What would you make of Lance Storm's career?

[Savion83]

Today is the ten year anniversery of former Japan/ECW/WCW/WWE wrestler Lance Storm holding three (repeat) THREE championships while he was in WCW. The U.S. title, the Cruiserweight title, and their HARDCORE title. With Lance Storm making wrestling history!

We all know Lance Storm's story as far as who trained him (Stu Hart R.I.P.), who'ed he first wrestled against and with in a tag team (The Trill Seekers with Chris Jericho), and who'ed he wrestle in Japan (Eddie Guerrero R.I.P., Chris Benoit R.I.P...I guess?).

But Lance Storm had a good run in ECW in the "Impact Players" faction with Justin Credible & Dawn Marie. Did well during his time in WCW as we saw! And had a decent run in the WWF/E. Mostly basic Lance Storm stuff, good in-ring wrestling with no persona. But that all changed during Lance Storm's last year in the WWE. With then co-RAW general Maneger "Stone Cold" Steve Austin getting on Storm about being to boring in the ring as far as charactor goes. And then from there Lance Storm loosen up as far as that!

Now retired (so to speak), what would you rank Lance Storm's wrestling career?

 

[Jay85]

Guys like him are hard to gauge as far as where they rank. Depening on what organization you watched him in would have a huge effect on how you see him. I remember him as a solid wrestler who you knew would deliver a good technical match, but those last few years of his "dull" persona does take him down a peg.

 

[MWRedskins]

Lance Storm is easy to judge for me, you have to base it on 3 companies. In ECW, Storm was good, but not great. I liked him there, but didnt love him. In WCW, i loved Storm, however, WCW died before Storm got a World Title push which i believe he would've had if WCW would've been around. Storm at the time was a great heel. The US title being re-named to the Canadian Title was my all time Lance Storm moment ever. That caused major heel heat. However, in WWE, Storm started off hot winning the IC title, BUT then faded. He won the Tag team titles, but he wasnt really entertaining at the time, the Un-Americans were a decent stable, but it wasnt like how it was with Team Canada. Storm never got another IC title push or a European title push which i wanted to see. Storm in WWE was decent, but he wasnt as great as i thought he was in WCW. So Storm's career was good, just not great, if WCW stayed in business, i think Storm would've done great though.

 

[gregp85]

I disagree with most, I think Lance Storm was best in ECW. The Impact Players really worked for me. Now I can argue with the fact that while he was in WCW he was pretty good. And it did suck for him that he didnt get the push before WCW went out of business. Idk I would have liked to see him and justin credible come out with francine and get involved with the tna tag team division. I really have enjoyed the matches between beer money and motor city machineguns. Its nice to see the tag team division getting a push. Honestly, I think The hart foundation 2.0 sucks. Anyway I kinda got off topic but yea I think he was best in E-C-W!!!

 

[MisterRob]

I think Lance Storm had a successful career and I'm definitely a fan. No, Storm didn't become a legendary wrestler like some do, but he definitely had a successful career and did quite well for himself. And I think most promising is the fact he's gotten out of wrestling, retired, and will have a future after it where others can't seem to break away or their careers after their heydays ends tragically.

I enjoyed Lance Storm in ECW and that's where I first became a fan of him, and I think he was very good during his time in ECW. My favorite time period for Storm though, obviously, is his run in WCW from when he first debuted through his Team Canada stable. I absolutely loved him having multiple titles and that whole angle was great for me; its a shame Storm never got to build more on his early WCW days. I have fond memories and enjoyed a lot of things Storm did in WWE, too, although I do think WWE never quite used Storm to his full potential. But overall he accomplished a lot throughout his career and I'm a fan for sure.

 

[johnbragg]

If I could be serious for just one moment....

I'd say that I actually really liked Storm's first couple of years in WWE. He was an ideal straight man heel. If he were in a college movie, he'd be the head of the snooty rich-guys frat who wants to take over the house that the hero-loser-rebels live in. Ironically, he was Sam The American Eagle from the Muppet Show.

