Folks, the storm is heading back to Japan. No, not the one from the weather channel—the Timeless Toni Storm. After a crushing loss at Wembley to Mariah May during AEW’s All In, Storm has dusted herself off, wiped off the glitter, and set her sights on Japan once more. And this time, she’s got her eyes on some serious gold—Mayu Iwatani’s IWGP Women’s Championship.
According to Fightful, Storm made her grand reappearance today via video at STARDOM’s Namba Grand Fight in Osaka, after Iwatani and Hanan’s loss to AZM and Miyu Amasaki. Forget sneaky run-ins or surprise challenges in the ring—Toni did things her way, dramatically sitting in front of a fireplace (as all wrestling challenges should be made). In the video, she threw out a question that cut deep: “Have you all forgotten about me?”
Well, have they? Apparently, Storm’s not just content being “Timeless,” she wants to remind everyone that her time in STARDOM wasn’t a fluke. With the poise of a wrestling Shakespearean villain, she added: “In 2017, I became the World of STARDOM Champion. But some people say it was just an accident. I will prove that it wasn’t!” And that’s when she dropped the challenge for Iwatani’s IWGP Women’s Championship at the upcoming STARDOM Nagoya Golden Fight on October 5. Forget pumpkin spice season—it’s IWGP Championship season now.
For those wondering, this isn’t Storm’s first rodeo in STARDOM. Between 2016-2018, she racked up titles like it was a buy-one-get-one sale—World of STARDOM Champion, SWA World Champion, and a two-time winner of the 5Star Grand Prix and Cinderella Tournaments. In AEW, she’s been equally busy, tying Hikaru Shida for most Women’s World Championship reigns at three apiece.
Her target, Mayu Iwatani, isn’t exactly a pushover either. She’s been IWGP Women’s Champion since April 23, 2023, when she toppled Mercedes Mone at STARDOM All-Star Grand Queendom. Since then, she’s successfully defended her title against a who’s who of top-tier competition—Utami Hayashishita, Syuri, Mina Shirakawa, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Sareee, and even WWE’s newest signee, Stephanie Vaquer. Iwatani’s over 500-day reign as champ has been nothing short of epic, and now, Timeless Toni is coming to end it.
Will Storm prove her doubters wrong and reclaim the gold? Or will Iwatani continue her legendary run and send Toni back to her fireplace for more monologues? We’ll find out on October 5th in Nagoya.