 10 toes down. And for someone of his caliber, in his position, to do that, he absolutely did not have to, but he did. And that speaks a lot about who he is as a person and who he is as a man. And I’m so grateful to him for that.”
Rose said Khan’s immediate willingness to publicly support her surprised her and meant a great deal given his position as AEW President.
At the time of the original controversy, Khan made clear that AEW stood behind Rose while rejecting discrimination against transgender people.
Rose remains under contract with AEW and has continued wrestling outside the promotion while awaiting another opportunity on AEW programming.
