Three contenders that can be credible challengers to Toni Storm

Heading into the October 12 edition of AEW Dynamite, there are plans for a women’s tag team match where Toni Storm teams with Hikaru Shida to take on Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter. Since AEW All Out on September 4, this will be the fifth straight week where the women are featured in a multi-person match or segment. If AEW is struggling to find new challengers to build interesting feuds with to face Toni Storm, here are three names that can stand on their own as challengers without the need to be featured as one of the group.

Tay Melo

Tay Melo has remained wrapped up in the Jericho Appreciation Society and Sammy Guevara storylines for too long. Her development as a performer and entertainer was praised, especially doing so in such a quick manner since her departure from WWE. It’s quite a decision to stick her into angles that have removed her from the ring other than mixed-tag team matches.

Putting her back into the singles division and having her target Storm would be a good change of pace for both Melo and the division as a whole. Plus, this could help elevate Storm as the JAS remains one of the featured groups and angles in AEW. The AEW Women’s Championship would benefit from that rub that Melo brings alongside Chris Jericho and the rest of the crew.

Madison Rayne

Madison Rayne was a key addition to the women’s division. She comes with a level of experience that isn’t fully available to the roster and coming in as a player-coach is something this organization truly needed. Right now, she’s lumped into the multi-women segments, but if they flipped her to a heel-type character to be a foil to Storm, she could tap into what made her a featured part of the TNA/IMPACT Wrestling women’s division for years.

Queen Aminata

Queen Aminata has continued to tear things up on the independent circuit. The former GCW Women’s Champion has appeared in AEW multiple times since 2021 but also stepped into the ring for several other promotions such as Warrior Wrestling, SHIMMER, Battle Slam, and TERMINUS. As her abilities continue to grow, she’s becoming one of the names that fans expect to see signed sooner, rather than later.

AEW has brought in men from other organizations to challenge in big matches and it would be interesting to see them do something similar with Aminata. Building her up with wins on Dark and Dark Elevation is needed, but her performances in the indies show she can get the job done as a top challenger.