Team Canada In WCW

If Canada has one specific stereotype to the rest of the world, it’s our level of polite kindness. This makes it all the more interesting that in professional wrestling, somehow, being a proud Canadian makes one a heel. Even though Canada has arguably produced the most legendary wrestlers per capita this side of Japan, almost every major promotion has at one point or another made a point to have a stable of Canadian wrestlers, and in some cases pro-Canadian Americans and foreigners, that only have the aim of showcasing their skills in a bid to prove themselves better than everyone else. 

Nowhere was this ever better exemplified than in the World Wrestling Federation in 1997. The Hart Foundation was in a groundbreaking position of being the most-hated heels anytime a show was in the United States, but beloved heroes everywhere, especially in Canada. The group was led by Bret Hart, alongside his brother Owen, brothers-in-law Jim Neidhart and British Bulldog and rounded out by American Brian Pillman, who had trained with the Hart family and as considered a beloved friend, helped usher in the Attitude Era and headlined arguably one of the greatest wrestling PPVs ever with In Your House: Canadian Stampede. The WWE would lean into the angle again a few years later to much less success with The UnAmericans, consisting of Christian, Test, Lance Storm and British ally William Regal. As we will soon be discussing, this wasn’t the first time Lance Storm was part of a proud Canada stable. Still, I’d also be remiss not to mention the fantastic run of Team Canada in TNA Wrestling circa 2004, which over time, consisted of future stars Petey Williams, Eric Young and Bobby Roode, among others.

Given that late-era WCW, under Vince Russo’s booking, liked to recreate, to a lesser degree, things that had worked in the WWF, it only made sense for a Canadian stable to pop up in the Atlanta-based promotion. The question would be how to go about the angle and who to have been in the group. At the time, both WCW and WWF saw an influx of talent moving over from the faltering ECW; the addition of Lance Storm lined up perfectly. An adept performer in the ring, Storm had trained in Calgary at the Hart Brothers Training Camp alongside Chris Jericho; it only made sense to make Storm the face of the new group.

On the June 19th, 2000 episode of Monday Nitro, fans were being treated to a 6-man tag match between 3 Count and The Jung Dragons that would see 3 Count pick up the victory. As they attempted to perform their post-match song and dance (in a literal fashion), Lance Storm would appear out of the crowd, attacking all three group members and laying them out with a succession of flashy moves before retreating through the crowd. The commentary team would position him as an invading force, with Mark Madden even noting that he worked for another company. This would seemingly make him a babyface before his next appearance, coming two nights later on Thunder. Following a 3-Way Intergender Tag Match, Storm again appeared out of the crowd, attacking indiscriminately against The Artist, The Filthy Animals and MIA.

Storm would make his official in-ring debut next week on Nitro, battling against Disco. After a quick match, Storm would get the submission victory with the Half-Crab. Storm would be attacked by the Filthy Animals, only to be saved by the returning Billy Kidman, setting up a match between the two alliances the following week. The Filthy Animals would be represented by Juventud Guerrera, who dressed the same as Kidman, and Rey Mysterio, wearing the same gear as Storm for some reason, and the match was solid as would be expected from these four men. The Animals would win following a top rope bulldog by Mysterio on Kidman onto a steel chair provided by Disco.

At this point, it seemed like Storm was set for a strong babyface run, which made it all the more jarring when he would cut his first promo the next week on Nitro ahead of his match against The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Iaukea. That said, the promo would help lay the groundwork for what would come.

“For those of you who came here tonight to see the sideshow antics of sports entertainment are going to be a little disappointed with me. I do not dance, I do not sing, all I do is wrestle. Being Canadian is that’s why I do that the best. So, if you could all rise for the playing of the Canadian National Anthem.

Two nights later, Storm would once again team with Kidman, who would make a complete mockery of the Canadian National Anthem, first reading a newspaper and then dancing behind the ultra-serious Storm, amongst other shenanigans. The two would co-exist throughout their match against the recently debuted team of Mark Jindrak and Sean O’Haire. The two would lose the bout following a collision where Kidman knocked Storm off the apron. This was the next step in Storm’s full-fledged heel turn, as he would lay Kidman out with a Superkick following the match.

