"She had to leave because she couldn't handle the pressure" - Toni Storm takes a brutal shot at top AEW star
'Timeless' Toni Storm has held the AEW Women's World Championship for nearly 150 days, but her time at the top could be ended by a former champion. At AEW Dynasty on April 21, Storm will attempt to defend her title against the dangerous Thunder Rosa.
Thunder Rosa won the Women's World Championship from Dr. Britt Baker back in March 2022 but had to relinquish it in November of that year due to injury. In the meantime, Toni Storm won the title for the first time at All Out 2022, with her interim reign later being made lineal.
Rosa returned to action late last year and is currently set to face 'Timeless' Toni Storm at the Dynasty pay-per-view in St. Louis. Ahead of AEW's return to Jacksonville on April 24, Storm made an appearance on News 4's Going Ringside, where she discussed her challenger.
Toni claimed that Thunder Rosa couldn't handle the pressure of being champion, which resulted in her injury back in 2022:
"She [Thunder Rose] was injured. She had to leave because she couldn't handle the pressure of being champion. She had a back injury because she was not strong enough to carry this mountain of gold right here." [H/T: Fightful]
Toni Storm made a surprise appearance in Stardom last week
Toni Storm's pro wrestling journey has taken her across the world, from her humble beginnings on the British independent scene to the heights of WWE's main roster. Before landing in the Stamford-based promotion, however, she spent two years in top Joshi promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom.
Storm is a former World of Stardom Champion and was named the 2017 MVP of the Japanese promotion. After her departure, it seemed unlikely that she'd ever return to the company, but AEW's recent partnership with Stardom seems to have provided an avenue for Toni to revisit her old stomping grounds.
Last week, Stardom held its American Dream 2024 event in Philadelphia. All Elite stars Willow Nightingale and Mariah May competed at the event, and the AEW Women's World Champion made a shocking appearance after the latter was defeated.
Storm came to collect her AEW partner/sycophant and ferry her away from Mina Shirakawa. However, she teased a potential future clash against Shirakawa, claiming that the Forbidden Door is always open.