Toni Storm

Toni in August 2023

###

Auckland, New Zealand

**Toni Rossall** (born October 19, 1995), better known by her ring name **Toni Storm**. is a New Zealand-born Australian professional wrestler, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a a current three-time AEW Women's World Champion, and is tied with Hikaru Shida for the most reigns with the title.

Storm previously wrestled in the Japan based World Wonder Ring Stardom (Stardom), where she was the first non-Japanese wrestler to hold its world title, the World of Stardom Championship. Storm also held Stardom's SWA World Championship for a record-setting reign of 612 days. She is also the winner of the 2017 5★Star GP and the Cinderella Tournament in Stardom, becoming the first person to win both tournaments within the same year.

She also worked for the UK based Progress Wrestling, where she is a former Progress Women's Champion and Germany based Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where she was a two-time wXw Women's Champion.

## Early life

Toni Rossall was born in Auckland, New Zealand on October 19, 1995, but moved to Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia with her mother at the age of 4 when her parents broke up. At age 10, while living on the Gold Coast, she discovered WWE on television and developed a passion for professional wrestling.

## Professional wrestling career

### Early career

Rossall began training at Impact Pro Wrestling's Australian affiliate and debuted for the company under the ring name Storm on October 9, 2009, when she was 13 years old. After five years of honing her skills in Australia, she decided she wanted to become a better wrestler; at the age of 18, she convinced her mother to let her move to England, where she moved into her grandmother's home in Liverpool. While in England, she trained under Dean Allmark. She started working internationally in countries such as Finland, France, Germany, and Spain. Storm took part in a WWE tryout camp in Melbourne on the 2014 WWE Australian tour and the 2015 WWE UK tour.

### World Wonder Ring Stardom (2016–2018, 2019)

In 2016, she began working for the Japanese World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, where she won the SWA World Championship on July 24. On October 2, 2016, Stardom officially announced that Storm had signed with the promotion. After winning the 2017 Cinderella Tournament on April 30, Storm also won the 2017 5★Star GP on September 18, becoming the first wrestler to win the two tournaments in the same year. On September 24, 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. On May, 24, 2018 Dave Meltzer reported that Storm had signed a WWE contract. On 9 June 2018 Storm lost the World of Stardom Championship against Kagetsu. On June 10, 2018 Storm wrestled her last for Stardom match before returing to the promotion in May 2019 teaming with Deonna Purrazzo in a winning effort against Saki Kashima and Shiki Shibusawa. In May 2019 Storm would be scheduled to face Bea Priestley for the World of Stardom Championship before the match being cancelled. On July 7, 2019 Storm would made her last apperance for the promotion for the second time teaming with Arisa Hoshiki and Mayu Iwatani in winning effort defeat Andras Miyagi, Kagetsu and Natsuko Tora.

## Professional wrestling persona and reception

Long before joining WWE, Storm began to develop different personas; although maintaining on a rockstar aesthetic highly influenced by her enjoyment of 1980s glam metal music before settling on that character. Since losing the AEW Women's World Championship to Hikaru Shida in the summer of 2023, Storm adopted "The Illustrious", later "Timeless" persona, which saw her transition into the character of a highly demanding and paranoid Golden Age of Hollywood starlet.

As part of the transition, some notable parts of Storm's "Illustrious", later "Timeless" persona are her mannerisms, outfit and entrance song, which include Storm carrying a much posh accent, similar to the British English's Recieved Pronounciation accent notably portrayed by Queen Elizabeth II, a bobbed and curled haircut, wearing early 20th-century fashion-inspired outfits and appearing in a mix black and white and slow motion early 20's style vignettes.

Some of her traits also include Storm often doing overly exaggerating acting poses during her matches, as well as having a more egoistical and paranoid attitude, as well as a more highly demanding and complaining attitude, as part of her character. "Timeless" Toni Storm began to dictate to AEW's director, telling them "I'm ready for my close up" 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 commerical.

Her entrance song is based on a vintage early 20's Hollywood style jazz genre, named "Somewhere In A Dream"; However, at the beginning at AEW All In, Storm came in her entrance with the British National Anthem "God Save The King", which is also the Royal Anthem of Storm's native Australia. .

Storm's in-ring character was wildely praized by multiple in figures in the professional wrestling industry, with former WWE's competitor president and industry veteran Eric Bischoff, praising Storm's character work claming that Storm "was living and believing to be her character". Her new persona drew comparisons to the widely famous actress and American icon Marilyn Monroe.

Some of Storm's signature moves are a snap piledriver dubbed the *Storm Zero* and a running hip attack to a low cornered opponent.

## Other media

Storm made her video game debut as a playable character in *WWE 2K20* and *WWE 2K22*.

In August 2022, Rossall was featured as the cover girl of *Fitness Gurls* magazine.

## Personal life

In June 2020, it was revealed that Rossall was dating New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) wrestler Juice Robinson. On September 30, 2021, Rossall revealed that she and Robinson had gotten engaged. The two later married in 2022.

On June 22, 2021, Rossall came out as bisexual during her Takeover of the NXT Instagram account for Pride Month.

## In Wrestling

* **Finishing moves**
	+ *Air Raid Crash* (Back-to-belly piledriver)
	+ *Storm Zero* (Snap Piledriver)
	+ *Storm Splash* (Diving Leg Drop)
	+ Toni Driver'18 (Sitout Double underhook powerbomb)
* **Signature moves**
	+ Back Starbucks (Double knee backbreaker)
	+ Big Boot
	+ Clothesline
	+ Double Underhook Powerbomb
	+ DDT
	+ Multiple elbows variations
		- Back elbow
		- Elbow
		- Elbow stamp
	+ Multiple legdrop variations
		- Top Rope Legdrop
		- Guillotine Legdrop
	+ Multiple pin variations
		- Backslide
		- Jacknife Hold
		- Rolling Clutch Hold
		- School Girl (Split-legged evasion transitioned into an inverted roll-up)
		- Small Package
	+ Multiple strike variations
		- Backhand Chop
		- Clothesline
		- Slap
	+ Multiple suplex variations
		- Belly-to-back Suplex
		- Fisherman Suplex
		- Fisherman's Suplex onto Knee
		- German Suplex
		- Snap German Suplex
		- Snap Suplex
		- Superplex
	+ *No Motion Headbutt* (Headbutt to an opponent's jaw or throat)
	+ Running hip attack to a low cornered opponent
	+ *Storm Breaker* (Air raid crash neckbreaker)
	+ Sliding Dropkick
	+ Suicide Dive
* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Round And Round" by Ratt
	+ "Watch What's Next" by Mikey Rukus feat. Suzie Mojo
	+ "Scorn" by Ivey Andrews
	+ **"Somewhere In A Dream"** by Mikey Rukus

## Championships and accomplishments

* **All Elite Wrestling**
	+ AEW Women's World Championship (3 times, current)
	+ AEW Interim Women's World Championship (1 time)
* ***Pro Wrestling Illustrated***
	+ Ranked No. 13 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the *PWI Female 100* in 2019
* **Progress Wrestling**
	+ Progress Women's Championship (1 time, inaugural)
* **Sports Illustrated**
	+ Ranked #7 in the Top 10 Women's Wrestler of the Year (2018)
* **Westside Xtreme Wrestling**
	+ wXw Women's Championship (2 times)
* **World Wonder Ring Stardom**
	+ SWA World Championship (1 time)
	+ World of Stardom Championship (1 time)
	+ 5★Star GP (2017)
	+ Cinderella Tournament (2017)
	+ MVP Award (2017)
* **WWE**
	+ Mae Young Classic (2018)
	+ NXT UK Women's Championship (1 time)