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Tony Khan Offers High Praise For 'Iconic' AEW Talent

Praise does not get much higher than what AEW President Tony Khan recently said about his former AEW Women's Champion.
Rick Ucchino|
Tony Khan
Tony Khan | All Elite Wrestling

This won't come as much of a shock, but AEW President Tony Khan is a huge fan of Timeless Toni Storm. Then again, who isn't?

The 4-time AEW Women's World Champion has transformed herself into one of the biggest stars in all of professional wrestling after she first arrived in the company during the spring of 2022.

During a recent appearance on Going Ringside, Tony Khan could not offer higher praise for Storm and declared her an icon in the industry.

“I think that that iconic presence was always inside of her. And that’s what I told her when we started this, is that she has that presence. She was at the time in her mid-20s, yet she had this timeless presence that she was gonna clearly have throughout her career. This aura, this way of speaking, all these things that Toni Storm brings."

You'll be hard-pressed to find many fans or critics who won't put over Storm's character work, but she's so entertaining on the microphone that her in-ring work sometimes gets overshadowed.

"She’s an incredible wrestler, and she’s so charismatic, and the fans respect her," Khan said. "This transition she’s made to Timeless Toni Storm, she’s found the classic movie star inside of herself... She is truly a timeless fighter, movie star, a timeless wrestler, and a great, great charismatic presence."

Tony Khan teases what's next for his now former Women's Champion

Toni Storm
Toni Storm | Ricky Havlik - All Elite Wrestling

Toni Storm's fourth reign as AEW Women's Champion came to an end at All Out, when she was pinned by Kris Statlander in a Fatal 4-Way Match that also featured Thekla and Jamie Hayter.

The loss capped off arguably her best run as champion yet, which Tony Kahn believes included one of the finest matches the company has produced all year back at All In: Texas.

"One of the best matches we’ve ever had was Timeless Toni Storm versus Mercedes Moné. They showed why they are maybe the two best on the planet, and I have to say, they are two of the best, but now we have a new world champion, Kris Statlander."

Toni Storm will make her first appearance since All Out when she 'Returns to Hollywood' this Wednesday on the six-year anniversary of AEW Dynamite, and Tony Khan is teasing that a rematch for the AEW Women's Championship could be in her future.

"I would love to see the one-on-one rematch, Timeless Toni Storm versus Kris Statlander... Timeless Toni Storm is one of the biggest stars in wrestling, and she is one of the great reasons why AEW is having a great 2025 right now."

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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