2015 was a really tumultuous year for James Storm, who has been pretty synonymous with Impact Wrestling since the promotion’s inception. When Storm’s contract was winding down in 2015, he was fresh off a storyline where he definitely didn’t murder Mickie James with a train. He was considering a jump to WWE, and there was perhaps a shocking amount of fan interest in him doing just that.
Storm actually appeared on an episode of NXT, where he received a hero’s welcome, but ultimately decided to sign a new contract with Impact. Almost immediately afterward, Bobby Roode and Eric Young left Impact and went over to NXT, where Roode became a cult favorite, got the best theme song of all time, and is in the middle of a lengthy run as NXT Champion. Many felt that perhaps Storm chose … poorly.
In a new interview with USA Today, Storm explained why he chose Impact over NXT, and what Triple H told him when he opted not to sign.
“Everything is about timing. I didn’t think it was the right time. I was treated with respect when I went down there, Hunter [WWE executive vice president] Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque and I talked about things. He just said, ‘At the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for you. If things don’t work out, you have my number. Give me a call.’ It was great for him to say that to me. At the time, I don’t think I was ready for it with some stuff with my family life and my personal life to take care of. He understood that. It had nothing to do with wrestling. But never say never is the wrestlers’ motto that we live by. If it presented itself, I would talk it over my family again and see what we could do.”
It would be pretty surprising for someone to give an interview and say, “Ha, yeah, I screwed up.” But I really believe Storm made what he felt was the best decision at the time. And I’m sure he’s not sweating it, either way. It’s everyone ELSE’S damn luck to be sorry about. That ain’t his job, man.
