AEW has seemed hesitant to pull the trigger on any of its newer female wrestlers, but they need to buck that trend with Toni Storm. The women's division has been a work in progress since the beginning for All Elite, but that part of the company's roster has been adding talent whenever possible. Since the beginning of 2022, Ruby Soho, Athena, and Storm have all made their debuts, while Paige VanZant made her in-ring debut at Double Or Nothing.
Despite being big-name acquisitions, AEW hasn't done a whole lot with the trio of Athena, Soho, and Storm. Athena appears poised to possibly break Jade Cargill's undefeated streak, while Soho has been stuck in the muddy middle. Storm's booking had been inconsistent leading up to the June 15 edition of Wednesday Night Dynamite, but her victory over Britt Baker propelled her directly into a title match with Thunder Rosa at AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door. That's a bout that she ought to win, too.
Rosa's title chase was stellar, and her cage match with Baker to win the gold is among AEW's best ever. She doesn't lose any of the mystique that she gained during that gutsy performance by losing the women's championship, however. Perhaps, more importantly, is that All Elite needs to show prospective women's division wrestlers that they won't be booked into oblivion upon signing with the company. That's how they've treated Soho and Storm, and it would likely give potential high-end free agents pause before signing on the dotted line. How talent is treated matters, and this isn't the only show in town. Signing someone like Sasha Banks or Paige feels like a stretch for AEW right now because they'd feel like so much more of a big deal than just about any female on the roster at the moment. That'd change with a Storm win at Forbidden Door followed by a lengthy run.
Rosa's run, to this point at least, has been more highlighted by backstage issues than in-ring performances. Reports indicated that Rosa was (understandably) unhappy with her air time a few weeks ago, and some fans noticed that she appeared to be sandbagging Marina Shafir during their recent match on Wednesday Night Dynamite. It's also not the first time that Rosa has been accused of sabotaging a match during her wrestling career.
AEW has been leaning into reality-based angles lately, so why not do the same here? Baker could use some competition as the best heel in the women's division, which would give Storm the kind of quality opponent she'd need to go on a strong run with the championship. There really isn't a traditional top face among the women, and it's difficult to view Rosa as one when her name pops up as it has been in recent weeks. Even if the title change doesn't happen at Forbidden Door, this feud should eventually culminate in Storm winning the championship and fighting to become the top babyface in AEW's women's division.
AEW's booking of Toni Storm has been a little hit and miss since she debuted, but they have her on the right track to win at Forbidden Door.Franklin Steele