Source: Newsday

In a recent interview with Alfonso Castillo of Newsday, former TNA World Heavyweight Champion and multiple time former TNA World Tag Team Champion James Storm commented on a variety of topics. Some of those topics include how Vince Russo helped him develop his current promo style, how iMPACT Wrestling needs a guy like Jeff Jarrett working behind the scenes, what his current thoughts are on his former tag team partner the “Wildcat” Chris Harris, and a recent impromptu meeting he had with the “Freebird” Michael Hayes. You can read highlights of the interview below, but we encourage you to read the entire interview by clicking here. Enjoy!

On Developing His Promo Style with Vince Russo
I told him, “If you guys want to make this as real as possible, is it OK if I just kind of put it in my own words?” And he was like, “Yeah, whatever you think is going to make it best is what I want you to do.” It’s good for a lot of guys who can’t come up with their own material to have that script that they can go off of and read the whole thing and memorize it and all that. But for me, I just want bullet points that I can put into my own words and make it me—make it true. People can spot a fake. They know when somebody’s trying too hard.

On Jeff Jarrett Working Backstage
To me, Jeff knows wrestling. They need somebody like that either in the production side or the creative side . . . because, let’s face it, he built this company. It was his hard work and his money that he put into it in the very beginning. I think TNA needs Jeff Jarrett, whether it be behind the scenes or in front of the camera or whatever, but they definitely need him—at least for his advice on the wrestling aspect of it.

On Meeting Michael Hayes on a Plane
I was sleeping and he kicked my legs and was like, “Cowboy, get up!” He thanked me for using one of his lines in a promo. I can’t remember what the line was. A lot of guys might leave [TNA] and think they’re big shots and they deserve to be in the top spot there. To me it doesn’t matter if I was from there trying to come to TNA, or if I was from TNA trying to go there: If you jump companies, you need to prove yourself all over again. You go to the bottom of the totem pole and you work your way back up just like everybody else does, even if you’ve got a name.

On Chris Harris’ Failed Run in WWE as Braden Walker
I believe Chris brought it onto himself. I talked to him while he was there. Anytime you go up there, they’re going to test you, to see if you have an attitude or whatever. And I just heard he failed miserably. He had an attitude while he was up there and you can’t do that. You just go up there and you do what they ask of you the best you can, and sooner or later, they’ll find a spot for you and do something with you. Just because he had a good run here, he expected to go up there and have a run, and that’s not so.