Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion “Cowboy” James Storm opened up about the backstage challenges he faced during the Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff era of TNA, including being fined multiple times for speaking out about the direction of the company.
Appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Storm reflected on one particular promo that got him in trouble—despite being encouraged to speak candidly.
“I remember I got in trouble. I got fined. Of course, I got fined so many times,” Storm said. “Just because I did a promo where I was saying, ‘The days of someone coming out here and talking for 30 minutes and taking up time for the younger generation is over. These people are paying to see the people that have brought this company to the forefront,’ and all this.”
The honest promo didn’t sit well with TNA management at the time. Storm recalled being confronted by Eric Bischoff afterward.
“I remember Bischoff calling me. He’s like, ‘Why would you say that?’ Blah, blah, blah,” Storm recalled. “I’m like, ‘Well, you asked me to speak from the heart, this is what I believe. This is what all of us kind of built this company on, is priding ourselves going out there and working.’”
Storm went on to express his frustration with how Hulk Hogan, one of TNA’s highest-paid talents at the time, failed to fully represent the company in outside media appearances.
“When I start seeing Hogan not really plugging TNA, when he would do these talk shows and everything, he would talk about everything else, except for TNA wrestling, it’s like, that’s what they’re paying you all this money for?” Storm said. “So that’s when I was just like, all right, this is not good.”
James Storm remains one of the key figures in TNA’s early success and continues to be a respected voice in the industry. His candid remarks shed light on the tension between TNA originals and the star power brought in during the Bischoff/Hogan regime.
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