Toni Storm Opens Up About WWE Exit
Toni Storm walked out of WWE in late 2021
When Toni Storm was called up to the WWE main roster in early 2021 it seemed as though WWE’s Women’s Division had a new star they could potentially build the scene around. However, by the end of the year Storm would be gone from the WWE.
Now a part of AEW, Storm got her release from WWE after walking out on the company in December 2021, and during an appearance on Busted open Radio, Storm opened up about why she left WWE:
"I felt really overwhelmed in that moment," Storm said when talking about her AEW debut. "I was really excited and really happy. I feel like I've been given a second chance in my career and it's not all over. When I left WWE, I wasn't banking on going anywhere else. Without getting too much into it, I kind of left suddenly and wasn't prepared for life outside of that at all. I'm thankful Tony Khan reached out and has given me a job, a second chance, an opportunity to really do what I love, which is pro wrestling.”
The Australian native admitted that being away from home for so long played a part in her exit:
"I went two and a half years without going home at all. That's after a life, about seven years of being on the road, I left for England, about seven or eight years had passed. Then, take into account the amount of negativity you hear about WWE and add that on top of it. I'm not saying I have a problem with WWE, at all. I'm actually really grateful for the time I had there. I learned so much. It was so cool. It was real, it was cool, but in the end it wasn't real cool. Something just happened and I left. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. Have you ever just lost your mind? That's kind of what happened. The stress of not seeing family in years and so many overwhelming things all at once. I've been happier ever since,” Storm said.
Storm suddenly left after a WWE house show on December 28, admitting that she "just freaked out and went home”, before expanding on her how she was feeling at the time:
"There was a moment where I realised it wasn't for me. As much as I might have romanticised it as a child and thought it was my dream and what I have to accomplish, I just realised, maybe it's not and maybe it's not the place for me. Who am I to take someone else's spot that actually wants to be here? That's not fair. I'm still going to be a wrestler. I spent years wrestling before WWE and I loved it. All there is to go back to is something that I love, how bad can it be? There was really no point in going further. I didn't leave on bad terms, it just became abundantly clear that it wasn't the place for me. I love and respect all the women there, they are amazing, hard-working, and inspire me. That wasn't my place," she said.
H/T: Fightful