James Storm Says Farewell

It would seem James Storm is finishing up with TNA this Sunday.

At the end of the day no matter what, I thank the fans for the last 18 yrs and No One can't say I didn't do my way. #CowboyWay #WorkHorse

— James Storm (@JamesStormBrand) June 25, 2015

To times we won't remember but to friends we will never forget. The Cowboy toast. @shanehelmscom @misterkenanderson @KennyKingPb2 @truly_mvp @brye726

A photo posted by James Storm (@jamesstormbrand) on Jun 26, 2015 at 10:16pm PDT

How Jarrett’s Return Came About

Jeff Jarrett discussed how his TNA return came about in an interview with X107.5 FM Las Vegas:

Last Wednesday I was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. On Tuesday night I threw out the first pitch and kicked off the promotion for our Grand Slam tour event. I was sitting at the airport and I got a text from TNA management and they said hey, would you get on a conference call with us today? We’ve got a proposal for you. I actually didn’t respond because my life has been consumed professionally by Global Force Wrestling. As I took the plane back home, I got to thinking: What do they want? They know where my head’s at, they know where my heart’s at. Do they want to do a talent exchange, which has obviously been discussed multiple times over the last couple of months? Do they want to do a big co-show? What do they want?

Curiosity killed the cat and I said sure, I’ll jump on the call. So I got on the call and they said we want you to be in a match. I almost hung up the phone in a diplomatic way; I’m not interested in that. At this time and for the foreseeable future, my wrestling days are in my rearview mirror so I wasn’t really interested. And then as they began to spell it out, it’s not just any match, it’s the King of the Mountain match and it’s going to be at Slammiversary, my heart strings began to tug and it conjured up a lot of emotion. At the end of the day I said let’s look at a deal.

I’m going to be answering some questions in the days and weeks to come how this spells out, but as far as I’ll call it in front of the camera, this Sunday I’ve agreed to one final match in TNA. Like Karen said, go out on my terms. It’s raw emotion. As a professional wrestler, in-ring performer, whatever you want to call us, my juices began to flow and I’m pumped. I cannot wait to see how this comes about. I am genuinely excited for the future of Global Force Wrestling and how me being in the King of the Mountain match sort of parlays into the next steps.

I can tell you from the time I got out of the ring – and it’s still going on right now – the texts and the direct messages and the voicemails that I’ve gotten are like, Jeff, what a surreal moment! It’s one of those moments that not only did you think would never happen but even when it happened you’re like, how in the world did that happen?

Quite frankly, it’s part of Global Force Wrestling’s mission statement. We want to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling and are going to. Same with AAA, same with other promotions around the world. So when TNA reached out to me, I’d be contradictory if I said no I don’t want to work with these guys. Was I really gung-ho on stepping back in the ring? Maybe yes, maybe no. I can tell you between now and Sunday, I’m focused on getting physically prepared and mentally prepared. I’m excited about the future. We want to work with all organizations; we think it’s very, very healthy for the industry.

Bully Ray Returns

As Gunner, Low-ki and James Storm say goodbye, Bully Ray is back with TNA as of the latest tapings. It’s not clear however if he’s signed a long term deal. On the Gunner front, he discussed his departure with the Two Man Power Trip:

It’s no big deal. I tend to keep a positive attitude and this is my first interview since I parted ways with them (TNA) last Friday and I look forward to whatever the future holds. Whether it be acting or another wrestling company or promotion, wrestling fans have definitely not seen the last of Gunner. I’ve talked to talent relations and Dixie and thanked them for the opportunity because I’ve been with them since 09 working security and it was just the right time for me to part ways with the company. We left on good terms and I can easily go back and do some more stuff. It is a good standing relationship that we have and I am thankful for the opportunity.

When I did the feud last year with James Storm, it was a feud that kind of catapulted my career and catapulted the Gunner character. Once that ended we went on with me and Sam Shaw for a four or five month deal which I really enjoyed because it was a lot of out of ring interaction so it was really building the characters of Sam and Gunner. It really gave Gunner a new side and I felt that me and Sam had a match in Bethlehem, PA that was a real hardcore match that I thought was amazing. The crowd was enjoying it and I felt that guys like me and Sam (who is no longer with the company as well) were after that underutilized. Certain other guys came in and I’ve had no problem with anyone in the locker room in Impact but I do feel like especially my character and me as a person being there since 09 I feel like I was underutilized after that.