James Storm

James Black
James Black
Born	June 1, 1975 (age 49); Franklin, Tennessee
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	James Storm
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Billed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Billed from	Leipers Fork, Tennessee
Trained by	Kelly Wolfe,; Shane Morton
Debut	1997

James Allan Black (born June 1, 1975) is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm. He is best known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a seven time NWA World Tag Team Champion. Six of these title reigns were as one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted, along with "Wildcat" Chris Harris.

Career

James Black was an amateur wrestler while in high school, winning a state title. 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).

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

Black toured the south-east independent circuit before being signed to a World Championship Wrestling (WCW) developmental deal in 2000. Black 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 World Championship Wrestling was sold to the WWF in March 2001. 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 expected to wrestle as singles, but were instead placed into a tag team, which Harris claimed they named "America's Most Wanted" because everyone involved in their match had been hired by TNA, even the referee. Storm disagrees, claiming the name was a reference to his "little trouble with the law".

Storm appeared on the inaugural TNA pay-per-view on June 19, 2002, and the team wrestled for the first time on the second ever TNA PPV on June 26, 2002. The team 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.

Storm, along with Harris, 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. Storm's penchant for wearing cowboy hats resulted in the team being often jeered as "Brokeback Mountain", a reference to the movie about homosexual cowboys, during their heel run.

In mid 2006, they would again tease their split due to miscommunication during their matches, most notably when Harris accidentally hit Storm with a garbage can during a No DQ match against Team 3D.

On the December 14, 2006 edition of TNA iMPACT, the team came to an end after a feud ending match with LAX when Storm hit Harris with a beer bottle. Storm would go on to feud with Petey Williams before turning on Gail Kim and align himself with the returning Jacqueline Moore. He then would go one a huge winning streak winning the majority of his matchs over Petey Williams, Eric Young and even his own former partner Chris Harris in his return match among several others.

At the 2007 TNA Sacrifice pay-per view, Storm was defeated by his former tag team partner Chris Harris in a Texas Death Match, this ended his long running winning streak. However, as a reward for the awesomeness of this match, they would face off again in a King of the Mountain Qualifying match where both men hit each other with weapons and busted each other open. Harris would spear Storm through the tunnel wall which would give the ref no other choice but to count both of them out. After this, he would celebrate 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 would mockingly taunt 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.