James Storm reveals post-WrestleMania WWE debut plans postponed by pandemic

Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm has revealed there were plans in place for The Cowboy to debut in WWE after WrestleMania 36 this year.

However, as is the case for many plans in 2020, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented James Storm's WWE debut from coming to fruition.

In an interview with Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, Storm revealed that WWE approached him during Royal Rumble weekend in January. However, he missed the company's e-mail due to working an NWA show at the time:

“I get home and I see I got an email from Canyon Ceman saying, ‘Hey, we’re interested. Paul Heyman wants me to reach out and bring you to Raw, I was like, ‘Wait … I think Bobby is going to Raw. Hmmm. This could be interesting.’ Ya know?”

Storm, one half of the current NWA World Tag Team Champions, stated that NWA President Billy Corgan and then-Vice President Dave Lagana let him out of his contract early to facilitate his move to WWE.

“I told them I would work the weekend of WrestleMania shows with Eli [Drake] to drop the NWA belts to whoever they wanted to drop it to. Just go out on good terms. Good business, ya know? Then that show got cancelled for the NWA, and then it kept snowballing.”

.@TheEliDrake and @JamesStormBrand are your NEW tag team champions!#NWAHardTimes pic.twitter.com/gai0hbbHg4

— NWA (@nwa) January 25, 2020

James Storm on agreeing terms with WWE

James Storm revealed that, despite the event cancellations, he continued to prepare for WWE's pre-signing physical by paying for his own physical every single month to ensure that he would pass when WWE sent him to complete his for the compan.

Storm said that everything was all set for his WWE debut and he had even signed his WWE deal:

“We agreed on all the terms, It was signed.”

However, as time drew closer to his WWE debut, James Storm was reportedly informed by WWE that everything was now on hold due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has caused chaos throughout the globe in 2020.

The @WWE has confirmed #WrestleMania will be relocated from Tampa Bay, FL to the @WWEPC in Orlando, FL. pic.twitter.com/BU49sEOV6S

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) March 16, 2020

According to Storm, his last communication with WWE came in July, where he was informed that everything was still on hold due to the pandemic.

Not ruling out a WWE run just yet

Despite the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, James Storm has remained optimistic that a WWE run is not out of the realm of possibility for the future.

The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion revealed he holds no ill-will towards WWE as the situation is out of their control at the moment:

You just take it and keep rolling, It’s not their fault. It’s just how everything is right now.”

Would you have liked to see James Storm compete inside of a WWE ring?