Toni Storm is speaking out about her departure from WWE, claiming that the company did not “give a sh*t” about her prior to her decision to leave.
Storm debuted for WWE in 2017 and in January 2019, won the NXT UK Women’s Championship from Rhea Ripley.
After being called up to SmackDown in 2021, Storm requested her release last December which was granted immediately.
“I’m not going to succeed here”
Toni Storm did not last long in WWE after getting called up to the main roster
Speaking on The Sessions, Storm told Renee Paquette on her thought-process the day she decided to leave.
“It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. A lot of people don’t enjoy it at all. For some people it just works out and for others, it just makes them miserable, and I guess I just fell into that category. I guess it just wasn’t for me at that point.
Storm continued, “They don’t give a shit, so why should I? This isn’t going to work. I know what’s going to happen here. I’m just going to be sent back to catering again. I’m not going to succeed here. I can just see.”
Storm debuted for AEW in March 2022, defeating The Bunny to qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament.
Immediately after, Tony Khan confirmed that the former Superstar was All-Elite in a tweet.
The New Zealand-born wrestler defeated Jamie Hayter in the quarter-finals but lost to eventual winner Dr. Britt Baker in the semi-finals.
Watch Toni Storm on The Sessions with Renee Paquette:
One of the biggest reasons wrestlers prefer AEW over other companies is the creative control. The promotion allows its talent a lot of freedom in what they do and say. Many of the stars have said that this freedom has helped them reignite the creative spark and passion for the business. It appears Toni Storm is one such name.
The former WWE star recently appeared on AEW Unrestricted podcast. Among other things, she discussed being part of the Owens Hart Cup tournament. Storm claimed that she was nervous competing in the first round of the tournament:
“Yeah it’s incredible being part of.” said Toni Storm, “To be [in] first round me and Jamie Hayter. I was definitely feeling the pressure. Like setting the standard. [It was like] ‘We really gotta have a good match here because it sets the tone for the tournament going forward.’ But I had a great time winning. I feel like every match that I’m having here so far is just kind of reigniting that passion more and more. More than I thought possible.”
Toni Storm made her AEW debut during the March 30 episode of Dynamite. She defeated The Bunny to qualify for the Owens Hart Cup tournament. She went on to defeat Jamie Hayter in the first round of the competition. Storm is now scheduled to face Dr. Brit Baker in the semi-finals of the tournament.
AEW’s Toni Storm may not have enjoyed being doused with pastries in WWE, but it was far better than the company’s original idea.
The former NXT UK Women’s Champion was called up to SmackDown in July 2021 but was granted her requested release in December that same year.
Prior to her departure, Storm feuded with then-SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and was covered in pie on the November 26, SmackDown.
Appearing on this latest ‘AEW Unrestricted,’ Storm was asked about the angle and said it was originally pitched for her to have her clothes ripped off.
“The original idea was I was asked if I was comfortable with having my shirt ripped off or something. They wanted to do this whole angle where it was like they were going to rip my shirt and I would be embarrassed in my underwear, I guess. I don’t know. When you’re asked if you feel comfortable doing that, and it’s like literally people are being fired every single week, it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah.’
“So to be honest, the pie was actually a sweet treat in comparison to what it could have been. In hindsight, I didn’t really mind. You know what? People think I’m so mad about that. I think it’s hilarious.”
“When you’re asked if you feel comfortable doing that [Having your clothes ripped off,] and it’s like literally people are being fired every single week, it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah.’”
Toni Storm
Storm added that after her WWE release, she considered herself done with wrestling, believing she would have to “leave forever.”
The New Zealand-Australian is currently competing in the Owen Hart Women’s Foundation Tournament and will face Britt Baker in the semi-finals.
Toni Storm is speaking out about her abrupt departure from WWE in December 2021.
Storm now finds herself as part of All Elite Wrestling after making her AEW debut two weeks ago. She will be part of the upcoming Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament and battles Jamie Hayter in the opening round.
During a Friday appearance on Busted Open Radio, Storm spoke about the decision to walk away from the job she dreamed about since childhood.
“I guess I just freaked out and went home.”
– Toni Storm on leaving WWE
Shortly after getting called up to WWE’s main roster in late 2021, Storm feuded with Charlotte Flair on SmackDown. It didn’t take long for her to realize that her dream job was not what she envisioned. She also felt it was unfair for her to take a spot on the WWE roster that could go to someone else who actually wants to be there.
