Thekla - The Toxic Spider Spins Into AEW

Talk Is Jericho

Chris Jericho

Tv & Film, Sports, Wrestling

4.7 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Austrian-born AEW star Thekla breaks down her wild, unconventional path to All Elite Wrestling – from underground training in Vienna cellars with no ring or ropes, to surviving five years in Japan’s brutal wrestling system. Thekla talks about cutting her teeth in Ice Ribbon, leveling up in Stardom, and why living at the dojo during the pandemic accelerated her growth faster than anything else in her career. She explains how touring Europe in a punk band prepared her for life on the road, why punk rock and pro wrestling are more alike than people realize, and how chaos, rebellion, and DIY culture shaped her in-ring identity. Thekla also details how she first connected with AEW, her initial meeting with Tony Khan, and what it was like walking into the AEW locker room as the new, Japan-trained wildcard. She opens up about creating her signature spider walk, blending flexibility with character work, and using her outsider status as an advantage. Plus, Thekla talks about her AEW faction Triangle of Madness, working alongside Julia Hart and Skye Blue, her goals for championship gold, and why 2026 is officially “the year of the spider.” Follow Thekla: 📸 Instagram: @toxic_thekla 🐦 X/Twitter: @toxic_thekla Talk Is Jericho is available on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/ChrisJerichoFozzy 👍 Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the 🔔 to stay updated on new episodes! More from Talk Is Jericho: 📸 Instagram: @chrisjerichofozzy | @talkisjericho 🐦 Twitter/X: @IAmJericho | @TalkIsJericho 🌐 Website: https://www.webisjericho.com/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	300 years of expertise in every twining sleep blend.
0:06.0	100 hours of craft in every cup.
0:10.0	Eight natural ingredients in every sip.
0:14.0	One night of winding down in every drop.
0:18.0	Your moment of serenity.
0:23.8	Brought to you by twining sleep.
0:25.1	Twinings.
0:27.8	Alive in every drop.
0:34.7	Talk is Jericho, baby.
0:37.2	Talk is Jericho. I'm hot. Talk is Jericho, baby. Talk is Jericho.
0:43.3	Talk is Jericho, Mama, talk is me. We're here with Tecla, and this is the first time we've ever met.
0:47.4	Yep.
0:47.9	Nice to meet you.
0:48.5	Nice to meet you.
0:50.6	First of all, I just want to make it clear.
0:52.2	I am terrified of spiders, especially toxic ones.
0:57.1	Just wanted to get that out there right now. As you should be, I'd say.
1:02.5	Lots of discuss here, Tecla recently signing full-time with AEW, which is amazing for you,
1:10.4	especially after you did kind of what I did in the early years of AEW, which is amazing for you, especially after you did kind of what
1:12.3	I did in the early years of my career, which is tour the world first and foremost before you
1:17.6	came to the States full-time. So what made you decide that this was the time to finally come
1:21.8	and make your home in the States? I really liked living in Japan. I was there for five years.
	...

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