Toni Storm Opens Up About How WWE 'Crushed My Love For Wrestling'
When Toni Storm shockingly left the WWE late-last year, wrestling fans were very confused as the female wrestler was locked into a storyline with "SmackDown" Women's Champion Charlotte Flair. Her abrupt departure from WWE was reportedly a result of her feeling burnt out, but during an appearance on "The Sessions with Renee Paquette," Storm clarified the reason why she left
"Let's just face it, they fire people left, right, and center out of the blue, and I could be fired next week, and then what's the point?" Storm said. "It just felt very pointless in the end, to be honest, and it's been hard to convey that. Especially to the fans, especially to people who just aren't in this business and they'll never understand. I must sound ridiculous to those people but the reality of what it's actually like [in WWE] is something else.
"I didn't feel that appreciated. I just felt like at times they didn't have very much respect for me and over time they crushed my love for wrestling. It just wasn't even wrestling anymore, you're not even allowed to say wrestling. You get group texts saying 'Don't say professional wrestling in promos,' I understand but like whatever."
Many who dream of performing as a professional wrestler have aspirations of becoming a WWE superstar, but according to Storm, her love for that dream dwindled.
"Over time there was so much f*ckery, so much bullsh**," Storm said. "Each to their own, some people don't get that and some people do and I was just sick of it and tired. What am I doing this for? What am I trying to prove to anyone? Do people really care where I go to do fake wrestling moves? Do people really care that bad that I have to be miserable day in, day out? I was unhappy and why should I be unhappy? So I could do WrestleMania? That's nice and everything but I'm still going to be miserable the next day."
"I thought my whole purpose in life was to go to WWE but then over time, I realized it's pro wrestling that I love, it's not a company that I love. It's pro wrestling."
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Storm after leaving WWE though, as the 26-year-old has revealed she did consider leaving the wrestling business forever. Luckily for wrestling fans that didn't happen and since then, she's refound her love and passion for wrestling in All Elite Wrestling, signing with the company directly after her 90-day non-compete clause with WWE ended.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Sessions with Renee Paquette with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.