Former WWE Star and current AEW Star Toni Storm recently appeared on an episode of Busted Open Radio, where she revealed the reasons she abruptly left the WWE in December of 2021. According to Storm, she just freaked out and went home as she hasn't returned to her home in about two and a half years after being on the road for seven years plus the amount of negativity that you hear about WWE. The AEW Star also said that she has no problems with the WWE and she is actually really grateful for the time that she got to have there as she learned so much.
Toni Storm also said there was just a moment where she realized it wasn’t for her anymore and as much as she dreamt of being a wrestler as a child, she realized that maybe this isn’t the place for her no longer and she does not want to take someone else’s spot that actually really wants to be there.
Toni Storm said:
“I guess I just freaked out and went home.” “I went two and a half years without going home at all and that’s after a life of like – well, about seven years of being on the road.” “Like, I left for England. About seven or eight years had passed and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ And then take into account the amount of negativity that you hear about WWE and then add that on top of it.”
“And I’m not saying that I had a problem with WWE at all. I’m actually really grateful for the time that I got to have there. I learned so much. And you know what? It was so cool. It was real and it was cool. But in the end, it wasn’t real cool. And something just happened and I left. And it felt – I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, to be honest.”
“I just kinda – you know, have you ever lost it? Have you ever just lost your mind? That’s kinda what happened, I guess. The stress of not seeing family in years and then just so many overwhelming things all at once and uh, yeah. I’ve been happier ever since.”
“There was just a moment where I realized it wasn’t for me, and as much as I might have romanticized it as a child and thought that this is my dream and this is what I have to accomplish, I just realized that maybe it’s not and maybe, this isn’t the place for me and who am I to take someone else’s spot that actually really wants to be here. That’s not fair and I just thought I’m still going to be a wrestler.”
“It wasn’t the place for me, it just wasn’t. I really thought it was and I guess I romanticized it so much in my head and I thought this is where I’ve got to be and I guess I got there and it wasn’t the same thing that I wanted, it just didn’t sit right, there’s so many reasons.”
Toni Storm also talked about how when she left the WWE she really had no intentions of going anywhere else, but she feels like in AEW she has been given a second chance at her wrestling career.
Toni Storm said:
“I felt really overwhelmed in that moment.” “I was excited and really happy because I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at my career and it’s not all over. When I left WWE I wasn’t banking on going anywhere else.”
Toni Storm then talked about how she was lacking motivation during her time in NXT and how since then she has been training really hard and getting the proper diet.
Toni Storm said:
“I’ve been going pretty hard for about a year.” “I feel during my time in NXT and after the pandemic, I was feeling a bit slow, lacking motivation a bit, but I pushed through. But just in the last year, I’ve managed to get my diet and training down. I don’t know. I guess I’m growing up. I’m coming out of my early 20’s and I’m, like, being careful and I’m being better.”
You can check out Toni Storm's full comments at this link. H/T to Wrestling Inc. for transcribing the above quotes.
