Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms has fired back at the comments made by Buff Bagwell on Dark Side of the Ring, branding his fellow WCW alum a “lying POS.”

Bagwell’s life, career, and struggles were covered in the latest episode of the hit VICE series which documents the darker side of pro-wrestling. The episode looked at Bagwell’s upbringing, time with WCW, his issues with substances, and more from his life. 

Buff Bagwell Accuses Shane Helms

The Dark Side of the Ring episode covers Bagwell’s brief tenure with WWE which saw him fired after his much-panned 2001 main event bout with Booker T. This match was so bad it reportedly led to Vince McMahon nixing any plans for WCW to be revived as its own show. 

In the episode, it is claimed that Bagwell confronted Helms during a training session and that Helms allegedly called Buff a drug addict. Bagwell claims he slapped Helms resulting in Helms using a frozen bottle of water as a weapon, resulting in Buff needing 24 staples for his Monday Night Raw debut. 

In the episode, Bagwell blames his WWE release on the fact that he was blamed for striking Helms first during their confrontation. 

Helms Fires Back

On Twitter, a fan who watched Dark Side of the Ring criticized Helms, blaming the former Cruiserweight Champions on Buff’s release. Helms hit back by claiming that Bagwell is lying and witnesses at the scene would disagree with his claims. 

I didn’t either. Buff is a lying POS. Always has been. There were witnesses there and NONE agree with Buff. https://t.co/H5psVtW4ut

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 14, 2024

A different fan also questioned Buff’s story, especially as it’s been believed for years that his mother Judy rung up to say her son should be booked better. Helms noted that Bagwell has a history of blaming others for his lack of WWE success. 

He used to blame Jim Ross too. Blamed everyone except the man in the mirror. Nothing wrong with failing at something, but accountability is key. Everyone associated with that episode of Dork Side can suck ass. https://t.co/yAdaDUh221

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 14, 2024

When a fan said that Bagwell seemed like a changed man after being helped by Diamond Dallas Page, Helms said: 

He literally just went on a show and told a bunch of lies. No more second chances from me.

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) March 14, 2024

A former WCW star has a court date upcoming following an arrest on November 1.

Evan Karagias was arrested on charges of simple assault and injury to personal property, but posted $25,000 bound.

Karagias, a North Carolina resident from Gastonia, now has a court date set for those charges on January 2, 2024, according to PWInsider.

The former WCW talent is best known for being the main focus of the heel “boy band” faction, 3 Count. While a member of the group, Karagias became the WCW Cruiserweight Champion alongside Shane Helms and Shannon Moore. 

Karagias last wrestled in 2010, but unlike his 3 Count partners, never had a match with WWE.

The Pro Wrestling Trajectory Of WCW’s 3 Count

Even though Karagias was the top of the 3 Count trio in WCW, he arguably had the least notable career in the squared circle. Both Shane Helms and Shannon Moore had runs with WWE and also happen to be childhood friends of Matt and Jeff Hardy.

Helms really caught fire with his Hurricane Helms persona, becoming a multi-time Crusierweight Champion, both in WCW and WWE. Helms now works as a producer behind the scenes for WWE.

To this day, Shannon Moore remains an active talent in pro wrestling, but is more selective with his appearances. Moore’s pro wrestling road got rocky as much like his Hardy Boy brothers, battled substance abuse issues in the past. Now completely sober, Moore serves as a recovery counselor for celebrities, notably former athletes. He most recently appeared on an episode of Road Dogg’s podcast, “Oh … You Didn’t Know?”

Two weeks after the attacks on Sept. 11, a then 12-year-old Jacob Grondy was on his way to the airport – and he was scared.

Not only was this his first flight, but he was dealing with what many in the country were feeling – fear of flying due to the recent attacks. But a surreptitious introduction with a few pro wrestling passengers – thanks to the just-released Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 issue – assuaged his fears.

Grondy’s flight out of the Raleigh, N.C. airport was shared by the Hardy Boys, Amy Dumas – who wrestled for the WWF at the time as Lita – and Shane Helms on board. They were four of the hottest acts in the WWF at the time and were heroes to a 12-year-old Grondy, especially after they turned what could have been a traumatic experience into one of his favorite childhood memories.

“I was honestly trying to act tough,” Grondy said. “But as we were getting closer to the airport, I was visibly scared. I wasn’t talking at all, which was extremely rare (for me) as a kid.”