Ultimately, it became “abundantly clear” that she was not cut out for life as a WWE Superstar.
“Something just happened and I left,” she said. “I felt like I was having an out of body experience, to be honest. Have you ever just lost your mind? That’s kind of what happened. The stress of not seeing family in years and then just so many overwhelming things all at once. I’ve been happier ever since.”
Despite the nature of her exit, Storm remains grateful for the lessons she learned in WWE and the friends she made there.
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) April 15, 2022
Interestingly, Bryan Danielson also spoke about being “oddly detached” in the main event of WrestleMania 37 just months before he decided to leave.
“It was really bizarre,” he told BT Sport. “It’s taken me time to fully process what the experience was like because it wasn’t like a normal thing. I felt very out of body in it. When I’m wrestling, I feel everything and feel like I’m enjoying it. This was weird, I was out there and it felt like I was detached. It was so strange that before the match started, I got this strange feeling like, ‘Oh no, is this what it’s like before you die? Am I going to die? Huh, well, okay.’ I don’t know why or how it happened, but it was unlike anything I’ve felt while wrestling.”
Toni Storm wants to see Tegan Nox (Nixon Newell) join here in All Elite Wrestling.
Storm recently joined AEW and is part of the inaugural Owen Hart Foundation Cup Women’s Tournament. The brackets have not been announced yet, but AEW President Tony Khan has signed Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter as a first round match.
Supreme confidence from #ToniStorm as fellow #OwenHart Foundation Tournament qualifier @jmehytr gets in her face with choice words!
Storm appeared on Friday’s episode of Busted Open Radio and expressed her desire to work with Tegan Nox once again. Host Dave Lagreca asked Storm if there is one particular opponent that you’d love to have in AEW.
Storm replied, “Oh my god. Um, Tegan Nox, I would have to say, would be high up on that list. I think that would be someone who would really deserve an awesome spot like that.”
She added, “I know she loves this business as much as I do, so that would be cool to see that one day in the future. Who knows, anything can happen, it’s pro wrestling.”
Nox was released by WWE back in November 2021. She is a free agent and could work anywhere else effective immediately.
Both Tony Khan and AEW fans are known to welcome new stars with open hands. There are a lot of stories of people reigniting their passion for wrestling after joining AEW and it appears Toni Storm had a similar experience.
The AEW president recently had an interview with Rasslin. He discussed things such as the future of ROH, FTR and more.
Talking about Storm’s AEW debut, Khan revealed that she was very relieved after her debut match. He claimed that he loves having the former WWE star in AEW:
“She said, this has brought back her love of wrestling already. The way she reacted when she came through the curtain after the match.
I don’t know if I have ever seen somebody more relieved to have wrestled a match than Toni Storm. After taking the 90 days off she came back in great shape, she looks great, she is a great person, I love having her in AEW.”
Toni asked for her release from her WWE contract back in December last year. She then made her AEW debut in March.
The female star made her first AEW appearance during the March 30 episode of Dynamite. She defeated The Bunny to qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
Toni Storm has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling. The former NXT UK Women’s Champion made her debut on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite as AEW President Tony Khan’s latest mystery signing.
She beat The Bunny in the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament qualifying match with her finisher.
Shortly after her match on Dynamite, AEW welcomed her to the team with the official graphic, Toni Storm is #AllElite.
Storm signed with WWE in 2018 after working the 2017 edition of the Mae Young Classic. She was used mainly on the NXT UK brand. She won the 2018 Mae Young Classic and later became the NXT UK Women’s Champion.
In 2020, Storm was used on the NXT brand before going to the main roster this past July on an episode of SmackDown.
Storm had been working WWE house shows including at a live event in which she was part of a triple threat match with Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair just days before she asked for her WWE release. It was granted and she had been waiting out her 90-day non-compete clause.
Since being on the free agent market, she opened an OnlyFans account. Toni Storm’s OnlyFans account has been very lucrative for her already.
There have been ‘at least light talks and gauging interest’ between the AEW officials and Ember Moon.
The former NXT women’s champion who now goes by the name Athena has apparently been very selective about her indie bookings since her release in November last year.
One name that doesn’t seem very likely to join AEW in the immediate future is Tegan Nox. She has been dealing with visa issues since her own WWE release in the same month as Athena.
