James Storm

James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling.

He started his career in 1997 and after working on several independent promotions, he began to wrestle for the newly created NWA Total Nonstop Action promotion. Storm participated in TNA's first event and became a tag team with Chris Harris, America's Most Wanted (AMW). AMW became one of the best tag teams in the promotion, winning 6 times the NWA World Tag Team Championship. He also won the NWA World Tag Team Championship one more time with Christopher Daniels. After the team disbanded in 2006, Storm started a singles career, crowning himself as the TNA World Beer Drinking Champion.

In 2008, Storm formed Beer Money, Inc. with Bobby Roode. Together they became 4 time TNA World Tag Team Champions and joined the Fortune stable. In 2011, Storm defeated Kurt Angle to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, his first world title. During the following years, Storm won the TNA World Tag Team Championship two more times with Gunner in 2013 and Abyss in 2014, as well as the TNA King of the Mountain Championship once. He would leave TNA in 2015. Storm returned in 2016, winning the TNA World Tag Team Championship one more time with Bobby Roode as Beer Money. After leaving TNA in 2018, Storm worked for several independent promotions, most notably National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he won the NWA World Tag Team Championship once (with L. A. Knight), and NWA National Championship once.

Early life

James Allen Cox was an amateur wrestler while in high school. In addition, he was a talented basketball player, and was awarded a scholarship to Austin Peay State University (which he was forced to relinquish after injuring his shoulder).

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1997–2002)

Cox's professional wrestling career began when he was trained by Wolfie D, a veteran tag team wrestler, in 1995. His training was hampered by a broken shoulder, and Cox eventually dropped out of Slash's training school. He resumed training with Shane Morton after his shoulder had healed.

Cox toured the south-east independent circuit before being signed to a World Championship Wrestling (WCW) developmental deal in 2000. Cox made several appearances for World Championship Wrestling on ''WCW Worldwide'' and ''WCW Saturday Night'' in 2000 as an enhancement talent, where he assumed the ring name "James Storm".

Storm returned to the independent circuit after WCW was sold to the World Wrestling Federation in March 2001.

NWA Total Nonstop Action / Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2002–2015)

America's Most Wanted (2002–2006)

Storm wrestled his future tag team partner, Chris Harris, on a "Legends Night" show on June 1, 2002. As a result of the match, both wrestlers were hired by the upstart Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. The pair were expected to wrestle as singles wrestlers, but were instead placed into a tag team. They named themselves "America's Most Wanted" (AMW) because, according to Storm the name was a reference to his "little trouble with the law".

On the inaugural TNA pay-per-view on June 19, 2002, Storm and Harris were in two different matches in their TNA debuts (Storm teamed up with Psicosis against The Johnsons, while Harris took part in the Gauntlet for the Gold battle royal for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship). The pair wrestled together for the first time on the second ever TNA pay-per-view a week later. Storm and Harris quickly became mainstays of the promotion and teamed regularly over the next few years. Splits were teased in early 2003 and again in 2004, but nothing came of them.

America's Most Wanted turned heel in late 2005 by helping Jeff Jarrett defeat Raven for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. They went on to join Jarrett's Army, acquiring the managerial skills of Gail Kim in the process. At Bound for Glory, AMW successfully retained their titles against The Naturals. Storm's penchant for wearing cowboy hats resulted in the team often being jeered as "Brokeback Mountain", a reference to the movie about homosexual cowboys, during their heel run. In mid-2006, they again teased their split due to miscommunication during their matches, most notably when Harris accidentally hit Storm with a garbage can during a No Disqualification match against Team 3D ( Brother Ray and Brother Devon). During their run as a team, the duo won the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times.

