Tony Khan is continuing to heap praise on one of AEW’s fastest-rising stars, singling out Thekla as a standout performer since her arrival in the company.

Speaking during an appearance on Ringer Wrestling, the AEW President reflected on some of the promotion’s most impactful signings over the past year. Among them, he made it clear that Thekla has exceeded expectations, even going as far as to label the current Women’s World Champion as the top newcomer in that group.

“I think when you look at the champions on the women’s side, I would say absolutely Thekla would be , of this new crop, you’d have to say the MVP of the new arrivals as World Champion. And she’s been fantastic. Now when she arrived, she had a goal of winning the World Title, but the very first thing she did was go after Jamie Hayter. And Jamie Hayter been a huge part of AEW, one of our most popular stars, a former World Champion. And Jamie Hayter versus Thekla I think is a really compelling, exciting rivalry and I’m excited for their match this weekend at AW Dynasty.”

Khan also emphasized just how important Thekla has become to the women’s division in a relatively short time.

“I think Thekla’s been a huge part of the company on the women’s side, absolutely. What a huge signing.”

Thekla first joined AEW in July of last year and quickly made an impact, capturing the Women’s World Championship soon after her debut. Her rise has been backed internally as well, with the company reportedly locking her into a contract extension ahead of schedule.

Elsewhere in the interview, Khan highlighted the success of other recent additions, including the current AEW World Trios Champions. He pointed to the trio’s unique blend of styles and experience as a major asset to the roster.

“Our World Trios Champions have been a fantastic signing too. All three of them, they represent very different places in their careers, different experiences, different backgrounds. But three great wrestlers that we’ve signed in the past year in Mistico and Speedball Bailey, and of course the Jet Kevin Knight.”

With momentum building behind several newer names, AEW continues to lean on fresh talent to shape its future, and based on Khan’s comments, Thekla is firmly at the center of that vision.