AEW’s Toni Storm Explains Why She Left WWE

Toni Storm made her AEW debut a few weeks ago and seems to have hit the ground running into a first feud with Jamie Hayter that will take place as a match in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament. Storm couldn’t be more thrilled with how her return to wrestling felt, but at one point she seemed primed to be one of the next big stars in WWE after moving from NXT to SmackDown. Storm recently explained what prompted her to leave WWE in a new interview with Busted Open Radio, and it came down to several factors, including being apart from family and a realization that WWE might not be the place for her.

Storm was asked if she missed home during her time in WWE, and it certainly was a factor. “I did. I went two and a half years without going home at all. That’s after a life, about seven years of being on the road, I left for England, about seven or eight years had passed. Then, take into account the amount of negativity you hear about WWE and add that on top of it,” Storm said.

“I’m not saying I have a problem with WWE, at all. I’m actually really grateful for the time I had there. I learned so much,” Storm said. “It was so cool. It was real, it was cool, but in the end it wasn’t real cool. Something just happened and I left. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. Have you ever just lost your mind? That’s kind of what happened. The stress of not seeing family in years and so many overwhelming things all at once. I’ve been happier ever since.”

As for requesting her release, Storm says she realized that this wasn’t the place for her, and added that she didn’t want to take a spot from someone who wanted to be there. “I just freaked out and went home. There was a moment where I realized it wasn’t for me. As much as I might have romanticized it as a child and thought it was my dream and what I have to accomplish, I just realized, maybe it’s not and maybe it’s not the place for me,” Storm said.

“Who am I to take someone else’s spot that actually wants to be here? That’s not fair. I’m still going to be a wrestler. I spent years wrestling before WWE and I loved it. All there is to go back to is something that I love, how bad can it be? There was really no point in going further. I didn’t leave on bad terms, it just became abundantly clear that it wasn’t the place for me. I love and respect all the women there, they are amazing, hard-working, and inspire me. That wasn’t my place,” Storm said.

What do you want to see for Storm next in AEW? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

H/T Fightful