According to a new report, former Impact Wrestling veteran James Storm was supposed to join WWE earlier this year, but these plans were derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, just as he claimed in an interview last week. However, it appears that he was going to be brought in as a jobber who would presumably lose most, if not all, of his matches.
Citing a “tenured” member of WWE’s creative team, Ringside News wrote that it is “100 percent true” that Storm was on his way to WWE prior to the pandemic and that his employer at the time, the National Wrestling Alliance, was willing to grant him an early release. The publication noted that there were plans for him to make an immediate main roster debut on Monday Night Raw instead of going through NXT. The caveat, as explained, was that he would be used as a “qualified” enhancement talent, as the red brand’s then-executive director, Paul Heyman, was looking for such wrestlers.
In addition, the publication noted that Storm was chosen for the role because of his reputation as a “credible worker.” This could mean that he would have been tasked with making younger wrestlers look good in the ring, aside from taking the loss at the end of the match.
Since working as an enhancement talent typically means a lower-card status on a brand’s roster, Ringside News also posited that Storm likely wouldn’t have gotten a chance to reunite with his former TNA/Impact Wrestling tag team partner Robert Roode. In a recent interview with TV Insider , the former United States Champion touched on that topic, seemingly downplaying the reports of a potential reunion and stressing that he’d rather focus on his current on-air partnership on Raw with Dolph Ziggler.
“That’s above my pay grade. I haven’t talked to James in years. During this time especially, I don’t know what’s going to take place or who is coming in or not. I have to worry about myself. I’m quite happy doing what I’m doing with Dolph and doing my thing.”
Storm is currently a free agent as his NWA deal reportedly expired in February, which Cultaholic reported last month. He also hasn’t wrestled since pro-wrestling promotions stopped holding shows in front of live crowds due to the pandemic. His last match took place on March 14.
However, the 43-year-old said last week that he still has hopes of joining WWE and that he doesn’t blame the promotion for calling off its plans to sign him.
