I guess the grass WASN'T greener....

[Statto]

2 hours ago, simonworden said:

Mentioning Chris Harris, I think you could add James Storm as a brief odd one. Showed up in NXT and could have been part of the early group to come through in the WWE does Indy days but after two appearances went back for some brief Impact stints and faffing around in the indys since which has really made his stock fall in my opinion. I know his wife was pregnant and he went for what would work for him but always seemed like he missed his last opportunity to be on a bigger stage. 

Billy Gunn getting called sacked (for testing positive for roids at a bodybuilding contest) was what did for the Cowboy in NXT/WWE, apparently.

Lots of people were skeptical (or at least m'eh) about Storm coming in, but Billy was the one pushing for him. Once Billy was gone, so was Storm's advocate in the camp and that was that.

At the risk of adding yet more info that people likely already know, there were definitely plans for Storm to come in as the entrance theme that is now famously AJ Styles' was made for Storm. Although I thought the stock theme Storm used on his 2 NXT appearances was a banger anyway:

 

 

[air_raid]

6 minutes ago, Statto said:

Lots of people were skeptical (or at least m'eh) about Storm coming in, but Billy was the one pushing for him. Once Billy was gone, so was Storm's advocate in the camp and that was that.

In other words.... we could have had a new generation version of the Smoking Gunns, but were denied it. There's the real tragedy.

[RedRooster]

4 hours ago, simonworden said:

Mentioning Chris Harris, I think you could add James Storm as a brief odd one. Showed up in NXT and could have been part of the early group to come through in the WWE does Indy days but after two appearances went back for some brief Impact stints and faffing around in the indys since which has really made his stock fall in my opinion. I know his wife was pregnant and he went for what would work for him but always seemed like he missed his last opportunity to be on a bigger stage. 

I did consider James Storm myself actually, but given that he chose not to sign with NXT/WWE, I didn't think he fit the spirit of the thread. If he's happy with his lot in life, I can see why he might have decided against the gruelling touring schedule of a WWE wrestler. I like Storm, but given his age and the general trajectory for NXT wrestlers, I can't imagine he'd have amounted to much on the main roster. 

EDIT: @Statto - I didn't know any of this, based on his interviews I'd always been under the impression he chose not to sign with them after that initial NXT appearance. Totally with you on his entrance theme, it's a banger!

Edited December 18, 2023 by RedRooster

[air_raid]

4 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

I like Storm, but given his age and the general trajectory for NXT wrestlers, I can't imagine he'd have amounted to much on the main roster. 

I'm tempted to say "Well, they had Bobby Roode on the books too so... you know...." but they have a track record of missing the boat on that kind of thing. The Impact Players come to mind, which even if you think (as most people seem to) that Credible was a marginal talent, I think putting him back with Lance would have maximised his value far better than X Factor did.

Heyman wanted them to get Storm back in for the Raw after the Rumble 2020 with a view to a coach role combined with some use on TV but Storm didn't read it until after the weekend passed. He reached back out and WWE agreed he'd come in around Mania weekend - he even negotiated an early release from his NWA contract and him and Drake/Knight were pencilled in to drop the tag belts - but the pandemic put paid to any new hirings.

[RedRooster]

5 minutes ago, air_raid said:

Heyman wanted them to get Storm back in for the Raw after the Rumble 2020 with a view to a coach role combined with some use on TV but Storm didn't read it until after the weekend passed. He reached back out and WWE agreed he'd come in around Mania weekend - he even negotiated an early release from his NWA contract and him and Drake/Knight were pencilled in to drop the tag belts - but the pandemic put paid to any new hirings.

This and Monty Brown's TNA return being brought to an end by Covid has left me feeling really curious about what else we missed out on during that time period. But then, without Covid we likely wouldn't have Stadium Stampede, and some of the more enjoyable cinematic matches (before that in itself became tiresome). But it's interesting to consider what AJ Styles and Undertaker having an actual in ring match might have looked like; and whether or not we'd be having two night Wrestlemanias right now. And whether CM Punk would have joined AEW earlier, and what the ability to tour would have done to their long term plans. Presumably they'd have come to the UK sooner, and if they had, would we ever have had a show of the magnitude of All In?

[Loki]

Very sad that Storm didn't get his shot at WWE at that point - he was very over with the NXT crowd, and I don't think there was really anyone like him on the roster at the time (still isn't imo).   The WWE haven't tried to push a genuine "Southern" style wrestler for a long time, I think he'd have been a breath of fresh air.

[Infinity Land]

25 minutes ago, RedRooster said:

Presumably they'd have come to the UK sooner, and if they had, would we ever have had a show of the magnitude of All In?

Fyter Fest 2020 would have been a PPV at Wembley...arena. Having to go to the arena, feasibility look at Craven Cottage. Seems like they may have been locked out of the o2 by WWE. A Wembley stadium show may have happened if things went well.

[Version1.0]

I bet Scott Steiner wished he's stayed in World Wrestling All-Stars instead of returning to WWE for that awful run.

[Sheffbag]

DDP for me, could have just sat and took the TW money to the end of his contract

[simonworden]

1 hour ago, Sheffbag said:

DDP for me, could have just sat and took the TW money to the end of his contract

In my opinion if DDP hadn't come in when he did, he wouldn't have come in at all considering his age, look and level of status in WCW being below those that came in after.

He probably wouldn't have got a look I til he presented those WCW DVDs about 10 years later 

By being in WWF/E in 01-02 he got a run, a mania payday and I reckon earned way more money had he just kept his contract running. 

[Merzbow]

2 minutes ago, simonworden said:

earned way more money had he just kept his contract running. 

I think his WCW contract would have had him getting nearly a million and a half a year at that point, so it's definitely a big risk to jump

[Your Fight Site]

I think DDP’s rationale was, he knew he was slightly older than his contemporaries, and any star power would reduce if he sat out his contract. Whilst he was no doubt comfortable, he wasn’t going to be as comfortable as say, Sting or Hogan, and so decided to take a solid offer knowing he would have a job and also know how much he’d be earning, rather than gambling on what value offers would be once he was a free agent, if there were any at all.

[Infinity Land]

DDP's deal was up in February 2002 the final year was for $1.35m. Keep in mind he did take a buy-out, not just walk away. The rumoured value of those were less than half the deal. Money from that and walking into a multi-year WWF deal was probably in his best interests. He'd never worked there before as a wrestler, was about to turn 45, and there was no alternative out there.