'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Toni Storm is glad to be back in the ring after a long hiatus thanks to the pandemic. The NXT Superstar talked about what her hiatus from the ring had been like.
Io Shirai has found an old rival in the form of Toni Storm. The NXT Women's Champion is facing a lot of pressure from Storm as the latter has set her sights on ending Shirai's run as the champion.
Toni Storm was recently interviewed by Sportskeeda's Rick Ucchino. During their conversation, Storm highlighted that the pandemic was the longest time she stayed out of a wrestling ring.
"It was crazy because I had no idea what I was in for. I had, since I was thirteen years old, wrestled consistently up until that point with no more than a month off. Even if I had an injury and was off shows, I'd still be in the ring training. I've never been out of the squared circle for that long. And then all of a sudden, we were all down. In my head I was so focused on the idea of getting to America that I completely forgot what my ring conditioning would be like and what would happen when I got in the ring."
Toni Storm admitted that when she got back in the ring after a long hiatus, it was difficult. It took a while but Storm said that she was back up to where she had been before the pandemic hit.
"I got in there and, I'm not going to lie, it was hard. That ring cardio was something completely different. It was a huge shock to the system. I'm just glad that I am back up to where I was. It's taken a lot of work getting back to that. The pandemics hit and it's hard to... it ruined a lot of my motivation. Because I had no idea of what was going to happen. When am I going to wrestle again? When am I going to get out there? It just completely shook me."
Readers can check out the full interview with Toni Storm below.
Toni Storm says she feels normal now after returning to wrestling
After an eight-month hiatus, Toni Storm returned to the ring in October 2020. For her, getting back in the ring and "getting kicked in the face" was a welcome change.
After being away from the ring for so long, it was a return to normalcy for someone like her who has wrestled her whole life.
"Being in a match and getting kicked in the face honestly feels normal to me at this point. Thank God we are back to that."
Storm is one of the main stars in NXT and is contesting at the top of the women's roster. Heading into WrestleMania and NXT TakeOver, she is looking to establish herself as the top women's champion of the Black and Gold brand.
