It’s been a whirlwind of departures from Impact Wrestling in the past few months, as the company began restructuring following the departure of Jeff Jarrett. So far the list includes Low Ki, Taryn Terrell, Eddie Kingston, Reno Scum, Marshe Rockett, Rockstar Spud, MJ Jenkins, referees Brian Hebner and Robert King and Jarrett himself.
According to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, the rumbling is that former Impact World Champion and TNA Original “Cowboy” James Storm could be the next major Impact star to leave the company, when his contract expires in January of 2018. The report states that Storm’s final appearances could effectively be taped at the Ottawa Impact tapings the week following this Sunday’s Bound For Glory PPV in Canada’s capital city.
Storm has been a fixture with Impact Wrestling since it’s inception in 2002, where he’s been one of the companies most decorated performers. Aside from his World title, he’s also a 14x Tag Team Champion with the company, including six with “Wildcat” Chris Harris in America’s Most Wanted and five with current WWE Superstar Bobby Roode in Beer Money. He briefly appeared in NXT in 2015 for a set of tapings following his last contract expiration, but he had to turn down a WWE offer to stay long term due to family issues. In an interview with Wrestling Inc. in October, Storm clarified why he chose to return to Impact instead of sign full-time with NXT:
“A lot of people say it was money, but it wasn’t. It was a family thing,” he admits. “Hunter told me they’d run 100-125 shows over the next two years. My wife wanted to have another kid, but she had to do shots, and I had to be at home a lot more. It was a decision: do I go and live this crazy of wrestling in the WWE or do I stay home and help my wife have another child that she wants? I decided that my family was what is really important to me.”
As far as potentially returning to the WWE, Storm has stated before that the door was left open. In January, he told Wrestling Inc., that he and Triple H “had a talk and as far as I’m aware left the door open, Hunter has done some great things for NXT, no matter what people may think of his on screen character, behind the scenes he’s one of the most passionate guys in the business.”
Do you think James Storm will return to the WWE, either NXT or to rejoin Roode on Smackdown Live? Let us know in the comments below!
