Mariah May and Toni Storm AEW

Toni Storm Praises WWE NXT's Blake Monroe Amidst AEW Title Defense

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Kellie Crawford | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 11:10 AM ET

1) Toni Storm says she banished Mariah May after their brutal "Hollywood Ending" feud.
2) She says she's a big fan of Blake Monroe on NXT and finds her work "wonderful."
3) Storm defends AEW Women's title in a four-way at All Out (Sept 20) vs Statlander, Thekla and Hayter.

AEW Women’s Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm still holds grudges with Mariah May, but she loves that new upstart on WWE NXT, Blake Monroe. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, in full classic Hollywood character, Storm gave a pretty fun interview.

"I’m A Big Fan Of That Blake Monroe"

Helwani had asked Storm about her rivalry with Blake Monroe, who was known as Mariah May in AEW. The two, once very close friends, had a fierce battle that ended with Monroe’s last match in the company. The match, which was titled “Hollywood Ending,” saw Storm get her revenge on her former protégé at AEW Revolution in March 2025. It was one of the best feuds in the company's history. She said:

“We’ve all had relationships like Mariah that end in broken glass, fist fights, bloody kisses. What can I say about Mariah? She’s the single most evil cold-hearted b–h I’ve ever met in my life. I can honestly say that. I’m glad that I’ve banished her. I really did compromise her to a permanent end, but I’m a big fan of that Blake Monroe.” (H/T: Fightful)

Helwani later asked Storm if she would work with the current WWE NXT Superstar. She added:

“I’ve seen a bit, but I don’t study it religiously. It’s wonderful.”

Storm is literally the best thing about All Elite Wrestling. Her Hollywood of yesteryear persona is pure cinema. She’s a good example to use when people say that AEW can’t do storylines or characters.

Blake Monroe And Toni Storm Now

Mariah May and Toni Storm AEW

Blake Monroe has been doing just fine in NXT. She recently had a feud with former TNA star Jordynne Grace. The two faced each other in a heated battle [no pun intended] at Heatwave, where she got a win over Grace. Like with Storm, Monroe pretended to be a friend to Grace, but things took a nasty turn at the WWE Evolution PLE. Grace was close to defeating the NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne, but Monroe turned on her and hit her with the belt, thus helping Jayne retain.

Storm in AEW has been busy defending her title against the likes of AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, ROH Women’s Champion Athena, and Mina Shirakawa. Now on Saturday, September 20, at AEW All Out, she is going to have to defend the title against three other women: Kris Statlander, Thekla, and Jamie Hayter. This might be one of her most challenging title defenses. Will the Gloria Swanson of the wrestling world make it out of All Out with the title? We’ll have to see.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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