Mariah May felt the pressure of facing Toni Storm at All In: London 2024 but the duo was determined to prove that they deserved the opportunity.
The match against Storm was special for May on a lot of levels. Not only was it her first PPV match ever under the AEW banner, but it was also her first match in the UK in many, many years. Being the conclusion of a long-running angle with the timeless one, fans had high expectations from the bout as well.
The AEW Women’s Champion spoke about the match and her victory over Storm during a new interview with Niko Exxtra. She claimed that even though it was her rookie year in AEW, she knew that she had what it takes to become the face of the division:
“So I never actually had a pay-per-view match before. But obviously like I said I always knew, I know it’s my rookie year, but I always knew I could run this division and be the face.
So for me, it was like it was my first pay-per-view. It was also my first time wrestling in the UK for years, I think. Cuz I lived in Japan and wrestled there and I’ve been in America and Canada. So it was kind of my return. My whole family was there.
The only time they ever saw me wrestle was my debut which was I think like 80 people in a school gym. So it was a pretty cool come up to be like ‘Look I did it.’ So yeah, I think there’s definitely pressure.”
Diamonds Are Made Under Pressure: Mariah May
Mariah May noted how fans were also expecting them to deliver big on a card that featured many notable matches. All the pressure, however, only motivated them to do their best:
“I think there was pressure too because I knew how much people cared about this story and this match. I think I’m never one to say ‘Women should get more time because we’re women.’
I don’t believe that. I think if you are the best match on the card, you’re the most entertaining feud. We were getting millions of views online. I was like ‘I want to prove that we are the most entertaining characters.’ This was the feud that everybody cared about on such a strong card where we had Bryan Danielson might have retired. We had Mercedes Mone who’s a huge star that just joined us.
We had all these other factors. I wanted to prove that people underestimate us, Toni and I. But we were going to deliver the best. I think what we created Cinema is what I always say. I think there was definitely pressure but diamonds are made under pressure.”
Toni Storm took time off from AEW for a world tour after her loss to May. The former champion returned to the company last week, but with a twist. You can check out more about it here.