Reason for Thunder Rosa being off AEW New Year's Smash Night 2
Former NWA Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa has been a welcomed addition to the AEW roster over the past few months. Her rivalry with Britt Baker has been engaging for fans wanting more from the company's women's division. However, their advertised match for AEW Dynamite's New Year's Smash Night 2 event next week was postponed.
According to this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Thunder Rosa was in contact with someone who was COVID-19 positive, so the match was held off the tapings for New Year's Smash Night 2. However, the encounter with Britt Baker will take place at some point.
Thunder Rosa has not been reported as testing positive for the virus, but AEW has been diligent in keeping those who have been potentially exposed off their shows. This follows the precedent set with others such as Scorpio Sky and Joey Janela who were in contact with people who were COVID positive in the past.
New additions to AEW New Year's Smash Night 2 in place of Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker
In the place of Thunder Rosa's match, the decision was made to debut Britt Baker's Waiting Room segment as well as add Serena Deeb vs. Tay Conti for the NWA Women's World Championship. Britt Baker's talk show has been a fixture on AEW Dark, but it will make its debut on Dynamite with Cody Rhodes as her special guest.
Serena Deeb became the NWA Women's World Champion by defeating Thunder Rosa on the October 27th UWN Primetime Live event. She has defended the title twice against former champions Rosa and Allysin Kay on AEW Dynamite and the Full Gear Buy In show, respectively. This will mark Tay Conti's first title opportunity since becoming apart of the AEW roster.
Conti will also have The Dark Order in her corner, seeming to signal her inclusion into the stable. We will have coverage of next week's AEW Dynamite New Year's Smash Night 2 event here on SK Wrestling.