"I didn't want to act like a crazy fan" - Ex-WWE star opens up about a rare interaction with Jeff Hardy
AEW star Toni Storm recalled the first time she met former WWE Champion and one of the wrestlers who got her into professional wrestling, Jeff Hardy.
Hardy and Storm both currently work for All Elite Wrestling, and debuted for the company within weeks of each other. Jeff debuted on the March 9th edition of Dynamite, while Storm debuted three weeks later on March 30th.
While speaking on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Storm was proud to say that she maintained her composure when meeting her idol.
“Nothing much to report, I just said hello I didn’t want to act like a crazy fan or nothing but it is cool, it’s cool like I have mad respect for Jeff Hardy I just think he’s incredible and he’s been going so long and he’s still taking crazy bumps, he’s just crazy man it’s awesome.” [5:59-6:19].
Storm also stated that the sheer fact that she is able to share a locker room with the former WWE Champion shows that her career is moving in the right direction.
“It’s pretty cool yeah. I had my match with Jamie Hayter right before him and Darby Allin which was cool. Yeah really cool, makes me feel like I’m doing the right thing if I’m rubbing shoulders with people that I grew up watching it’s pretty cool that I get to share the same locker room and yeah I must be doing something right.” [5:04-5:25].
Watching Jeff Hardy’s AEW debut back, it was nice to see him thanking/apologising to Sting for what happened all those years ago in TNA.
Fast forward 11 years, it’s great to see Jeff Hardy in a much better place. Hope he kills it in AEW. https://t.co/HjHWJlO42N
Despite never sharing the ring together, their current run in AEW is not the first time the two have been on the same show. Both stars featured on SmackDown in the final weeks of 2021.
Jeff Hardy suffered his first loss in AEW on the most recent episode of Dynamite
Jeff Hardy put together an initial record of seven wins and zero losses since joining AEW. The Charismatic Enigma was left looking at the lights on the May 18th edition of Dynamite as he suffered his first loss at the hands of Adam Cole.
The match was the first of two semi-finals in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, where the winner would move on to the Double or Nothing pay-per-view to compete in the finals.
And @adamcolepro advances to the FINALS of the #OwenHart Foundation Men's Tournament! Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on @TBSNetwork right now! https://t.co/7NOyZFfsGT
Hardy was jumped by Cole before the bell, and fought valiantly in an uphill battle. However, it was the former NXT Champion who picked up the victory and advanced to the finals.
Adam Cole will face either the ROH Television Champion Samoa Joe, or his Undisputed Elite stablemate Kyle O'Reilly on May 29th. Whoever he ends up facing, it is sure to be a match that honors the legacy of the late great Owen Hart.
Please credit AEW Unrestricted and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.