The next edition of Nitro would be a special Tuesday edition based around a tournament for the vacant United States Championship. Storm would be interviewed by Pamela Paulshock, who even tried to hit on him, which he shut down, saying it was time to “shut up and wrestle.” He then declared his intentions to win the US Championship and renamed it the Canadian Heavyweight Title. Before the match, Storm would, of course, blame the US fans for turning their back on him, noting the better living conditions of Canada and frequently referring to the famous “Blame Canada” song from the South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut film, a huge phenomenon at the time. Storm would pick up the victory with the rolling Canadian Maple Leaf half-crab following a distraction on the Tron showing Bagwell’s mother, Judy, being attacked backstage. Later in the night, Storm would face off with fellow ECW alum, ‘The Franchise’ Shane Douglas. Storm would advance to the finals using a rope-assisted Canadian Maple Leaf, setting up a bout with Mike Awesome. Despite having two of the best wrestlers on the planet at the time, the match was built by the commentary team as Lance Storm’s Canadian pride against Mike Awesome’s desire to thrill the ample women at ringside (yes, this was also the beginning of the ‘Fat Chick Thriller.’) Storm would emerge victorious by reversing an Awesome Bomb attempt into the Maple Leaf, crowning him the new United States Champion. Still, that title would not be long for the world.

Following a rare non-interrupted playing of the Canadian National Anthem the next night on Thunder, Storm would list some of the many legends who had held the United States Championship before declaring the title dead and buried. Storm would then place a sticker onto the title belt, officially declaring it the Canadian Heavyweight Championship. He would then have a female fan of a burly stature into the ring to run her down, allowing the ‘Fat Chick Thriller’ to come to her defense, also leading to Positively Kanyon and Buff Bagwell getting involved. As anyone who has ever watched wrestling could guess, this led to a tag team match later in the night; Kanyon and Storm would win that. 

Roughly 20 years before Kenny Omega would become the ‘Belt Collector, ’ Storm would expand his collection on the July 24th edition of Nitro. Storm opened the show by stating he needed a warmup before his match at New Blood Rising against Mike Awesome and threw out an open challenge. The WCW Hardcore Champion Big Vito would accept, but before the match, Storm upped the ante, claiming he would put the Canadian Heavyweight Title on the line and challenged Vito to do the same, to which Vito agreed. Despite the hardcore rules, Storm would again prevail with the Canadian Maple Leaf, adding the Hardcore Championship to his arsenal. That week’s Thunder would see a rematch between the two, this time fought under Canadian Rules, again with Storm winning and retaining.

The following week on Nitro, Storm would attempt to bring even more gold to the ranks of Canada, but not before renaming the WCW Hardcore Title as the WCW Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title (because Vince Russo thinks like a 10-year-old). Storm would then win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship from Lt. Loco (Chavo Guerrero), becoming the first man in WCW history to hold three titles simultaneously. In a truly baffling decision, Kevin Nash would come out and beat the hell out of Storm to help build his feud with Goldberg.

The next edition of Thunder would see WCW Commissioner The Cat announce Lance Storm would defend all three titles in three separate matches, continuing to solidify Storm as one of the best in-ring workers in the company. First, Storm would have to defend the newly rechristened WCW 100 Kilograms and Less Title against The Juice, Juventud Guerrera, followed by the WCW S.H.I.T. against Screamin’ Norman Smiley and finally the WCW Canadian Heavyweight Title against The Cat himself. Two hours later and Storm was still in possession of his Championship trifecta. And now that Storm had established himself in record time and as one of the true MVPs of World Championship Wrestling, it was near time to spread Canadian pride.

Team Canada Established

As WCW New Blood Rising took place in Vancouver, Lance Storm would be the heavily favored babyface defending his Canadian Heavyweight Title against the evil American in Mike Awesome. In what was surely meant to be a way to try and keep Storm as a heel, the special guest referee for the match was Jacques Rougeau, who would be ensuring the match abided by the Canadian Wrestling Rules. Rougeau would stand outside the ring, seemingly only piped up when Awesome would have seemingly won the match, but not via the rules of the Canadian Wrestling Rulebook. First, Awesome won by pinfall with an Awesome pop-up Bomb, only for Rougeau to advise announcer David Penzer that you could only win the match with a 5-Count (King Kong Bundy and NXT Big E Langston would be proud). Awesome would then make Storm tap out to a Dragon Sleeper, at which point Jacques advised Penzer that a Championship match in Canada cannot be won by submission, pinfall only. After a giant top-rope Awesome splash resulting in a 5-count, Rougeau and Penzer would announce that following a 5-count, there would be an additional 10-count for the competitor to return to their feet before the match could end. After Storm and Awesome would come off the top rope through a table, Rougeau announced that the first man to their feet by the 10-count would be declared the Canadian Heavyweight Champion. While Awesome would reach his feet outside the referee’s periphery, Rougeau would deck him, allowing Storm to be declared the winner. While the match was an overbooked mess, the best was yet to come, as Bret Hart would make his return after being put into retirement to celebrate with Rougeau and Storm, giving his stamp of approval.

