Black Widow
04-09-2008, 10:24 PM
James Storm Comments On Former Tag Partner Chris Harris
Who would uh thunk it?
Tennessee Cowboy James Storm the most wanted from the successful TNA tag team America's Most Wanted.
''Everybody thought that [Wildcat] Chris [Harris] would be the breakout star of the team,'' Storm said. 'Nobody really knew what I could do because nobody's ever seen me as a singles' person. They've always seen me as a tag team person.''
Storm elevated his game in TNA. Harris got lost in the shuffle. A disgruntled Harris eventually left TNA for WWE. Storm shined.
''I'm glad I can say I proved everybody wrong,'' Storm said. 'I wish [Chris] luck in whatever he does, but I'm here in TNA, and I'm glad I'm making a mark as a singles' wrestler now.''
Storm won a state title in amateur wrestling in high school. He also was a talented basketball player and earned a scholarship to Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., which he was forced to relinquish after injuring his shoulder.
Storm grew up in Leiper's Fork, a small town in Tennessee listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district containing examples of late 19th century architecture.
A young Storm watched some historic wrestling with the USWA each Saturday morning. Jerry Jarrett, Jeff's father, ran USWA.
``One day in 1996, there was an ad for open tryouts for a USWA training school in Nashville. I went there, trained at Jeff's dad's house. It was tough. He made sure we wanted it. That weeded out a lot of people who were just there to say they're a wrestler from the people who actually wanted to be a wrestler.''
Jerry and Jeff trained the upstarts.
''It was a tough experience,'' said Storm, a TNA original. ``I broke my shoulder during training, a compound fracture, and I had to have surgery. I was out a whole year.
``When I went back, the training school was shut down for different reasons. I had to go somewhere else for training.''
Storm met Shane Morton, the nephew of Ricky Morton of the Rock-n-Roll Express. Shane took Storm under his wing.
``I used to go around to the independent shows in different towns and states.''
Bert Prentice ran shows at the Fairgrounds in Nashville.
``My big break was when he put me on a couple of shows to see how I did, and if I did well, he would bring me back.''
Prentice liked what he saw. He had a connection with WCW. Storm eventually found himself in WCW on a developmental deal in 2000. He returned to the independent scene after WWE bought WCW in 2001.
The journey is an adventure.
''It's a rollercoaster full of highs and lows,'' he said. ``It's more lows than highs, but when the highs come, it's really good. It's a big payoff.''
Recently, Storm has been enjoying his share of highs while putting the business in perspective.
''A lot of people don't understand what wrestlers go through. It's a lot of punishment on your body,'' he said. ``It's a lot of road time, traveling miles and miles to get to another town for the next show. Then, you turn around and go to another town. It's a rough journey, but it's a fun one.''
Storm spent 10 ½ years, paying his dues in the business.
``I went to shows and wrestled for $5 when I had to travel 400 miles to get there on the independent circuit. I am where I need to be now.''
Storm and Harris opened some eyes competing against each other.
''It was pretty crazy because we are from two different backgrounds,'' Storm said. ``We wrestled each other at Bert Prentice's show. That's where I met him, and we had a big feud going. Then, our feud ended.''
TNA, an upstart company based in Nashville, scouted talent at Prentice's show.
``Bert wanted to put his best two guys, which was me and Chris, together. It was actually that match of the night.''
TNA signed both.
''When they signed us, they didn't know what to do with us,'' he said. ``So they decided to put us together as a tag team.
'It was like, `Uhhh,' because we wanted to be singles' stars. Everybody wants to be a singles' star, but we said, if this is our big break and this is how we're going to make it, then we're going to make this work and be the best tag team that we can.''
They were even better. America's Most Wanted became one of the top tag teams in the world, rivaling any twosome at the time.
''It was a big rollercoaster ride,'' Storm said.
After winning the NWA tag team titles six times in 4 ½ years in TNA, the company felt America's Most Wanted ran its course. Harris and Storm each went solo.
''When it happened, it was scary at first,'' Storm said. ``A lot of things were going through my head. You're by yourself, and the spotlight is straight on you, nobody else.''
Storm began watching Bonanza and John Wayne movies.
''It sounds weird,'' he chuckled. ``I wanted to see how the bad $#%^* reacted in the old westerns.
``I then watched some of the current western movies and how they reacted. I put that all into my act, seeing what worked and what didn't. I'm still fine-tuning it.''
Storm's character doesn't take anything from anyone. He enjoys beer and beating up people.
''In real life, I'm kind of that character,'' he said. ``I love to drink beer, but I'm a laid back guy. I like to just hang out and do whatever.
``There are all kinds of things I can do with the character. I'm just gonna continue drinking beer and beating people up.''
TNA star Tomko said: ``James Storm, wow, what a great, great character. He represents a huge amount of America -- good ole boys who want to fight and drink beer and do what they want to do. To me, he is a fun guy to watch.''