While she could still show up in Tony Khan’s promotion at some point, the star now going by the name Nixon Newell was ‘very busy’ trying to sort out the situation as of a couple of weeks ago.
Which star would you like to see debut in AEW this Wednesday against The Bunny? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Fightful reports that Storm has garnered “significant interest” from the promotion. It’s been said that even a chunk of AEW talent expects Storm to make her way to the company.
Many wondered what Storm’s next move would be. A potential return to Stardom has been made a bit tough by pandemic measures in Japan, although restrictions are being eased.
AEW was the top destination many have had in mind for Storm. It looks like it could soon come to fruition.
Former WWE Superstar Toni Storm has generated over $35,000 dollars in the 24 hours since her OnlyFans account has gone live.
Storm revealed earlier in the week that she was going to be offering exclusive content to fans on the platform, and it went live on Saturday 19th.
As of writing, there are currently 1837 likes on the first post of Storm’s OnlyFans, which means there are at least 1837 people signed to the service paying at most $19.99 per month.
There are also yearly discounts available on the subscription service, but the majority of subscribers will likely be paying the $19.99 monthly subscription.
It’s worth noting that OnlyFans takes a 20% cut, but that is still a significant amount of money being generated for the former WWE Superstar.
Toni Storm OnlyFans
It’s an absolutely huge amount for the former PROGRESS Women’s Champion to earn in such a short space of time.
With potential earnings like that going forward, you’d wonder why she would even consider getting back in the ring anytime soon.
Of course, Toni Storm left WWE back in late 2021, with the reasoning supposedly being that the Australian star was “burnt out.”
It was a shock at the time, with Storm in a feud with Charlotte Flair and a potential title match for the former WWE NXT UK Champion down the line.
There’s no indication that she has signed with the likes of IMPACT or AEW, but for the time being she appears to be focusing on providing fans with content on her OnlyFans account.
Storm’s partner Juice Robinson is currently in the United States performing for both NJPW STRONG and IMPACT Wrestling, so there’s a chance that she could follow him to AXS TV on Thursday nights alongside the likes of Gisele Shaw, Deonna Purrazzo and Kiera Hogan.
Former WWE star Toni Storm has been announced for her first post-WWE appearance at the WrestleCon convention in Dallas, Texas during the WrestleMania 38 weekend.
The former NXT UK women’s champion will be joined by a number of fellow WWE alumni, including names such as Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt, Kurt Angle, Paul Wight, Killer Kross and more.
The WrestleCon convention this year will take place from March 31 to April 2. Aside from wrestling shows featuring talents from various companies, it will also host live podcasts, Q&A sessions, and more.
After a 4 year long run with WWE, Toni Storm asked for her release from the promotion on December 29 last year. Her request was immediately granted.
In an interview days prior to her release, the former champion had opened up about the lack of opportunity after her main roster debut on SmackDown in July.
While there aren’t a lot of details surrounding the circumstances leading to her release, reports suggest that burnout was essentially the reason why the female star decided to quit the company.
The WWE departure of Toni Storm has been a puzzling topic for fans, especially after it was reported that the former NXT UK star was the one who asked for her release.
There have been lots of theories going around as to why the former NXT UK women’s champion made the decision to leave the promotion despite her program with SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair.
Dave Meltzer recently provided some updates on the situation. On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, he said “As far as her reasons and why she left, the only thing I heard was burnout essentially.”
Meltzer couldn’t provide any further details on her release, so it’s hard to say what provisions the officials put on her while granting the request.
Toni Storm joined WWE in 2017 and she had a good run in NXT. Though she had recently opened up about her frustrations with the lack of opportunity after being called up to the main roster in July.
She worked the recent Live Event from Washington, DC. Charlotte Flair successfully defended the SmackDown women’s championship on the show in a triple threat match also involving Sasha Banks.
Storm flew herself home after the event and later asked for her release. Though reports suggest that her request had nothing to do with anything that happened at the event.
The release of Toni Storm is the most shocking wrestling news of this week. It’s especially surprising due to the fact that she appeared on WWE TV just last Friday and competed in a championship match on SmackDown.
The former NXT star also competed in last night’s Live Event from Washington, DC. She was part of a triple threat match also featuring Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks.
While the reason for Storm’s departure has not been revealed yet, PWinsider is reporting that it was not related to yesterday’s match and the bout went as planned.
The story making rounds is that the former NXT UK women’s champion flew herself home from Baltimore after the live event and then asked for a release.
