The word on the street is that Mariah May is on her way to AEW. Mariah has spent the last 9 months in Stardom churning out 99 matches against some of the very best in the world. Not only was May growing as an in-ring talent by leaps and bounds but she innately sells you on her connection with whoever she shares the ring with. So while she’s more than able to carry the work rate load in any North American wrestling promotion, her character work is ready to hit the ground running.
Make no mistake about it: This is a big signing by Tony Khan (assuming it has happened, I like to preface). My only question about Mariah May in AEW is how immediate of an impact does she make? If it’s an NJPW talent, you can get away with sending them out on Dynamite with their music and getting a big pop. We have yet to see how knowledgeable this same audience is about Stardom talent. You don’t want to risk a lack of crowd reaction (or the dreaded “Who are you?” chant) due to unfamiliarity. At the same time, do you short change Mariah May by not treating her like the big deal she is right off the bat?
There is speculation that Mariah May could be brought in as a part of the majorly popular “Timeless Toni Storm” angle, and given how effortlessly she sold Stardom fans on her bond to characters such as Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, and Hanan, Mariah could seamlessly slip into this storyline and very quickly get over as Toni Storm’s best friend on the planet. She’s that good. But if that’s not where May gets slotted, I have no doubt she’ll be compelling anywhere else on the card.
Not only can Mariah’s in-ring and character work ready for National TV but at a moment’s notice, she can do match commentary as well as evidenced by her doing English commentary for Stardom All Star Grand Queendom. I thought she added so much on commentary during Mina Shirakawa vs Saya Kamitani to make Mina’s white belt victory feel even more special.
I am so excited for AEW audiences to meet Mariah May. She’s going to do great things in North America. I can say with zero hesitation that you should get hyped and buy all the Mariah May stock you can now. Off the top of my head, I can’t wait to see what Mariah May vs Kris Statlander would look like. Or Mariah May vs Willow Nightingale. Mariah May vs Athena! Or Julia Hart?! And of course, when she returns, Mariah May vs Jamie Hayter… This is going to be awesome.
You can let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter at @aew_one. Thanks for reading and, as always, make sure the women in your life know how much you appreciate them! 🙂
