AEW's Toni Storm: "If Thunder Rosa's Injury Lingers, She Should Be Stripped"

Toni Storm is keen to shed the "Interim" from her AEW Women's World Championship, calling for current title-holder Thunder Rosa to show up to work and defend the gold - or drop it should her injuries linger.

Rosa has been out of action since August, when it was announced that an injury would prevent her from competing at All Out 2022 (4 September). Storm was scheduled to challenge for Rosa's Women's World Title at that event, though the champ's injury led to the interim belt's creation, with Storm defeating Hikaru Shida, Britt Baker, and Jamie Hayter to claim it.

Now 75 days into her Interim reign, Storm has fended off challenges from the likes of Serena Deeb and Penelope Ford, and has Hayter on the horizon for Full Gear 2022 this Saturday (19 November). Thunder Rosa, meanwhile, remains sidelined without a concrete return date.

Storm commented on the situation during a new interview with The Ringer. Toni told Cameron Hawkins that she believes champions should show up and defend their told. If Rosa's injury lingers and she is prohibited from doing this, then the World Champion, in Storm's eyes, should be stripped of the belt.

“Personally, I think she should just come to work and defend her championship like she’s supposed to, like a champion should. But if the injury lingers too long, I believe she should probably be stripped. And then I should be the AEW undisputed Women’s World Champion like I was supposed to be at All Out. That’s verbatim. I think she should defend her title. I think all champions should defend that championship. That doesn’t just go for Thunder Rosa. That goes for everybody.”

These comments come one month after Storm referred to her Interim status as "nonsense" in conversation with Bleacher Report's Chris Mueller:-

"I guess my first thing would be to beat Thunder Rosa and stop this interim nonsense. That's kind of what's been bothering me. I think that's been bothering a lot of people because she's still calling herself the AEW women's world champion and I'm the one here every week doing the work. Right now. I guess it's about being a good champion, being a strong champion. That's what I'm up against every day. I'm working harder than I ever had in my entire career. The time is now. I look at every week as just an opportunity to prove myself. I love giving it my all and who knows where we go from here? But all I know is I'm gonna continue to work hard."

Storm and Rosa's current situation would typically be resolved via a title unification match. This puts Toni in a potentially frustrating situation, as the Women's World Champion's absence remains indefinite.

AEW founder and CEO Tony Khan's comments during Thursday's pre-Full Gear media call may come as a relief. Speaking on Storm and Rosa, he said he had considered making Toni the Women's World Champion, not the Interim Women's World Champion, recently, and may act in the future. There's no time on when this might happen, though Khan noted that he will give Thunder Rosa every opportunity to return and put the gold on the line.

For now, the status quo remains - and Storm defends the Interim Title, not the true title, against Hayter tomorrow.