TNA star Hernandez added: ``He's very unorthodoxed. He's a cowboy, drunk guy. He's very athletic. I'm very surprised with him. In Texas, where I'm from, you see athletic bullriders. You see this guy with a big cowboy hat, walking on by, whatever, but all of a sudden he's kicking everybody's #$%.''
America's Most Wanted formed an alliance with TNA knockout star Gail Kim during its bad guy turn. When they split, Storm turned to another female standout, Miss Jacqueline Moore.
''She is by far one of the meanest women,'' he laughed. ``You make her mad, and you're in trouble. I always try to be on her good side because she throws a mean punch. If you've seen any of her matches, it's in there.''
Storm eyes the TNA title.
'The ultimate goal for any singles' wrestler is to win the TNA championship, '' Storm said. ``I believe everybody has a time. You just have to be patient. Your time will come. A lot of guys get over anxious. They want that time to happen really quickly, and when it does, it doesn't really mean nothing. As long as I wait it out, wait my turn, it will come, and I will get my chance to be the TNA world champion.''
• What fans should know about the business and wrestlers.
``Just respect it. We do a lot of traveling, and it's very hard on our bodies -- day in and day out. We're taking bumps in different towns. Just respect it, respect us.
``Wrestling is meant for fans to sit back and have fun. It's to get your mind off of whatever is happening throughout the week. For those 2 ½ to 3 hours, forget everything and just have a great time.''
• Top moments
Storm versus Harris at the TNA pay-per-view Sacrifice, a match of the year nominee.
``It was a good match and a good feeling, knowing me and him still had chemistry working each other.''
Tag team matches versus Triple X and the Naturals.
``My best moment will be when I win that TNA world championship.''
• TNA star Eric Young
``He's another one of those guys who came up through the Nashville ranks, doing the Bert Prentice shows with me. We knew each other and wrestled each other and wrestled each other a lot. He's a guy who can wrestle with anybody -- Kurt Angle, the X Division, tag team. He can do it all, and TNA is lucky to have him.
• Favorite wrestlers growing up
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.
''It's funny. When I started out, I wanted to be called the Luscious Kid Bret Michaels,'' Storm laughed. ``I'm glad I changed it up a little bit.''
• The TNA Lockdown pay-per-view is Sunday, April 13 from Lowell, Mass.
• TNA iMPACT! tapings are Tuesday, April 15; Wednesday, April 16; Monday, April 28; and Tuesday, April 29 at Universal Studios Orlando. Free admission. For information on seating and parking, call the Universal Orlando Resort iMPACT! hotline at 407-224-6000.
MiamiHerald.com
Who would uh thunk it?
Tennessee Cowboy James Storm the most wanted from the successful TNA tag team America's Most Wanted.
''Everybody thought that [Wildcat] Chris [Harris] would be the breakout star of the team,'' Storm said. 'Nobody really knew what I could do because nobody's ever seen me as a singles' person. They've always seen me as a tag team person.''
Storm elevated his game in TNA. Harris got lost in the shuffle. A disgruntled Harris eventually left TNA for WWE. Storm shined.
''I'm glad I can say I proved everybody wrong,'' Storm said. 'I wish [Chris] luck in whatever he does, but I'm here in TNA, and I'm glad I'm making a mark as a singles' wrestler now.''
Storm won a state title in amateur wrestling in high school. He also was a talented basketball player and earned a scholarship to Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., which he was forced to relinquish after injuring his shoulder.
Storm grew up in Leiper's Fork, a small town in Tennessee listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district containing examples of late 19th century architecture.
A young Storm watched some historic wrestling with the USWA each Saturday morning. Jerry Jarrett, Jeff's father, ran USWA.
``One day in 1996, there was an ad for open tryouts for a USWA training school in Nashville. I went there, trained at Jeff's dad's house. It was tough. He made sure we wanted it. That weeded out a lot of people who were just there to say they're a wrestler from the people who actually wanted to be a wrestler.''
Jerry and Jeff trained the upstarts.
''It was a tough experience,'' said Storm, a TNA original. ``I broke my shoulder during training, a compound fracture, and I had to have surgery. I was out a whole year.
``When I went back, the training school was shut down for different reasons. I had to go somewhere else for training.''
Storm met Shane Morton, the nephew of Ricky Morton of the Rock-n-Roll Express. Shane took Storm under his wing.
``I used to go around to the independent shows in different towns and states.''
Bert Prentice ran shows at the Fairgrounds in Nashville.
``My big break was when he put me on a couple of shows to see how I did, and if I did well, he would bring me back.''
Prentice liked what he saw. He had a connection with WCW. Storm eventually found himself in WCW on a developmental deal in 2000. He returned to the independent scene after WWE bought WCW in 2001.
The journey is an adventure.
''It's a rollercoaster full of highs and lows,'' he said. ``It's more lows than highs, but when the highs come, it's really good. It's a big payoff.''
Recently, Storm has been enjoying his share of highs while putting the business in perspective.
