Toni Storm discloses when she found out she would be in the WWE Royal Rumble [Exclusive]
Toni Storm was a part of the Royal Rumble this year, but originally, that was not the plan. The former NXT UK Women's Champion has revealed that she was an alternate for the show and was included only the day before.
Storm performed well at the Royal Rumble, although she didn't get any eliminations, and ended up being eliminated by her long-time rival, Rhea Ripley.
Toni Storm recently spoke to Sportskeeda's own Rick Ucchino. During the interview, Storm discussed when she was told she was a part of the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble.
Storm disclosed that a day before the event, she got a phone call informing her that she was a part of the women's match. She also mentioned how strange it was for her to be included in the Royal Rumble in that manner as she felt that she was not ready for it.
"I was just there as an alternate. It was the day before. It was just over 24 hours before. I was just about to go and sit down. My phone dinged as I sat down. I was like, 'Ooh, hello.' And yeah, it was like, 'Hey, you're in the Royal Rumble.' I was like, 'Ohhh, I'm not ready!' It was kind of funny, I thought it was hilarious. You just never know what can happen. You can never know.
"That's the fun part about this job. One minute you're sitting on the couch covered in crumbs, and the next minute, you're in the Royal Rumble. It's like nothing that I've ever... you can't make it up. If ten years ago you told me that I'd just be randomly added be thrown into the Royal Rumble during a pandemic in front of a bunch of TV screens, I'd have just laughed you out of the door, but there I was doing it."
Toni Storm on working at the WWE Royal Rumble without an audience
2021 saw WWE's first Royal Rumble without a live audience present. For a show that thrives on crowd reactions to new entries, it was a different experience. Toni Storm talked about what it was like to be a part of the match in the WWE ThunderDome.
"It was very strange to go from 55K plus to literally zero live. It was weird and there was moments when I was out there when I was like, 'this is so strange, but please keep in mind that millions are watching from home. Don't relax for a second.' It is strange though. It is strange. It's amazing how much I still get that adrenaline rush the same as I do with people out there watching live. With people watching at home I still get that rush of, 'Oh my God, this is a big deal!' I feel like it's one of those things that in 20 years time will be like, 'Oh my God, that was crazy!'"
Toni Storm performed well before she was eliminated. She is considered to be one of the top stars in the WWE women's division and should have a bright future ahead of her when she is called up to the main roster.
Toni Storm is set to face Io Shirai tonight on WWE NXT for the NXT Women's Championship.