7 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (6 March - Review)
5. May Day For Toni Storm
AEW
More than just an impressively accurate cosplay for a pay-per-view entrance, Mariah May's latest turn as Toni Storm's understudy has added yet another wrinkle to the character ahead of an eventual split.
The dead on impersonation has earned her a first t-shirt, and though the 'Timeless' World Champion was keen to remind viewers that she'd be getting a healthy cut of the sales, it was the latest forging of a real bond between the two. This was obviously always key to the split, and though Storm may have a full plate following Big Business, the longer term tale between these two is just as intriguing.
Announcing the "Toni Awards" for Collision was another cute bit, but if these cute bits continue to translate to just-average matches, the charm will quickly drain. Next Wednesday's Dynamite not-so-tacitly feels just as important for Storm as it does the expected new star.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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
