Published: 3 minutes ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 11 hours ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
AEW
Absent from AEW since March of this year, ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm is likely to return, although details on when are thin on the ground.
Last seen in an AEW ring at Revolution in March of this year, Storm defeated Marina Shafir, coming face-to-face with Ronda Rousey after the match.
Backstage on the following week’s Dynamite, Storm was discovered in a side room, having been attacked by an unknown assailant, with Mina Shirakawa incandescent with rage and promising to track down the aggressor.
At the time of writing, the attacker is still unidentified, although a return for Storm is on the cards, according to Tony Khan:
What Tony Khan said about ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm
Speaking at the AEW WrestleDream post-show media scrum, Tony Khan reacted to a question about Storm, saying:
“You asked about the former World Champion ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm. Well, I know we’ve been missing ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm, but everybody’s just been doing absolutely fantastic.
“The women’s wrestling in AEW has seen the locker room absolutely step up in the absence of the former World Champion, we have a great World Champion now in Mercedes Moné.
“The former World Champion ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm is certainly on a lot of our minds, and I can’t say when or where, but I know ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm will be back in AEW and looking to get payback for whoever it was that took her out.”
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Where has Toni Storm been?
Following the attack angle, it was reported that Storm had been written off television and would be absent “for a long time“. While it was originally indicated that her absence was injury-related, Dave Meltzer would address her status on Wrestling Observer Radio, saying it was “not an injury or anything like that.”
This hasn’t been the first time that Storm has taken a hiatus from AEW, having been absent for four months following her feud with Mariah May that ended at All In 2024, seeing the star compete in Stardom and CMLL before making her return in December of that year under her ‘Rockstar’ character.
This time, however, Storm has been absent from competition anywhere in the world, with her last match being at AEW Revolution.
Who attacked Toni Storm?
Now, there’s a mystery still to be solved.
In the clip shared on YouTube, Renee Paquette approaches Luther, asking the manservant what’s going on, opening the door to revealed a downed Storm and Shirakawa standing over her friend.
There’s a pool of blood around Storm’s head, though no indication as to what the weapn would be or who would have commited the attack. There is a lack of message, nothing smeared on the wall, no note mocking the former champion or any indication as to when it might have happened in what appears to be a women’s locker room.
In the realm of police procedurals, Shirakawa, being the one found at the scene of the crime, would be the prime suspect, with Luther as a close second.
Other suspects?
The confrontation with Ronda Rousey might lead fans to believe that there’s a story to be told there, and perhaps there was. In reporting that emerged after her appearance, it was stated she is “not expected back anytime soon“.
Shafir could have sought revenge for her defeat at Revolution and, with the star now a member of DeathRiders, there’s an opportunity to revisit the rivalry under those circumstances.
A four-time AEW Women’s World Champion, Storm is a record setter with that title, with Mercedes Moné as the current champion. Moné and Storm have crossed paths before, with the Timeless one retaining the title at All In: Texas last July.
Whether we will see the star this side of 2026 remains to be seen, although Full Gear and Worlds End take place in November and December respectively, with challengers for Moné likely to emerge over the coming weeks.
Whenever Storm makes her, she is bound to want to recapture the AEW Women’s World Championship and make a point while doing it.
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