7 Ups & 1 Down For AEW Collision (Jan 20 - Results & Review)

3. Timeless Toni Acknowledges The Virtuosa

Of all of the free agents out there or soon to be out there in 2024, one of the greatest, smartest acquisitions of the entire year could well end up by AEW's signing of Deonna Purrazzo. For those maybe not particularly familiar with Deonna, she's one of the very best in-ring technicians on the planet and mastered a fantastic character - the Virtuosa - during her impressive spell with what's now once again known as TNA Wrestling.

Since debuting earlier this month, Purrazzo immediately made it clear that she has Toni Storm and the AEW Women's Title in her crosshairs... even if Timeless Toni refuses to even acknowledge who Deonna is.

This week, in a backstage segment, Storm finally admitted that, yes, she knows Deonna, and yes, she remembers their time together in Japan. Of course, not only did these two cross paths - and team together - in Stardom, but they also did battle under the NXT UK banner, too.

It was only a short segment, but the current AEW World Champion recognising - and talking sh*t about - her old acquaintance was a nice, steady way to progress this burgeoning rivalry ahead of the inevitable title match. And likewise, Storm's admittance of who Deonna Purrazzo is, should boost the stock and credibility of the AEW newcomer in the eyes of those who possibly haven't seen Purrazzo before.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.