WWE News & Rumor Roundup - Major interest in top AEW star, big name rejected offer to join NXT, title reign plans canceled (December 17, 2021)

#4. Kurt Angle on James Storm rejecting Triple H's offer to join WWE NXT

TNA/IMPACT Wrestling Legend James Storm appeared in WWE NXT in 2015 for a handful of matches and received a great reaction from the fans. The star, however, returned to his home ground after apparently rejecting an offer from Triple H.

Kurt Angle spoke on the topic on his podcast and revealed that James Storm was unhappy with the money offered and turned down the chance to be in NXT.

Angle said that James Storm later tried to contact WWE, but it was too late as the company had lost interest in signing him to a full-time deal.

He added that his good friend and former colleague deserved an extended WWE run, which sadly never happened.

"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," revealed Kurt Angle. H/t WrestlingInc

James Storm continues to wrestle sporadically and can be found in NWA and IMPACT Wrestling.

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#3. Fandango reveals WWE's nixed plans for him to win the Intercontinental title

Dirty Dango, fka Fandango, was a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet and the former WWE star opened up about how he lost the opportunity to win the Intercontinental title in 2013.

Dango stated that he suffered a concussion during a match against The Great Khali. Instead of informing the authorities, he went against WWE protocols and hid his injury.

With a concussion, Dango continued performing at forthcoming shows, and WWE officials weren't aware of the situation.

"They were going to put the IC Title on me, and I got concussed working with Great Khali. I didn't tell them I was concussed; it was like a week or two before. I worked Khali a couple weeks out from a pay-per-view, and we worked like a week before the pay-per-view. If you get concussed, and you go out and get hit again, it's a lot easier to get concussed. If you don't give the swelling enough time to go down, it's really easy to get concussed again. I was concussed, and I kept performing and didn't tell anybody," recalled Dango.

The former SmackDown Superstar regretted his mistake as winning the Intercontinental title would have been vital for his career. WWE eventually put the belt on Curtis Axel, and Fandango's momentum took a massive hit.

"I stooged myself off. To the company's protocol, I was completely wrong. You should definitely tell them when you're hurt; cause they don't want any athlete to get seriously injured. I grew up in the wrestling business, if someone is going to put the IC Title you on you, you don't take yourself out of the game... I think Curtis Axel won the title. It derailed me," Fandango added.

Fandango ended his 15-year run with WWE in June earlier this year and has since made his NWA debut while also wrestling on the indie circuit as a free agent.