Mariah May is AEW's Next Breakout Star

Sportskeeda Wrestling

Check out Sportskeeda's brand new game, BrainBuster! Can you become the undisputed quiz champion? Play now to find out - https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/brainbuster-wwe-player-guessing-game  Join us as we explore why Mariah May is poised to become AEW's next breakout star! From her impressive in-ring skills to her captivating presence, Mariah has everything it takes to shine in All Elite Wrestling. We'll cover her journey, highlight some of her most memorable matches, and discuss what makes her stand out in the wrestling world  You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe  #mariahmay #tonistorm #tonykhan #aew #allelitewrestling #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling

Transcript

00:00And the award goes to Mariah May!

00:05Mariah May turned on Timeless Toni Storm on AEW Dynamite.

00:09This happened after she won the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament which allowed her to

00:13challenge her mentor, AEW Women's Champion Toni Storm at AEW All In 2024.

00:20Storm was at ringside to celebrate Mariah's win, but she was blindsided by her protege

00:24as May attacked Storm with her Owen Hart cup belt and followed it with a vicious, bloody

00:29attack using Storm's heels.

00:31With this, Mariah May has become one of the most talked about wrestlers in AEW and her

00:35upcoming clash with Toni Storm for the AEW Women's Championship feels epic.

00:41Fans who do not follow wrestling outside of WWE and AEW might not be aware of Mariah May's

00:46work.

00:47She had a passion for professional wrestling long before she ever laced up her boots and

00:50stepped into the ring.

00:52She started her journey as a ring announcer in 2018 and gradually transitioned into wrestling.

00:58In June 2019, May participated in a three-day WWE tryout at the UK WWE Performance Center

01:05where she received coaching from William Regal.

01:08Unfortunately, she did not get signed but had incredible things to say.

01:12Speaking to Love Wrestling, May spoke on what she learned.

01:16She said quote,

01:17I just felt so blessed to do that.

01:19The tryout itself was incredible.

01:21I learned so much and it was good to kind of show what you've been working on too.

01:26I was really gratifying to kind of get the opportunity to show your hard work.

01:30For me, I was just trying to be a sponge and take everything in."

01:34End quote.

01:36Following this, she continued wrestling in the indies.

01:38By 2022, she had already made a name for herself in her native country of the United Kingdom.

01:44This is when she went to Japan and joined the World Wonder Ring Stardom, joining one

01:48of Japan's premier women's wrestling promotions at a very young age, allowing her to show

01:52her in-ring abilities on a global stage.

01:55Her dynamic wrestling style combining strength and agility quickly made her a fan favorite.

02:00Stand back, there's a new wrestling quiz coming through.

02:04Check out Brain Buster, the daily quiz that tests your WWE knowledge with winning strengths,

02:10stats and more.

02:11It's time to see if you're up for the challenge.

02:15She made her official debut by accompanying Mina Shirakawa to the ring.

02:19This became one of the highlights of Mariah's stardom career.

02:22Mina took Mariah under her wing, and her guidance helped Mariah adopt the unique style

02:26of Japanese wrestling, enhancing her technical skills and storytelling in the ring.

02:31However, soon this mentorship blossomed into a strong on-screen partnership which also

02:35featured some controversial moments where the two were seen kissing.

02:39Their alliance was a focal point in various storylines.

02:42Together, they competed in high-profile matches, often teaming up to take on some of the promotion's

02:47top talent.

02:48She went on to win the Goddess of Stardom Championship alongside Shirakawa.

02:52However, not too long after this, she signed a deal with AEW and left stardom.

02:58She was relatively unknown to the AEW fanbase, but Toni Kahn did a good job of introducing

03:03her to the fans.

03:04She made her debut in a segment with RJCity where she was portrayed as a fan of Women's

03:09World Champion, Timeless Toni Storm, who had just won the championship.

03:13In the following months, Storm adopted her as an understudy and protege.

03:18During that revolution, Mae began using Storm's previous Rockstar persona and wore Toni's

03:22old ring attire coming out to her old entrance music.

03:26She began wrestling matches on Dynamite and Collision in this persona as a tribute to

03:30Storm.

03:31She was so good that Storm presented her with the inaugural Toni Award for her portrayal

03:35of the Rockstar gimmick.

03:37Although both Storm and Mae were heels, they were so entertaining that fans started cheering

03:41for them, turning them into tweeners.

03:44As she was doing some of the best work of her career, her former stardom partner Mina

03:48Shirakawa came to AEW and started feuding with Storm.

03:52She was booked to face Toni for the AEW Women's Championship at Forbidden Door.

03:57In the weeks leading up to the event, Mae was in the center of a love triangle storyline

04:01which saw her torn between supporting Storm and Shirakawa.

04:05Ultimately, Mae chose to remain neutral.

04:07After Storm defeated Shirakawa at Forbidden Door on June 30th, she resolved the conflict

04:12with a three-way kiss.

04:14With this, it became one of the most intriguing storylines in AEW.

04:19Following this, Mae participated in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament with the winner

04:23facing the AEW Women's Champion Toni Storm at AEW All In.

04:29Mae was one of the favorites to win.

04:31She defeated the outcast Saraya in the first round and Hikaru Shida in the second round.

04:36She knocked out two former AEW Women's Champions in two matches.

04:41Clearly, AEW wanted something big for her.

04:44She went on to defeat Willow Nightingale and won the tournament.

04:47In less than a year, Mariah Mae won a major tournament in AEW.

04:52That's what we call success.

04:55We all know what happened after Mariah won the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

04:59She celebrated with Storm on the stage, but after grabbing the title, she nailed the Women's

05:04Champion and left her laying on the ramp with blood pouring all over her face.

05:08It came out of nowhere and left fans intrigued.

05:11Now will she win the AEW Women's Championship from Toni Storm at All In at Wembley Stadium

05:17in her home country?

05:18That's a different question, but winning the Owen Hart Tournament allows her to showcase

05:23her talent at a top level.

05:25She has never wrestled for the Women's Championship before and getting this opportunity in AEW's

05:29biggest show in her home country is a huge accomplishment.

05:33This shows how much AEW trusts her.

05:36Now many would think that she has not done much work to earn the championship right now,

05:40but just know it's the UK.

05:43Considering that last year fellow UK wrestler Saraya won the AEW Women's World Championship,

05:48there's a strong possibility that Mariah could win the championship in her home country.

05:53Additionally, Mariah Mae defeating Toni Storm makes sense from a storyline perspective.

05:57However, there's also the argument that Toni Storm still has much more to accomplish

06:02with the title.

06:03Even if she doesn't win the title, this will solidify her status as a top woman competitor

06:07in AEW which is good for business.

06:10Mae is already one of the most well-rounded wrestlers in the AEW Women's division.

06:15She is still just 25 years old and had her first match less than 5 years ago.

06:20This just goes to show you how much of a natural she is and how much of an asset she will continue

06:25to be for the promotion.

06:27On the other hand, Mae has also tried her hand in acting and appeared in Deep Heat in

06:31the UK which is a wrestling-based show.

06:33She also used to be active on Twitch and YouTube.

06:37There is no doubt she can pull viewers with her natural charisma, but what do you think

06:41about Mariah Mae?

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Transcript

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