"Don't ruin a good thing," "She won't come back" - Fans erupt after top AEW star's WWE return gets ruled out

Recent speculations have suggested that a reigning AEW champion is unlikely to return to WWE. Wrestling fans have now reacted to the prospect of the star in question, Toni Storm, being brought back to the Stamford-based company.

Toni Storm began her journey in the sports entertainment juggernaut in 2017 as a participant in that year's Mae Young Classic. She signed a deal with the company the following year, and initially performed on NXT UK, where she won the brand's Women's Championship in 2019. The New Zealand-born Australian graduated from developmental to the main roster in 2021, making her debut on Friday Night SmackDown. Unfortunately, her subsequent run in the promotion left much to be desired, which led to Toni asking for her release in December 2021, a request that was granted to her.

In 2022, Storm made her All Elite Wrestling debut and has not looked back since, having achieved incredible success in the Tony Khan-led company. The Timeless One is one of the promotion's biggest and most beloved names, and is the reigning AEW Women's World Champion, a belt she is set to defend at Forbidden Door this Sunday. Recently, a report has been making the rounds claiming that the Stamford-based company and Triple H would likely not allow Toni to perform with her iconic gimmick if she were brought back to her old stomping grounds.

Fans quickly flocked to X/Twitter to address the topic, with an overwhelming number of users arguing that Toni Storm will likely stay in AEW, not only because of how she has thrived in the Jacksonville-based promotion, but also because of her past experiences in WWE, and the fact that her current persona may not be ideally suited for WWE's audience.

Storm is scheduled to defend her AEW Women's World Championship against Athena (formerly WWE's Ember Moon) this Sunday at Forbidden Door 2025.

Toni Storm was dumped on her neck this week on AEW Dynamite

Ahead of their Women's Title showdown on August 24, Toni Storm and Athena locked horns this Wednesday on Dynamite, where they wrestled a tag bout, respectively teaming with Alex Windsor and Mercedes Mone.

Towards the closing stretch of the matchup, The Illustrious One was planted by The Fallen Goddess with a piledriver on the ring-side steps, seemingly causing damage to the champion's neck. The Minion Overlord also successfully scored the victory for her team by pinning Windsor.

Athena about to deliver a piledriver on Toni Storm [Image Credits: All Elite Wrestling on YouTube]

It remains to be seen if Storm will be able to survive Athena this weekend at Forbidden Door.

About the author

Anurag is an AEW writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling. He holds a BA and MA degree in English along with a TEFL certification to teach English. Before Sportskeeda, he worked as a Content and Correspondence writer at Nayabad Titas, a theater group. He has also worked as a English language tutor.

To ensure complete accuracy, he uses internet resources, social media platforms, and especially pieces composed by his peers to find solid, verified information that he presents as objectively as possible. Thanks to his academic background, he can research different subjects thoroughly.

Anurag's interest in wrestling began as a child. He watched RAW and Smackdown frequently from age 10 or 11 and was officially hooked by the YES Movement story in WWE heading into WrestleMania 30.

As a lifelong wrestling fan and lover of stories, Anurag would read news, articles, and other content about the talent and events he enjoyed watching. His understanding of the business continued to grow with time, and his interest in the art and sport of wrestling led him to pursue a career as a writer.

Apart from writing, he loves to read books, watch movies and television programs, play and listen to music, and write poetry and fiction.

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Edited by Anurag Mukherjee