Yesterday, the news broke that Toni Storm had requested, and been granted, her release from WWE. After a successful run in NXT UK, she was called up to the main roster but spent months on the sidelines before being buried in a feud with SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.
Now, Dave Meltzer has provided some clarification on what led to her departure. Talking on today's Wrestling Observer Radio, he says that a big part of the reason for her leaving was "burnout." He suggests that things like having a pie (literally) thrown in her face likely contributed to Storm leaving, especially when she was supposed to be the babyface in that feud with Flair. Bad booking plagued her run on the main roster from day one, so this isn't overly surprising.
Meltzer would later point out that WWE clearly wanted to use the storyline with Storm to protect and build Flair, likely lading to frustration on her part. It's rare for the company to grant a release this quickly when it's requested, so it should be interesting hearing Storm's side of the story.
Unfortunately, with a 90-day non-compete likely in place, it could be a while before we get that. There's already buzz about Storm heading to AEW and that company would benefit massively from her presence.
We'll keep you updated as and when we learn more.