''A lot of people don't understand what wrestlers go through. It's a lot of punishment on your body,'' he said. ``It's a lot of road time, traveling miles and miles to get to another town for the next show. Then, you turn around and go to another town. It's a rough journey, but it's a fun one.''
Storm spent 10 ½ years, paying his dues in the business.
``I went to shows and wrestled for $5 when I had to travel 400 miles to get there on the independent circuit. I am where I need to be now.''
Storm and Harris opened some eyes competing against each other.
''It was pretty crazy because we are from two different backgrounds,'' Storm said. ``We wrestled each other at Bert Prentice's show. That's where I met him, and we had a big feud going. Then, our feud ended.''
TNA, an upstart company based in Nashville, scouted talent at Prentice's show.
``Bert wanted to put his best two guys, which was me and Chris, together. It was actually that match of the night.''
TNA signed both.
''When they signed us, they didn't know what to do with us,'' he said. ``So they decided to put us together as a tag team.
'It was like, `Uhhh,' because we wanted to be singles' stars. Everybody wants to be a singles' star, but we said, if this is our big break and this is how we're going to make it, then we're going to make this work and be the best tag team that we can.''
They were even better. America's Most Wanted became one of the top tag teams in the world, rivaling any twosome at the time.
''It was a big rollercoaster ride,'' Storm said.
After winning the NWA tag team titles six times in 4 ½ years in TNA, the company felt America's Most Wanted ran its course. Harris and Storm each went solo.
''When it happened, it was scary at first,'' Storm said. ``A lot of things were going through my head. You're by yourself, and the spotlight is straight on you, nobody else.''
Storm began watching Bonanza and John Wayne movies.
''It sounds weird,'' he chuckled. ``I wanted to see how the bad $#%^* reacted in the old westerns.
``I then watched some of the current western movies and how they reacted. I put that all into my act, seeing what worked and what didn't. I'm still fine-tuning it.''
Storm's character doesn't take anything from anyone. He enjoys beer and beating up people.
''In real life, I'm kind of that character,'' he said. ``I love to drink beer, but I'm a laid back guy. I like to just hang out and do whatever.
``There are all kinds of things I can do with the character. I'm just gonna continue drinking beer and beating people up.''
TNA star Tomko said: ``James Storm, wow, what a great, great character. He represents a huge amount of America -- good ole boys who want to fight and drink beer and do what they want to do. To me, he is a fun guy to watch.''
TNA star Hernandez added: ``He's very unorthodoxed. He's a cowboy, drunk guy. He's very athletic. I'm very surprised with him. In Texas, where I'm from, you see athletic bullriders. You see this guy with a big cowboy hat, walking on by, whatever, but all of a sudden he's kicking everybody's #$%.''
America's Most Wanted formed an alliance with TNA knockout star Gail Kim during its bad guy turn. When they split, Storm turned to another female standout, Miss Jacqueline Moore.
''She is by far one of the meanest women,'' he laughed. ``You make her mad, and you're in trouble. I always try to be on her good side because she throws a mean punch. If you've seen any of her matches, it's in there.''
Storm eyes the TNA title.
'The ultimate goal for any singles' wrestler is to win the TNA championship, '' Storm said. ``I believe everybody has a time. You just have to be patient. Your time will come. A lot of guys get over anxious. They want that time to happen really quickly, and when it does, it doesn't really mean nothing. As long as I wait it out, wait my turn, it will come, and I will get my chance to be the TNA world champion.''
• What fans should know about the business and wrestlers.
``Just respect it. We do a lot of traveling, and it's very hard on our bodies -- day in and day out. We're taking bumps in different towns. Just respect it, respect us.
``Wrestling is meant for fans to sit back and have fun. It's to get your mind off of whatever is happening throughout the week. For those 2 ½ to 3 hours, forget everything and just have a great time.''
• Top moments
Storm versus Harris at the TNA pay-per-view Sacrifice, a match of the year nominee.
``It was a good match and a good feeling, knowing me and him still had chemistry working each other.''
Tag team matches versus Triple X and the Naturals.
``My best moment will be when I win that TNA world championship.''
• TNA star Eric Young
``He's another one of those guys who came up through the Nashville ranks, doing the Bert Prentice shows with me. We knew each other and wrestled each other and wrestled each other a lot. He's a guy who can wrestle with anybody -- Kurt Angle, the X Division, tag team. He can do it all, and TNA is lucky to have him.
• Favorite wrestlers growing up
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.
''It's funny. When I started out, I wanted to be called the Luscious Kid Bret Michaels,'' Storm laughed. ``I'm glad I changed it up a little bit.''
• The TNA Lockdown pay-per-view is Sunday, April 13 from Lowell, Mass.
• TNA iMPACT! tapings are Tuesday, April 15; Wednesday, April 16; Monday, April 28; and Tuesday, April 29 at Universal Studios Orlando. Free admission. For information on seating and parking, call the Universal Orlando Resort iMPACT! hotline at 407-224-6000.
MiamiHerald.com