12 Ups And 16 Downs For WWE In 2021

5. Toni Time’s Expired

We talk a lot about can’t-miss prospects, but when you look at Toni Storm in the ring, it’s impossible to not slap that label on her.

The winner of the 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament and former WWE UK Champion had all the tools to be a huge star in WWE, and fans and critics alike wondered why she spent so much time languishing in NXT UK and NXT. When she finally arrived on SmackDown in July, many were excited about the future for her.

And then Storm spent months sitting in catering. Literally sat for months doing nothing. She had just three televised matches in her first four months on the roster despite being one of only about 10 women on the blue brand. Then she finally got a shot, competing on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series – and got eliminated. Storm entered a program with SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair – and got pies shoved in her face and lost her title match.

The end came just this week, when Storm apparently up and quit WWE mid-tour. Not much has been said, but you’ve got to believe that six months on the main roster with seven televised matches, months of inaction, and an embarrassing “feud” were enough for her, especially considering how many wrestlers WWE has released this year due to “budget cuts.”

Storm will be a huge asset to whatever company that picks her up in 2022, and WWE will once again look stupid, and their apologetic fans will make excuses – but there are no plausible ones here.