The next night on Nitro, Storm would be treated as a returning hero in Kelowna, British Columbia. While having the National Anthem played, he would be interrupted by the WCW Commissioner, Ernest ‘The Cat’ Miller. After cutting a promo on all of Canada and calling Storm a Power Ranger repeatedly for some reason, The Cat announced that Mike Awesome would receive another title shot, and The Cat himself would be the special guest referee. Towards the end of the match, Jacques Rougeau would again make his presence felt, throwing The Cat out of the ring. While Awesome would attack Rougeau, out of nowhere, Carl Ouelette (the future PCO) would attack, and the team once known as The Quebecers would lay Awesome out. The Cat returned and removed both Canadian interferers as Storm had an unconscious Awesome in the Canadian Maple Leaf. Out of nowhere, Elix Skipper would arrive, seemingly as a backup for The Cat, before laying him out. Rougeau would then call for the bell, again declaring Storm the winner.

In a backstage interview after the break with Pamela Paulshock, Lance Storm would officially introduce Team Canada before bestowing the WCW Saskatchewan Hardcore Invitational Title to Carl Ouelette and the WCW 100 Kilos and Under Title to Elix Skipper. The Cat would again interrupt and say both titles needed to be defended tonight against his chosen opponents. Later in the night, Ouelette would lose the Hardcore title to the man who carried that division for WCW, ‘Screaming’ Norman Smiley. Elix Skipper would be tasked later in the night with defending the Cruiserweight title against the recently debuted Kwee Wee and would come out on the more successful side, knocking out Kwee Wee with a Grey Cup (the Canadian equivalent to the Super Bowl) ring to get the pinfall.

The official introduction of Team Canada with Lance Storm sharing the wealth of his titles. Credit: WWE Network

On Thunder a few days later, Team Canada would begin the feud defining their WCW run, as the Misfits In Action would call them out to defend America from the nasty Canadians. The 6-man tag match would pit Storm, Ouelette and Skipper against the Misfits team of General Rection (Hugh Morrus/Bill DeMott), Lt. Logo (Chavo Guerrero) and Corporal Cajun (Lash LeRoux). It would be won by Team Canada following some shenanigans. Storm would continue to hold Rection in the Maple Leaf until The Cat would make the save with a steel chair. The Cat would then challenge Storm to a match, which Storm accepted on the condition that if he won, he would become the commissioner. Cat would ban Skipper and Ouelette from ringside, but Ouelette would return to cause the disqualification ending.

Elix Skipper would continue his hot streak, again with the help of his Grey Cup ring the following week on Nitro, defeating Lt. Loco in a Cruiserweight title match. The big story would be later in the night, when The Cat revealed that Carl Ouellette’s working VISA had been revoked, placing Lance Storm in a strange and overbooked predicament. Storm would team with a mystery partner against General Rection and Mike Awesome, with the caveat that whoever pins Storm would win the Canadian Heavyweight Title, including Storm’s partner, who would turn out to be Jeff Jarrett. Following interference from Skipper, Jarrett would seemingly go to hit Storm with the guitar, who would evade it, leaving Awesome to be hit for Storm to retain. Thunder later that week would see Storm booked into a triple threat with Rection and Awesome. Still, a thread throughout the show involved Elix Skipper purposely making calls to be overheard pitting the other two against each other, giving Storm the leftovers. The plan sadly would not work, but interference from Skipper would again help Storm retain the title.

Nitro would see the first new addition to the ranks of Team Canada, albeit not a voluntary one. Storm would defeat Sgt. AWOL (better known as The Wall) in a tables match to win ‘custody’ of Major Gunns from the Misfits. During her official introduction on Thunder, Gunns would rip off her Team Canada top while playing the National Anthem to reveal a USA bikini top, leaving Storm and Skipper to cover her up with the flag, before battling against Kronik. Gunns’ unwilling involvement would also cost Team Canada the match, as she low-blowed Storm with the flag pole, leaving him to be hit with High Time and pinned. Following a post-match fracas, Rection would officially challenge Storm to a match at Fall Brawl for the title.

