James Storm recently spoke with DothanEagle.com about his TNA run and more. Check out the highlights:
On his first memories of wrestling: “I grew up watching wrestling when I was little with my mom and brother. I actually grew up watching USWA wrestling when it was owned by Jerry Jarrett. We didn’t really have a big-time wrestling school, so mom moved us so I could actually wrestle. I won a championship at the 152 (pound) class in high school wrestling. I was gonna go to Austin Peay (State University) on a basketball scholarship, but I broke my shoulder. One morning I woke up, saw an interview to become a professional wrestler at the USWA wrestling school, and about two months in I had a compound fracture in shoulder and had to have it completely repaired. Once I got out, the school shut down, so I just found another.”
On how similar he is to his TNA character: “That’s me. They tell me to go out and be me. I mean, I don’t drink 24/7. I’m not that guy sitting on the couch telling the kids to get me a beer from the refrigerator. What a lot of people don’t realize, I never drink when I’m at home. When im at home with my kids, I don’t drink or anything, I hang out with my kids. Having lost my dad at an early age, I want to be there much as I can.”
On comparing America’s Most Wanted to Beer Money: “It’s apples and oranges. It’s very hard. With Chris, me and him were unknowns and trying to prove ourselves to everyone. We were out there basically killing ourselves working with guys like the New Church and the Harris Brothers. With Bobby, we had a name already built for ourselves. I don’t think it was easier, but things for me and Bobby clicked a lot better than me and Chris did.”
On his feud with Bobby Roode: “There’s some things that were hit and miss in the feud, but overall both of us really enjoyed it, I think because we both enjoy kicking the crap out of each other.”
On his tag team with Gunner: “It’s always cool being put in a tag team with someone (new). Bobby and Chris, they had about as much experience as I did. With Gunner, seeing him evolve into who he is now — the guy’s a beast in the ring, that’s for sure. But seeing him start to catch on to things, improve on the mic and in the ring, it’s pretty cool.”
On what needs to be done for tag team wrestling to rise: “To me, it’s just giving them a chance. We proved that with the Motor City Machine Guns, Team 3D, Beer Money and teams like Ink Inc. They gave the tag team division the ball, and we made the best of it. They need to believe in the guys they put out there. To me, there needs to be more teams, not guys just thrown together, but guys you can relate to. Me and Bobby were thrown together, but we made it work as a tag team. It just takes time, and with the new format of professional wrestling, it’s kind of hard to give that much time to a specific area.”
On his 2014 plans: “Hopefully going right back into the single ranks and becoming the world heavyweight champion. I look at it like this: there’s more rednecks that watch our show than anything, right? Why not?”
On what’s kept him loyal to TNA: “The people. Jeff Jarrett was here a long time, and also (TNA President) Dixie Carter. She’s a great boss, very family oriented, and she listens to the wrestlers. We can go to her and talk if we have a problem, which is very cool. TNA was very loyal to me when I had the opportunity to do other things.”
On the state of the company right now: “Honestly, that’s above my pay grade, but Dixie Carter always looks after her wrestlers and does what’s best for the company. It’s not just wrestlers’ job, it’s hers too.”
On his favorite match of his career: “It probably would be the match with Bobby at Bound for Glory (2012). That one and the one with Chris Harris that was a Texas death match (at TNA Sacrifice 2007). They were blow-off matches to the feud and, to me, great storytelling. To me that’s what a lot of matches are missing these days. People forget we’re telling stories out there.”
On his favorite opponent: “That would have to be Bobby Roode. Either Bobby Roode or Eric Young. I really enjoy wrestling against Eric Young.”
On who he would like TNA to bring in: “I always wanted to work with Roderick Strong. When he was here, I always wanted to work with him. Also the Young Bucks. Me and Bobby tried to push matches with them when they were here, but it never happened. We had one match with the Young Bucks at a live event, and it was a great match, but that was the end of it.”
