WWE Force Cancellation Of Huge WWE Vs. AEW Interpromotional Match
This big women's clash won't be going ahead thanks to WWE.
WWE NXT UK Women's Champion Toni Storm has had a big singles match with Bea Priestley cancelled by her home promotion.
The Australian grappler was set to collide with Priestley on a World Wonder Ring Stardom show in Japan on 16 May, but the promotion announced it had been scrapped earlier this week:-
This led to immediate speculation that WWE had pulled the plug. Given that Priestley is contracted to All Elite Wrestling, and that WWE UK wrestlers are banned from competing against wrestlers from any promotion that Vince McMahon deems his rival, it was a natural assumption.
Dave Meltzer confirmed the story in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that WWE didn't want their NXT UK Women's Champion losing to an AEW star, as Priestley was expected to win the bout.
The card has been reshuffled, with Storm facing Kagetsu and Priestley defending her World Of Stardom Title against Hazuki instead.
The current wrestling landscape means we'll almost certainly see more situations like this over the coming months. While AEW and WWE UK wrestlers are allowed to work elsewhere, WWE are exerting particularly tight control over opponents, so indie promotions will need to be careful with future booking decisions.