Tony Khan Previews Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door

All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling collaborative pay-per-view event is fast approaching with an exciting card. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door will occur at the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, on June 30.

So far, the card has eight matches announced, including five championships set to be defended. One of the matchups that the PPV has been built towards is AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defending her title against Mina Shirakawa.

The feud has been building for several months, with both competing over the attention of Mariah May. The matchup would become official when Storm and Shirakawa signed their contracts on the June 19 episode of AEW Dynamite. Both superstars are expected to be at their best, as they hope to walk away as the AEW Women’s Champion and have May at their side.

Tony Khan On Storyline Between Toni Storm, Mina Shirakawa & Mariah May

AEW President Tony Khan spoke with Bleacher Report’s Doc-Chris Muller to give his insight on the storyline heading into the women’s title match. Khan praised all three superstars for how they have generated intrigue from fans, particularly the growth of Storm and May in AEW.

“…It’s a storyline that I put together based on things Toni Storm has done since becoming ‘Timeless,’ and the integration of Mariah May, and it’s a fascinating dynamic between Toni and Mariah, and I think it’s some of the most captivating on AEW television week in and week out and it’s been fascinating to watch Mariah progress since she came in,” said Khan.

Khan spoke highly of May and how she embraced her character of idolizing Storm since joining AEW. He also credited RJ City for helping him craft the storyline and believes Shirakawa could be a regular on the AEW roster.

“…Mina has become a major part of AEW in recent weeks and I think she’s somebody that can be here on a regular basis. Somebody that can represent us as the AEW Women’s World Champion and Mina has a lot of history with Mariah, and Toni has a ton of history now with Mariah that has been built in this past year, and I felt like this dynamic would work so well, and everybody’s been great,” said Khan.

Tony Khan Previews Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door

The AEW President praised all three performers and believes the women’s title match could be great. He didn’t share who he thought would be victorious but hinted that the storyline could conclude at the PPV.

“…All three of them, Toni, Mariah, and Mina, are fantastic wrestlers, and it’s going to pay off at Forbidden Door in a fantastic match when Toni Storm fights Mina Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s World Championship and also possibly for the respect and affection of Mariah May, and I cannot wait for the match,” said Khan.

Khan added that he loved working with them to create the storyline and how well everyone has performed. It seems likely that Storm will retain her championship, but fans will be interested to see if the results will make May choose who she’d rather be with. Fans must tune in at AEW x NJPW to know how the storyline will unfold.