Eric Bischoff On Lance Storm – “He Just Didn’t Have It”

Former WCW Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff has commented on why Lance Storm never made it in World Championship Wrestling.

After several years plying his trade for Extreme Championship Wrestling and becoming a stalwart of the hardcore company, Lance Storm decided that the grass was greener on the other side for his family and accepted an offer to join WCW during the company’s decline in 2000.

A gifted technical wrestler between the ropes, what the Canadian lacked in character portrayal he more than made up for in ability and shortly after his debut for the company found himself in possession of the WCW United States, Cruiserweight and Hardcore Championships which he renamed ‘Canadian’ in order to upset American fans.

Following the formation of Team Canada, which saw Storm unite with Mike Awesome, Jim Duggan, Elix Skipper and for a very brief moment in time Jacques Rougeau, rivalries with Misfits in Action and Filthy Animals filled the rest of the star’s time until the company closed its doors in March 2001.

Now, Eric Bischoff has taken to his 83 Weeks podcast to talk about why Lance Storm never made it beyond mid-card and tag team level in World Championship Wrestling after he had found upper-card level fame in ECW:

“Lance Storm never got to the 7 and a half minute mark of his 15 minute of fame opportunity. He just didn’t. A perfect example of why he didn’t is because he never understood heat. Lance Storm didn’t know how to deliver dialogue, he didn’t know how to be a character.

Is Lance Storm a good technical wrestler? Absolutely. Did he have an ounce of charisma? That’s why he was never able to expire the 15 minute clock for fame, he only got to 7 and a half minutes because he just didn’t have it.”

Following the closure of WCW, Storm found employment in the World Wrestling Federation and quickly rose to the WWF Intercontinental Championship during the WCW/ECW invasion.

Following the demise of the storyline, the master of the single leg Boston crab went on to WWF Tag Team Championship glory with The Un-Americans, William Regal and Val Venis as well as a storyline with Stone Cold Steve Austin who continually referred to the star as boring.

Credit for the interview: 83 Weeks

h/t for the transcription: Wrestling Inc.