On the December 14, 2006 episode of '' Impact!'', America's Most Wanted came to an end after a feud-ending match with The Latin American Xchange ( Homicide and Hernandez) when Storm hit Harris with a beer bottle, temporarily "blinding" Harris's right eye. Storm went on to feud with Petey Williams before turning on Gail Kim and aligning himself with the returning Jacqueline Moore. He then went on a huge winning streak, coming out victorious in matches against Petey Williams, Eric Young, and former partner Chris Harris in his return match, among several others. At the Sacrifice pay-per view, Storm was defeated by Harris in a Texas Death Match, which ended his long-running winning streak. The two faced each other again in a King of the Mountain qualifying match, in which both men hit each other with weapons and caused each other to bleed from the head. Harris speared Storm through the tunnel and both men were counted out.

Singles competition (2006–2008)

After this, he teamed with Robert Roode to defeat Eric Young and Rhino. He and Jacqueline celebrated a tag team victory against Rhino by pouring beer into his mouth, which set off Rhino due to the instant reminder of a history of alcohol abuse that he overcame, thus sparking a feud between them. As the weeks continued, Storm taunted Rhino about "knowing he likes alcohol" every chance he got, and continue to try and pour beer in Rhino's mouth any time he defeated him. Storm was able to defeat Rhino at the Victory Road 2007 after hitting Rhino with a beer bottle. Their feud continued with Storm again defeating Rhino in a Bar Room Brawl at Hard Justice. For several weeks, Storm would be included in vignettes where he would try to find Rhino at local bars. Rhino then challenged Storm to a match at No Surrender. Rhino defeated Storm by pinfall after he gored Storm through a table. At Bound for Glory, James Storm took part at the Reverse Battle Royal, which was won by Eric Young.

After Rhino was injured, Storm started a feud with Eric Young over who was the better drinker. Young won Storm's World Beer Drinking Championship (a title unrecognised by TNA, actually a WWE Championship toy belt decorated with beer bottles) and held it for two months before losing it back to Storm in a ladder match. Following this, Rhino made his return from injury and proceeded to deliver a Gore to Storm, challenging him to an Elevation X match. As the ladder match with Eric Young had demonstrated, Storm had a (kayfabe) fear of heights, a major disadvantage in Elevation-X. After teasing a walk-out Storm did in fact compete in the match and after attempting to hide inside of the scaffold structure, Storm ended up losing the match and falling through a table in the ring below. Following a couple of weeks off to (kayfabe) heal his injuries, Storm returned on the live March 27 episode of ''Impact!'' and attacked Sting with a beer bottle. On the April 4 episode of ''Impact!'', Matt Morgan allowed Storm to join Team Tomko making it a five on four match (until Matt Morgan himself joined Team Cage). At Lockdown, Storm, along with Team Tomko lost their match against Team Cage. Storm was then announced as one of the "Egotistical Eight" to participate in the Deuces Wild Tournament, and he would have to team up with a random partner, who was later to be revealed as his bitter rival, Sting. Storm then faced Sting in a "No Disqualification" match that Sting won. At Sacrifice, Sting and Storm lost to Team 3D.

Beer Money, Inc. (2008–2011)

On the June 12 episode of ''Impact'', Storm, alongside Robert Roode, challenged LAX for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Storm and Roode were successful in winning the match following a ''Last Call'' from Storm to Hernandez with a belt wrapped around his boot. Hector Guerrero (LAX's manager), who was at ringside however, informed the referee about what happened and the match was restarted. LAX ended up retaining the titles following a Border Toss from Hernandez to Storm. After the match, Storm, Roode and Jacqueline handcuffed LAX to the ring posts, and then proceeded to whip them with leather belts. The next week on ''Impact!'', LAX challenged Storm and Roode to a Fan's Revenge Match at Victory Road for the titles. The team of Storm and Roode (now known as "Beer Money") lost to The Motor City Machine Guns ( Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) in one match and Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash in another match later in the July 3 episode of ''Impact!''. At Victory Road, LAX retained the titles. At Hard Justice, Beer Money defeated LAX after Storm hit Homicide with a beer bottle and won the TNA World Tag Team Championship for the first time individually and as a team. At No Surrender Beer Money, Inc. defeated LAX to retain the titles and two weeks later on ''Impact!'' they defeated LAX in a six-person tag team match and as a result Hector Guerrero was forced to leave LAX. At Bound for Glory IV, Beer Money, Inc. won the Monster's Ball Match against Matt Morgan and Abyss, Team 3D and LAX to retain the titles. On the January 8 episode of ''Impact!'' they lost the titles to Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed, after Lethal cashed in his "Feast or Fired" briefcase. At Genesis Beer Money Inc. won back the TNA World Tag Team Championships when James Storm and Robert Roode defeated Matt Morgan and Abyss and Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed in a 3-way match. Beer Money, Inc. faced Creed and Jay Lethal at Against All Odds, after Lethal and Creed won a number one contenders match against Matt Morgan and Abyss. Eventually Beer Money retained the title after Storm hit the ''Last Call'' on Lethal. At Lockdown 2009, Beer Money lost the TNA Tag Team titles to Team 3D in a Philadelphia Street Fight, where Team 3D's IWGP Tag Team Titles were also on the line.

