“Timeless” Toni Storm, the queen of the wrestling ring and questionable fashion choices, strutted out of Las Vegas with her AEW Women’s World Championship still intact after a thrilling showdown at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Opponent “The Professor” Serena Deeb, with all her grappling wizardry, couldn’t take the title away from Storm, who was accompanied by her entourage, Luther and Mariah May. May, in a moment of dramatic flair, almost threw in the towel for Storm during a grueling submission hold, proving once again that in wrestling, the drama is as real as it gets.
The match was a seesaw battle of epic proportions. Deeb, channeling her inner surgeon, targeted Storm’s left knee with the precision of a heart surgeon and the tenderness of a jackhammer. Submissions galore, from abdominal stretches to arm bars, were attempted, with Storm countering with her own Cloverleaf move. At one point, it was almost like watching two cats fight over a very elusive ball of yarn.
Storm, in a moment of pure wrestling poetry, reversed a pinfall attempt into a Storm Zero. But because this is wrestling, Deeb kicked out, keeping the excitement and our blood pressure levels high.
The action spilled onto the apron, where Storm aimed to end things with her finisher, only for Deeb to counter with three Dragon Screws that had Storm’s knee looking like a pretzel in a wind tunnel. Deeb then delivered a Deebtox on the apron, followed by another in the ring, but Storm, being the resilient champ she is, kicked out yet again.
Deeb, perhaps thinking she was a bit of a flying squirrel, went to the middle rope. But Storm intercepted her, proving that champions are made of steel nerves and bionic reflexes. After bashing Deeb’s head off the ropes, Storm delivered a piledriver followed by another Storm Zero, sealing her victory and retaining her title.