If you were online in the wrestling community around 2016, you might have seen people making jokes at the expense of then NWA Champion, Tim Storm. The NWA wasn’t in the best place at the time, their dealings with NJPW had fallen through, and many thought the legendary promotion was on it’s death bed, a shell of it’s former self. Having a nobody as their champion wasn’t helping that situation, and that’s exactly what 53 year old Tim Storm was. He won the belt in NWA Texoma Wrestling, defeating then champion and also unknown, Jax Dane. The iconic Ten Pounds of Gold, once held by the likes of Harley Race, Ric Flair, & Dusty Rhodes, was being handed around between someone no one seemingly ever heard of. Storm went on to have a few defenses before things would change for him, most notably against Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, who presumably realized Storm was the oldest man to hold the belt and wanted that title for himself.
The Importance ‘Ten Pounds of Gold’
It all truly started for Tim Storm when Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame took the helm of NWA, and launched the YouTube series simply titled Ten Pounds of Gold, and that’s when we started to learn more about the Storm. He became more than just a single joke picture of him looking out of shape at an indy show, we got to learn about the man himself. He’s a grandfather, a husband, a school teacher. He instantly became something rare in wrestling these days, he felt real. You could believe any word that came out of his mouth as fact, like if a close friend was talking to you.
It wasn’t as if overnight he became a sensation, it was a slow burn. He would eventually drop the Ten Pounds of Gold to Nick Aldis at CZW Cage of Death 19, enter an interesting feud with fellow unknown newcomer Jocephus, and then faded into the growing NWA as they worked to establish more of their roster.
NWA Powerrr Brings Tim Storm To The Spotlight
That is until NWA announced their return to TV with Powerrr, a weekly hour long show premiering on YouTube & Facebook at 6:05PM EST every Tuesday. It was set to be the return of studio format wrestling, and it’s debut was a smash hit, with one of their highlight stars being Tim Storm, who has made what is seemingly his last chance at the Ten Pounds of Gold as he faced Nick Aldis in what would be the first main event of this new series.
Before the match, both Aldis & Storm cut a passionate promos, where Storm mentions how he couldn’t tell his 94 year old mother he was having this match, because she’d be concerned he’d be hurt, how his defining hour in his 20+ year career was his 400 day reign with the Ten Pounds of Gold, mentioning his deal with Aldis for one last shot, and how there is nothing in wrestling more important than that title. In this short 3 minute promo, he made everyone believe in him. He reached out and touched the hearts of viewers like a great babyface should, had people hanging on his every word like he was channeling the spirit of Dusty Rhodes, and then went on to give the fight of his life to try to win what mattered to him; and because that belt mattered to him, this match truly mattered to viewers.
The ensuing match was decidedly average in the current landscape in terms of the action, but what kept viewers on the edge of their seats was the story being told. One final shot, a champion who truly prides himself on being champion, and a challenger who feels he has no other options than victory. It’s simple, it’s classic, and it’s something anyone can understand. In a moment of desperation and opportunity, Storm went low on Aldis and hit his finisher, a swinging side slam called The Perfect Storm, but even that couldn’t get the job done, but the fact that he’d resort to a low blow to get an advantage while keeping fans on his side was a telling moment. It simply showed how badly he needed this win, which he didn’t end up with, but in defeat he won the hearts of many.
What Is Next For Tim Storm?
Most recently on NWA Powerrr, he tagged with Eli Drake, so maybe tag team success or a feud with Drake is in his future. While he can seemingly never challenge for the NWA Championship again, is anything ever absolute in professional wrestling? Regardless of whats next for Storm, his name is etched in history alongside legends of this industry (and Rob Conway), and nothing can ever change that.
