Toni Rossall[4] was born in
Auckland on 19 October 1995,[6][3] and moved to Australia's
Gold Coast with her mother at the age of four when her parents separated.[7] At the age of 10, while living on the Gold Coast, she discovered
WWE on television and developed an interest in professional wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Rossall began training at a small Gold Coast based wrestling company and debuted when she was 13 years old.[8] After five years of honing her skills with that company, she decided at the age of 18 that she wanted to receive further training to become a better wrestler, and got her mother's permission to move to England and live with her
Liverpool-based grandmother.[4][7] While there, she trained under
Dean Allmark.[4] She then started working internationally in countries such as Finland, France, Germany, and Spain.[4] She took part in a WWE tryout camp in
Melbourne during WWE's 2014 Australian tour,[9] and attended another tryout camp in
Manchester during WWE's 2015 UK tour.[10]
Progress Wrestling (2015–2018)
Storm made her debut for
Progress Wrestling on 14 April 2015, being defeated by Elizabeth.[11] In May 2017, she became the first-ever
Progress Women's Champion after defeating
Jinny and
Laura Di Matteo in a
three-way match.[12] This match marked the first time that female wrestlers competed in the main event of a Progress event.[citation needed] Throughout the year, Storm went on to successfully defend the championship numerous times against challengers like
Kay Lee Ray, Laura Di Matteo and
Candice LeRae. She lost the title to Jinny at Chapter 69: Be Here Now.[citation needed]
World Wonder Ring Stardom (2016–2018)
In 2016, Storm began working for the Japanese promotion
Stardom, where she won the
SWA World Championship on 24 July.[13] On 2 October 2016, Stardom officially announced that Storm had signed with the promotion.[14] After winning the
2017 Cinderella Tournament on 30 April,[15] Storm also won the 2017 5★Star GP on 18 September, becoming the first wrestler to win the two tournaments in the same year.[16] On 24 September, Storm became the new
World of Stardom Champion in an unplanned finish, when
Mayu Iwatani was
legitimately injured during a title defense against her, prompting the
referee to stop the match and award Storm the title.[17][18] On 9 June 2018,
Kagetsu defeated Storm in a title match, ending her reign at 258 days.[19]
On 24 November 2019 on the
TakeOver: WarGames post-show Q&A session with
Triple H, Storm was announced to be a part of the NXT Women's Survivor Series team by team captain Rhea Ripley.[32] At
Survivor Series, Storm was eliminated via submission by
Natalya and
Sasha Banks.[33] At
NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, Storm competed unsuccessfully in a triple threat match for the NXT UK Women's Championship against Kay Lee Ray and Piper Niven.[34] Storm participated in the women's
Royal Rumble match at the
namesake pay-per-view and entered at #20 but was eliminated by Shayna Baszler.[35] Storm wrestled her last match in the brand on 27 February 2020 episode of NXT UK, losing to Kay Lee Ray in an
"I Quit" match.[36]
After an 8-month hiatus, on 4 October 2020 at
TakeOver 31, Storm returned to NXT following the NXT Women's Championship match between Io Shirai and Candice LeRae.[37] She then joined Candice LeRae's team with
Dakota Kai, and
Raquel González for
TakeOver: WarGames, turning
heel.[38] At
Royal Rumble, she entered as #7 and was eliminated by Rhea Ripley.[39] She then competed in a triple threat match for the NXT Women's Championship involving
Mercedes Martinez and reigning champion Io Shirai at
TakeOver: Vengeance Day in a losing effort.[40] On 10 March 2021 episode of NXT, Storm challenged Shirai for the title, where she was again unsuccessful.[41]
Storm debuted on SmackDown on 23 July episode as a
face, defeating
Zelina Vega.[42] She was then defeated by Vega during the
Queen's Crown tournament in the first round.[43] She participated in the 5 on 5
Survivor Series elimination match at
Survivor Series; eliminating both
Carmella and Vega but was then eliminated by
Liv Morgan.[44] Storm then began a program with
SmackDown Women's ChampionCharlotte Flair[45] with Storm winning their first bout via
disqualification.[46] She then received her title opportunity on the Christmas Eve edition of SmackDown[47] in a losing effort.[48] This was her last televised appearance in WWE; the following week, on 29 December 2021, Storm requested a release from her WWE contract and it was immediately granted.[49] In an interview with
Renee Paquette six months later, she explained the reasons that led to her departure from the company and said, "I didn't feel that appreciated. And I just felt like [WWE], at times, didn't have very much respect for me. I feel like, over time, they just crushed my love for wrestling. It just wasn't even wrestling anymore. You're not even allowed to say 'wrestling'."[50]
On 11 January 2023 episode of Dynamite, Storm teamed with
Saraya in a losing effort to Hayter and Baker. Shida accidentally assisted the opposing team with her signature kendo stick, where Baker was able to capitalize, allowing for Hayter to pin Storm for the win.[62] The following week, Storm and Saraya turned heel as they attacked