On the way to the airport, his dad gave him a copy of the PWI 500 issue to read and keep his mind off the recent attacks. Growing up in North Carolina, Grondy said he was immersed in pro wrestling. As a kid he watched WCW and the WWF religiously and was excited when ECW made its TNN television debut. He’s continued to be a fan well into adulthood. He hosts a podcast called Curtain Jerkin’ on Spotify.

The issue provided a bit of a distraction, but it was who he saw in the airport that relieved his fears.

“I don’t remember anything other than getting to the terminal, sitting down and looking up – and there was Jeff Hardy,” Grondy said. “He was dressed exactly how you would see him on TV. I leapt up in excitement. My dad had a pen on him and gave it to me so I could ask to get my PWI signed.”

Jeff walked Grondy over to his brother Matt Hardy to get his autograph. Matt then said they should get him Lita’s as well. As he walked back to his dad, his dad was smiling with relief, that he wasn’t as scared as he had been when he got to the airport. As he sat back down, he was approached by Shane Helms – who had just joined the WWF after the WCW sale and was beginning his Hurricane Helms gimmick. He said Helms asked to sign the issue, then asked if he could read it on the plane.

“As I let him read it, that’s when I realized that no terrorist was going to take down this plane, Team Extreme wasn’t going to let that happen,” Grondy said.

Grondy shared this story with Jeff at a meet-and-greet a year ago.

“He thought it was pretty cool.”

Grondy and his dad were flying to the United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis. It was the final race of the Formula 1 season, and was the first international sporting event to take place after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“(I) couldn’t tell you who won the race we went to, but every year the PWI 500 comes out I look back at that moment fondly. It was definitely a childhood highlight.”

Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms was part of the WCW roster in its final years and the high flying star was backstage for the final episode of the company’s flagship show Nitro on March 26, 2001.

During his recent talk with SmackDown Exclusive, the former WCW star discussed the folding of the company on its 20th anniversary.

Helms opened up about the time before it was revealed that WWE had bought their rivals. He mentioned how the WCW higher-ups were keeping things close to the vest and they had heard many rumors:

“Leading up to that we had heard different rumors, some of that was WCW trying to keep things close to the vest. Some of it was WCW just trying to keep morale up. They wanted us to not know the situation that we were in, and I get that, but we heard so many rumors that I didn’t know what to believe. Nobody did, no matter what they say.”

• Shane Helms Reveals That He Returned His All In Pay

Hurricane also talked about the moment when they finally realized that they had lost the Monday Night Wars and it was when Shane McMahon walked into their talent meeting:

“There was a talent meeting earlier in the day, Shane McMahon walked in the room, and you could’ve heard the proverbial pin drop in there. That was the paradigm shift in the business. The war was over. My team had lost. There were a lot of mixed emotions.”

Shane Helms ended up joining WWE after the folding of WCW and he stayed with the company until 2010. He made an appearance at All In but Helms has since returned to WWE and currently works as a backstage producer.

Shane Helms recently appeared in a cameo during All Elite Wrestling’s Elite Deletion matchup. He made an appearance during the bout between Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara as The Hurricane. He wasn’t the only one to appear during the matchup, however, with Gangrel also making an appearance.

According to Helms, pro wrestling should utilize more cameo appearances like this. On a recent episode of the ROH Strong podcast, Helms revealed how he had been pitching cameos to WWE for years. 

“As far as multiple guests, that was something I had been putting in Matt’s ear for years because I tried to get WWE to do it on my first run,” Helms said. “Leading up to like the Raw Anniversary shows, they would bring in a surprise and the crowd would always go crazy.”

Helms continued, “I couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t do that more. There are so many guys from WWE’s history that would come in for two or three weeks and the crowd wanted them there.”

Shane Helms On Pitching WWE

According to Helms, he frequently pitched WWE to bring in names from its past. He argued that it was obvious fans loved seeing old faces. Helms then pointed to the reception those names would get on the independent scene as evidence of this:

“They have a core group of guys and then they bring in an old school television character. It was working on the Independent level, I promise it would work on this level and in turn it would make the Independent scene hotter.”

Shane Helms one of many WWE personnel to be furloughed and subsequently released by WWE earlier this year. WWE cited the release as a decision due to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on business. He has since been rehired by WWE.