The internal WWE announcement regarding her departure doesn’t state the release as another budget cut. Fightful select has noted that many in WWE were ‘blindsided’ by Toni Storm’s request.
The site also noted how it would have been difficult for officials to not grant the release after firing a lot of talents over the last several months due to budget cuts.
Toni Storm had recently opened up about the lack of opportunity on the main roster. She had only wrestled 7 televised matches since being called up in July.
There is no word yet on what the former champion is planning for her future. She should have the standard 90 days non-compete clause that is expected to expire on March 29 next year.
In what can only be described as a shocking end of the year move, WWE has reportedly released Toni Storm. The SmackDown roster member worked WWE’s live event just last night in Washington. D.C.
The news of Storm’s release was broken on Wednesday afternoon by Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp via Twitter. Storm is a former NXT UK Women’s Champion and also a Mae Young Classic winner (2018).
Fightful has been informed Toni Storm is gone from WWE.
Details on Storm’s release are scarce at the moment. Sapp confirmed that he had received confirmation from WWE on the release but was not yet aware of why the move was made. He later went on to mention that the memo that went out across the company concerning Storm’s release did not mention budget cuts, as has been the case with most of WWE’s recent releases. There’s a belief internally that she asked for her release, though that is still in the process of being confirmed.
Storm became a sensation from 2015-2018 while part of PROGRESS Wrestling. She competed in the 2017 Mae Young Classic tournament and was then signed by the company in May 2018. She went on to win the 2018 Mae Young Classic that fall, defeating Io Shirai at the WWE Evolution PPV event.
Storm was part of the NXT UK brand from 2018-2020, holding that brand’s women’s title for 231 days. She lost it to Kay Lee Ray at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff in August 2019.
After an eight month hiatus, Storm started working the regular NXT brand in the fall of 2020 consistently. She then moved to the SmackDown roster this past summer. Storm was part of the Queen’s Crown tournament in October, losing to Zelina Vega. She was also part of Team SmackDown at last month’s Survivor Series PPV event.
Storm wrestled on Tuesday night at WWE’s live event in Washington, D.C. in a triple threat match against Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks. She worked the same match the previous night at the WWE live event in Orlando. Interestingly, Storm had recently spoken about lack of opportunities on the WWE main roster.
The wrestling world reacted appropriately to Storm’s release, including Britt Baker evidently calling for a match with Storm.
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) December 29, 2021
Toni Storm is gone from WWE. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful broke the news and PWInsider just confirmed her release. Never forget that this woman debuted on TV, sat in catering for months, took two pies to the face and was left crying after her match on Friday. Fucking ridiculous.
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WWE announced back in July that Toni Storm was going to be called up to the main roster. She was confirmed to be a part of the SmackDown brand via a vignette during the July 9 episode. However, it turned out to be one of those cases where the officials had no clear plans for the NXT star. She made her in-ring debut beating Zelina Vega during the July 23 episode of the show and disappeared from TV for a couple of weeks after that. This trend continued in the following months and Storm had wrestled only three matches on SmackDown before the Survivor Series PPV in November.
The former NXT UK women’s champion opened up about the time during her recent appearance on Out Of Character podcast. She admitted that sitting in catering doing nothing was not a good feeling:
“It’s the worst cause you just don’t know. Obviously, wrestling [can be] so unpredictable. Next week you could be main eventing and winning a title and everything could be happening or nothing. You don’t know. This is show business at the end of the day. It’s a topsy turvy industry.
When you’re sat in catering, it’s not a good feeling. Just sitting there waiting for your shot. Waiting for your big break. Waiting to show everyone what you’ve worked your life to be good at. I just sat there [asking] ‘When am I next? What’s happening?’ Now [when] stuff starts happening, I’m still like, ‘what’s going on?’ Oh, my God. What is my life?”
Toni Storm On What She Learned During The Pandemic
Toni Storm
Toni Storm also talked about the pandemic and the lockdown everyone was forced to endure. She admitted that being alone was not a good experience. Though finding a silver lining in the situation, Storm claimed that the ordeal gave her time to know herself a little better. It was a good time to focus on herself. Storm claimed that she learned about what she wanted from life:
“I got to know myself a little more. You know what I mean? I got to know real Toni a little bit because it’s been just years of constant, just being Toni Storm. Just traveling all around, working all around. Just doing this constantly. Then I was kind of forced to be alone and locked away. I was in North of England when it happened and by myself. I was given so much time. I was alone so much.
