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Lance Storm

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Lance Storm
File:Lance Storm ThreeTitleReign.jpg
BornApril 30, 1969
Sarnia, Ontario
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Lance Storm
Billed height180 cm (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Billed weight103 kg (228 lb)
Billed fromCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Trained byStu Hart
Keith Hart
DebutOctober 2, 1990
RetiredJuly 7, 2005

Lance Evers, also known as Lance Storm (born April 3, 1969), is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler. He most recently wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment on its RAW brand, but has wrestled all over the world, including Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling promotions. He now trains potential wrestlers at his Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta.

Career

Early Career

Lance Storm was trained for professional wrestling by Stu Hart in Calgary, Alberta and debuted in 1990. He mainly wrestled in Calgary, but also spent time in Japan for Genichiro Tenryu's Wrestling Association "R" (WAR) promotion. He also wrestled in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in Tennessee then moving on to a Winnipeg-based WFWA, forming a tag team with Chris Jericho called The Thrill Seekers.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

In 1996, Storm joined Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). He made a name for himself by becoming a heel and first teaming with Chris Candido, then being placed with valet Dawn Marie and teaming with Justin Credible as the Impact Players, racking up two tag team title reigns along the way. During this time Storm also gained a position as a booker in ECW and had a hand in much of the product content on TV and Pay-Per-View. He also took part in a memorable match vs Rob Van Dam in ECW's 1st PPV Barely Legal 1997.

World Championship Wrestling

Storm left ECW in 2000 to join WCW, where he became a singles wrestler. He quickly became one of WCW's most important on-screen characters, winning the United States Heavyweight Title, World Cruiserweight Title and Hardcore Championship in rapid succession. He renamed the titles to the Canadian Heavyweight Championship, 100 kg and Under Championship, and Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title, respectively-- complete with large stickers that covered the belts' faceplates. Storm was the first triple-champion in WCW history, and tried to win the WCW Championship as well, but his efforts were defeated by champion Booker T. Storm eventually gave up the Cruiserweight/100 kg title, presented it to Elix Skipper, as well as the Hardcore/S.H.I title, passing it on to Carl Ouelette (who lost in his first defense of said title).

Storm's stable, Team Canada, feuded with General Rection's stable, the Misfits in Action, for several months. In particular, Storm and Rection feuded with each other over Storm's "Canadian" Heavyweight Title, which Rection finally won from him and promptly renamed back to the U.S. Heavyweight Title.

Storm's three-belt championship reign is more incredible considering that WCW apparently had a rule in place that a wrestler could not hold more than one singles belt at the same time (even though Storm eventually did give up two of the belts after winning them).

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

When WCW was purchased by WWF in 2001, Storm's contract was kept and he became a WWF employee. Lance Storm, portrayed as a serious, humorless heel was in the WCW Alliance and was their first WCW superstar ever to invade a WWF program, which was the May 28, 2001 episode of Raw. Lance Storm got a decent push during the Invasion angle as he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Albert on the July 23, 2001 edition of Raw, but lost the title a month later to Edge at Summerslam on August 18, 2001. Storm formed a tag team with The Hurricane and feuded with The Hardy Boyz over the WWF and WCW Tag Team Titles for the next few months including a match at No Mercy 2001, with Storm losing the outcome. Eventually, Team Alliance lost at Survivor Series 2001 and Storm was fired along with the rest of the alliance roster (in kayfabe) by Vince McMahon. Storm eventually got his job back officially on the December 17, 2001 edition of Raw when Storm defeated The Rock with help from Test in a match that earned him a WWF contract. Storm remained a heel and in 2002, Lance Storm formed "The Un-Americans" along with Christian, Test, and William Regal. Leading angry tirades against the United States and waving an inverted American flag in the ring, they drew loud boos from the crowds. During this angle Storm and Christian won the World Tag Team Championship on July 21, 2002, at Vengeance, defeating Hulk Hogan and Edge. They dropped the titles to Kane and The Hurricane on the September 23, 2002 edition of Raw. Eventually, the stable broke apart on September 30, 2002 when they brawled with each other, frustrated that all had lost on the same night.

Lance Storm continued teaming with William Regal as a regular tag team with the same Anti-American gimmick, where Storm waved the Canadian flag and Regal waved the British flag. This Team won the World Tag Team Championship (WWE) on two separate occasions: first was defeating Booker T and Goldust on January 6, 2003 edition of Raw with help from Chief Morley until they lost the titles at the Royal Rumble on January 19, 2003 to The Dudley Boyz. Storm and Regal won their second reign as World Tag Team Champions the very next night on Raw defeating The Dudley Boyz with help from Chief Morley again. It was announced by Chief Morley on the March 24, 2003 edition of RAW that because of William Regal's health problems the belts had not been defended in 30 days so Lance Storm and William Regal were stripped of the titles, But immediately awarded himself and Lance Storm the new World Tag Team Champions starting Lance Storm's 4th tag team title reign. Storm and Morley successfully defended the World Tag Team Titles on an edition of WWE HEAT prior to Wrestlemania 19 against Rob Van Dam and Kane with help from The Dudley Boyz, the following night on March 31, 2003 edition of Raw, Storm and Morley faced Kane and Rob Van Dam and The Dudley Boyz in a 3-Way Elimination match dropping the titles to Kane and Rob Van Dam.

