WWE News: The Rock announces former TNA Knockout Thea Trinidad as Divas Champion for upcoming Paige film
What's the story?
Independent pro wrestler and model Thea Trinidad, who previously worked as “Rosita” in TNA Wrestling, has been cast as an unnamed Divas Champion in the upcoming film Fighting With My Family, chronicling the life and family of current WWE Superstar Paige.
In case you didn't know...
Fighting With My Family was announced earlier this year as a joint venture between WWE Studios and Seven Bucks Productions, the studio owned by iconic wrestling legend and Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The film will explore the history of the Knight wrestling family, as well as the 24-year-old Paige's journey from teen wrestler to the youngest female champion in WWE history. Stephen Merchant (The Office) will write and direct, with The Rock producing and starring in the movie.
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) will play Paige's mother, while English film great Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) will play her father, Ricky Knight. Vince Vaughn has also landed an unnamed role in the film, while young unknown actress Florence Pugh will play Paige herself.
26-year-old Trinidad worked under the name “Rosita” during her run with TNA Wrestling, where she is a former Knockouts Tag Team Champion. She has also made appearances for the Mexican AAA promotion, Ring of Honor, Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling, and faced off against NXT Women's Champion Asuka in late 2016.
She is currently engaged to NXT Superstar Austin Aries.
The heart of the matter
The Rock made the announcement on Friday afternoon that Trinidad would be joining the cast of Fighting With My Family. She will be playing an unnamed former WWE Divas Champion in the film, which is currently in pre-production. The following is from the Great One's official Instagram account:
“Casting the right woman to play our champion was critical. I wanted to keep the integrity of our movie's authenticity. We had to find a woman who not only has a real star quality, but she also had to have a real reverence and love for our unique wrestling business. Thea has been working extremely hard for years on the independent wrestling circuit and for those who understand what that means – you know how much one has to love our crazy business to work independently for years.”
What's next?
Who the Divas Champion Trinidad will be emulating has not yet been named, and it's possible she will remain nameless depending on how large the role really. Current speculation is that the character is based on AJ Lee. Paige defeated Lee to win the now-defunct Divas title on her first night with the main roster, and the two developed a rivalry before the later eventually retired from wrestling altogether.
Sportskeeda's Take
Trindad seems like a great choice, especially if she's being cast to represent AJ Lee. She certainly bears a resemblance in the photo posted by The Rock. As the fiance of Austin Aries, and a solid ring worker in her own right, it's possible this film could lead to a full-time position on the NXT roster in the future.