AEW Had Big Plans For Toni Storm

The timeline on Toni Storm’s AEW absence has come into clearer focus — and the news is not good for fans hoping to see her back soon. According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Storm has been reported as being out of action until 2027, with the exact nature of her situation being kept deliberately under wraps by the company.

Storm was written off AEW television in a dramatic injury angle on the post-Revolution Dynamite, where she was discovered unconscious in a locker room. But the reality behind the angle is that AEW found out on the day of the show — March 18 — that Storm would not be able to compete. “It came up on 3/18 the day of the show as all plans until the afternoon were for Storm to beat Marina Shafir to lead to the start of a Thekla vs. Toni Storm program for the title,” Meltzer reported.

AEW Building a “Who Attacked Toni Storm” Mystery Angle to Handle Her Extended Absence

The company has pivoted creatively by building a mystery angle around Storm’s absence — described as similar to the classic “Who Shot JR?” storyline — with clues and multiple potential attackers being teased. Notably, Storm was spotted at an autograph signing over the weekend following the angle without selling any injury whatsoever, suggesting the on-screen storyline and the real-life situation are two entirely separate matters. Thekla has already publicly doubted the legitimacy of Storm’s absence on AEW programming, which plays directly into the whodunit narrative the company is building toward an eventual return and reveal.