Lance Storm is on top of the world.
As a result of winning the WCW commissionership this past week on Nitro from The Cat, the Calgary-native has been elevated from a mid-card role and now finds himself rubbing shoulders with Ric Flair, Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett and several other main event stars.
And while he’s become the centre of attention in WCW due to his new role as commissioner, Storm is still looking forward to his rematch versus The Cat Ernest Miller this Sunday at WCW’s Superbrawl Revenge pay-per-view.
“I’ve had a couple of matches with him and (they) usually come out really well. He has a lot of charisma, the fans really like him so (working with him) is easier than it really should be,” Storm told SLAM! Wrestling this week. “He’s a lot of fun. He’s certainly not the most diverse worker there is. He doesn’t have a whole range of stuff that he does but he’s got such charisma and personality, and he’s such a fun guy to be around, so it’s a lot of fun working with him.”
Storm is very happy with how he’s currently being used by the company and is ecstatic to be working with WCW’s main event stars.
“I’m excited as hell, especially now with the commissioner thing I’m starting to do stuff with Ric Flair, which is a real honour and a treat. So being involved in working with the top guys and being on camera with them gives me a (certain) degree of a rub and I think that’s been really good for me. I’m also getting to know these guys a lot better and they’re really good guys so I’m really enjoying how things are going.”
Storm is especially excited to be working with Ric Flair.
“He hasn’t really offered me advice so much but there’s been a couple of times when I’ve come back from a specific match and he’s pulled me aside and congratulated me or something like that. He left right after I started (with WCW) for a while for shoulder surgery and I got to know (his son) David pretty well. So I think when Ric came back, David put me over to him so ever since Ric has been really friendly. He’s made a point of coming over and saying ‘hi’.”
Storm also hopes to work with the ‘Nature Boy’ some day in the ring.
“I would love, I don’t know that it would ever happen, but I would love have a chance to have one match with Ric Flair.”
Thus far, Storm has received nothing but positive comments about his tenure in WCW.
“Everyone in the company seems to be upbeat about my stuff, and I feel my shot is going to come in time… I think I’m doing really well and I don’t see why things won’t progress forward. I get positive feedback from everybody in the company so I don’t see why things won’t continue to progress the way they’re going.”
Storm views this Sunday’s pay-per-view as an opportunity for WCW to build up some much needed momentum.
“I think it’s always important to move forward. I think with the position WCW is in it’s like with every positive step we make an inch but every negative step we lose a foot. I think it’s important to put out a good, solid show. The work rate will be there again because I think the boys are really motivated. I think that was one of the strong suits of the last pay-per-view was that the work rate was really high. I’m hoping the same can be said for this show.”
With the sale of WCW to Fusient Media Ventures still in the ‘due diligence’ stage, Storm says most within WCW are anxious to have the sale finalized so that the company can plan for the future.
“I think for the most part we’re all pretty excited. We’re anxious to have it completely done. We’ve had a couple of new additions to the roster, which I think will help and I think we’ll expand once the sale is final. I think everybody is happy that it’s starting to move forward.”
A ten-year veteran who has aspirations to one day be a booker, Storm has some thoughts on what WCW needs to do help turn their fortunes around.
“I think we really need to bring logic and sense and wrestling back to the product,” explained Storm. “I think a lot of times over the years, fine details and faults in logic have just been overlooked — ‘oh it’s just wrestling, it’s fake, don’t worry about it’ — and I think fans notice that and it bugs them and you need to pay attention and treat it as if it is completely legit. I think that’s been missing over the years and I think that’s what we need to go back to.”
Storm was sad but not surprised to hear about the recent release of Tylene Buck, (AKA Major Gunns) from WCW.
“It wasn’t all that surprising because I was under the impression that Eric Bischoff wanted more of a wrestling product and less of a T&A, comedy show that we’ve been featuring more prominently lately. He’s cut back on the language, he’s cut out the hardcore, and he’s cutting back on the women so he seems to be getting back to a more traditional product. It wasn’t all that surprising but I was sad to see her go.”
Storm has also been keeping in touch with former Impact Player tag team partner Justin Credible who made his return to the WWF on this week’s RAW program.
“He called me as soon as he got out of the ring Monday night. He was thrilled to death. He was so relieved when he got the offer just to have that financial thing off his shoulders. He was happy to go back… a little nervous. When he found out he was starting this past Monday he was excited.”
“He had no idea what they were going to do with him,” continued Storm. “When he phoned me Monday night I asked him ‘What did you do?’ and he said ‘I ran in and hit Jericho with a chair’. He knew Jericho from way back in Calgary. He couldn’t be happier.”