One of the first matches announced for next weekend’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door was “Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Athena for the AEW Women’s World Championship. Since winning a world title contract at last month’s AEW All In, Athena’s been gearing up for her challenge against Storm, with the two brawling on the most recent “AEW Dynamite.” Bully Ray enjoyed the interaction but felt that it needed something extra at the end, as revealed on “Busted Open After Dark.”
“I’m just gonna use a table for an example,” Bully said. “If they would’ve went off that segment with Toni and Alex [Windsor] double spinebustering Mercedes [Mone] or Athena through a table, or something like that just to put a good exclamation point on the segment, I think it would’ve put the segment over the top.”
Bully did enjoy the tag team match that preceded Wednesday’s brawl, calling it “as crisp as it possibly could be.” There was another area where things could’ve been improved, but it had more to do with the audience than anything that was actually happening in the ring. Bully wished the crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, had been more fired up for this week’s show.
“There were times when I was really excited for what I was seeing, and I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m not hearing or seeing the feedback,'” Bully continued. “They were a little dull tonight.”
The performers will have another chance to get the crowd hyped next week, as the story is set to continue with a tag match pitting Storm and Windsor against Athena and Mone. After that is Forbidden Door, set for August 24 at the O2 Arena in London, England. In addition to Storm vs. Athena, that show will include Mone and Windsor taking part in a four-way bout for the TBS Championship, among other matches.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open After Dark” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