From here, the WWF never booked Storm in any major storylines, to the disapproval of smark wrestling fans (dubbed "Storm Troopers" by Storm), with whom he had gained popularity thanks in part to his personal website, stormwrestling.com. Storm was briefly involved in a storyline in which Stone Cold Steve Austin, an authority figure, encouraged the fans to chant "boring" during Storm's matches (this includes the one with Storm facing against newcommer Garrison Cade), which led to concern about "X-Pac heat". Storm eventually found help from Goldust to help his charisma and turned baby face, started dancing, and once again started hanging out with Val Venis. This new reformed team of babyfaces began entering the ring with very attractive women but this time their tag team never got a push.

The "Boring" Angle

The WWE recognized Storm's natural technical talent, but felt he had zero charisma--despite the fact that Storm had been popular in his ECW and WCW days. WWE creative, led by Pat Patterson, decided that this perceived weakness should be turned into a strength---thus was born the idea for fans to shout "boring" at Storm during his matches/promos. Other wrestlers did promos encouraging this, and the WWE, following WCW's lead with the "Goldberg" chants, piped in chants of "boring" over the loudspeakers to encourage fans during Storm's matches. Storm, as the first wrestler introduced in the Invasion angle, was to have a large role in WWE and to be put on the same track as Edge and other potential main eventers, so the WWE needed his angle to be stoked.

However, the "boring" chants backfired since Storm's technical prowess was apparent to pure wrestling fans, and thus the angle was ditched.

Semi-retirement

In April 2004, Storm chose to retire from in-ring action due to a chronically bad back. His last match was on April 19, and he faced Steven Richards at the Calgary Saddledome. He then accepted a position backstage with WWE, working as a wrestling trainer in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's main developmental territory.

On March 23, 2005, Storm came out of retirement to participate in a six-man tag team match with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro against fellow ECW alumni Tommy Dreamer and The Dudley Boyz. On April 9, 2005 in Cloverport, Kentucky Storm teamed with Matt Cappotelli to face Matthews and Nitro once more.

Storm resigned from WWE in May 2005 and announced that he intended to open his own training school in his hometown, Calgary, the Storm Wrestling Academy, with the first semester beginning in September 2005. He returned to WWE for one night on May 30, and faced Maven on Sunday Night HEAT. Storm wrestled one last time on a WWE-promoted show at ECW One Night Stand 2005 on June 12, 2005, in which he defeated his close friend and former tag team partner Chris Jericho with the help of Justin Credible. Later that evening, the Impact Players, along with Francine, attacked Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman during their bout with The Dudley Boyz, but were chased away by Beulah McGillicutty.

Storm's final day under WWE contract was July 7, when he left OVW after an emotional farewell party thrown by his students.

Since leaving WWE, Storm has made several appearances on the independent circuit, albeit in a non-wrestling capacity. At Hardcore Homecoming on November 4, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Storm interfered in a steel cage match between Justin Credible and Jerry Lynn, helping Credible defeat Lynn. At the December 3 Ring of Honor show Steel Cage Warfare in New York, New York, Storm congratulated ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson following a successful title defence against Rocky Romero. Storm has also stated that he would be receptive to working with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling if he was presented with an angle that piqued his interest, such as one involving his friends Christian and Chris Jericho.

On April 1, 2006, Storm returned to Ring of Honor to face Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship in Chicago, Illinois. Danielson defeated Storm by submission to retain the title.

WWE has tried to sign Storm for their relaunch of the ECW brand, but Storm declined as he does not want to be on the road fulltime. He has also stated that he did not wish to work for WWE's "third brand"

Storm currently writes a monthly column for British wrestling and MMA magazine FIGHTING SPIRIT.

Lance Storm made a rare indy appearance December 3 2006 in Mississauga, Ontario, for Blood Sweat and Ears. His opponent for the night was Christian Cage. Storm lost. During the match, Storm broke his hyoid bone from a stiff clothesline to his neck, and later called in for a scheduled appearance during Live Audio Wrestling with a hoarse voice.

Recently Storm crictized TNA for its bad booking, in particular, the handling of the Robert Roode character.

Wrestling facts

Finishing and signature moves

Managers

Quotes

  • "...because I'm from Calgary,... (dramatic pause)...Alberta, Canada."
  • "If I can be a serious for a minute..."
  • "Don't blame Canada - blame yourself!"
  • "It is not my fault that..."
  • "If I can be a serious for a minute...without being interrupted!"

Championships and accomplishments

  • Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling
  • 1-time CRMW International/North American Champion
  • 5-time CRMW Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Champion - first-ever
  • 2-time CRMW North American Tag Team Champion - first-ever (with Chris Jericho)
  • Catch Wrestling Association
  • 2-time CWA Catch Junior Champion
  • PWI ranked him # 322 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the PWI Years (2003)
  • 1-time SMW "Beat the Champ" Television Champion
  • 2-time WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Champion (with Yuji Yasuraoda)
  • 1-time WAR 6-Man Tag Team Champion (with Kitahara and Nobutaka Araya)
  • West Coast Wrestling Association
  • 2-time WCWA Tag Team Champion
  • 2001 Most Underrated Wrestler
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