Toni Storm recently made a shock return to NXT when she appeared on the video wall at NXT TakeOver 31 to announce her defection to the black and gold brand.
Now, the former NXT UK Women’s Champion has spoken to ComicBook.com about her time away from the ring and the challenges of NXT.
“It was quite eye-opening for me having all this time off, but it was good for me physically, but not doing something that I’ve loved since I was 13 years old, kind of takes a toll mentally,”
Though she seems to have missed the in-ring competition, Storm was keen to point out the mental and physical benefits of her eight month hiatus. She further elaborated:
“I just realised that this is where I need to be more than anywhere in the world. It’s revitalised my passion as a whole. In a way, maybe the break was kind of a good thing. The bruises have healed and I’m ready to dive right back in, and it’s nice to start things off with a clean slate.”
The 24-year-old was last seen on WWE television in February this year where she lost an ‘I Quit’ match against Kay Lee Ray. The result meant she could not challenge for the NXT UK Women’s Championship again whilst Ray is champion.
A win against Aliyah on this week’s edition of NXT was Storm’s first taste of in-ring action since a dark match against Isla Dawn at an NXT UK taping in March, but that has not halted her ambition.
Toni Storm has her sights firmly set on Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship, and hopes to replicate the result of the 2018 Mae Young Classic Final that earned her a shot at the NXT UK Women’s Championship at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.