James Storm Reveals Kurt Angle Was Injured During Their TNA Title Match—And Changed Everything Last Minute

James Storm’s TNA World Championship win was one of the biggest moments of his career—but according to him, the entire match had to be reworked just an hour before showtime because Kurt Angle was injured.

Appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Storm detailed how Angle, despite being banged up, insisted on giving Storm his big moment—and even told him to soak it in live on air.

Storm explained that plans had already been shifting behind the scenes. He was originally supposed to beat Bobby Roode after a heel run, but things changed quickly.

“It was great. A lot of the stuff leading up to it kind of went off course or whatever. Because I beat him, and then the next week I lost it to Bobby, which is fine, because Bobby was going on this big heel run, and then I was supposed to beat him in Arizona in a hardcore match that we were having as well. So the night before he wrestles Kurt and loses, and they didn’t tell him until that day, I believe. They didn’t tell him that Kurt was going to keep the belt, and they didn’t tell me that I was winning the belt until about an hour before we were supposed to go out.”

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That alone was chaotic—but then Angle pulled Storm aside just before the match to drop another surprise.

“Then about an hour he came to me and goes, ‘Hey, man. My hamstring is messed up really bad. I can’t really…’ I was like, ‘Hey, man, no problem, we take it easy.’ He goes, ‘How about we do this instead? How about I go out there and just beat you up for a little bit? Then you kick me out of nowhere, and then you take the rest of the time to do you. You’ve earned this spot to go out and celebrate. You do whatever you want to do.’”

Storm said he was emotional after the pin, but Angle wasn’t having any of it—he wanted the new champ to shine.

“So when I beat him, I roll over, and I said, thank you very much. He said, ‘Quit laying there, get up and celebrate.’ Yes, sir.”

Storm also shared how much he learned from Angle behind the scenes and during road trips, crediting him alongside other legends.

“So, I mean, it was really cool. I did a lot of driving with him and stuff, and just learned stuff from him. I always say I’ve been very fortunate, because I’ve been able to learn from Dusty Rhodes, Curt Hennig and Kurt Angle.”

It’s a reminder of how much respect Kurt Angle had for Storm—and how sometimes, the biggest moments in wrestling come together at the last possible second.

What do you think of Kurt Angle’s decision to rewrite the match just to give James Storm his moment? Share your thoughts in the comments and let us know who you think should get the same treatment today.

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