The next few weeks would see Team Canada somewhat falter on the way to Fall Brawl, first with a series of segments training Major Gunns to be Canadian, ending with Storm and Skipper being thrown into a pool by the Misfits, then being demolished by Goldberg, in defense of Bret Hart having his career ended by Goldberg. 

Nitro would see the return of Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who would emotionally announce his retirement and his intention to pass the torch, and in this case, the US flag, to General Rection. As expected, the moment was interrupted by Lance Storm, challenging Rection to a match so he could beat him up in front of Duggan. With Duggan’s help, Rection took the W, setting up the next step in the series. Following a Major Gunns appearance on Mike Awesome’s Lava Lamp Lounge, which is too painful to describe, a match would be set up for Thunder, pitting Team Canada against General Rection and the just-retired Hacksaw Jim Duggan with Major Gunns again on the line. Just before the match, Duggan would be found backstage knocked out and draped in the US flag. While Duggan would emerge trying to get to the ring eventually, it would be too late as Rection would tap into the Maple Leaf. 

Storm and Rection would collide for an advertised final time at Fall Brawl with the Canadian Heavyweight Title and Major Gunns on the line and Duggan as the special enforcer. As Rection was going to the top, Duggan would shockingly smash his 2X4 into his back, dropping him from the top rope face-first to the turnbuckle, knocking him out cold for Storm to lock in the Maple Leaf. Duggan had done the unthinkable and betrayed the United States, ripping the referee shirt off to show a Team Canada top. Duggan would take out the rest of the Misfits with the 2x4 before celebrating with Storm as the crowd and announcers stood baffled. 

Nitro would be back on Canadian soil from Kitchener, Ontario and the perfect place to officially introduce the newest member of Team Canada, a freshly shaven and short-haired Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Duggan would cut a promo crapping on the American fans and say he was now with a team who cared for him, calling for the Canadian National Anthem, which as always, would be interrupted by the Misfits In Action for a 6-man tag. Following a 2x4 smash to Rection, Duggan would pick up the pinfall victory. The new duo of Storm and Duggan would ‘Pillmanize’ Rection’s leg with the 2x4. Thunder would see Duggan attempt to symbolize his new allegiance by throwing the US flag in the garbage but again would be attacked by MIA, with Rection sacrificing himself to protect the flag.

Jim Duggan asking fans in Kitchener, Ontario to rise for the singing of the Canadian National Anthem. Credit: WWE Network

The September 25th, 2000 episode of Nitro is very notorious, as it is where Vince Russo would win the WCW World Championship but would also see the first meeting between Sting and Lance Storm. Despite an incredible counter of the Scorpion Death Lock into the Maple Leaf, Storm would finally find himself looking up at the lights following a Scorpion Death Drop. Thunder would have Team Canada all over it as Duggan and Skipper would challenge the new Tag Team Champions Sean O’Haire and Mark Jindrak in a bout that they would lose after Sgt. AWOL interfered and brawled with Duggan. Skipper would be thrown into a handicap match against Kronik by Mike Sanders, who was in charge of the show and had booked himself against Skipper for the Cruiserweight Title the following Monday. Needless to say, Kronik destroyed him. Storm would be absent as he was set to team with Jeff Jarrett in the main event against General Rection and Lex Luger. The night would end with Storm winning via the Maple Leaf after Luger turned on Rection.

Nitro would see the aforementioned Cruiserweight Title match but with a twist. The previous week had seen Kevin Nash greet the visiting Beetlejuice (from the Howard Stern show) as Elix, so Primetime would call Nash out for a handicap match, with Team Canada barred from ringside and a powerbomb being required before the pinfall. Despite some early fire, this one was destined to only go one way, with Nash cutting a promo through the match. The disrespect would be retaliated against thought, with Duggan and Storm attacking the Natural Born Thrillers backstage after Nash left for a shower. Thunder would see Duggan defeat AWOL in a match following interference from Reno of the Natural Born Thrillers. Storm would attempt to bring back the Cruiserweight title back into the Team Canada fold but would be defeated following interference from that constant thorn in his side, General Rection.

