According to a report from Bryan Alvarez, Storm is likely to be out for quite some time. It was noted that her absence from Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Fresno was due to a legitimate injury rather than a storyline angle. Mina Shirakawa stepped in to replace Storm and defeated Marina Shafir in the originally scheduled no-holds-barred match.
Storm last competed at AEW Revolution 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena, where she picked up a hard-fought victory over Shafir. After the match, Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance to confront Storm. The situation quickly escalated, and Storm was struck by Shafir amid the chaos as officials attempted to separate them. It remains unclear whether the injury occurred during the match itself or in the post-match altercation.
Ahead of Dynamite going live, AEW shared a social media clip showing Storm bloodied in her locker room, with Shirakawa and Luther assisting her. The segment was used to explain her absence, stating that she had not been medically cleared to compete. While the angle blurred the line between storyline and reality, the injury is legitimate.
At this time, the severity of Storm’s injury and a timetable for her return have not been disclosed. It’s also unclear whether Shirakawa will take over the creative direction originally planned for Storm, including any potential follow-up involving Rousey after her Revolution 2026 debut.
We wish Storm a full and speedy recovery.