Wrestling, Storm entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series to get another shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, defeating ten other men to win a gauntlet match and take the early lead in the tournament. On the August 30 episode of Impact Wrestling, Storm wrestled his final group stage match and, for the second year in a row, finished in the top four, advancing to the finals of the tournament. On September 9 at No Surrender, Storm was eliminated from the tournament, after losing to Bully Ray in his semifinal match, following interference from Bobby Roode. On the September 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Storm challenged Roode to a match as part of the Open Fight Night. The match ended in a no contest, when referee Brian Hebner was unable control the two brawling rivals. The rivalry between Storm and Roode culminated on October 14 at Bound for Glory in a street fight, with King Mo serving as the special guest enforcer, which was won by Storm. On November 11 at Turning Point, Storm defeated A.J. Styles and Bobby Roode in a three-way match to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. However, on the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Storm lost his number one contendership to Roode. On December 9 at Final Resolution, Storm defeated Kazarian in a singles match, and again on the January 3, 2013, episode of Impact Wrestling, beginning a rivalry with him and Christopher Daniels. On January 13 at Genesis, Storm was defeated by Daniels in a number one contenders match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On March 10 at Lockdown, Team TNA, consisting of Storm, Eric Young, Magnus, Samoa Joe, and Sting defeated the Aces & Eights, consisting of Devon, DOC, Garett Bischoff, Mike Knox, and Mr. Anderson in a Lethal Lockdown match. On the March 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Storm defeated former rival Christopher Daniels in a singles match. Afterwards, he was attacked by both Daniels and Kazarian before being saved and ultimately assaulted by the returning A. J. Styles. In the following weeks, Storm demanded Styles to explain his actions, but Styles remained mute. Storm finally faced Styles in singles competition on the April 18 episode of Impact Wrestling, where Styles won via submission. On April 26, 2013, Storm unsuccessfully challenged Devon for the TNA Television Championship during a house show in Erie, Pennsylvania. Storyline with