10 HUGE AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door 2022 Predictions You Need To Know

4. Thunder Rosa (c) Vs. Toni Storm

Forbidden Door
AEW

Time for round #32615 of "What to make of women's wrestling in AEW?"

Thunder Rosa's AEW Women's Championship win was theoretically a victory for the division and the latest sign that change was afoot. A bona fide classic in early 2021 opposite Britt Baker had positioned her as 'D.M.D's most feared rival, and the company managed to keep them apart long enough for Baker to build a long run in her shadow. This was longterm storytelling with a payoff that satisfied the brief.

Unfortunately, everything has reverted to type since. Rosa's a marginal figure despite holding gold, and after news of her own unhappiness with the company broke, a match with Marina Shafir drew controversy for supposed lack of cooperation. Storm's star power has returned in recent weeks too, which could convince AEW that she's the latest wrestler to try as the steward of a division that remains rudderless.

Winner - Toni Storm

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett