The card for AEW WrestleDream has a new championship match, as Kris Statlander is set to defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against former titleholder Toni Storm. The bout was made official during the sixth-anniversary episode of Dynamite.
The challenge was initiated by Storm following her victory over Tay Melo. In a post-match promo, she directly addressed her loss of the championship at All Out, stating she heard “nothing” after the defeat, and then laid out the challenge. “You name the time! You name the place! And I will be…!” Storm declared.
Later in the broadcast, Kris Statlander accepted the terms. During an interview with Renee Paquette conducted before her Mixed Tag Team Match, the champion responded directly to her new challenger. “All this time has passed, and we have never wrestled one on one. But you know who I am: a fighting champion, a supreme being — a cosmic killer! So, if you want the answers you’re looking for, let’s do this, for the AEW Women’s World Championship, at WrestleDream.”
This match represents Storm’s first opportunity to reclaim the title she lost at All Out 2025. Her previous reign, which lasted 217 days, ended via a flash pin in a contest that also involved Thekla and Jamie Hayter.
For Statlander, this will be her second defense of the AEW Women’s World Championship. Her first successful title defense occurred on the September 24 episode of Dynamite, where she defeated Mina Shirakawa.
The AEW Women’s World Championship match joins a developing card for WrestleDream. Other announced contests include “Hangman” Adam Page defending the AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe and an I Quit Match between Darby Allin and Jon Moxley.