WWE has brought back a number of people after moving to Thunderdome who they fired or furloughed during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic but unfortunately, Shane Helms is not one of them.

The former WWE star recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about things like working with the boss Vince McMahon and more.

During the talk, Helms also provided an update on his status with the company and the former cruiserweight champion confirmed that he is still on furlough:

“Yeah, I guess it’s a furloughing, until I go back. To me, it’s the same thing as being released if I go back or whatever, April 15, Tax Day, of course, always sucks but it wasn’t anything that was unexpected for me anyway.”

• Also Read: Paul Heyman Provides Update On ‘Free Agent’ Brock Lesnar’s Status

Shane Helms also talked about how his interactions with the Boss Vince McMahon have changed over the years and he explained that what Mr. McMahon wants from a producer is very different than what he wants from a wrestler.

The star formerly known as Hurricane Helms went on to praise the chairman of the boards saying that McMahon is a visionary guy and one of the hardest working human beings. You can check out his full interview at this link.

.

Recently furloughed WWE Producer Shane Helms believes he knows why WWE’s ratings have been struggling as of late. Responding to a tweet regarding WWE’s flagging ratings, Helms bluntly relayed how ratings have been impacted because wrestling “sucks without an audience.”

Shane Helms stressed how watching wrestling without a crowd is an undeniable struggle for him. He credited the fans as being an undeniably vital component before juxtaposing the current product with watching a stand-up comedy show without an audience. Regardless of the quality of the comedian, without a crowd “it just won’t be as funny.”

“Because it sucks without an audience. It just does. Nobody loves wrestling more than me but I struggle to watch it while it’s missing one of it’s most vital components, the fans!”

Shane Helms On AEW’s Approach

Another fan reached out to him to ask his thoughts on All Elite Wrestling. Whereas WWE has been putting on RAW, NXT and SmackDown with no audience or noise, AEW has been performing Dynamite in front of a small crowd comprised of talent.

This small amount of noise creates a different atmosphere for the shows, and Helms was asked from a “producer and talent standpoint” what he thought.

AEW’s approach appears to be something that Helms is enjoying. He replied to the fan, sharing how AEW has “done some things that I really like.”

One of WWE’s recently furloughed backstage personnel was Shane Helms. In a recent interview with Busted Open Radio, Helms addressed the releases made this past Wednesday. He acknowledged the position that Vince McMahon is in amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Helms believes that Vince McMahon will probably be taking the decision just as hard as those impacted, noting how “Leadership has a price.”

Shane Helms On Vince McMahon’s Decisions

Quoting Michael Jordan, Helms noted how “winning has a price.”

According to Shane Helms, every decision Vince McMahon makes has a “million-dollar price tag” attached to it. It’s a responsibility that Helms claimed he would never want to experience. He explained that this because of the amount of stress and responsibility Vince McMahon goes through every day. 

“I understand people going after him, he’s the biggest name, why wouldn’t they? At the same time, I just hope fans understand that—I don’t think it was him behind a desk being maniacally evil,” Helms said. “It was a tough decision. I don’t think he enjoyed making it. Vince loves being able to pay people. He loves putting on this product. This industry exists because of some of the decisions he’s made.”

Shane Helms acknowledged the circumstances in which these cuts occurred. He is aware of how difficult this will be for people but hoped that they can remain positive during this tough time.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

The WWE has been forced to make several layoffs due to the current coronavirus pandemic.

It was announced that the company has cut ties with several talents already, including Kurt Angle, EC3, Drake Maverick, Gallows & Anderson, and more. The company has now been forced to get rid of several producers.

You can check out the full list (so far) below; which is highlighted by notable names such as Mike Rotunda, Fit Finlay, Shane Helms, and more.

• Billy Kidman
• Mike Rotunda
• Dave Finlay
• Pat Buck
• Shawn Daivari
• Scott Armstrong
• Sarah Stock
• Shane Helms
• Lance Storm

Of course, it’s very likely that this is only the beginning of more backstage cuts to come. The coronavirus pandemic continues to destroy the United States economy, and the WWE has obviously been affected as well. The company’s first COVID-19-related hurdle came with their biggest show fo the year. WrestleMania 36 was forced to be relocated from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to WWE’s own Performance Center in Orlando.

Also, for the first time ever, WrestleMania took place in front of an empty crowd. No fans were allowed due to gathering restrictions, after the event was initially expected to draw over 70,000 fans. The card was also dramatically changed due to health concerns.

