{"id":213853,"date":"2026-03-22T12:29:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T17:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=213853"},"modified":"2026-03-24T12:50:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T17:50:55","slug":"the-week-in-womens-wrestling-a-look-at-raw-nxt-and-dynamite-with-trust-issues-amongst-fatal-influence-maxxine-nattie-and-the-toni-storm-whodunit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/03\/22\/the-week-in-womens-wrestling-a-look-at-raw-nxt-and-dynamite-with-trust-issues-amongst-fatal-influence-maxxine-nattie-and-the-toni-storm-whodunit\/","title":{"rendered":"THE WEEK IN WOMENS WRESTLING: A look at Raw, NXT, and Dynamite with trust issues amongst Fatal Influence, Maxxine-Nattie, and the Toni Storm Whodunit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2549038352\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Much like fans of Star Wars celebrate May 4th and marijuana enthusiasts embrace April 20th, WWE held their own provincial calendar party this past Monday, honoring Hall of Famer, Steve Austin. When March 16th falls on a day WWE airs programming, it makes for the perfect occasion to commemorate his iconic 3:16 catchphrase. It was only fitting, thusly, that the wrestling world spend several shows this week locked in on a central theme of the Stone Cold character: Don\u2019t Trust Anybody.<\/p>\n<p>The cohesion within Fatal Influence continued subtly circling the drain on Tuesday. It was just last week, viewers will note, that Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid traded off taking thinly veiled shots at World Champion, Jacy Jayne, and their repeated and thankless efforts to help her retain her title. For her part, Jayne remained perfectly oblivious, focused only on the words of support, not the slight derision sprinkled within.<\/p>\n<p>That all carried over to this week following Henley\u2019s loss to Wren Sinclair, where she ultimately relinquished her Speed Championship. Earlier in the night, her and Reid once again played a role in helping Jayne retain her title. As they later commiserated backstage, Henley grew frustrated with Jayne\u2019s elation over still having her belt. She groused that she would have to compete in a tournament just to receive a rematch for hers and that, unlike Jayne, she would not be able to coast into Stand &amp; Deliver without having another match. Jacy remained focused only on herself, telling her friends it was good that they would be fighting again next week.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t that long ago that Jayne and Henley were co-leaders of the group with a shared focus. It\u2019d be easy to forget by now that Jacy hasn\u2019t always been the only one calling the shots, but as the weeks pass, it seems more certain that Henley remembers. In the meantime, Jayne will remain trusting her partners as well as her sure-footed standing as the leader of Fatal Influence. With the biggest night of the year for NXT fast approaching, something has to give.<\/p>\n<p>One night earlier on Raw, we got a look at life after the betrayal when Maxxine Dupri and Nattie Neidhart went head-to-head. It remained unclear for weeks what exactly Nattie\u2019s issue was with her former protege. Rather than jealousy, Michael Cole explained to viewers that Maxxine had grown complacent, in Nattie\u2019s opinion, after beating Becky Lynch for the Intercontinental title. We all saw the vignettes of the two deep into training sessions, with Maxxine focused on overcoming her limited in-ring skillset and proving everyone wrong by rising to the occasion against Lynch. Once that box was checked, however, the training stopped. So did the phone calls. Feelings of personal disrespect along with that of the profession Nattie had dedicated her life to led to her turning on Dupri at the worst possible time, costing her the title she fought so hard to secure.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to this week, and suddenly Maxxine is back where Nattie first found her &#8211; on the losers end of a payday. Following a quick submission loss to her former mentor, Maxxine could be seen sitting dejected backstage, being attended to by two of the least trustworthy members of the locker room, the Vision\u2019s Logan Paul and Austin Theory. Will Maxxine ever learn?<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, AEW Dynamite presented viewers with the latest in wrestling\u2019s favorite current trope: the whodunit. This time, it was \u201cTimeless\u201d Toni Storm suffering the brunt of a mysterious attack. Splayed on the locker room floor in her trademark repose, only this time with a pool of blood under her head, Storm was the clear victim of a brutal assault. With a frantic Luther and Mina Shirakawa raving about, viewers were left to wonder who exactly was to blame for the attack. There were various objects within sight pointing towards potential culprits &#8211; namely a kendo stick similar to that carried by Hikaru Shida, someone Storm has twice defeated, and a jumbo mallet emblazoned with the name \u201cMegan Bayne.\u201d Attentive viewers, however, may recall that mallet was never wielded by Bayne, but instead by her MegaBad partner, Penelope Ford, when she was dressed as Harley Quinn last year.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps those are all red herrings and the most likely suspects are the ones found closest to the scene of the crime, one or both of the two you\u2019d never suspect &#8211; Luther and Mina Shirakawa. As the saying goes, don\u2019t trust anybody.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-243136361\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/aew-dynamite-darby-in-actual-car-crash-angle-tons-of-revolution-fallout-swerve-wants-kenny-s-evp-status-mina-upsets-shafir-more-3-18--70735307\">CLICK HERE<\/a> (or search \u201cwade Keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AEW DYNAMITE: Darby in actual car crash angle, tons of Revolution fallout, Swerve wants Kenny's EVP status, Mina upsets Shafir, more (3\/18)\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=70735307&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>STRAY OBSERVATIONS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>WWE Raw<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>-As Liv walks us through all of her feelings since joining up with Judgement Day, we\u2019re reminded that everything counts. I love when we\u2019re rewarded as viewers.<\/p>\n<p>-This was far and away A.J. Lee\u2019s most impressive outing since making her return. Are we sure we don\u2019t want an extended program with Bayley?