After months of waiting, Toni Storm came out on TV this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming edition. Moving on, she also featured in action during the taped AEW Rampage-themed episode that was taped from the same venue and aired last night.
On the Friday, December 13 episode of AEW Rampage: Winter is Coming, Toni Storm entered the scene with her pre-timeless entrance music and attire amid huge cheers from the audience as she proceeded to defeat Harley Cameron in a pretty one-sided bout. Cameron was dominated by the former champion in the early part of the match with the ten-punch combo until she countered with a strike. Cameron hilariously cued up the picture-in-picture break by saying, “we’ll be right back when this idiot remembers who she is.”
Toni Storm eventually found her way back into the match, with a backbreaker and a Fisherman Suplex. Cameron connected with a shining wizard for a near-fall of her own but she was further neutralized by a powerbomb. A running hip attack in the corner was followed by Storm Zero finisher for the decisive pinfall in favor of the returnee.
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Toni Storm’s participation on Rampage created outrage among talents
Heading into AEW Rampage, reports claimed that Toni Storm’s in-ring return to AEW has sparked outrage backstage as numerous sources affirmed that some of the talents were “appalled” by the booking decision. The three-time Women’s World Champion made her return during the December 11 episode of Dynamite, confronting Mariah May after her title defense against Mina Shirakawa.
But surprisingly, she had her first match on a taped episode of Rampage that aired last night. This led many fans and critics surprise as to why a star like Toni Storm’s return was booked on a less-viewed show.
The backlash was further was explained by Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live. “Do you know how many people I talked to in AEW yesterday? Every last single one of them… ‘aghast’ may not even be the right word… ‘appalled’ that Toni Storm’s return is on Rampage,” Alvarez noted.
It’s not yet clear as to why such a pivotal moment like Toni Storm’s in-ring return wasn’t booked on live shows like Dynamite or Collision. But raising their concerns, talents were lined up outside Tony Khan’s door during the tapings of Dynamite. Time will tell how AEW will book her expected rematch with Mariah May in the future.
