Toni Storm on Beating Thunder Rosa and Ending 'Interim Nonsense' and More

After making her debut for All Elite Wrestling on the March 30 episode of Dynamite, Toni Storm immediately became one of the top stars in the women's division.

After coming up short in the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament, the New Zealand native was forced to regroup and build new momentum.

She was unsuccessful in her first attempt to win the AEW Women's World Championship against Thunder Rosa at Forbidden Door, but the gold could only be kept out of her hands for so long.

At All Out on September 4, Storm defeated Hikaru Shida, Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter in a Fatal 4-Way match to determine an interim women's champion until Thunder Rosa returns from injury.

With the title now around her waist, the 26-year-old has immediately become a target for every woman in the locker room.

We had a chance to speak with Storm as AEW celebrated its third anniversary to discuss winning the belt, potential rivals, married life and much more.

Joining AEW and Winning Gold

Storm had a highly publicized exit from WWE in December last year, so speculation on where she would pop up next began almost immediately.

Some people may have expected to see her go back to Stardom, but whenever a big free agent becomes available, AEW is always toward the top of the list of options.

While Storm has been with AEW for only a little over six months, she has already cemented herself as one of the most popular and successful women in the company.

"I've really loved it so far," she said. "I've really loved putting myself into AEW, and it's my life now. I'm on the road with them every week, and I love it. I get to go out and compete and perform for great crowds all over the United States and Canada, which is awesome.

"So, I'm just having a really awesome time, as stressful as it is being champion and, you know, high expectations of me. It's a lot of pressure, but I just love being a part of a locker room. They have such a great locker room full of wonderful, hardworking people. Now. I feel like I'm at home, I feel like I've found a family within AEW."

While Storm feels like she has found the place for her, the stresses of being at the top have not escaped her mind.

"I'm loving it. but I have a hell of a target on my back," she said. "It's very stressful right now, as much as I'm enjoying it. You know, everyone's targeting me, I've got the thing that everyone wants. So, yeah, it's been busy."

The AEW Locker Room

The AEW roster is filled with talented women from across the world, including many who have had success in and out of the company.

When the AEW women's title is involved, you can rest assured that Baker is going to be plotting how to get her hands on the belt again. Naturally, Storm has already had multiple run-ins with The Role Model.

"I mean, she manages to get involved in just about everything," Storm said. "But that's just Britt. That's just her. That's what she does. She's taken the focal point of the women's division since day one. She loves the spotlight, and she's going to be in it. So, that looks like that's the thorn I will not be able to remove from my side anytime."

The interim women's champion has been keeping a close eye on AEW since it began a little over three years ago, so she has had a chance to study many people who might not be future opponents. One young woman who has impressed her is Skye Blue.

"[Skye] has always stood out to me," Storm said. "I think she's one who will be a huge star. I mean, she already is, but eventually she will become huge in the wrestling industry.

"There are many people, like Kris Statlander. I was always impressed with her since the beginning, and Anna Jay. Just such a great locker room. I'm just so glad that I get to be a part of it now."

Jade Cargill and Saraya

Whenever you think of the AEW women's division, a few names come to mind immediately. One of those is Jade Cargill. As the TBS champion, she has dominated all challengers and maintained an undefeated streak while becoming a breakout star for the company.

Storm has been scouting all possible rivals, so the 30-year-old has not escaped her sight.

"I'm so impressed with Jade," she said. "She just kind of didn't come from a wrestling background, I always find that interesting. I came from a background where I started when I was a kid. It's always been my life. She's kind of come into it in the past few years and just is incredible.

"You know, she's just one of those people who will pick it up just so fast. And she looks like an action figure for Christ's sake. It's not surprising that she's a champion in AEW and for as long as she has."

Recently, Saraya made her debut for AEW and immediately established herself as a babyface presence by aligning herself with the more heroic members of the women's division.

For Storm, being part of her first major storyline in years is something special.

"{Working with Saraya] Is pretty cool as someone who's looked up to her, kind of tried to follow in her footsteps," Storm said. "But it's really cool for me to be able to get the best seat in the house to see her come back to wrestling and all the crowd reactions and stuff.

"I think she brings a whole different element to AEW. I think she's exciting. And it's going to bring in more and more viewers. I love having her around. I think she's gonna really help us out."

What's Next?

A long journey to the top can prepare someone for the perils that lie ahead, but Storm won the AEW women's title at 26 in just about six months, so she has climbed to the top faster than most.

"I guess my first thing would be to beat Thunder Rosa and stop this interim nonsense," she said. "That's kind of what's been bothering me. I think that's been bothering a lot of people because she's still calling herself the AEW women's world champion and I'm the one here every week doing the work.

"Right now. I guess it's about being a good champion, being a strong champion. That's what I'm up against every day. I'm working harder than I ever had in my entire career. The time is now. I look at every week as just an opportunity to prove myself. I love giving it my all and who knows where we go from here? But all I know is I'm gonna continue to work hard."

Married Life

Storm has had multiple major life changes in the past 12 months. She left WWE, signed with AEW and became the women's champion before the year was out. But the biggest change might be that she married New Japan Pro-Wrestling star, Juice Robinson.

"It's the best," she said about being married. "We just did it in January. We did it quicker than we thought. We were initially planning on doing the whole wedding thing, but then we eloped and it was awesome. I love my life. It's very fun."

While Robinson may work for another company, AEW having a relationship with NJPW has offered an opportunity for him to walk through the forbidden door and work a recent episode of Dynamite.

"He got the opportunity to face Jon Moxley last week," Storm said. "So, yeah, hopefully, we'll be seeing more of him too. My married life is awesome."

Movie Review

We always end our AEW interviews with a movie review, but we do not necessarily ask people to pick something recent. Storm took the opportunity to talk about a movie that came out almost five years before she was born.

"Well, I guess I'm a big Edward Scissorhands fan," she said. "Like, I have a big Edward Scissorhands tattoo on my leg. So I really liked that movie. I don't know why, I just related to it. I thought it was cool.

"I just really liked Johnny Depp's character, and I thought he did such a good job. I'm always drawn to that movie. I love it. I could just have it on the background."

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You can see Toni Storm every week on AEW programming as the interim women's world champion. You can follow Storm on Instagram, MelColemanArt on Twitter and Chris Mueller on Twitter.