Toni Storm recently opened up about her creative experience during her WWE run from 2017 to 2021, stating she often felt “very lost” because of insufficient character guidance. Speaking on the “Marking Out” podcast, Storm explained the complex situation, noting that while she had significant freedom, the lack of a defined direction was a major challenge for her.
She described having what she considered “complete creative freedom,” pointing out that the company never assigned her a specific gimmick or asked her to change her name.
“Wasn’t really told ‘do this, today you’re a cat and your names Tori bloody Smith.’ No one told me anything and I kept my name the whole time and it was like I had complete creative freedom to be honest,” Storm said, while also acknowledging that other talent had very different experiences.
However, Storm revealed this freedom was also a source of uncertainty. She noted that while she received clear production notes for television segments, she was never given guidance for her character, leaving her to rely on written promos or her own improvisation.
“I don’t think I was told what to do enough. I wasn’t told to do anything actually. But overall like, I don’t feel like I was told what to do enough. I was very lost,” she stated.
Storm concluded that she would have welcomed any kind of character framework, no matter how unusual, as it would have given her something concrete to build on. “I wish they would, I would have done anything to be honest. That’s the weird thing about this if they had just given me some mad off the wall thing, I would have 100% gone with it.”
These reflections on her creative past come as Storm is in the middle of a high-profile angle in AEW.
On a recent AEW Collision, a post-match attack by Triangle of Madness on Storm and Kris Statlander led to a run-in from Jamie Hayter. Storm reacted negatively to Hayter’s assistance, which directly led to her challenging Statlander, Hayter, and Thekla to a four-way match for the AEW Women’s Championship at All Out.