10 Things You Didn't Know About Toni Storm
The Lightning Down Under overcame several obstacles before finally signing with WWE in 2017.
In just over two years, Toni Storm has already accomplished more in WWE than most women's wrestlers do in five. Better yet, at the young age of 23, she has her entire career ahead of her and is primed to have a bright future on WWE's main roster.
Storm has made appearances on NXT UK, NXT and SmackDown in the last two months alone, in addition to competing at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II and Survivor Series. With a Mae Young Classic victory and a reign as NXT UK Women's champion to her credit, there's no telling what more she'll accomplish as she enters her prime.
The road she took to get to where she is today was far from ordinary, however. Storm had to work her way up and hone her skills across the globe before finally landing her dream job, but some of the things she had to go through along the way have flown under the radar until recently.
As compelling of a character as Storm is inside the ring, she has proven to be just as captivating in her everyday life as well with everything she's experienced up until now.
Coming out of her tremendous Triple Threat match for the NXT UK Women's Championship at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, here are 10 fascinating facts about Toni Storm you may not have known before.
10. She Almost Didn't Win The 2018 Mae Young Classic
Toni Storm likely would have become a success story in WWE no matter what, but the first step of her journey with her winning the second-annual Mae Young Classic almost didn't happen.
First and foremost, it's safe to say that she was likely never intended the win the whole thing. She competed in the first Mae Young Classic and made it all the way to the semifinals before falling short against the eventual winner, Kairi Sane.
Like Mercedes Martinez and Rhea Ripley, she would have competed in it again in 2018 and lost, especially since Tegan Nox seemed to be poised from the start to go all the way. However, an untimely injury cost Nox that opportunity in the quarterfinals, leaving Storm as the next best choice to come out on top in the end.
Furthermore, Storm almost didn't make it to the finals due to suffering an injury of her own during an NXT UK TV taping in late August (after most of the Mae Young Classic had already been taped). Whether the outcome of her NXT UK Women's Championship match with Rhea Ripley was officially changed because of her injury is unknown, but thankfully, she was cleared to compete in time for the finals and beat Io Shirai to clinch the victory.