WCW would bring Nitro and Thunder down under to Australia for a few weeks leading into Halloween Havoc. This would bring some stability back to Team Canada, with Primetime winning against Rey Mysterio Jr. and Lance Storm successfully defending the Canadian Heavyweight Title against Konnan. Thunder in Sydney would see the Canadian Heavyweight Champion Lance Storm team up with The Franchise Shane Douglas, to face off against the General Rection and Konnan team, tying everyone’s stories together. With three valets at ringside, things would expectedly implode, and Torrie Wilson would get into it with Major Gunns and Tygress, while Billy Kidman would interfere and cost Shane Douglas the match. However, this would not go unanswered as Skipper would defend his mentor and challenge Kidman to a match later in the night. Accompanied by Duggan, Skipper would put on a clinic with Kidman, even doing an early version of the spot that would later make him famous in TNA, walking the ropes and delivering a hurricanrana to Kidman. Following some 2x4 related interference, Skipper would pick up the big win. Things would return to the status quo the following week on Nitro, as Team Canada would again battle with the Misfits in Action; despite early interference from Rection attacking Storm, Team Canada would prevail as Corporal Cajun tapped out to the Maple Leaf. The final stop in Australia would be Thunder and see poor Primetime be eviscerated by Goldberg, before a thirty-man “Countdown to Armageddon” battle royal to determine a new number one contender for the World title would feature all three members of Team Canada. Kevin Nash would eliminate Duggan, and the eventual winner would eliminate Storm, Mike Awesome. 

Back in the US, Nitro would see MIA making a mockery of Team Canada. Despite a few chuckle-worthy moments, there is a reason this isn’t remembered in the same vein as DX impersonating the Nation, as problematic as that skit was. The last Thunder before Halloween Havoc would see Storm and Primetime battle Lt. Loco and Corporal Cajun in tag team action, which would break down with interference from Gunns, Duggan, AWOL and Rection, leading to a quick stolen pin for Loco on Storm. 

Finally, Halloween Havoc would come, with General Rection battling Lance Storm and Hacksaw Jim Duggan, with the US Title and Major Gunns again on the line. This would sadly be the end of the Canadian Heavyweight Title reign and Major Gunns’ run in Team Canada, as thanks to interference from Gunns, Rection would pin and defeat Duggan to win the match. The next night on Nitro, Storm would interrupt an emotional celebration to challenge Rection to a rematch one-on-one, a match that Rection had already booked for the next PPV, Mayhem. Thunder would see Storm employ the services of Meng to face Sgt. AWOL to no avail, as AWOL would defeat Meng after chokeslamming him through a table. Storm would make the mistake of disrespecting Meng after the bout, finding himself trapped in the Tongan Death Grip. Storm would win a competitive match against Norman Smiley with the Maple Leaf despite the attack. Keeping the hold locked on after the bout would bring Meng back out, and send Storm packing. Team Canada would be back in full force supporting Storm the following week on Nitro, as he defeated Kwee-Wee with the Maple Leaf, continuing his momentum leading into his rematch with Rection. However, he would still be dealing with an angry Meng, something no one in their right mind would want. Later in the night, Hacksaw cut another Anti-USA promo, mocking the election choices as it was the eve of the 2000 US Presidential Election. In what can only be described as an insane decision, Storm would choose to take on Meng on Thunder. The match would completely break down with interference from Duggan, Primetime and Kwee-Wee, but Storm would emerge victorious due to countout. 

Another trip overseas for WCW would see Nitro emanate from the United Kingdom, seeing Primetime face off with The Cat, where he would fall victim to the Feliner. Later in the night, Storm would challenge Rection to a US Title match instead of waiting for Mayhem. While a brawl would erupt outside the ring between Team Canada and MIA, Major Gunns would turn her back on Rection, first helping Storm avoid the moonsault, then throwing in the towel, forfeiting the match and the title for Rection. Backstage with Mean Gene after the match, Gunns announced her commitment to Team Canada, while Storm assured Rection that he would put an end to him at Mayhem. On Thunder, once again with the Canadian Heavyweight Title on his shoulder, Storm would issue a challenge to the World Champion Booker T for the same night, and the two would expectingly put on a great match, ending with a Book End for the three count. Booker would fight off the rest of Team Canada and, following two attacks from Major Gunns lay her out with a Book End.