Now, WWE has been forced to let go of several talents, backstage personal, and more as the pandemic rages on. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

• WWE Releases Gallows & Anderson, EC3, Heath Slater, More

DDP had revealed in previous interviews that he made an appearance at All In for free and it appears that he wasn’t the only veteran to do so.

Shane Helms recently had an interview with Fightful where he talked about a number of things and revealed that he had returned the money Cody sent him for his appearance in the show.

Shane who was part of the Over The Budget Battle Royal first discussed how he got booked for the spot, and revealed that his booking for Starrcast led to his All In appearance.

According to him, he met Cody and told him that he would contribute to the show any way he can and continuing on the topic, the former WWE Star revealed that he turned down the money that was sent to him:

“Cody was worried about insulting me by offering me something he thought was beneath me. I was like ‘Bro. No. Whatever you need, I’ll do.’ He paid me and I sent it back.”

Later in the interview, Shane Helms said that the event shined a positive light on the whole business and it showed everyone what is possible when you do things the right way.

Apart from this, Helms also discussed his appearance at the Over The Budget Battle Royal and the spots he pulled off during the match. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Shane Helms Possibly Wrestling His Final Match This Weekend

Former WWE Star Shane Helms recently took on his Twitter account and noted that he will be wrestling in what could possibly be his last match this Saturday.

Helms has recently joined WWE as a producer. At the age of 44 it’s possible that he spends the rest of his active time working backstage with the company and never returns to ring.

So the former Cruiserweight Champion took on his Twitter account and thanked everyone who has ever supported him, in case his match actually turns out to be his last bout ever:

Superstars React To Bray Wyatt’s Return

This week’s episode of Raw saw Bray Wyatt return to the TV with a new persona. Wyatt came back as a host to a Children’s TV Show but he also showed signs of a dark personality still being inside him.

WWE has now posted a video on their YouTube channel and in the video as seen below, Cathy Kelley takes a look at different reactions to Wyatt’s new gimmick:

So far there is no solid word yet on what the company is planning for Bray Wyatt in future. Though you can check out a very interesting fan theory about his FireFly Fun House segment at this link.

“Hurricane” Shane Helms has only just begun his new journey with WWE. Helms recently started working as a backstage producer for the company. This is alongside both Sonjay Dutt and Abyss, who were also hired by WWE.

Helms recently caught up with Booker T on Booker’s podcast, Heated Conversations. During their discussion, he brought up All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and how he believes they will impact the wrestling business. He also spoke about AEW providing competition to WWE, potentially even heralding a modern version of the Monday Night Wars.

“We Need That Again”

“[AEW] is gonna be good for the business,” he said. “Competition is good, there’s an excitement in the air. Those guys are some of my good friends, with Chris Jericho being a very close friend of mine. I’m excited to see what they do. We need that again, when the business was on fire with that Monday Night Wars. There’s a lot of people that thought that would never be duplicated, and it still might not this time, it’s still too early to say. But, if we can generate that excitement again — there’s a lot of crazy vibes in the air right now it seems to me.”

The only other company he compared AEW to was WCW —  in his mind the last true company to offer true competition prior to WWE’s relative monopoly. Helms states that AEW are in a great position to learn from WCW’s mistakes, especially with how that company treated money and new acquisitions. 

“[…] with WCW, they would just hire anybody back in the day, it didn’t matter if your a** was good or not. They were just giving money handouts as a fist. This company right here [AEW], they’re gonna be a little bit more smarter with their money and I think they’ll keep an eye on that. And those young guys, they know that. And two, that’s where Chris [Jericho] is gonna come in to play a little bit more than people realize, too. Because he was in WCW, he saw some of those mistakes so he’s gonna bring not just name value, and not just what he brings in the ring, but he’s gonna bring some business experience that they definitely need.”

Despite appearing for Ring Of Honor in recent months, it appears that “Hurricane” Shane Helms has signed a new contract with WWE. This is according to a report by WrestlingInc. Like with Sonjay Dutt and Abyss, Helms’ new role will see him operating as a backstage producer for the company.

Helms has over 20 years of experience in the industry. He will undoubtedly bring a wealth of knowledge and insight to this new position. He originally signed with WCW in 1999 prior to joining the WWE (WWF at the time). It was in WWE that he would adopt the “Hurricane” superhero gimmick — a character that is still popular today, as evidenced by his recent work with ROH.

