Mercedes Mone and Toni Storm on AEW star’s radar of dream opponents

AEW Women’s Champion Thekla named Mercedes Mone and Toni Storm as two wrestlers she would like to face in the future during a recent interview with The Sportster.

Along with mentioning former rival Mina Shirakawa as someone she admires, Thekla said Mone and Storm are two “dream opponents” she hopes to share the ring with someday.

“Mercedes [Moné] is obviously somebody who probably thinks of herself as some icon or idol here. I have a lot to say about that. Toni Storm, being the Timeless One. She’s built a platform for herself that is so far away from everything that we’re doing. It’s almost been untouchable for a long time and [she] has held [the AEW Women’s Championship] more times than I can count on this hand. She’s one of the big ones in our company, and I’d love to see who’s got it in the end,” stated Thekla. 

The champion also spoke about winning the AEW Women’s Championship less than a year into her run with the promotion.

“In German, we say, ‘Wissen ist Macht’. It means wisdom is power. If you get that inside knowledge, that’s how I [was able to win the AEW Women’s Championship] in eight months.”

Thekla also spoke about her Triangle of Madness teammates Julia Hart and Skye Blue.

“I see a lot of myself in them, and I see a lot of talent they have that I try to incorporate into what I’m doing. I also hope that I can give them a little bit of inspiration or knowledge about how to make it and navigate yourself in this business.”

Thekla arrived in AEW in May of last year after nearly four years with World Wonder Ring Stardom.

 

AEW to crown Women’s Champion on TNT premiere

One of AEW’s inaugural champions will be crowned on the promotion’s TNT premiere.

It was announced via Sports Illustrated today that the first AEW Women’s Champion will be decided on their first television episode. The Women’s World title belt is set to be unveiled at All Out on August 31.

Further details on how the Women’s Champion will be determined will be revealed on next week’s Road to All Out episode.

“For many female wrestlers, the opportunity to fight for the title represents the crowning achievement of their careers,” Brandi Rhodes told Sports Illustrated. “The AEW Women’s Championship will be the cornerstone of the women’s division.”

“The championship will be treated with the utmost respect and prestige,” Rhodes said. “We hope to inspire future female wrestlers to dream of holding such a meaningful title.”

AEW’s TV premiere is taking place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, October 2, with tickets going on sale tomorrow (August 2) at noon Eastern time. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho and two mystery partners has been announced for the episode. Cody Rhodes will also face Sammy Guevara.

The winner of Jericho vs. Hangman Page at All Out will become the first AEW World Champion. Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) are facing The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) at All Out, with the winning team getting a first-round bye in AEW’s upcoming Tag Team title tournament.