Thunder Rosa, the professional wrestler whose real name is Melissa Cervantes, spoke to Fox News Digital about her unusual route into the sport, having worked as a social worker and activist before stepping into the ring. Now regarded as one of the leading women's wrestlers in the world, she competes for two of North America's major promotions, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and says her earlier career helped shape her approach to wrestling.

Rosa explained that she turned professional 13 years ago after attending a few wrestling shows and deciding the sport offered a bigger platform than her activism. Unlike most wrestlers who train from a young age, she came to it with little sporting background and had to start from scratch, learning to roll, build her body, develop body control and master gymnastics and other basics. She said she often had to work harder than anyone else in her training classes, where she was frequently the only woman in the room, and that there was no single moment when she knew the gamble had paid off.