Toni Storm is recovering from her AEW All In heartbreak in her native Australia but she still wants to get her hands on one elusive WWE Hall of Famer. Toni Storm was betrayed by her long-time sidekick Mariah May after May won the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament that guaranteed her a shot at Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship at All In. In Wembley Stadium Mariah May broke hearts when she defeated Storm for the title despite the win happening less than ten miles from where May was born.

Now Timeless Toni Storm has retreated to her native Australia but not just to lick her wounds as she helps promote AEW’s debut down under in 2025. While there, Storm spoke to Downunder The Ring, who asked her about her previous obsession with WWE Hall of Famer Wendi Richter and revealed she came to Australia directly from Wembley Stadium to find her:

Is she here? She’s here, isn’t she? Are you messing around with me? You are. She’s around here somewhere, I know it. I can smell that b*tch.

She’s been ducking and dodging me for years. I came directly [to Australia] to find her. That’s why I left. I had to immediately leave Wembley Stadium and I came here because I heard the rumors. She’s hiding around here somewhere, isn’t she?

h/t Fightful

AEW Grand Slam will take place in Brisbane, Australia in February 2025 in what looks to be a truly international year for Tony Khan’s company. AEW will be part of Wrestle Dynasty along with NJPW and CMLL in Tokyo, Japan in January and will also return to London, England for Forbidden Door in August.

Storm Wants Rematch on Her Home Turf

After losing to Mariah May in London, Toni Storm would like their rematch to take place on more favorable turf.

AEW is set to make its Australia debut with Grand Slam Australia taking place from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane next February. To promote the event, Storm visited Suncorp Stadium and was interviewed by ESPN Australia, who asked her about potentially having a rematch against May in Brisbane.

“I mean, I hope that’s the case,” Storm responded. “I hope I get my rematch here against Mariah May. We did this on her turf last time in Wembley in London. I think it’s time to bring it home for me. I think it’s time to get back to Brisbane and beat the ever-loving crap out of her in front of all my family and friends and make my country proud.”

May won the AEW Women’s World Championship from Storm at All In on August 25. It was the latest chapter of their mentor/protege story that’s taken inspiration from classic films like “All About Eve” and “Sunset Boulevard.” On Dynamite this Wednesday, May will make her first AEW Women’s World Championship defense against Nyla Rose.

Storm was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia. She told ESPN Australia that this Grand Slam event is a huge deal for her both professionally and personally.

“I mean, this is something I never thought would ever happen, would ever be possible. I left Australia about 10 years ago to try and achieve this dream. Try and make it big out in America as a professional wrestling star. Never in my life did I think there would be a show back in Brisbane, let alone of this size,” Storm said.

“So coming back, I’m overwhelmed. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I’m going to be able to perform right in front of my family, my friends, the people that originally trained me. This is such a huge deal for me professionally and personally. I can’t believe it’s going to happen.”

Grand Slam Australia is taking place on Saturday, February 15, 2025.

Brisbane's Wrestlemania Moment

Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event in the world. While AEW is not WWE, its Grand Slam Australia event is looking to be a big deal for the company. Paul “Big Show” Wight has no regrets about making the switch from WWE to AEW, and claims Brisbane fans will see the “best in-ring grapplers in the world” when professional wrestling comes to Suncorp Stadium in February.

AEW Grand Slam Australia is expected to attract a crowd of more than 40,000. Wight promised fans won’t be disappointed.

“We have a show here in Brisbane at the `Cauldron’ and I can only imagine how loud that place is going to be, and I’m already frothing at the mouth to get over here and wrestle,” pro wrestling great Wight said.

“AEW prides itself on having some of the best in-ring grapplers in the world.”

The AEW roster includes the likes of former WWE performers Wight, Chris Jericho, Ricochet, Christian Cage, Adam Copeland (Edge), Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan), Mercedes Mone (Sasha Banks) and Gold Coast-raised ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm.

“One of the things that inspired me to come to AEW was to be a part of and see something grow,” Wight said.

“There’s an amazing opportunity there. There’s a lot of incredible young talent.

“You want all companies to do well because it creates opportunities. You might be in one company and not find yourself, make a transition to another company and find yourself.

“Fans are disputing which company’s better and which wrestlers are better, and that’s great stuff.

“It shows the business is doing well as a whole. If the business wasn’t doing well as a whole, no-one would be talking about it, and that would be sad times.”

Storm said fans at the Brisbane show should expect “absolute mayhem”.

“It’s not very often we get back to the land Down Under,” she said.

“This is going to be a huge event, and a big deal.”

Government Support Helps Brisbane Win Bid

The Brisbane government played a key role in securing the AEW Grand Slam Australia event. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the local Brisbane government got involved to bring AEW to Brisbane for the stadium show, similar to what cities have done to acquire UFC and WWE events.

Brisbane has been trying to bring in more international events. While they’ve had WWE house shows, they have never had a major show. This would be the biggest wrestling event in the city’s history, and the first major stadium event there. The decision was also due to AEW Australian partner TEG and their plans.

The city and promoters feel they can make the event work, even though AEW doesn’t have a lot of viewers on ESPN in Australia. However, since the announcement, Collision had been added to the programming. Dynamite was previously the only show available in the country.

Finding Wendi

Toni Storm’s trip to Australia is a homecoming for the wrestler and a chance to reconnect with her roots. But she’s also on a mission. Storm is hoping to finally confront Wendi Richter, the WWE Hall of Famer who has been “ducking and dodging” her for years, she claims.

“She’s been ducking and dodging me for years. I came directly [to Australia] to find her. That’s why I left. I had to immediately leave Wembley Stadium and I came here because I heard the rumors. She’s hiding around here somewhere, isn’t she?”

Whether Storm finds Richter remains to be seen, but it’s clear she’s not going to give up easily.

The Hunt is On

While her search for Wendi Richter has taken center stage, Toni Storm is also gearing up for a big year in AEW. She’ll be performing for a huge crowd at AEW Grand Slam Australia, and she’s eager to get her rematch against Mariah May. It’s going to be an exciting time for the wrestler, and fans can’t wait to see what she does next.