The Un-Americans really never did much for me, especially considering that it was Storm, Christian and Regal. I never understood why WWE never re-formed the Impact Players when both Storm and Credible were drifting without real feuds.

 

[CarlSinclair]

He had a good career and was a good worker, did some good stuff in ECW, WCW and WWE. That is more than most wrestlers can say.

And by the way, he wasn't trained by Stu Hart.. go read Jericho's book neither of em were.

 

[harrythem]

considering he was seriously lacking charisma the guy done really well. Good in the ring and able to tell a logical story, I think he achieved quite a lot.

 

[Chauncy Talon]

Lance Storm is one of the greatest to ever do it. The next person to ever come close to him is Shelton Benjamin for you guys. Lance Storm had the natural ring ability, the moveset and the ability to be a natural dick. Shelton had it all also. The only thing that Lance could do was be a face. Too bad he was never WCW World Champion... I believe he would have been one of the greatest to hold that title, with Canadian rules.

 

[Rayne]

Lance Storm was an excellent technical specimen of a wrestler. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, the peak of his career was at the time wrestling companies were realizing that being a great technical wrestler was no longer enough, you needed a strong gimmick. And Lance was never a great actor.

He got a decent push in WCW, but I wouldn't qualify it as a successful push. WCW management at the time needed someone with credibility who wasn't about to leave the company. But he never had that "it" factor, he never put asses in seats in any large quantity. His WWE time was just a train wreck in how it was managed. I don't think you have any hopes of a guy getting over if you're going to promote him as "Boring" Lance Storm.

He inhabited an awkward role in wrestling; he was a mid-carder who was too good for the mid-card, but wasn't promotable as a main eventer. That gets a lot of people shipped between companies, and Lance Storm managed it as well as anyone.

 

[dman1373]

His carrer doesn't do much for me. He had a good run with the impact players, team cannada was good (i love how he changed the us title), and his run in wwe was ok at best so i would say his carrer was ok. I mean when you think of wcw, wwe, and ecw he is always the last guy you think of. His carrer was nothing spectaular, but ok.

 

[PanICattAck313]

Lance storm is a tremendous wrestler, his matches were good to watch. I think his wwe run though didnt do much for him but his ecw and wcw run were great. The thing i love about him as i have been following his webpage for years is he is a very honest guy and tells it like it is. I also love how he didnt wrestle to win championships cuz like he said its just a fake belt, he did it cause he loved to wrestle and loved putting on a good show. Although gimmick wise he prolly aint going into the hall of fame but if the hall of fame was based on wrestling ability he would be up there.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

He may be a good wrestler, but as a performer, I thought he sucked. His promos were flat and monotonous. He had the charisma of a potato, but at least you can spice a potato up. He was good as a tag worker simply because ANYONE ('cept for a few current Divas) have more oomph and likability than him.

I do lol at the irony that he criticizes Ken Anderson's promos, though.

 

[Барбоса]

I think Lance Storm should be applauded for his ability not just in the ring but also on the mic. It was obvious to all that he was not the charismatic talker and actor that his colleague Chris Jericho was but most importantly it was obvious to Storm himself and he never tried to be something that he could not.

In ECW he played to his strengths as an in ring technician and in WCW he added the excellent "serious Canadian" gimmick to his repertoire. This was the perfect character for Storm as it followed one of the major tenets of a good gimmick in that it exaggerated his own personality traits. He brought this gimmick in part to WWE but was only partly successful with the Un-Americans. He was even able to poke even more fun at himself with the "not so serious" dancing Lance near the end of his career.

Personally, I would have loved to have seen him involved in the World Title scene with Brock, Angle and Benoit. There is no doubt in my mind that these would have been some epic contests. I also think that he could have been a great opponent for HBK. I would also like to have seen him still around perhaps on Smackdown! or even involved in nXt as a pro.

 

[Freddy4190]

He had a good career, won his fair share of gold, was a good worker, could wrestle better then the majority of the wrestle. His lack of charisma alwasys got him though. Unfortunately by most modern day WWE fans he'll be remembered, if at all; as the boring guy. He did his thing in both ECW and WCW but in WWE he didn't do that great. Like I said, he had a good career, and he should be proud of accomplishing more then most have. Trained in the Hart Dungeon. Stu never trained him personally. It was one of the other Hart bros.

