In the long run, Storm’s decision to leave WWE and sign with AEW wound up being the best decision she ever made in his career. Even if one takes Storm’s four AEW Women’s World Championship reigns, her run as “Timeless” Toni Storm, and her beloved feud with former AEW star Mariah May out of the equation, it would seem obvious that the move was a major benefit for the still only 29 year old superstar. Storm has been used consistently since joining the promotion, save for a several month hiatus last year, has been given the freedom to show up in other promotions and pursue outside projects, such as staring in the film “Queen of the Ring,” and has quickly become someone, much like Swerve Strickland, who feels like a day one AEW talent, even though she’s only been in AEW for four years. Whatever way you slice it, Storm’s jump hasn’t just worked out, it’s really worked out.

Storm’s career pivot from WWE to AEW also should serve as a valuable lesson to many other wrestlers out there. As noted, Storm always had the potential to reach where she was now, it was just about getting the opportunity and the right backing. It happened, it just didn’t happen in WWE like many expected, a fair mistake given that AEW was only in its working stages when Storm first burst onto the WWE scene. But with AEW now established in the American wrestling landscape for years to come, it provides wrestlers who may find themselves stuck in WWE, or vice versa, to explore other options, step out of their comfort zones, and maybe figure out that doing so was the best thing they could do. After all, it certainly was for “Timeless” Toni Storm.