Toni Storm debuts on AEW Dynamite in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifier

Tony Khan made a big announcement heading into tonight’s AEW Dynamite about a surprise entrant for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifier. There was a lot of growing anticipation around who that entrant could be to face off against The Bunny. That person turned out to be Toni Storm.

Storm was one of the hottest free agents in professional wrestling. Storm was last seen back in December in WWE. Her last televised match was a victory where she teamed with Sasha Banks to defeat Charlotte Flair and Shotzi Blackheart. She was in the midst of a “feud” with Flair but left the promotion after a house show in Washington DC right before the start of the new year. It was reported that she asked for her release which was granted by the company.

At 26-years of age, Storm may be young, but she’s a successful force in women’s wrestling. She is a multiple-time champion across the industry, picking up titles in STARDOM, PROGRESS, and the SWA. She was also the WWE NXT UK Women’s Champion, holding that championship for 231 days.

When Storm signed with the WWE, many expected her to be a sure-fire hit with the company. She has all the aspects that the WWE tends to look for in their wrestlers, including the looks and the abilities in the ring. However, she was never elevated into the main event picture beyond her run on WWE NXT UK.

She was eventually moved over to the main NXT and the main roster as a part of the recent WWE Draft. She joined SmackDown and wasn’t leveraged well, including that feud with Flair that was based around being hit in the face with pies. Her departure from the WWE was sudden, but fans have waited anxiously for her return to television.

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