Toni Storm and Mariah May are telling the best story in AEW

Fans typically praise All Elite Wrestling for its storytelling. There are several examples of long-term angles that come together with well-laid-out plans. There’s one story going on right not in AEW that is one of the best in wrestling. That angle involves Toni Storm and Mariah May, plus to a lesser extent Mina Shirakawa. With another chapter coming ahead at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door III, it is important to recognize how well this angle is coming to plan.

At Forbidden Door, Storm will battle Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s World Championship. It will be a great match, with two performers who are excellent at what they do. North American fans are probably more familiar with Storm’s accolades, but Shirakawa is a multiple-time champion in her own right. Most importantly, she’s a former tag team champion with May when they held the Goddesses of Stardom Championship back in 2023. While Storm is expected to come out on top in this battle, it’s the story outside the ring that will hold centerstage between the two going forward.

Storm has successfully defended that women’s championship five times since winning the title back in November. Along the way, May has won her own important battles, but stayed tucked away in Storm’s shadow. As Storm continues to dominate as champion, she should be looking over her shoulder at May as more than a threat – a position that she’ll soon step into.

How she’ll get there is the next question. Will May win the Owen Cup, or will she make it far in that tournament just to be undercut by Storm? AEW has a chance to further develop the story in either one of those ways. Plus, pay attention to the use of the towel. Both ladies have hinted at throwing in the towel for the other in an attempt to protect them while they were in tough matches. If that happens again, then the catalyst for the split will be unleashed.

Mariah May is the only choice as the woman on the roster who should take that title from Toni Storm. This has been the story the entire way. This was Storm’s best run and it included some strong matches, but the biggest benefit has been the development of May into a feature player for the AEW Women’s Division going forward.

All Elite Wrestling is continuing to build the women’s division. The story between Toni Storm and Mariah May is the featured angle of the show and the goal of pushing May into a position as a top star is nearly complete as the best story going on today in the company.