Toni Storm gets a rematch for the AEW Women’s Championship. TNA crowns a brand new Knockouts Champion. Safire Reed wins the Femmes Fatale tournament, and more.
Statlander vs. Storm Set For AEW WrestleDream
At AEW All Out, Kris Statlander surprised fans and Toni Storm when she pinned the “timeless” performer to capture the AEW Women’s World Championship. Since then, Storm has bounced back with a win over Tay Melo on AEW Dynamite, though not without a dramatic post-match speech.
“At All Out, when the bell rang, I did not hear victory. I did not hear defeat. I heard nothing, a silence so deep that it completely gobbled me up,” Storm said. “And then I stared at her because in that moment she was everything that I wasn’t, a glorious champion. Then when I left the ring, all the questions followed me into the dark. Without the title, who the bloody hell am I? Kris Statlander, I’m not finished with you. I need to know one on one. You name the time, you name the place, and I will be [timeless].”
Statlander, who picked up a win over Marina Shafir and Wheeler Yuta in the same night, accepted Storm’s challenge, circling AEW WrestleDream in St. Louis, Missouri as the time and place. AEW later made the match official, with Statlander and Storm following the announcement with a brawl up the entrance ramp.
AEW WrestleDream will mark the first-ever singles encounter between Statlander and Storm. At All Out, Storm defended the AEW Women’s Championship in a four-way also involving Statlander, Jamie Hayter, and Thekla. Hayter and Thekla have continued fighting with one another, prompting Hayter to call for the first-ever Women’s Blood and Guts match in AEW history.
RELATED: AEW Dynamite: Blood And Guts Date And Location Announced
TNA Crowns Brand New Knockouts Champion
Just 33 days into her reign as TNA Knockouts Champion, Ash By Elegance shared the unfortunate news that she’d have to step away from in-ring competition. As such, she reluctantly relinquished the title, with TNA crowning a new champion shortly thereafter at Victory Road.
To determine who’d be the new Knockouts Champion, the company first held a battle royal involving Kelani Jordan, Lei Ying Lee, Cassie Lee, Dani Luna, Heather By Elegance, Jessie McKay, Jody Threat, Lili La Pescadita, M By Elegance, and Xia Brookside. When Jordan and Lei emerged as the final two competitors in the battle royal, they then shifted to a one-on-one title match, with Indi Hartwell as the special guest referee.
It was Jordan who found the ultimate victory as she pinned Lei to claim the vacant TNA Knockouts Championship. Afterward, an emotional Ash raised the hand of her former protege and congratulated her on the win.
Looking ahead, Jordan will defend the Knockouts Championship against Hartwell at TNA Bound For Glory on October 12. She will also compete in next week’s showdown pitting TNA talents against those of WWE NXT. Jordan, though technically an NXT talent, will lead the TNA Knockouts team consisting of herself, Cassie Lee, Jessie McKay, and Mara Sade (fka Jakara Jackson). They will take on team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, Jaida Parker, and Sol Ruca) in a four-on-four elimination match.
RELATED: What Joe Hendry And Jordynne Grace Could Be Doing At WWE NXT vs. TNA Showdown
Safire Reed Wins Femmes Fatale Tournament
UK native Safire Reed continues to raise her stock.
Last weekend, eight of the world’s best wrestlers competed in the Femmes Fatales, an annual single-elimination tournament held by wXw in Germany. This year’s talent lineup included:
- Safire Reed
- Anita Vaughan
- B3CCA
- Leyla Hirsch
- Orsi
- Baby Allison
- Emersyn Jayne
- Stephanie Maze
Anita Vaughan found success in the 2024 iteration by defeating Debbie Keitel in the finals. This year, however, she met her match in the form of Safire Reed.
Vaughan carved a path to the finals of the 2025 Femmes Fatales by besting Emersyn Jayne and Orsi. Meanwhile, Reed pushed through with wins over Stephanie Maze and Leyla Hirsch. In the 2025 Femmes Fatales finals, Reed repeated the pattern with an impressive victory over Vaughan after nearly 15 minutes of action.
Naturally, Reed’s celebration then spilled out to social media. “FEMMES FATALES 2025 WINNER,” she wrote on X. “One of the most amazing weekends of my life. Thank you for all the love.”
Vaughan, who is also Reed’s tag team partner in other indie promotions, followed with an emotional congratulations, writing, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put into words just how much last night’s match meant to me. We tore the house down, Saf. Hyperactive forever.”
RELATED: Anita Vaughan Reflects On Will Ospreay’s Pedigree on ‘Triple H’ Going Viral
INTERVIEWS
AEW Women’s Champion Kris Statlander spoke with The Takedown on SI about AEW’s residency at the 2300 Arena, her run thus far in 2025, what the future holds for herself, the AEW Women’s Division, venturing out the Pro Wrestling EVE in the United Kingdom, and more.
All Elite Wrestling wrestler Thekla joined Denise Salcedo to talk about her time in Japan, how she became a wrestling fan, what her experience has been like so far in AEW, walking into AEW for the first time, the proper pronunciation of her name, and more.
WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to discuss the highs and lows of her WWE career, the reason behind her in-ring retirement and absence from the wrestling spotlight, kissing former WWE CEO Vince McMahon on television, her Hall of Fame induction, working with Maven, and more.
WWE NXT star Lola Vice chatted with Sports Illustrated about her journey from fighter to pro wrestler, training in NXT Under Shawn Michaels, representing Latina culture, Stephanie Vaquer’s rise as world champion on WWE’s main roster, which legend she most wants to face in the ring, her, NXT Women’s Championship match against Jacy Jayne and more.
WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton sat down with Going Ringside to talk about the recent injury rumors surrounding herself, her memorable Barbie-themed entrance, WrestleMania returning to Las Vegas next year, winning the women’s title early in her career, WWE expanding its partnership with Saudi Arabia, and more.
