Mariah May's turn on Toni Storm was perfect

It happened. The July 10 edition of AEW Dynamite ended with a massive angle that saw Mariah May not only win the Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament, but she destroyed Toni Storm in brutal fashion. It was a moment that left the wrestling community talking and a turn that was done perfectly.

Mariah May has been an amazing part of the AEW roster since joining the company less than a year ago. The minute she stepped into focus and made Toni Storm her idol, the wheels toward this moment began to turn. Theories thought that Storm would be the one to turn on May. This idea made sense as many could see Stom being threatened by the young upstart coming for her spot and title.

Instead, the “All About Mariah” overtones are taken directly from the classic 1950 film, “All About Eve.” In the film, the character Margo Channing is an older actress who finds herself aging out of the roles she was used to getting. Along comes superfan, Eve Harrington, to expedite the process and supplant Eve in other ways, which she achieves by the end of the film.

That ties directly into what Storm and May did in this story going back to November. Storm initially rejected May, then barely paid her any mind, to finally fighting for her love and admiration. All for that to blow up in her bloody face as May whipped her with the Owen Hart championship and smashed Luther in the head as well. The final images of May standing overtop of Storm, scowling, with the latter’s blood smeared across her cheek was a powerful shot. Yet another of several that AEW has captured within its women’s division across the years.

Some critics may wrongfully claim that AEW doesn’t tell stories, but this is one of the best wrestling has seen in years. Everyone knew that at some point the women would stand across from each other in the ring. Perhaps it would be purely for the sake of competition first, but in wrestling and sports entertainment – that sentiment never lasts.

Storm versus May will bring out the best that these two women have done so far. Anticipation is high for Storm’s first promo after that attack. As she’s faced every challenger she’s cut more scathing promos, and she will certainly have some things to say about May. Or, perhaps she goes in the other direction and is so destitute from the attack that she slips into madness even more. There are so many ways this can go and each is as intriguing as the last. To think, this is the same performer that several called bland and boring during her time in WWE and WWE NXT. And she’s not even 30 years old.

Mariah May versus Toni Storm has the potential to be the top story in wrestling this year. The two ladies have all the attention of not only AEW fans but the wrestling community. If anything, they’ve shown how they can hold onto fans every step of the way. This turn was done perfectly and locked in everyone’s attention for the long haul.