 

[red ass skull muhfukkah]

If I can be serious for a moment...

I've always been a pretty big fan of Lance Storm. He was a great, technically sound wrestler. He may not have had an interesting personality but he used that and turned it into his gimmick, an no nonsense, serious wrestler and worked extremely well in WCW imo. The Impact Players were a great heel team and his run in ECW was decent. I also really liked him during the Invasion and with The Un-Americans. I thought the Un-Americans was a good concept that just didn't get over well, even though they got pretty good heat, cheap heat, but good heat nonetheless.

The best way to describe his career is he was a great in-ring competitor who was a solid mid-carder, but never made it to the main event. I do think his career was a success overall. He may not have won any World Titles, but I hardly call winning the United States Title, Cruiserweight Title, I-C Title, and multiple tag titles an unsuccessful career.

And someone said he wasn't trained by Stu Hart, if not mistaken I think some of the older sons like Keith started their own school with wrestlers outside the family, and that's where Jericho and Storm first trained.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I think it was a good career..I never watched him in ECW, and don't really know what he did there..but I watched WCW at the time and as soon as he showed up..he was getting pure heat..really over as a heel and won 3 championships..remaned the US title to Canadian Heavyweight champion, put a sticker on all 3 titles...I think they were hardcore, cruiserweight and US...he gave the other 2 away...there was a point where he had a world title match..and i really thought he might win!!

His run in WWE was somewhat decent..still a hated canadian!!

I think he has a had a good career...maybe not many memorable matches...but he will be remembered by me as the guy who held 3 titles at once!!

 

[The Holy One]

I see Lance Storm for the most part having a decent career. It might not be enough to be in the HOF unless he goes the Koko B. Ware route and make some good friends in the WWE. I think his time in ECW/Japan show how great of a wrestler he truly was and that most of his remembrable matches will come from that time. His time in WCW was something that could have made him a star b/c he was easily one of the top heels during his time there and I thought he should have been a world champion but unfortunately he never got the chance. His time in WWE will be remembered for the most part as alright. He was a former IC, Tag Team, and Hardcore champion which is more than most wrestlers can boast about from their time in the E. I just feel Lance was a great worker who just missed out on his chance to be a star which will eventually hurt as in years from now most will forget who he was.

 

[Via Armbar]

It think it should be mentioned that Storm wasn't actually trained by Stu Hart, just as Jericho wasn't even though he was touted as being so. With that being said, Storm has always been entertaining to me at least. A great technician and the ability to have a good match with just about anyone. That's a rare attribute to have. You can look throughout his career and easily find some amazing matches. I need not mention a certain bloodfest tag team match in which he teamed with Jericho as The Thrillseekers.

If Storm had a downfall, it would be that the man is as plain and generic as a white teenage girl from Vermont. Outside of his in ring work, there was absolutely nothing exciting or special about his character or lack thereof. Eventually, creative learned that they could play off of this fact and wrote one of the greatest lines in wrestling history...

"If I could be serious for a minute...

Truly genius. Storm will go down as one of my personal favorite midcarders of all time. He was a top talent enhancement performer and there is nothing wrong with that. He didn't have the best charisma or mic skills, but he could out perform many wrestlers still to this day.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Lance Storm was always one of the best in the world in the ring...IN THE RING.

He just didnt have the charisma of some of the top top guys in the business. If he had, then he would have been world champion- he was that good at wrestling.

I always really enjoyed seeing Storm in the ring, and I think WWF wasted him, because he could have enjoyed a long upper-mid card run even without the mic skills- has anyone in the WWF ever heard of a MANAGER? If Storm had been given the annoying Canadian manager, in the role played by Scott D'Amore in TNA, he would be have been awesome, and still relevant after the Invasion storyline had ended.

All in all, another wrestler who excelled elsewhere, but was not used properly in the WWF/E