Mariah May was encouraged to stop with public displays of affection with Mina Shirakawa and Toni Storm by AEW, according to the British wrestler herself. Speaking on the Wrestling with Freddie podcast, May recalled the backstage reaction to her locking lips with her long-time tag-team partner Shirakawa during an episode of AEW programming.
“It was not pitched. We just did it. Mina and I are extremely close. We’ve always been very close in Stardom. We just did it. The next time around, they were like, ‘Hey, can you guys stop kissing?’”
May blamed the request on an “archaic view” of things, adding that it’s her choice who she kisses and she would say if she was not comfortable. The number-one contender for the AEW Women’s World Champion added that her kissing Mina earned gripes from “the usual suspects.”
“‘Oh my God. This is setting women’s wrestling back so much.’ It’s like, first of all, no one made us do it. We chose to do it... Like I said, if I don’t want to do something, I won’t.”
May and Mina kissed shortly after Shirakawa’s arrival in AEW earlier this year. The two also shared a three-way kiss with Toni Storm at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door after Storm retained her title against Shirakawa. Storm and May had previously kissed on AEW programming.
What’s To Come?
May has had little reason to kiss anyone ever since turning on Storm following her win in the Owen Hart Women’s Foundation Tournament. The former allies will face off at AEW All In: London 2024 this Sunday inside Wembley Stadium. The show will be a homecoming for May though she has yet to compete inside Wembley. The match will be Storm’s second match in the Stadium after competing at last year’s All In: London pay-per-view.
Stay tuned to SE Scoops for all the latest on AEW All In: London 2024 including breaking news and match results from this weekend’s event.
