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Exclusive: Rookie Phenom Toni Storm Reacts To Life-Changing Opportunity At AEW Grand Slam

With a win in the first ever Women's Casino Gauntlet Match, Toni Storm punched her ticket back home to Australia where she'll face Mariah May for the AEW Women's Championship.

Rick Ucchino

Toni Storm is heading home to Australia
Toni Storm is heading home to Australia / Ryan Loco - All Elite Wrestling

Toni Storm has only been wrestling matches in AEW for a little over a month, but her meteoric rise toward the top of a stacked women's division seemingly cannot be stopped.

The plucky upstart picked up the biggest win of her young career Wednesday night when she won the first ever Women's Casino Gauntlet Match on AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage. That victory earned her an opportunity at Mariah May and the AEW Women's World Championship at Grand Slam Australia on February 15.

The crowd at the Andrew J Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, OH was treated to an action-packed, and at times, truly chaotic contest that featured several more seasoned veterans than Storm. The field included three former TBS Champions in Kris Statlander, Julia Hart and Willow Nightingale, as well as former AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter.

In the end it was Storm who caught Julia Hart off guard with an inside cradle that scored her the stunning pinfall victory. The Takedown on SI had the chance to catch up with Toni after Dynamite went off the air and the rookie was still in total disbelief.

"I saw my opportunity and I went for it. I can't believe I got the win. And this means I'm gonna be able to go to Australia and wrestle for my fellow countrymen and my family. This is the biggest deal of my life."

Storm was born in Auckland, New Zealand but moved to the Gold Coast of Australia with her mother when she was very young.

Toni said her mom has always been a big supporter of her dream of making it as a professional wrestler in America, but never did either of them imagine that she'd be headlining a major AEW show this early on in her journey. Let alone at Grand Slam Australia which is taking place not too far away from her childhood home in Brisbane, Queensland.

Momma Storm was holding out hope that her daughter would be on the show, however, and that hope has now been rewarded.

"The costume that I wore [Wednesday on Dynamite] actually, my mom made that," Storm said proudly. "She's just been dying to make me a costume for Grand Slam. And now I can finally call home, when when she wakes up because of the time difference. I can call her and be like, 'Mom, I did it. I won! Can't believe it. Get your sewing machine out!'"

Wrestling fans, and sports fans in general, love a good underdog story. Perhaps that's why the Queen City audience was firmly behind Storm Wednesday night amid her push to make it to Queensland.

Chants of "she's a rookie" rang out throughout the venue during her match. The crowd acknowledging in the moment that there's just something special and downright impressive about what Storm has been able to accomplish just eight matches into her AEW career.


"I'm amazed with how fast everything's happened. I've only been here just over a month and everyone's been so welcoming. People just keep treating me so well, and the applause, I can't get over it. It's like they've known me my whole life. It just blows my mind. I can't believe the support of AEW fans and the people backstage."

Many fans have been quick to point out that that style and grappling abilities of the new No. 1 Contender are very similar to former three-time AEW Women's Champion 'Timeless' Toni Storm (no relation), who recently announced her retirement from the business.

As flattering as it may be to be put on the same pedestal as The Takedown on SI's 2024 Women's Wrestler of the Year, Storm is not comfortable being compared to any former World Champion at this stage in the game.

"I can't even put myself in the same boat as anyone. They're just too good, they're just too good. I'm just a kid that got lucky tonight and you know, I'm gonna roll with it."

Storm's return trip home next month isn't going to be just some vacation to visit with friends and family. It can't be. Not if she has any aspirations of overcoming the tremendous odds against her and walking out of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre as the new AEW Women's Champion.

She knows her focus and preparation will have to be on point if she's going to have any hope of defeating the dominant Mariah May.

"Best in the business today. She's the real deal. I'm not gonna lie, I'm super intimidated," Storm admitted. She also admitted that she hasn't even had the chance to meet the Champion backstage since she arrived in the company.

As the undisputed top star in All Elite Wrestling, The Glamour's busy schedule can make her a bit inaccessible backstage. Storm would love it if her victory on Dynamite finally led to their first conversation.

"I hope I get an opportunity to show some respect. I hope she doesn't think I'm rude for not coming and saying hello," Storm said nervously. "I've never really met a star so big before and I'm just such a huge fan of her work. I've seen stuff she's done since Stardom. I mean, it's just insane. I just wanna be like her. I wanna follow in her footsteps."

Winning the first ever Women's Casino Gauntlet Match is something that Storm described as surreal in the moment. The look of total shock on her face as the Cincinnati crowd gave her a standing ovation was completely genuine.

Even after a bit of time had passed between the final bell and our conversation, Toni still couldn't shake the feeling that her victory was somehow a mistake.

Her confidence was at a bit of a low point after she failed to secure the coveted number one position in her triple threat match with Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale the week prior.

The sea doubt that washed over Storm just seven days ago has now receded, at least a little a bit. How could it not after such a history making performance at Maximum Carnage?

"I'm just chuffed, you know? I was just happy to be involved in the match at all, because I thought after I lost to Kris Statlander, that was it. I was like, all right, I'll go back to the dojo tomorrow and see what I work on. You know, tape study, maybe sit down with Jerry Lynn or someone, pick his brain, see what I can do to get better. But man, this has all just happened... too much too soon."

Storm was very forthcoming in saying that she still doesn't feel like she's ready for this opportunity against Mariah May, but win, lose or draw come the night of February 15, Toni just hopes she's able to make her country proud.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino has been covering professional wrestling since 2019, but his broadcast career has spanned over 15 years. He can be heard every weekday morning on 700WLW radio in Cincinnati, OH. You can also read his work over on SI's Cincinnati Reds Talk. Follow Rick on X and Instagram: @RickUcchino

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