Willow Nightingale and began slating the AEW homegrown talent.[63] At
Revolution, after Hayter defeated
Ruby Soho and Saraya, Soho attacked Hayter and Baker officially aligning with Storm and Saraya.[64] On 10 March, the group became officially known as
The Outcasts.[65] Over the next month, they continued a winning streak against the homegrown talent while humiliating them with their signature branding using spray paint.[66][67][68]
At
Double or Nothing, Storm defeated Hayter to win her record-setting second AEW Women's World Championship.[69] On the first episode of Collision on 17 June, Storm and Soho made the debut in a tag team match against Blue and
NJPW Strong Women's Champion Willow Nightingale.[70] Storm then retained her title against Nightingale at
Forbidden Door.[71] In July, Storm defeated
Taya Valkyrie in a title match at
Battle of the Belts VII.[72] On 2 August episode of Dynamite 200, Storm lost the title to Hikaru Shida, ending her second reign at 66 days.[73][60] Storm failed to regain the title in a
four-way match involving Shida, Saraya, and Baker at
All In where she got pinned by Saraya.[74] At
All Out, Storm turned on The Outcasts when she stopped Soho from using spray paint against
AEW TBS ChampionKris Statlander in their title match.[75] At
Grand Slam, Storm failed to win the AEW Women's World Championship from Saraya.[76]
"Timeless" (2023–present)
Heartbroken, about losing the AEW Women's World Championship to Hikaru Shida, Storm began to transition to a new on-screen persona of a demanding and paranoid
Golden Age of Hollywood starlet.[77][78] Storm eventually dubbed herself as "Timeless" Toni Storm on 4 October episode of Dynamite.[79] Following the 25 October episode of Dynamite, Storm began to be accompanied in vignettes and to the ring by
Luther, who serves as her personal
butler.[80][81] In the same episode of Dynamite, it was announced that Storm would face Shida for the AEW Women's World Championship at
Full Gear.[82] In the shows that followed after the announcement, Storm has been appearing after Shida's matches in attempts to steal Shida's spotlight to Shida's initial confusion and later, annoyance, causing Shida to attack Storm after one of her spotlight stealing attempts.[83][84][85] On the 8 November of Dynamite, the debuting
Mariah May was introduced as an over-the-top fan of Storm.[86][87] In the following months, Storm adopted Mariah May as an "understudy" and protégé.[88][89] At Full Gear on 18 November, Storm defeated Shida to win the AEW Women's World Championship for a record-tying third time.[90] On December 30 at
Worlds End, Storm successfully defended the AEW Women's World Championship against
Riho.[91]
On March 3, 2024 at
Revolution, Storm successfully defended her title against
Deonna Purrazzo.[92] It was also at Revolution that Mariah May adopted Storm's previous "Rockstar" persona, including wearing Storm's old ring attire and entrance music, and would begin wrestling matches on Dynamite and Collison in this persona as a tribute to her mentor Storm.[93]
Beginning in 2023, Storm took on the persona of a Golden Age of Hollywood starlet, drawing comparisons to
Gloria Swanson and
Norma Shearer
While competing on the independent circuit, Storm began to develop different personas before settling on one highly influenced by her enjoyment of 1980s
glam metal music, leading her to take on a "rock star" aesthetic. This persona carried on through her time under the WWE banner and into the early goings of her run in AEW.[95]
Beginning in the latter half of 2023 in conjunction with her disassociation from The Outcasts stable, she adopted the "Timeless" Toni Storm persona which saw her transition into the character of a demanding and paranoid
Golden Age of Hollywood starlet.[77][96] As part of the transition, Storm dropped her previous rock star aesthetic and began sporting a
bobbed and curled haircut, wearing early 20th-century fashion-inspired outfits and appearing in black and white vignettes.[97] During her matches, "Timeless" Toni Storm began to dictate to AEW's director, telling them "I'm ready for my close up" (quoting
Gloria Swanson's character in
Sunset Boulevard) before a dramatic zoom as well as speaking directly to the audience, informing them "And now a word from our sponsors" just before a break for commercial.[98] The "Timeless" persona drew comparisons to actresses Swanson and
Norma Shearer.[77][99]
^Lambert, Jeremy; Ross Sapp, Sean (29 December 2021).
"Toni Storm Gone From WWE". Fightful.
Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
^AEW Staff (27 August 2023).
"AEW All In: London Results". All Elite Wrestling.
Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
^John Pollock, Wai Ting (7 March 2024).
AEW Dynamite 3/6/24 Review. Post Wrestling. Event occurs at 1:04:00. It's perfect for the understudy type of character that she's playing
^"Women's Championship". wxw-wrestling.com (in German). Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw).
Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
^"wXw Femmes Fatales 2017". wxw-wrestling.com (in German). Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). 7 October 2017.
Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.