On May 15, 2009, Jeremy Borash announced that Cox had signed a new multi-year deal with TNA the previous day. That same month, Beer Money entered the Team 3D Invitational Tag Team Tournament, during which they turned face. At Sacrifice, Beer Money defeated The British Invasion ( Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams) to win the tournament and earn the right to challenge Team 3D for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. At Slammiversary, Beer Money defeated Team 3D to win the World Tag Team Title for the third time. The following month at Victory Road, Beer Money lost the titles to Booker T and Scott Steiner of The Main Event Mafia. The two teams would see their feud intervene with that of Team 3D and The British Invasion, causing a four-way war that would last the next three months. Beer Money would go on to lose to the British Invasion in an IWGP Tag Team Championship match at Hard Justice, win a Lethal Lockdown match at No Surrender (teaming with Team 3D against the Mafia and the Invasion), and lose a four-way Full Metal Mayhem match at Bound for Glory for both the TNA and IWGP Tag Team Championships, with Team 3D winning the IWGP Tag Team Title and the British Invasion winning the TNA World Tag Team Title. Beer Money were permitted one last title shot the following ''Impact!'', where they fought the British Invasion in a Six Sides of Steel match. Brutus Magnus would have his team disqualified by punching the referee, causing him and Doug Williams to retain the championship. On the November 12 episode of ''Impact!'' Beer Money defeated the British Invasion in a non-title match to join the Motor City Machineguns in the Tag Team Title match at Turning Point. At the Pay-Per-View The British Invasion managed to retain their titles after Kevin Nash nailed Storm with the TNA Global Championship belt. At Genesis Storm and Roode scored an upset victory over The Band of Kevin Nash and Syxx-Pac.

With Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff taking over TNA at the beginning of 2010, Beer Money's TV time was significantly reduced. Upon their return to ''Impact!'', Beer Money turned heel on the March 8 episode of ''Impact!'' by first volunteering to face Jeff Jarrett in a handicap match and then defeating him after a low blow and the DWI, claiming it was the only way they were going to get noticed by the new management. Storm and Roode have since acted as Bischoff's henchmen, taking on wrestlers he's had problems with, often in two-on-one situations. At Destination X Beer Money challenged Matt Morgan and Hernandez for the TNA World Tag Team Championship, but were unable to dethrone the defending champions. At Lockdown Beer Money, along with Sting and Desmond Wolfe, represented Team Flair in the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they were defeated by Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy). They then started a feud with the newly formed team of Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson, known collectively as The Enigmatic Assholes, who would go on to defeat them at Slammiversary VIII. On the following episode of ''Impact!'' Ric Flair, who had aligned himself with Storm, Roode, A.J. Styles, Desmond Wolfe and Kazarian, announced that he would reform the Four Horsemen under the new name , stating that each of them would have to earn their spots in the group and that in order for Storm and Roode to earn their spots, they needed to become the Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard of the group. After the TNA World Tag Team Championship was vacated in June, Beer Money entered a four–team, two–week-long tournament to decide who would get to face The Motor City Machine Guns for the titles at Victory Road. Beer Money advanced to the title match at the pay-per-view by defeating Team 3D and Ink Inc. (Jesse Neal

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