Toni Storm is back in AEW, but she’s dropped the “Timeless” Toni Storm gimmick and reverted back to her classic black-and-red era, and she greeted the “AEW Dynamite” crowd and stared down AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May following May’s title defense against Mira Shirakawa on Wednesday. May defeated Shirakawa with the Storm Zero after the pair’s friendship ended when May attempted to attack Shirakawa with a champagne bottle at Full Gear.
Shirakawa immediately went after May following the bell ringing, throwing hands and getting the champion onto the ropes and then to the mat. Shirakawa put May in a figure-four leg lock and held it until the both rolled out of the ring, with May landing on her knee. May battled back and sent Shirakawa into the steps and the ring barricade.
As the pair were battling, Thunder Rosa was seen in the crowd holding up signs, yelling at May and saying she was “not her champion.” Shirakawa hit May with a spinning backfist in the ring, but May caught her with a headbutt as Shirakawa hit another, and both went down.
May hit a May Day, but her former friend kicked out. Shirakawa countered a second one, and May kicked out. The champion hit the Storm Zero for the victory, and Storm’s original music hit, and she came out to the stage looking like her old self, in color. She looked to the crowd as May and Rosa looked on from the ring and in the crowd.
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