<\/p>\n<p>-I never could square the fact that Becky Lynch was simply done with A.J. With Mania right around the corner, you just knew these two would find each other once more.<\/p>\n<p>-How easy would it have been for that gaggle of agents to NOT get out of the way as Becky ran towards A.J. with the belt?<\/p>\n<p>-Thank you Michael Cole for finally explaining to all of us what the hell is going on between Nattie and Maxxine. Where were you, I don\u2019t know, a month ago?<\/p>\n<p>-Maxxine hanging strong in this match helps her less than it potentially hurts the new version of Nattie. You pulled the trigger on the turn, now commit to it.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2460654482\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>-It\u2019s been tweaked here and there, but Stephanie Vaquer\u2019s entrance screams main event.<\/p>\n<p>-That rollover pin attempt has become popular, but Vaquer does it the best.<\/p>\n<p>-The only bummer with a match like this is knowing we\u2019ll either see Raquel suffer another loss or that it will all be for naught once Liv Morgan gets involved.<\/p>\n<p>-I hope Raquel never sees the light. She\u2019s become such a fun heel.<\/p>\n<p>-People complain that Vaquer\u2019s matches have simply been reduced to the Devil\u2019s Kiss spot, but while it\u2019s certainly the part of her match folks anticipate the most, it diminishes everything else she does each time out to say it\u2019s the only part. She\u2019s found a way to build towards it organically.<\/p>\n<p>-Was not expecting to see Iyo here. Everything we\u2019ve seen and heard has pointed towards a Mania showdown between her and Asuka.<\/p>\n<p>-They seemed to hint at Bayley still struggling with her split personality, or at least some ongoing anger issues, but it\u2019s looking like Lyra finally got through to her. If that\u2019s the end of Jekyll and Hyde Bayley, I\u2019m just happy it was addressed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NXT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>-I went back and watched that dropkick three times. I swear, Sol Ruca actually levitated.<\/p>\n<p>-Those corner spots where a wrestler gets ahold of the one about to execute a move and ends up flipping two wrestlers is typically so contrived. I love the way Zaria just ran over and did it without hesitation.<\/p>\n<p>-Jacy Jayne: \u201cI did it!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>-You\u2019d think they could\u2019ve dressed up Sinclair\u2019s introduction a bit more than simply \u201cFrom Texas.\u201d If the concern was a Houston crowd booing Dallas, why not hype things up a little? \u201cFrom the Lone Star State, Texas\u2019s own\u2026\u201d You know?<\/p>\n<p>-That was a fun three and a half minutes. Both women brought the energy and told a great story considering the time constraints. Wren as Speed Champion should make for an entertaining run.<\/p>\n<p>-I love a story focused on the direction of Thea Hail\u2019s character. More screen time for one of the most unique performers in NXT is a big plus.<\/p>\n<p>-Commentary really drove home the idea of this being the big blowoff between Dame and Tatum. I don\u2019t see Izzi regaining the title.<\/p>\n<p>-We\u2019re constantly being sold on the hatred between Dame and Paxley, but isn\u2019t the whole point of the feud that those feelings are largely one-sided? For her part, Tatum mostly just wants to be left the hell alone.<\/p>\n<p>-Awesome for this match to take place in a real arena on the road with a larger audience than usual. This final chapter deserves that.<\/p>\n<p>-Paxley rises from the dead on the top of the cage. Great visual.<\/p>\n<p>-Tremendous call back to the finish from Vengeance Day. Izzi was ready this time.<\/p>\n<p>-Booker T is the only announcer I\u2019ve ever heard declare a big match over at the start of the three count game NYY for it to actually be over. Of course he did that.<\/p>\n<p>-Blake Monroe would\u2019ve felt like a real ass if Paxley hadn\u2019t stood directly in front of that trap door. And there\u2019s the new feud.<\/p>\n<p>-Ok, this show more than makes up for the 1:11 of in-ring action two weeks ago. I\u2019m not mad at you anymore, NXT.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AEW Dynamite<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>-Only one women\u2019s match again tonight and even then we got a different match than advertised (not intentionally planned, though). Still, Shafir-Shirakawa is nothing to complain about.<\/p>\n<p>-Entering with a barbed wire bat set a nice tone, but Shirakawa seemed to forget that she was defending Toni Storm\u2019s Honor pretty quickly as she started mugging for the camera. Is this a clue or just complacency?<\/p>\n<p>-Rough looking table spot, with Mina\u2019s head bouncing right off the floor.<\/p>\n<p>-Shirakawa getting the win was a huge surprise. As much as it was good for her, though, I worry about Shafir following her second consecutive clean loss.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thanks so much for reading and, of course, for supporting women\u2019s wrestling. Feel free to leave a comment or drop a line via email at jeffp.rush@gmail.com or on Twitter\/X @nottherightjeff.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (3\/20) - WWE Smackdown w\/Keller &amp; Machado\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FYu8FbtiIPo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2773380782\"><div id=\"pwtor-2752574333\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Much like fans of Star Wars celebrate May 4th and marijuana enthusiasts embrace April 20th, WWE held their own provincial calendar party this past Monday, honoring Hall of Famer, Steve Austin. When March 16th falls <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/03\/22\/the-week-in-womens-wrestling-a-look-at-raw-nxt-and-dynamite-with-trust-issues-amongst-fatal-influence-maxxine-nattie-and-the-toni-storm-whodunit\/\" title=\"THE WEEK IN WOMENS WRESTLING: A look at Raw, NXT, and Dynamite with trust issues amongst Fatal Influence, Maxxine-Nattie, and the Toni Storm Whodunit\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,2,52,27,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","category-news_women"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-22-at-12.27.45-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213853"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213855,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213853\/revisions\/213855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}