WCW: Lance Storm

Lance Timothy Evers (born April 3, 1969), known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known in the western world for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling. He runs a pro wrestling school Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta, and occasionally works in the independent circuit.

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.

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, though at the end of the match he was booed by the crowd for two visibly "weak" chairshots to Van Dam.

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 Ouellet (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).

technorati tags: wcw, ecw, eddie guerrero, pro wrestling, wrestlemania, hulk hogan, ric flair, booker t, tna

WCW: "Dangerous" Devon Storm

Chris Ford is a professional wrestler best known by his ring names, Devon Storm or Crowbar.

Chris Ford was trained by Mike Sharpe while still in high school. He wrestled for many years on the independent scene under the ring name Devon Storm, a name which Ford came up with many years earlier while dreaming to be a pro wrestler. He had many notable feuds on the indys, including having several matches with Sabu. After years working on the indys and a short stint with ECW, Storm signed a developmental deal with WCW.

Storm went to World Championship Wrestling where they sent him to the Power Plant, WCW's main training facility. After being trained as "Dangerous" Devon Storm, he was placed in a stable with David Flair and Daffney Unger, where was given the name Crowbar. In WCW, he held the WCW World Tag Team Championship and the WCW Hardcore Championship. He also had a memorable feud with Terry Funk that culminated at the last WCW Starrcade pay-per-view.

After WCW, he spent some time in the now defunct World Wrestling All-Stars where he and Sabu resumed their feud.

He has wrestled some dark matches for WWE on both WWE Velocity and WWE Sunday Night HEAT.

In 2003, he joined TNA Wrestling and was part of Father James Mitchell's stable, The New Church. He was let go from TNA as they were still a small company at that time and could not afford to fly him down to Nashville every week.

Chris Ford now has a full time job as a physical therapist (a job he has had since the late 1990s). He still works some independent shows on the weekends, but has relaxed his schedule so that he can spend more time with his family.


technorati tags: wcw, ecw, eddie guerrero, pro wrestling, wrestlemania, hulk hogan, ric flair, booker t, tna

WCW: Tracy Smothers

Tracy Smothers (born September 2, 1962) is an American professional wrestler and is the current Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.

Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed. They moved on to Southeast Championship Wrestling where they feuded with The Stud Stable.

Smothers and Armstrong competed in World Championship Wrestling for a number of and were known as the Southern Boys and later the Young Pistols. The tag team changed names when WCW decided to attempt to portray a more "national" image as opposed to a "southern" image (thus the "Southern Boys" became "The Young Pistols" when the duo turned heel) Smothers and Armstrong had a long feud with The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin). Smothers' last major appearance for WCW was on January 21, 1992 at The Clash of Champions, as he teamed with Terry Taylor in a loss to Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Brian Pillman.

Smothers achieved his greatest singles success in Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion which was based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. Between 1992 and 1995, "The Wild Eyed Southern Boy," competed as a babyface for SMW and won the Heavyweight title twice, the tag team titles once (with "Dirty White Boy" Tony Anthony, known as the "T.H.U.G.'S"), and the "Beat the Champ" TV title on three separate occasions. Smothers had notable feuds during this time against "Prime Time" Brian Lee, Chris Candido, Tony Anthony, The Heavenly Bodies, and The Gangstas. He also competed as a heel in the United States Wrestling Association during the SMW vs. USWA feud in 1995.

After SMW folded, Smothers continued to work for the USWA (and the WWF). Smothers at one point even joined the USWA branch of the Nation of Domination, changing his name to Shaquille Ali (a take off of NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali).

Before SMW folded in late 1995, Smothers began wrestling in the summer of that year as Freddie Joe Floyd in the WWF as a babyface jobber to various up and comers, most notably Hunter Hearst-Helmsley and Stone Cold Steve Austin. His only meaningful win under the Floyd gimmick was an upset of Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw in his debut, which resulted in Bradshaw beating Floyd in a subsequent rematch. He also scored a count out win over Triple H, thanks to Mr. Perfect distracting Helmsley. His entire gimmick was a rib on Gerald Brisco and Jack Brisco, as they both came from Bowlegs, Oklahoma (the same home town Freddie Joe Floyd was billed as being from). Jack Brisco’s real name is Fred Joe Brisco, and Gerald’s full name is Floyd Gerald Brisco.

