Can Toni Storm complete her “Hollywood Homecoming” with a title victory? She tears up what looks like a script after the opening bell, with the announcers joking about her going off book. Hikaru Shida doesn’t appear to find anything funny about her, nor does Mariah May, watching backstage, enjoy seeing her idol take tons of chops from the champ.
Storm fights back with a bulldog and winds up big time for a dramatic elbow strike. Toni covers but barely even gets a one count.
Headbutts make Shida reel a bit, which May likes a lot more. The challenger lays in some more strikes some but takes some coming back, including a big running knee.
In the corner, Shida drops down a series of forearm shots, then follows with a missile dropkick for two. Storm slams the champ back from the apron into the ring and covers for her own two count, then gets her shoe from Luther. When referee Aubrey Edwards takes that shoe, Storm gets another one that Luther has tucked into her waistband and connects for a close near fall.
Shida recovers to hit a counter Storm Zero, but she’s still feeling the effects of the shoe shot and both women are slow to rise. The champ just wears out the challenger with forearm shots and a Falcon Arrow, but Storm kicks out.
After Storm moves away, Shida misses a meteora, looking like she landed hard, and gets caught in an ankle lock. Storm tries hitting Shida with her own shoe and gets clocked in the face, so Shida gets her kendo stick … but is prevented from using it by Luther, who takes the wrath of the champ instead.
Meanwhile, Storm tucks what looks like a small frying pan into her shorts before nearly getting rolled up for three. She recovers for a deadlift German suplex before hitting a hip attack aided by the pan to win it.
May comes out to present Storm with flowers, cheering for her as she becomes the new champ. In black and white, of course.