Kurt Angle Says Top TNA Star Turned Down WWE Offer Years Ago
During the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the former Olympic Gold Medalist spoke about his friend James Storm and why the TNA star never came to WWE. Storm had a short stint in NXT but left the WWE after he couldn't reach an agreement with Triple H over the amount of money he was being paid. Kurt Angle broke down what happened with Storm and why the company never reached out again after he turned down their first offer.
"I just think that WWE looked him over," Angle said. "I know they gave him an opportunity to go to NXT and he didn't take the offer and they never offered again. Unfortunately for James, I do believe he would've been a big star in WWE.
"A few years ago, Triple H offered him a deal, starting out in NXT and James didn't like the money figure so he refused it and Triple H never contacted him again. I know that James tried to reach back and see if they were still interested but for some reason, the company wasn't interested. I don't know if they were turned off because James turned down the deal, I don't know what the situation was but they should've contacted James again. James should be in WWE but I'm not sure why he isn't."
Having wrestled Storm numerous times during his time with TNA, Angle gave his opinion on the Beer Money member as a pro wrestler. Kurt Angle also revealed the one issue Storm had, stating he had a tendency to sometimes be lazy.
"I thought James was awesome, I thought his in-ring skills were great, his promo skills were off the charts," Angle said. "He had a great character, he had a great look. He had all the facets to be a very successful pro wrestler. The one thing I thought that James might have changed, it's very minute, very small, but James tended to be a little lazy once in a while. That was his only downfall and it wasn't even that much of a problem. It was just every once in a while he would get a little lazy. As far as his performances and his consistency, he was damn good."
During his time in TNA, Storm was a part of one of the best tag teams in the company's history, Beer Money Inc. Storm spoke a while back about the prospects of him and Bobby Roode bringing the group back together in WWE but unfortunately, that has yet to happen. When asked about whether or not he and Bobby Roode as Beer Money would've fit in the Attitude Era or Ruthless Aggression era, Angle had this to say:
"I think they would've fitted perfectly in both," Angle said. "One or the other, it didn't really matter. They would've had a lot more fun in the Attitude Era and that tag team would've been so over, so entertaining. Especially during the Attitude Era when you could do crazy stuff. These guys would've been incredibly successful superstars in WWE."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Kurt Angle Show with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.