For years, wrestling critics insisted that a great performer could carry a broomstick to a three-star match.
Fast-rising Vancouver Island-based wrestler Rose hopes that same logic applies to luggage.
Despite less than two years in the squared circle, she attracted the interest of Vancouver’s Herschel Supply Company and played an important role in that company’s viral advertising video.
The video features a number of quirky characters entering an elevator and has garnered over a million views on Herschel’s YouTube.
Rose is arguably one of the stars of the show, as she’s shown carrying a championship belt and hyping herself up with other passengers looking confused.
A separate video was released just with Rose and she takes on the luggage. She hits it with an axe kick, a backbreaker, knees, kicks and then forces it to submit to a choke.
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The opportunity came about when she was noticed at a WrestleCore show in Vancouver.
“They sent me an email and I get so many scam emails,” she said, laughing. “It was well-formulated, but it sounded too good to be true.”
She later learned the content manager was a big wrestling fan, and after seeing Rose wrestle, thought she would be a perfect fit for the commercial.
“It turned out to be such a great experience,” she said, noting she’s had interest in film and TV acting. “So just being on set was awesome and the production team was so great.”
But it’s not just luggage and elevator fights that Rose is known for.
In her short career she has appeared on All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor, competed all across Canada and has held the 365 Pro Wrestling Global Women’s Championship for over a year.
Her life mirrors the non-stop travel of the pro wrestling grind. Rose, who asked that her full name not be disclosed, was born and raised in Montreal (and speaks fluent French), moved to Edmonton as a teenager and eventually settled in Victoria.
She remembers very early memories of being interested by Vampiro in WCW, but then falling out of watching wrestling. Years later, while working as a bartender back in her hometown of Montreal, wrestling was on TV and Becky Lynch caught her eye.
The wrestling bug had bitten her again, but she never acted on it until making the move to Victoria. Shortly after arriving she saw that Eddie Osbourne was opening up his Pro Wrestling Academy on Vancouver Island.
Rose said that Osbourne has been a tremendous teacher.
“He’s amazing and has helped me so much – I call him my wrestling dad, but he hates when I say that,” she said. “He’s just so supportive and is always there. He’s also given me so many opportunities.”
She said that pushing her limits in training built her confidence.
“Every time you learn something new it’s just like whoa I can do that,” she said. “Training gives me the feeling of never wanting to give up.”
Rose seemingly grows during a bout. Photo by Darren Ho Media, https://www.facebook.com/DarrenHoMedia
Osbourne said that he knew Rose was “going to do good things” from the moment she showed up to start training.
“It’s been great seeing her get better and better every match and the fact she is travelling as much as possible is really helping her as she gets to work with fantastic talent from coast to coast,” said Osbourne. “I’m proud of Rose and her success. She deserves it.”
With her trademark bright red hair and bare feet, Rose has a unique look and her early matches featured a lot of high-flying moves. She then decided to take kickboxing training in addition to her wrestling training and it helped her transform into a better all-around performer.
“At first I wasn’t strike-based at all and I thought my strikes were pretty bad because I was always scared to hurt people,” she said. “But over time I learned my kickboxing was my best asset. My kickboxing coach knew I was serious with wrestling and began showing me way I could use that in my matches. So I started incorporating it a lot more and that’s why I think they’re looking more sharp.”
Rose initially stuck to Vancouver Island and her home promotion of 365 Pro Wrestling early on in her career, but then slowly starting getting more opportunities across B.C.
A rose for Rose. Photo by Rob MacLeod Photography
She also caught the eye of Spencer Love – the owner of Edmonton’s Love Pro Wrestling.
LPW booked Rose in early-2023 and has returned several times. She’s been in the ring with some of that promotion’s best, including Michael Richard Blais, Shaun Moore, Michael Richard Allan Clark and more. Love said he and Rose were friends prior to both entering the wrestling scene.
“Her and I have been friends since even before the start of LPW and before she started training in B.C.,” he said. “We travelled in the same social circles, and we’ve been friends ever since. Her and I quite literally used to get together and chat about our goals in pro wrestling before either of us had even taken the first steps into it.”
Love said he appreciates that Rose brings something unique and he believes she has made a big impact in such a short time in the industry.
“For being so new to wrestling, relatively speaking, she’s already got such a firm grasp on who she is inside the ring,” Love said. “She’s incredibly talented, incredibly hard-working, and a hell of a human being. She’s the kind of wrestler you should be booking as often as possible, while you have the opportunity. I’ve got no doubt she’s destined for greatness.”
The 5-foot-5, 130-pound Rose captured the 365 women’s title on April 22, 2023, with a win over Liiza Hall, and still holds that crown.
Rose in a promo shot down during an AEW appearance.
She also received a big break when she got to step into the ring with one of the best women wrestler on the planet – ROH women’s champion Athena.
Rose got the call when AEW and ROH were in Montreal last December, making the homecoming return even that more special. It was a relatively short match, with Athena winning in 33 seconds, but Rose said the entire experience was valuable.
She rejoined the AEW crew in March when they traveled to Quebec City. She took on Deonna Purrazzo on Rampage and had more time to show off her improvements.
Locally, she has had a big spring and summer, including matches with Pacific Northwest legend Nicole Matthews, the All Star Wrestling women’s champion Kikyo and more battles against the Hall Sisters.
Rose said the entire PNW scene is a big part of why she has been able to grow and pointed out that emerging stars like Travis Williams, Judas Icarus and Max Benson have been big reasons why she has been able feel more comfortable in the ring.
She added that she has big plans this summer, going all in on wrestling, including more matches in the United States and possibly more work with bigger promotions.
The luggage might be safe, for now, but only because she needs it for the next booking.
And if it doesn’t do the job for her it could get dangerous, just ask Herschel.
TOP PHOTO: Rose with the 365 Pro Wrestling Global Championship. Photo by Darren Ho Media
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