Willow Nightingale captured the AEW Women's World Championship for the first time by defeating Thekla at AEW Redemption on July 26.
The victory made her the first Grand Slam champion in company history.
Nightingale secured the win with a backslide pin despite interference from Skye Blue.
The title win earns her a defense against Owen Hart Cup winner Mercedes Moné at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium on August 30.
During the July 29 episode of AEW Dynamite, Moné interrupted Nightingale's championship celebration.
The crowd responded with loud chants before AEW World Tag Team Champions Divine Dominion joined Moné in attacking Nightingale.
The Brawling Birds intervened to stop the assault.
Speaking at the post-show media scrum, Nightingale reflected on her journey. "Fascinating thing about this too is that has all been accomplished within this year.
I won the TBS Title two years ago for the first time, but I held the Tag and TBS earlier this year.
Now this, the World Title," she said.
"It's really a whirlwind.
I love AEW because, now, it feels a lot more like we've got our legs, we're more established.
But it still feels so exciting and new," Nightingale added. "Like this is the beginning of something so much more.
In my head, I'm like, 'This is gonna go on and on and this is still like we're just getting started.'
And to be somebody who is kind of helping lay down that foundation, and hitting these marks and achievements at such a crazy, awesome time… I'm beside myself.
Just… surreal. Very, very surreal in the best way possible."
Nightingale also opened up about her mental health struggles. "I will say that it wasn't like a diagnosis.
It was very much me just being in a place. People have thoughts about self-diagnosis.
I have people that I speak to. We have mental health help here.
That is one great thing about AEW.
We do have a therapist who travels with us and is there whenever anybody needs it," she explained.
"I went in to record that stuff for Countdown that day, and I was going through it and having a really hard time being Willow and thinking about wrestling.
If we really think about it, the past year has been so crazy in a world-sense. Who isn't struggling right now?"
she said.
Nightingale detailed the emotional challenges before her title win. "They were like, 'What are your thoughts on this?'
'Man, really, I don't know. Why do I deserve to be a champion?
I don't know. This is how I feel.
This is what I've been going through. This is All Elite Wrestling.
Everybody is the best. We all deserve it.
At the end of the day, this is how I've been feeling, and I've still been showing up.
When the opportunities are there, it doesn't matter how I feel; I've been delivering,'" she recalled.
"Speaking of mental health, it's very important, especially being the happy and smiling girl, to be honest and say, 'That's unrealistic to have that 24/7.'
Nobody is that all the time.
It is good to strive for a little positivity to try and allow ourselves some grace when things are tough and say, 'We all mess up, we all don't feel great, but what is something that can bring even an iota of joy?'
Wrestling is that for me. Being able to do it, watch it, absorb it, live it.
That really is Willow," she concluded.
Nightingale earned her title shot by winning a Casino Gauntlet match on the July 8 Beach Break edition of Dynamite.
She had returned from an AC sprain injury that forced her to relinquish the TBS Championship.
Nightingale and Moné have met twice in AEW, with a 1-1 record.
Their scheduled title match at Wembley Stadium on August 30 will be the rubber match of their rivalry.
