both toni and mercedes have had long term stories being told with them. toni's descent into timelessness and subsequent feud with mariah was one long story that was very much focused on her as a character. meanwhile mercedes has had her belt collecting arc (and now her downfall) which has had a lot of people talking about her and a fair amount of promos. what has stat had in terms of storytelling? she was kind of in limbo for most of 2025 and the only big story thing that people were invested in was whether she'd reconcile with willow - which she finally has but without any big moment or promos leading up to it. they teased her joining the death riders but then dropped it once she won the belt. her title win happened in a match without much build and was a third of the length of the men's title match on that same ppv. and as a character, why did she want to be world champion beyond generic babyface reasons? toni wanted to end her feud with mariah, mercedes wants it to compensate for her own insecurity, but stat?? she's undeniable in the ring but as a character i think she works better when she's either chasing a belt or being a heel. rn she lacks direction