On the go-home Nitro before Mayhem, Primetime would find himself in a prime position, teaming with Alex Wright to face The Perfect Event to defend the Tag Team Titles, a match they would lose after interference from the Filthy Animals. Following some more booking shenanigans, a tag team match originally meant to see Primetime and Duggan against Kwee-Wee and Meng would transform into Duggan and Storm against Meng and General Rection. Another fracas-filled bout ended with Duggan being rolled up by Rection for the victory, giving MIA the momentum headed into Mayhem. The war between Team Canada and MIA would finally end at Mayhem, with CEO Ric Flair declaring this would be the last chance for Rection to challenge Storm, and he would make the most of it, winning with the big moonsault and putting an end once and for all to the WCW Canadian Heavyweight Title. 

Storm would begin to move Team Canada in another direction starting the following night on Nitro, aiming to take out Yang of the Jung Dragons in singles action. With the referee preoccupied with a catfight between Leia Meow and Major Gunns, The Cat would appear from the back, throw a steel chair to Storm and deliver a cartwheel kick, costing him the match. Backstage, Storm would accost and blame Duggan for the loss for not being at ringside. Thunder would see an attempt to right the ship, but due to more interference from The Cat and another fracas between Gunns and Meow, The Jung Dragons would pick up a tag team victory over Storm and Primetime. 

As December began, Nitro would see another schnozz as Primetime would challenge Crowbar for the WCW Hardcore title with Team Canada, Daffney, The Cat and Ms. Jones all at ringside. In the end, Crowbar would retain as everyone brawled. This would lead to Thunder, where The Cat would team with The Jung Dragons against Team Canada in a 6-man tag team match. A miscommunication would result in Duggan nailing Primetime, allowing The Cat to hit the Feliner for the win. It was clear at this point that Team Canada was falling apart, and Storm had no design in hiding his disgust with Duggan. 

The next Nitro would see a mixed-tag match with Lance Storm teaming with Major Gunns against The Cat and Ms. Jones, ending with Duggan throwing his 2x4 into the ring, but The Cat using it to win the match. As per the pre-match stipulation, Storm would be forced to sing the Star-Spangled Banner on Thunder. Backstage on Thunder, CEO Ric Flair would tell Storm that he had no choice but to sing the National Anthem, despite Storm’s pleas that he did not know the words. Duggan assured everyone that he would teach Storm the words. Before Storm could go into the song, The Cat and Ms. Jones would come to ringside with chairs and a picnic basket to watch after using “blah, blah, blah” as most of the lyrics, The Cat would tell Storm he would kick his ass if he didn’t do it right, leading Duggan to sing happily and salute. This would lead to a match between Duggan and The Cat, which ended with Duggan having second thoughts about hitting The Cat with the 2x4, then accidentally nailing Storm. The Cat would win the match with a kick while Duggan tried taking off the Team Canada jersey. The segment would end with Team Canada laying out The Cat, leading into their match at Starrcade 2000. Team Canada would abandon Duggan in the ring, leaving The Cat to help him up.

At Starrcade, Storm would confront Duggan backstage, reminding him that Team Canada had saved his career and kept him employed, leaving him with the Team Canada jersey. After the match, Duggan would go to ringside, nailing The Cat from behind, allowing Storm to win the match with the Maple Leaf. As Team Canada celebrated post-match, they would officially remove Duggan from the group by attacking him, though The Cat would come to his rescue, even though Duggan had just cost him the match. Later in the night, Storm would explain his actions to Mean Gene, noting they just used Duggan to do what they needed and never had plans to keep him around. 

On the final Nitro of 2000, a Championship Contender’s tournament was set up to determine a new Number One Contender for the World title. Storm competed in the first round against Rey Mysterio, securing the win with Maple Leaf. In the night's main event, Storm would, unfortunately, fall victim to Jeff Jarrett, being pinned after The Stroke. The final Thunder of the year would see Jim Duggan come to the ring to address his betrayal of the USA, explaining that he sold his soul to continue his career. Following his promo, Mike Awesome would stop him from leaving the arena that asked him to stay. We would also see General Rection confront Duggan, who would accept his apology. Later in the night, following a match where Primetime would tap out to Konnan’s Tequila Sunrise, Team Canada would come to the ring and call out Jim Duggan. With Primetime and Storm surrounding Duggan, Mike Awesome would come to the aid of Duggan before immediately turning on him, officially joining Team Canada. Awesome would tear off his leisure suit to reveal a Maple Leaf t-shirt as the three men beat down Duggan while the Canadian National Anthem played.

