15 Greatest Promos In Modern Wrestling History

11. Toni Storm Issues The Sentence

Toni Storm Mediocrity
AEW

Timeless Toni Storm is over in large parts due to her use of innuendo and outright smut. 

That's a reductive assessment of her talent, but not exactly untrue. The unhinged stuff she comes out with is invariably timed brilliantly, which is what separates her from any dumbass wrestler with a d*ck joke fixation Triple H. She's also magnificent at conjuring a mental image. But there's a weird but no less effective psychology to her promos that isn't mentioned enough: when she stops dealing in filth, you actually pay more attention. When the sex-obsessed vamp puts her mind on real emotion, it actually feels real. 

Her sit-down promo opposite Mariah May, ahead of their seminal Hollywood Ending at Revolution 2025, was probably far too effective if you're Blake Monroe.  This now-infamous promo haunts every single misstep she takes in WWE.

The psychosexual games Storm and May had played on and with one another were over. An uncontainable hatred had consumed their relationship, as May demonstrated by spitting at Storm before Renee Paquette could even finish her introduction. 

"I sentence you to a lifetime of mediocrity," Storm said, which was infinitely more powerful than a cool-sounding but ultimately empty threat. Wrestlers fight more than any other combat athlete and compete more than any other athlete full-stop. For such a wacky character, it was Storm who was clever enough to grasp that - and issue a threat that was actually nightmarish to any pro. 

"Your career will continue, and it will be good, but never great". 

This was Storm asserting her place at the very top of women's wrestling, casting all around her as merely supporting players.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!