AEW Star Toni Storm Reveals She Will ‘Never’ Return To WWE

“No, and that’s no offense to them. I think they’re great. I understand them for exactly what they are: They’re a machine, they’re a business, and I just don’t fit in with their whole schtick, and that’s cool.” Storm explained her stance on the company.

After spending a year on NXT UK, where she defeated WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley for the NXT UK Women’s Championship, Storm made her debut on NXT in 2020, where she would go on to have a forgettable stint, losing her two title opportunities to current superstar Io Sky.

Eventually, the New Zealand-born star would make her way onto the main roster, receiving a call-up to SmackDown in 2022, where she would suffer multiple losses before being forced into a SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Charlotte Flair, where she was humiliated, requesting her release from the company a short time later.

“When I went from NXT to SmackDown. My main goal in wrestling was to be on Raw or SmackDown. I got there and figured it out pretty soon. I realized this is just not going to work out. Also, I’m 26. I want to have a really good time at this job. I want to have a really good career, and I want to enjoy part of it. I just wasn’t enjoying it for so long, and I abruptly quit.” Storm shared in 2023.

Following her decision to sign for All Elite Wrestling in 2022, the 29-year-old has gone on to have the career she was looking for, including 4 stints as AEW Women’s World Champion, as well as being ranked as the Women’s Wrestler of the Year by both ESPN and PWI in 2024.

“I’m on a five-year deal and I can’t remember how long. But I’m a lifer for AEW. There’s no like, ‘Oh, well, I’ll see what happens.’ When I’m done wrestling, you’ll never see me again. You’ll never see me in any other capacity, or in any other company, for that matter.” The AEW champion also shared with The Sandman, before revealing her thoughts on the company’s owner, Tony Khan, who brought her to AEW.

“I assume everyone adores him. He’s like the nicest guy ever with like the best of intentions. He just loves wrestling so much. I just love the guy. He’s the best, and he works so hard.”

Overall, the deal between both Tony Khan and  Storm was a significant success for both sides, with the AEW star having some of the most iconic moments in the company’s history, while Khan allowed the AEW champion to turn her career around following her stint in WWE.