At first, I hated it. And then I really started to enjoy it and [started to] know more about me and was more in touch with myself. It was a good opportunity to like, learn more about who I am and what I want out of life. And so, in that sense, that was the positivity there. I mean, it still sucked. There was no enjoyment. That was just like the worst but it was a good time to really focus on who I am as a person. I think everyone needs that from time to time.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for the transcription
Toni Storm is living the dream of becoming a WWE superstar and competing around the world. After spending almost 4 years in development, the female star has finally become part of the SmackDown roster. Not only that but she has been engaged in a feud with one of the biggest female stars of the industry in Charlotte Flair.
The former NXT star recently appeared on Out Of Character with Ryan Satin and discussed her journey till now. Talking about her main roster call-up, Storm recalled how she first got called in for a few dark matches. Though according to her, she tried not to get too excited about it:
“So I was just cruising along in NXT, minding my own business and I got called in for a few dark matches. I didn’t think too much of it. [I] didn’t want to get too excited. Because every time you are like ‘oooo’ and [it] never works out. So I just went along with it. [I] did a few dark matches. [and] did my best. Next thing I know I’m on SmackDown. It’s been a crazy ride ever since. My whole life has changed. I’m a different person. I am a whole different being.”
Toni Storm’s main roster call-up finally became official when WWE aired a vignette for the same during the July 9 episode of SmackDown this year. Even then, the SmackDown star didn’t want to get her hopes up. When asked how she reacted to the news, Storm said that she didn’t know what to do:
“I didn’t really know what to do. I just kind of fluffed around like, ‘oh, I don’t want to talk about it in case it doesn’t happen.’ To be honest I didn’t really say much. I was just [like], ‘Yeah this might be happening. I don’t know if it is. We’ll see.’ [I] just I didn’t get my hopes up or anything. [Because] this is like the ultimate goal. My life goal. My life dream. So hearing about [It] I was like ‘oh yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it.’ And then I turned up to work next week and was like. ‘Oh, okay. Yeah, it’s happening.'”
The former NXT UK women’s champion has been a part of the main roster for close to six months now. Though she is still adjusting to her new life and the people she gets to work with. Toni Storm was asked if she has talked to Vince McMahon about what he wants from her character. She replied by saying that they have only had a few chats:
“We’ve only had a few chats so far. We haven’t had a chance to really get to know each other yet, but I’m sure if I can keep doing a good job and slap the taste out of that girl’s (Charlotte Flair) mouth. Then maybe there’ll be some longer chats.”
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for the transcription
Storm hasn’t been featured consistently in WWE since joining the main roster. Before joining the main roster, WWE promoted Storm as a newcomer to the Smackdown brand. She made her Smackdown debut on July 23rd when she defeated Zelina Vega. However, WWE didn’t feature Storm afterward except for occasional backstage segments.
She returned to competition in a loss to Vega in the first round of the Queen’s Crown Tournament on October 8th. WWE hasn’t used Storm on Smackdown since her loss to Vega. Despite winning her match on November 11th, Deville decided to take Aliyah off of Team Smackdown. It’s unclear if Deville or WWE will explain why Storm is replacing Aliyah on the team.
Survivor Series Updated Card
The WWE has confirmed six matches for Survivor Series. The main event of the Survivor Series seems to be WWE Champion Big E vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a non-title match. The WWE could also have Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Smackdown’s Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair as the main event. Both Lynch and Flair have generated attention towards their match due to their issues.
WWE hasn’t confirmed if they plan to add more matches. For Storm, Survivor Series will be an opportunity to show that WWE could utilize her more on the main roster.
Congratulations are in order for WWE Superstar Toni Storm and NJPW star Juice Robinson. The happy couple are now engaged to be married.
The couple went public with their relationship in the summer of 2020.
Storm announced the big news on her Instagram page. Juice popped the question and now it’s time to pop a little bit of the bubbly to celebrate.
“Pop the champagne I’m changing my last name.”
– Toni Storm
(Photo: Instagram @tonistorm_)
Toni Storm & Juice Robinson
Storm recently returned to WWE Smackdown after being off TV for several weeks. She teamed with Liv Morgan and defeated Zelina Vega and Carmella by count-out on the 9/17 show from Knoxville, Tennessee. It was her first match since she defeated Zelina Vega in singles action on the 7/23 show from Cleveland, Ohio.
