Saraya and Toni Storm have failed to "pick it up" amid AEW star's hiatus, says Dutch Mantell (Exclusive)
Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell has claimed that the likes of Saraya and Toni Storm haven't been able to pick up the leadership role of the AEW women's locker room since one member of the roster has been away.
The absent member in question is Jade Cargill, who hasn't been seen in AEW since her defeat to Kris Statlander at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May 2023, which was also her first pinfall loss as a professional wrestler.
Speaking on the latest edition of SmackTalk with Sid Pullar III, Dutch Mantell was asked about the AEW women's division, and not only stated that he would love to book the division, but that someone needs to fill the void that Jade Cargill has left.
“I would love to have that girls division. I would love to have because my big push is telling a story. F the wrestling until you need it, tell the story first and get people invested in the story and then go ahead with it, and listen to those people because they’ll tell you where to go. They have that leader of them and she got beat, and then I thought that Saraya and Toni Storm would come by and pick that up, or Willow would pick it up, but nobody has really picked that up." [4:58 - 5:42]
Dutch went on to agree with the sentiment that the AEW women's division needs to be booked better as there is potential for people to care more about the girls than the guys in All Elite Wrestling.
I agree with that side, book the girls better. I believe that because I’m a strong believer in female wrestling and I think, handled right, you can get just as much attention, if not more, on the girls than you can the guys.” [5:44 - 6:02]
You can watch the full clip from SmackTalk right here:
Toni Storm is no longer the only two-time AEW Women's Champion
It's no coincidence that a week after the internet lost the plot over the state of the AEW women's division, Tony Khan gave the division a marquee spot on one of the biggest episodes of Dynamite in company history.
The 200th episode of AEW Dynamite, which took place on August 2, was main evented by Toni Storm, who was looking to defend her Women's Championship against former champion Hikaru Shida.
HORA DO MAIN EVENT!
Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida pelo AEW World Women's Championship!
#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/2FMiKJP2cr
However, the night ended badly for Toni Storm as her hip attack didn't work, her can of green spray paint didn't work, and outside interference from The Outcasts didn't prevent Hikaru Shida from picking up the victory and becoming the new AEW Women's Champion.
Did you enjoy Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Please credit "SmackTalk" and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.