Later in his career he joined Extreme Championship Wrestling as "The Main Man" Tracy Smothers and was part of the Full Blooded Italians (or F.B.I.). He was most notably remembered for doing a goofy dance, that ECW announcer Joey Styles often commented on by saying "what the hell is with that awful dance." The FBI during this time was mostly a comedy heel tag team, which also featured Little Guido, "The Big Don" Tommy Rich, and the "Italian Stallion" John T. Smith. Smothers, long associated with being a stereotypical southern wrestler, was billed as being from "Nashville, Italy" during this time.

Smothers wrestled at both of the June 2005 ECW reunion shows, defeating The Blue Meanie at Hardcore Homecoming with the help of J.T. Smith, and accompanying Little Guido to ringside for his match with Yoshihiro Tajiri and Super Crazy at ECW One Night Stand 2005. On June 18, 2005 at a Championship Wrestling event, Smothers challenged WWE employee John "Bradshaw" Layfield to a fight after JBL shot on The Blue Meanie during a brawl at the end of One Night Stand. He also wrestled at all 4 Hardcore Homecoming events.

Smothers still competes on a regular basis in various independent promotions throughout the country, although based largely in the south/mid-south/midwest area. He formed a tag team with fellow SMW and ECW alum Chris Hamrick known as "Southern Comfort" and together they won several tag team championships on the indy circuit. The Smothers/Hamrick duo was known for using the theme song from The Dukes of Hazzard as their intro music.

Smothers is known for proclaiming himself a "'tweener." A "'tweener" is a wrestler who is neither a babyface nor a heel. Smothers is also known for dancing in the ring and challenging opponents to "dance offs" before or during a match.

In late 2005 and early 2006, Smothers worked a full-time schedule at various independent promotions in Tennessee and around the midwest and eastern United States. He also toured the United Kingdom and teaming with Chris Hamrick on 1 Pro Wrestling shows as 'Southern Comfort', where they competed in a tag team ladder match for the Tag Team Championship against Team SHAG (Darren Burridge and Colt Cabana) and Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch, eventually losing to Team SHAG.

In late 2006, he worked a multi-month, full-time tour of Europe for a number of small independent promotions in the UK, Germany, and Scotland, such as Wrestle Zone Wrestling where in Hartlepool, England, Smothers was crowned the new wZw Heavyweight Champion. He later relinquished that title.

On February 25, 2007 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Smothers defeated Corporal Robinson to win the Pro Wrestling Unplugged Hardcore Championship.

technorati tags: wcw, ecw, eddie guerrero, pro wrestling, wrestlemania, hulk hogan, ric flair, booker t, tna

WCW: "Davey" Boy Smith

David "Davey" Boy Smith (November 27, 1962 – May 18, 2002) was a British professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Warrington (now in the Borough of Wigan), Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States of America with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name and under the ring name The British Bulldog.

Smith's middle name really was "Boy". When he was born, one of his parents mistook the "middle name" field for the "gender" field on his birth certificate, and wrote "Boy".

Smith was trained by Ted Betley in Winwick, England before relocating to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to further his training under Stu Hart. While training with Hart, Smith met Stu and Helen Hart's youngest daughter Diana, whom he later married in 1984. They had two children, Harry (born in 1985) and Georgia (born in 1987). He and Diana were divorced in 2000.

Smith had an eventful run in WCW in 1993, engaging in feuds with Sid Vicious and Big Van Vader, who he challenged for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Slamboree 1993, and formed a mildly successful alliance with Sting. He was known simply as Davey Boy Smith, as the WWF had trademarked the "British Bulldog" moniker. In 1993, he was reportedly involved in an altercation with a man at a bar who was making advances towards his wife. As a result of the altercation (and the ensuing legal issues that followed), WCW released him from his contract. According to his son he had merchandising issues which led to his departure. He worked for some independents in Great Britain before returning to the WWF.

technorati tags: wcw, ecw, eddie guerrero, pro wrestling, wrestlemania, hulk hogan, ric flair, booker t, tna