The first live edition of Nitro in 2001 would feature Team Canada moving into a new feud with The Filthy Animals, challenging them to a Penalty Box match before Storm and Kidman face off in singles action. Kidman would emerge victorious with the Kid Crusher (aka The Unprettier or Killswitch).

At WCW Sin, Team Canada would face the Filthy Animals in a Penalty Box match with Jim Duggan as the special guest referee. It was an overbooked match, but Storm would win the match for Team Canada, locking the Maple Leaf on Kidman, forcing him to tap out and giving Duggan no choice but to award them the match. The next night on Nitro, the feud would continue with all three members of Team Canada demolishing Kidman backstage. This would leave Mike Awesome to face off against Konnan in a hair vs. hair match (please ignore the fact that Konnan was bald). While attempting a top-rope Awesome Bomb, Konnan would reverse it into a top-rope DDT for the win, cutting Awesome’s hair after the match. Thunder would see Awesome try to get revenge in a singles match with Kidman, which would see both groups at ringside and see Awesome win with a spectacular Awesome Bomb. Team Canada would attempt to cut Kidman’s hair, but the Animals would stop that with a steel chair.

Storm and Konnan would then face off on a special Tuesday edition of Nitro, a match that Storm would win with the dreaded Maple Leaf while both groups brawled at ringside. This would seemingly be the end of one feud, while the next week would see Storm align himself with the newly villainous CEO Ric Flair and find himself opposite an old foe. Following a match where he defeated Crowbar, Flair would give Storm a match against The Cat at Superbrawl, with the WCW Commissionership on the line. The next week would see the team of Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire defeat Storm and Awesome when a blinded Storm accidentally locked in the Maple Leaf on Awesome, allowing Palumbo and O’Haire to take advantage and win the match. Thunder would see The Cat come out for a match before Storm would emerge and announce his opponent as Primetime Elix Skipper. Following a quick-paced, high-energy match, The Feliner would spell the end for Primetime, giving The Cat some much-needed momentum, before Storm would announce Primetime was only the “first-level” and The Cat would still need to face Mike Awesome, who attacked from behind. One giant frog splash later, Storm, a confident and happy man, walked away. 

The go-home Nitro would see a match between Lance Storm against a street-clothes-clad Cat with the former Commissioner Mike Sanders as referee. Despite the two-on-one, Cat would stay strong before Storm took advantage and lock in the Maple Leaf, allowing Sanders to call for the bell. As Flair decided to make this the match for the Commissionership, Lance Storm was now officially the first-ever Canadian WCW Commissioner. Flair and his ‘Magnificent Seven’ stable would go to the ring to beat down The Cat, but Kevin Nash would appear on the tron, holding David Flair hostage. He would demand that the match for the Commissionership would still happen at SuperBrawl, a demand that Flair would heed to. Nash would make some other demands as well, but as this is the story of Team Canada, we will leave those for another time.

The go-home Thunder would see The Cat face off against Mike Awesome, a match he seemed poised to win, before he attempted a Feliner on the outside, which Awesome avoided, with the Cat smashing his leg to the ring post. This would leave The Cat helpless, and Awesome would win with a Frogsplash. Awesome would continue the assault until Ms. Jones essentially layover The Cat to protect him.

At SuperBrawl: Revenge, the second-to-last WCW PPV ever, The Cat and Lance Storm would battle again for the Commissionership, but not before Storm uses his powers to separate the team of Kronik, setting up an angle for later in the show. Flair and Storm would meet later in the show, advising Storm to have any of the Magnificent Seven’s opponents removed from the building following their matches. Storm and The Cat would finally battle late in the show in a back-and-forth match, almost ending with the Maple Leaf before Cat reached the ropes. Following a distraction from Mike Sanders which backfired, The Cat would nail the Feliner to win the match and win back his Commissionership.

Things would not go so well for Team Canada the following night on Nitro, with a match between Bryan Clark and Mike Awesome breaking down to a three-on-one attack before Brian Adams would help even the odds, leaving Prime Time to suffer High Time. The Cat would then place Lance Storm in a match against another old foe, the now-former General Rection, again going by Hugh Morrus. A brutal match would end with Lance falling to the No Laughing Matter moonsault. 

