Toni Storm Credits AEW for Giving Her Something More Than Creative Freedom as Opposed to WWE

Reigning AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm recently opened up about the reason for her underwhelming run in WWE.

Toni Storm Credits AEW for Giving Her Something More Than Creative Freedom as Opposed to WWE

Toni Storm (via AEW and WWE)

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When Tony Khan’s AEW first launched in 2019, one of its biggest criticisms was the lack of a strong women’s division compared to WWE. But over the years, stars like Toni Storm, Mercedes Mone, Athena, and Britt Baker have given the division the energy and credibility it needed.

Among them, Storm has stood out the most thanks to her ‘Timeless’ persona, which has become one of AEW’s most entertaining gimmicks. Her sharp promos and memorable rivalries with Mariah May and Mone have earned praise from both fans and veterans. But Storm’s journey wasn’t always this smooth. Back in her WWE run from 2017 to 2021, she admitted to feeling stuck. 

Interestingly, she described her time there as having complete creative freedom, yet at the same time confessed that she wasn’t told what to do and often felt lost when it came to shaping her character. In a recent appearance on the Marking Out podcast, Storm was asked about the level of freedom she had during her time in WWE, and her answer highlighted just how complicated the situation was.

Well, here’s the thing. This is where I get stuck on it. In WWE, I don’t think I was told what to do enough. I wasn’t told to do anything actually. Overall, I just felt very lost. My character didn’t really have a direction, so I just went out and did whatever was plainly said to me.

Toni Storm via Marking Out podcast

She highlighted that her character did not have a solid foundation, and the lack of an effective gimmick impacted her. 

I wasn’t told, ‘Do this. Today you’re a cat, and this is your character, your name is Bloody Tory Smith.’ No one told me anything—I even kept my real name the whole time.

Toni Storm via Marking Out podcast

On the main roster, Storm did get the chance to face top stars like Zelina Vega, Liv Morgan, and even scored a win over Charlotte Flair by disqualification. Still, she felt her career wasn’t going anywhere in WWE and made the decision to quit in 2021, saying she realized she couldn’t succeed in that system.

That wasn’t to say she never found success in the company. In NXT UK, Storm made her mark by winning the second Mae Young Classic tournament before eventually moving on to the main roster. But AEW is the place Storm got the best out of her skills and character work when she joined the company back in 2022.

In the Jacksonville-based company, Storm has firmly established herself as the face of the women’s division. Already a four-time champion, she’s become one of the company’s top stars thanks to her popular ‘Timeless’ gimmick. 

It blends old Hollywood glamour with sharp attitude and in-ring aggression, making Storm one of the most captivating characters in wrestling today. Recently, Storm defeated Athena at the AEW Forbidden Door pay-per-view and, before that, successfully defended her title against Mercedes Mone in a dream match at AEW All In in Texas. 

Up next, she is set to put her championship on the line in a high-stakes Fatal 4-Way match against Jamie Hayter, Kris Statlander, and Thekla at AEW All Out on September 20.

Maven Huffman credits AEW President Tony Khan for caring about his wrestlers and the business

Not only Toni Storm, but even former WWE World Champion Christian Cage called his AEW run the best of his entire career. Adding to that list, a former Tough Enough winner recently talked about the environment in AEW in comparison to the Stamford-based promotion. In May 2025, Maven released a new video on his YouTube channel highlighting his backstage visit to an AEW show. 

Tony Khan
Tony Khan (via AEW)

The video quickly gained traction online, giving fans a glimpse of his interactions with stars like Dustin Rhodes, Thunder Rosa, and Billy Gunn. He recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and praised AEW’s backstage culture, noting how much Tony Khan genuinely cares about his roster.

That environment seemed like a good place to work. Great vibes, and Tony Khan seemed like the best boss to work for. I know he gets a lot of critics online. I sat and watched. They were about 30 minutes away from ending the show, and my contact told me that Tony wants to meet with you. He just has to wait until, obviously, the show is over.

Maven via The Ariel Helwani Show

Maven explained how Khan went out of his way to personally check on talent after their matches.

So, I sat and watched Tony for 30 minutes, and every wrestler that came out of that ring, he got up from producing chair, took his headphones off, made sure everyone was healthy and happy with the match that they just had. You can tell when someone cares as opposed to when someone’s going through the motions. He cares.

Maven via The Ariel Helwani Show

This stands in sharp contrast to Maven’s recent comments about WWE CCO Triple H, where he claimed that wrestlers during his heyday didn’t fully trust him. He also took a jab at former AEW World Champion CM Punk, saying that Punk has not changed one bit and remains focused solely on doing business for himself.

However, recent returns of Punk and even AJ Lee after a decade tell a different story about Hunter’s working philosophy behind the scenes. At the same time, Maven admitted he was surprised that Tony Khan hadn’t offered him any kind of role in AEW, noting that he would gladly take on a job there without hesitation.

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