Full Career Retrospective and Greatest Moments for Lance Storm

"If I could be serious for a moment," Lance Storm would say, standing almost statuesque in the center of the ring, a look of utter disdain painted on his face.

His typical greeting of the fans in ECW, WCW and WWE would help the native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, develop into one of the most hated stars in professional wrestling during the late '90s and early 2000s. At the same time, the product of the Hart Brothers Wrestling Camp became one of the finest technicians between the ropes, earning the respect of fans across the Internet who appreciated what he offered from bell to bell.

Over the course of his career, Storm experienced success in all three major wrestling promotions and as both a singles and tag team competitor, making him one of the more adaptable stars of his era.

Never a legitimate main event guy in either WCW or WWE, he was still a very valuable member of both companies, delivering on the undercard and helping to shore up the overall quality of pay-per-views and television.

Now the owner and operator of his own wrestling school, Storm's legacy lives on in WWE Diva Emma, one of his star pupils, among other young workers searching for the opportunity to make an impact on the grandest stage in the sport, just like their mentor.

In honor of his contributions to the business, relive Storm's incredibly diverse career with this look at his greatest matches, moments and storylines.

Going Extreme

Storm experienced success early in his career in Smoky Mountain Wrestling where he teamed with longtime friend Chris Jericho in the Thrillseekers tag team. He also worked in Japan for the WAR promotion, but it was not until he wound up in Philadelphia, working for Paul Heyman's Extreme Championship Wrestling, that he got his first real taste of major recognition and fans got their first glimpse at the considerable talent he possessed.

Storm's first major storyline came as one-half of the tag team champions alongside Chris Candido, who was a member of the Triple Threat at the time. At first, they managed to coexist, but over time, tension and dissension mounted, and the team imploded.

A brief babyface turn ensued, with Storm opposing Candido and his stablemates, but it was clear that the Canadian star was a much better heel than hero, and he was soon turned again.

Storm would partner with Justin Credible to form the Impact Players, a tag team that would become an essential part of the ECW puzzle late in the 1990s. The team featured the brash and cocky Credible and the serious wrestling enthusiast in Storm tearing through their fellow tag teams while simultaneously working with top stars such as Tommy Dreamer, Taz, Sandman and Sabu.

The dominant force in the tag division during their time together, the Impact Players were a much better duo than they get credit for today, probably because of the universal disdain for the Credible character that most have.

On his way out of the extreme promotion in 2000, Storm again made a brief babyface turn, leading to a one-off ECW Championship match against his longtime partner.

He lost, doing the job for Credible before exiting stage left and popping up shortly thereafter in World Championship Wrestling.

Canada's Proudest Export

WCW was a barren wasteland by the time Storm arrived. It was a promotion on life support and in major need of saving. Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff had failed to work together to right the ship and suddenly, the future of the once dominant company was very much in doubt.

That did not deter Storm, who delivered what many still consider his finest work during that period of his career.

Much like Bret Hart was in 1997, Storm was damn proud of his Canadian heritage and had no problem talking up his home country to the fans, who quickly treated him like the anti-American heel he was. The difference between him and most foreign heels, though, was that Storm talked a big game and backed it up.

In short order, he captured the United States, Television and Cruiserweight Championships, renaming them all after his native land. It was a history-making run for Storm, who became the only star in the company's long and illustrious history to hold three titles simultaneously.

Russo, for everything he had done wrong, had thrown his support behind Storm in an attempt to position him as one of the young stars he wanted to build on.

During his run with WCW, Storm engaged the likes of Mike Awesome, General Rection (Bill DeMott) and the Filthy Animals in a rivalries that proved to be some of the most interesting and entertaining in the dying days of Ted Turner's company.

When WWE purchased WCW in March 2001, Storm's contract was one of those absorbed by Vince McMahon's empire, leading to his arrival in the promotion not all that long afterward.

Tag Team Specialist

Storm was the first WCW star to appear on WWE television. He was also among the first of the invading stars to win a championship, defeating Albert to capture the company's Intercontinental Championship.

He would lose the title in short order to Edge at SummerSlam in a fantastic opener.

While he was skilled worker, Storm excelled in tag teams, working extremely well with Hurricane Helms early in his WWE stint. From there, he partnered with Christian and Test in the Un-Americans faction, becoming the spokesperson for the group.

That faction would go on to experience marginal success as some of the top heels on the Raw brand. Unfortunately, WWE split the group up before it could ever reach the heights it was capable of, and Storm was immediately paired with William Regal.

Together, the team would capture the WWE Tag Team Championships. A skilled tag team whose ring work was at the heart of their characters, Storm and Regal had all the makings of a truly great team, villains whose disdain and disgust for the United States and Americans in general helped make them the most despised duo in the company.

Regal's illness led to the end of the team, though Storm continued on with Chief Morley before dropping the titles to Rob Van Dam and Kane.

Unfortunately, Storm would struggle to remain relevant from that point on.

He would team with Rico in an attempt to give him some personality, but it was a questionable angle in which Raw general manager Steve Austin referred to him as boring, repeatedly over the course of his matches, that doomed the Canadian star.

After four years with the company, Storm left his on-screen role as a worker in 2005.

Teacher

There is no downplaying the success Storm experienced inside the squared circle, but when all is said and done, he may best be remembered for the numerous careers he helped shape and mold during his time as mentor and teacher.

In 2004, Storm accepted a role in Ohio Valley Wrestling. It's his work there in which has had an undeniable effect on the likes of Jillian Hall, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Mickie James and Chris Masters.

His success inspired him to open his own training facility, where he continues to shape the future of wrestling by training some determined youths looking for the right teacher to help them break into the industry.