A big tag match between Mike Awesome and Lance Storm facing Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo would awkwardly end when the match stopped due to Lex Luger appearing on the tron, leading to Kanyon hitting the Flatliner on O’Haire on the outside. This would allow Storm to lock Palumbo in the Maple Leaf, defeating the Tag Team Champions in a non-title match. For some reason, Konnan would attack after the match, leading to a match between Konnan and Awesome for Thunder, a match Awesome would win emphatically with the Awesome Bomb. 

As the final month of WCW began, Awesome would face Hugh Morrus unsuccessfully on Nitro, but Storm would attack until Konnan made the save, though there would be no mention of their time together in the Dungeon of Doom years prior. A match on Thunder between Storm and Konnan would end with the Maple Leaf, leading to Awesome and Hugh Morrus brawling in the ring as well. Konnan and Morrus would make the challenge, and the match would be set for the final WCW PPV, Greed.

The go-home Nitro would see Team Canada, now seemingly only consisting of Awesome and Storm, defeat The Mamalukes (Big Vito and Johnny The Bull) in tag team action, only to be attacked by Morrus and Konnan following the match. Thunder would see the new team of Konnan and Hugh Morrus defeat the makeshift team of Disqo and Mike Sanders, only to be attacked post-match by Team Canada, leading into the PPV.

A back-and-forth match would end in an Awesome Bomb on Hugh Morrus, giving Team Canada a victory at the final WCW PPV, lining the team up for another non-title match against the Tag Team Champions on Nitro. With Storm sending O’Haire to the floor from the top rope during an attempt at a Seanton Bomb, Mike Awesome would smash a chair into the back of Palumbo’s head before delivering an Awesome Bomb for the victory. On the very last WCW Thunder, Mike Awesome and Chuck Palumbo would battle in singles action, a big hoss match that would see Palumbo emerge victoriously.

Lance Storm and Mike Awesome tagging during the March, 19, 2001 edition of Monday Nitro. Credit: WWE Network

As time ran out on WCW, so it would be for Team Canada, as the final Nitro on March 26th, 2001, would see Team Canada have their final match, challenging Palumbo and O’Haire for the WCW Tag Team Championships. Following a superkick from Palumbo, a Seanton Bomb on Mike Awesome would seal the deal, leaving Palumbo and O’Haire as the final WCW Tag Team Champions in actual company history.

What could have been had WCW continued or purchased by Fusient Media and Eric Bischoff will remain among the millions of ‘what-ifs’ in wrestling history. One thing that can be certain, Team Canada established Lance Storm as one of the bright spots in the last year of World Championship Wrestling. An absolute workhorse, the man wrestled on nearly every program from when he debuted until the company closed its doors. One can certainly wonder what may have happened had the WWF used the Team Canada gimmick as part of the Invasion, especially since Mike Awesome and Lance Storm were two of the first invaders to be seen during the storyline. 

Many people, myself included, before I sat down and revisited the angle, consider the Team Canada angle as a watered-down version of the Hart Foundation angle, and while in many ways it was, one has to certainly acknowledge what it did to establish Lance Storm as one of the best talents in the dying days of WCW, as well as Primetime Elix Skipper and finally giving an acceptable WCW gimmick to insanely talented Mike Awesome. If they had avoided some 50/50 bookings, they could have been taken seriously as an unstoppable force in WCW.

In the years since, there has been a lot of talk about the angle, with Hacksaw Jim Duggan notably speaking about it in a shoot interview with Hannibal TV.

“Lance Storm was one of the best technical wrestlers in the sport, but Lance was kinda vanilla back in the day. He would be on the microphone, I think he used to say, ‘Can I please have everyone’s attention.’ You know I’m behind him being Hacksaw going ‘rah-rah rah’ screaming and yelling. They call me up in the office and they’re like Hacksaw ‘can you turn your stuff down a bit, we’re trying to push the kid.’ I’m like turn my stuff down, tell the kid to turn his stuff up, this is the big leagues! But Lance was, ya know we had a decent little run but it was the Titanic days, the ship was going under”

And if you think about what Hacksaw said, that was the problem. It was a decent angle but doomed as WCW was unfortunately not long for the world. No matter how good something may be, it can only go so far if all the circumstances around it are sinking.