The OG Toni Storm returns in the closing of AEW Winter Is Coming. Giulia is the Iron Survivor at WWE NXT Deadline. B3CCA chats with WrestleZone and more! Let’s break it down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up!
Toni Storm Returns In AEW Winter Is Coming Closer
A ghost of AEW’s past has returned in the form of the original, Toni Storm.
On this week’s special edition of AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming, Mariah May successfully defended the AEW Women’s Championship against Mina Shirakawa, with “La Mera Mera” Thunder Rosa looking on from ringside.
Before May could celebrate her win, the familiar music of Toni Storm began blaring throughout the T-Mobile Center. Storm didn’t emerge as her “Timeless” self, however, as she instead donned the leather jacket, backwards hat, and sunglasses of the OG, punk-rock Toni Storm. In doing this, Storm made it clear that her absence not only yielded a drastic transformation, but also a change of heart on her potential retirement.
“I don’t give a f*** about Toni Storm,” May said in her post-match comments. “What happened to Toni is the same thing that just happened to Mina and exactly what is going to happen to Thunder Rosa. Every single woman I step in the ring with has the same hopes and dreams. And then they wish they were never born. Mina should just go back to modeling because her career as she knows it is over. And it’s not that I wanted to do that. I love her and we’re still friends. It’s just what I do and I will continue to do to any girl that wants to breathe the same air as me, because they cannot handle the woman from hell.”
While May is seemingly disregarding the return of Toni Storm (for now), she delivered a stern message to Thunder Rosa, who claimed that May wasn’t her champion.
“Thunder Rosa, go and yell about whatever batshit crazy bull**** you want to do. Name a time, name a place, and I will end your life too. And to anyone in AEW or any other company, we all have the same dream, but there is only one reality.”
As of now, Storm has yet to issue an official comment on her return. Considering her last AEW appearance came as a loss to May at AEW All In, though, one can likely expect her to be eyeing a rematch.
Giulia Is The Iron Survivor At WWE NXT Deadline
Giulia is following in the footsteps of Roxanne Perez and Blair Davenport, as she is now the Women’s Iron Survivor.
Last Saturday, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Zaria, Sol Ruca, and Wren Sinclair battled in the ever-grueling Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline, with the aim of securing a shot at the NXT Women’s Championship. To do this, competitors must outmaneuver and outscore each other, as the one with the most falls is named the winner. As the clock inched closer to the 25-minute limit, the participants were tied across the board with one fall a piece.
With less than ten seconds to go, though, Giulia rocked Zaria with an Arrivederci for a game-changing pinfall. Vaquer subsequently looked for a surprise roll-up on Giulia, but before she could, the time expired.
With her victory, Giulia now looks ahead to NXT New Year’s Evil on January 7, where she will challenge Perez for the NXT Women’s Championship. The former STARDOM star previously tried to unseat Perez in October, but an unexpected return of Cora Jade prevented her from doing so.
Elsewhere at NXT Deadline, Lola Vice defeated Jaida Parker in an NXT Underground match.
READ MORE: WWE NXT Deadline: Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker Result
TNA Resolution Preview
Tomorrow night, TNA Wrestling returns to the city of Atlanta for its 2024 Final Resolution event. Thus far, seven matches have been named to the main show, while two reside on the pre-show event.
In the TNA Knockouts division, “The Juggernaut” Jordynne Grace will battle a familiar foe in the form of Rosemary. In recent weeks, Grace has suffered three major losses, the first being at TNA Bound For Glory when Masha Slamovich claimed the Knockouts Championship. At TNA Turning Point, Grace lost to Slamovich again, this time in a Best Two Out Of Three Falls title match. Following this, Tasha Steelz defeated Grace on TNA Impact, thanks to interference from Alisha Edwards. At Final Resolution, Grace now looks to bounce back with a win over fellow former Knockouts Champion Rosemary.
Elsewhere at Final Resolution, Masha Slamovich will defend the Knockouts title against Tasha Steelz. “The Russian Dynamite” recently saved Grace from a post-match beatdown from Steelz and Edwards. Now, the two will battle in their first-ever singles match under the TNA banner.
RELATED: AJ Francis Calls TNA World Title Shot The Biggest Opportunity Of His Career
INTERVIEWS
International pop sensation B3CCA spoke with WrestleZone’s Ella Jay about her debut “Smiley Face” album, her journey of self-discovery while out of action from injury, taking inspiration from Charli XCX, the announcement of Aaron Rourke’s WWE ID signing, the launch of B3 ID, the MLW title shot she earned but has yet to receive, being the number contender for Uprising’s Alternative Championship, and more.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa chatted with Denise Salcedo about her Texas homecoming at Globe Life Field, AEW’s growth, and her journey since returning from injury, praise for colleagues like Rachel Ellering, Nyla Rose, and Alicia Atout, a potential feud with Taya Valkyrie, and more.
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus appeared on The Takedown on SI to discuss a potential match with AEW’s Mercedes Mone, working with Becky Lynch and Zoey Stark in 2023, the upcoming 25-year anniversary of her wrestling debut, her historic WWE Raw main event match with Lita, and more.
AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May joined Close Up with Renee Paquette to talk about her title match against Mina Shirakawa, the AEW women’s division, her thoughts on TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, her turn on “Timeless” Toni Storm, and more.
Former WWE Women’s Champion Bayley spoke with Going Ringside about WWE’s upcoming holiday tour, what 2025 has in store, a dream match with NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez, how the locker room has changed during her time in WWE, and more.