Robinson has been wrestling for NJPW of America and Impact Wrestling since the spring. The last time he was in Japan was on the New Japan Cup tour in March. He’s scheduled to be on Impact Wrestling next week as FinJuice will take on Bullet Club’s HIKULEO and Chris Bey. The winning team will challenge the Good Brothers for the Impact World Tag Team Championships at Bound For Glory on 10/23.
WWE Superstar Toni Storm will be making her official debut on SmackDown this Friday. The former NXT UK Women’s Champion has had a rocky road on the NXT brand in the United States, but now she will be part of the main roster on FOX.
Storm has worked as a heel during most of her time on NXT, although he did portray a babyface for her entire run on NXT UK.
According to a report from PWInsider, WWE is planning to bring Toni Storm up to SmackDown as a babyface.
Storm, 25, was signed to WWE back in May 2018. The Australian star was initially signed for the NXT UK brand, where she held the aforementioned Women’s Championship.
Toni Storm Plans Revealed
Toni Storm moved to WWE NXT to live in the United States full-time last year, where she then played a heel on USA Network television for the first time in her WWE career.
Storm has worked several WWE dark matches before television tapings, although Storm’s debut for SmackDown was promoted several weeks back.
It is currently unknown what the plans are for Storm when she gets to the main roster, however a potential showdown between the Australian performer and WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair looks extremely promising.
Check out the promo for Toni Storm’s move to the main roster and SmackDown below:
Toni Storm has endured a tough time of late in NXT. After coming across from NXT UK, it could be argued that’s she has failed to find her stride. A loss at the hands of Zoey Stark, an NXT newcomer on the Stand and Deliver pre-show did little to bolster her mood. This was followed by another loss to Zayda Ramier – another new talent.
It is not unusual for wrestlers to go through a dry patch, but there is no denying that Toni Storm came to the US to win titles. Something that has avoided her until now.
Going into NXT this week, Storm was looking to get her career back on track. Ready put the blip that was Zoey Stark behind her, Toni Storm came ready to fight.
However, when her opponent wasn’t put down when hit with Toni Storm’s ‘Storms End’ finisher, the New Zealand native had to dig deep. Pulling out a new move that not only looks incredible but buried her opponent.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPDdnCOn5db/
The move is one that has been gifted to Toni Storm by her trainer Dean Allmark. The move was named the Ruby Cutter by Allmark. It could be just what Storm needs to get her hands on NXT gold.
So I’m guessing by the amount of 👀’s I’m being tagged in that people don’t know that I trained Toni 😅 and even though she didn’t need to, she asked my permission to use the Ruby cutter. I just suggested that maybe she should do a DDT version so not to step on any toes (1/2)….
— Dean Allmark 🇬🇧 ディーン アルマーク (@DeanAllmark) May 19, 2021
It’s not clear yet what Toni Storm is going to call her new finisher, but the NXT universe is certainly keen to see her use it more often.
NXT UK Superstar Toni Storm is confident that the NXT Championship is in her future. Speaking with WWE.com following her matchup against Io Shirai, Storm addressed the woman who interfered in her bout, Bianca Belair, before turning her attention to the champion, Rhea Ripley.
“Bianca Belair can go and get in line with the rest of them. Because I picked up the NXT Women’s Championship, and I held it up, and it looked good,” Storm said. “And all that is is just a little preview to what’s going to happen at Worlds Collide. And I can’t wait to step in the ring with Rhea Ripley and make some magic.”
Storm’s match this week ended in disqualification thanks to Belair. Ripley would quickly insert herself into the fray before Shirai took both her and Belair out. The skirmish ended with Storm holding the NXT Championship. Toni Storm faces Rhea Ripley for the championship this Saturday at Worlds Collide.
Worlds Collide Card
Mia Yim vs. Kay Lee Ray
#DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate)
Fatal 4-Way Match for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship Angel Garza (c) vs Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs Jordan Devlin vs Travis Banks
Finn Balor vs Ilja Dragunov
NXT Championship Match Rhea Ripley (c) vs Toni Storm
Imperium (WALTER, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel and Alexander Wolfe) vs The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong)
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Worlds Collide event, which is Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm.
During Wednesday’s episode of NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University, NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley was cutting a promo before being interrupted by Toni Storm.
Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley
This led to Storm challenging Ripley to a title match at the Worlds Collide, which Ripley accepted. This also set up a six-woman tag team match with Ripley, Candice LeRae, and Toni Storm battling Bianca Belair, Io Shiri, and NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray. The babyfaces went over.
This will be an NXT star vs. NXT UK star match. It will also come a few weeks after Storm’s first title match as she will challenge NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray.
This championship bout will take place at the NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II event this Sunday in Blackpool, Lancashire, England at the Empress Ballroom that will be broadcasted on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network.
WWE presents the Worlds Collide event on Saturday, January 25, 2020 in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Worlds Collide Card
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE NXT Superstar Toni Storm was a recent guest on Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Storm reflected on how she became a pro wrestling fan as a girl growing up in Australia.
Addressing when she first got into wrestling, Storm shared that she first started watching when Superstars like Mickie James, Trish Stratus and Lita were feuding in WWE.
“I just fell heavily in love with it,” she confessed. “I’ll never forget the moment where my mum was disgusted with the idea of wrestling and she was just giving me crap one day and she was just like, ‘are you gonna be like one of those wrestlers?’ I was like, ‘….yes. I am actually.’ And then that was the moment that I was like, yes, I am going to just do this and then I was just John Cena obsessed, Jeff Hardy obsessed, Shawn Michaels obsessed.”
She recalled going to her first-ever WWE Live Event in Brisbane, Australia back in 2007. Storm noted that even though she was in the last row, equipped with binoculars to help her view the action, she loved every second. It was at this point that Garcia mentioned that she might have been there at that time. Storm confirmed Garcia was there, which the host found “insane” to think about.
Trying to pinpoint what it was about wrestling that appealed to her, Storm confessed she couldn’t quite name one specific aspect. She admitted she’d “never know” before adding “That’s the thing. I was a really strange kid. No one could figure me out. I was one of those kids. So like, wrestling still to me is just something so different and out there so I was just like, ‘Yeah, no, this is me.’”
Storm recently made her Survivor Series debut, competing as a part of the Women’s NXT team. Team NXT would defeat both Team RAW and Team SmackDown in this 5-on-5-on-5 elimination match.
Toni Storm has opened up about what it’s like being the face of NXT UK’s women’s division in an interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet. She also spoke about her TakeOver: Cardiff matchup against former friend, Kay Lee Ray.
“It’s kind of a lot of pressure,” the NXT UK Women’s Champion admitted. “But it is honestly a dream come true. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m proud of it, I’m happy with it, and obviously all work has gotta go into it to maintain it and just push it to its next level.”
Turning her thoughts to her opponent at tonight’s NXT TakeOver: Cardiff, Storm admitted that she and Kay Lee Ray are very familiar with one another. She explained how they have wrestled all over the world at least 100 times. She believes this familiarity is what will help her get the upper hand as Ray has “taught me too much.”
“I’ve known her for a very long time,” she admitted. “Unfortunately things aren’t the way they were anymore, a lot of personal aspects have been brought into it, but at the same time… I know we’re gonna steal the show because we always have in the past. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better opponent. And we go back so long, I know it’s gonna be war. I know it’s gonna be a complete battle, but it’s gonna be fire.”
Storm takes on Kay Lee Ray at tonight’s NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff event. They will be competing for the NXT UK Women’s Championship.
Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) has announced a huge Women’s Championship match for their Square Go! event. ICW Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray will be defending against NXT UK’s Toni Storm.
Kay Lee Ray was the first ever WoS/World of Sport Women’s Champion and appeared to be staying with the company for the long haul. KLR shockingly appeared at NXT UK’s Takeover: Blackpool event last month and this caused many to question the future of the ITV reboot. It appears as though Kay Lee Ray is heading to the NXT UK brand.
Interestingly, Toni Storm is of course the NXT UK Women’s Champion, having defeated Rhea Ripley at the aforementioned Takeover event. ICW has long been associated with WWE, with the company being supposedly ‘greenlit’ for NXT UK Superstars to perform. Storm is one of the biggest stars in the NXT UK brand, having won the second ever Mae Young Classic. Kay Lee Ray is also one of the top female talents in the UK/European scene, so this is somewhat of a dream bout.
The NXT UK contract changes were seemingly brought into effect on January 1st of this year. One of the biggest changes was that NXT UK talents could only face other NXT UK talents on independent cards. With Kay Lee Ray now signing with NXT UK this match was good to go.