“We’re Always On The Lookout For Talented People”

Triple H has been transparent over WWE’s intentions to hire more talent to fill backstage positions, stating during a medial call that “We’re [WWE] always on the lookout for talented people that can contribute to the product and to the WWE as a whole. It doesn’t matter where they’re from, the quality people that are talented, that have a passion for this, and want it to go to the next level and succeed, I’m always looking forward to those people.”

It has been speculated that Helms began his new position yesterday. Dutt and Abyss are expected to start in mid-February.

“Sonjay coming in here, Abyss coming in here [in] behind the scenes roles, we’re going to see where that best fit is for them,” Triple H explained. “I’ve heard of them, I know of them.”

“So many people speak highly of them and their jobs over the years, from a talent standpoint and other standpoints, so I’m looking forward to working with them and seeing where they best fit through all of this, as we all are. Everybody here will determine where they fit, what they want to do, and how they can help contribute in the best way to the product going forward.”

Earlier in the summer, Ring Of Honor announced that they had signed “Hurricane” Shane Helms to a deal that would see the wrestler become a part of the ROH roster. In that time, the Hurricane has had a number of matches with The Villain, Marty Scurll.

Despite this initial Superhero vs Villain offering, Shane Helms hasn’t been featured heavily on ROH’s TV output, leading some to speculate there could be issues between Helms and ROH.

Speaking with Jim Ross on Ross’ popular Ross Report podcast, the Hurricane took the opportunity to clear the air and clarify the situation.

Helms states that he is still a part of the Ring Of Honor roster, but confesses that “[…] we just haven’t agreed to dates.”

“We’re on wonderful terms. They are super happy with me. They’re happy with how everything worked out with me and Marty Scurll. Yeah, I like [ROH]. I like the locker room. They’re very positive. Everybody’s busy.”

His feud with The Villain saw them wrestle four times since Helms’ initial signing. The record stood at a win a piece and a no-contest before Scurll ultimately came out on top over the former WWE Cruiserweight champion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4VFahvxRgI&t=1s

Who would you like to see “Hurricane” Shane Helms feud with next in ROH? Is ROH a good home for Helms?

Former WWE Superstar Shane Helms (better known as The Hurricane) has his first match set with ROH.

Earlier this week, Helms teased that he would be making his debut with Ring of Honor. The Baltimore-based promotion later confirmed that he would be appearing at three upcoming events.

Those events include the State of the Art events on 6/15 in San Antonio, Texas at the Aztec Theater and on 6/16 in Dallas, TX at the Gilley’s Dallas as well as the upcoming TV taping on 6/30 in Fairfax, Virginia at the EagleBank Arena.

The promotion has announced that Helms would be teaming up with Delirious & Cheeseburger to take on Bully Ray & Shane Taylor & Punishment Martinez in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.

As of this writing, ROH has yet to announce his opponents for the other two events.

6/15 Card

Young Bucks & Hangman Page & Marty Scurll vs. ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes & The Killer Elite Squad vs. SoCal Uncensored vs. Atlantis & Stuka Jr. & Guerrero Maya.

WOH Champion Sumie Sakai & Tenille Dashwood vs. Thunder Rosa & Kelly Klein.

Cody vs. Jonathan Gresham.

Shane Helms & Delirious & Cheeseburger versus Bully Ray & Shane Taylor & Punishment Martinez

Jay Lethal vs. TK O’Ryan

The Boys vs. Matt Taven & Vinnie Marseglia.

What are your thoughts on Helms working for ROH? Sound off in the comment section below.

Shane Helms Teases ROH Appearance

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Shane Helms (a.k.a. Hurricane) took to Twitter to tease a possible Ring Of Honor (ROH) appearance. Helms is in his Hurricane gear staring down the ROH logo with the following caption: “Thru howling winds and pouring rain. All evil shall fear … THE HURRICANE!” Check it out here:

“Thru howling winds and pouring rain.

All evil shall fear … THE HURRICANE!” #CurrentLegend #IKnowAGuy #JunRaqan pic.twitter.com/cR6MlxRKXD

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) June 5, 2018

James Storm On Beer Money Reunion

The Miami Herald’s Scott Fishman took to Twitter and said that he wants Beer Money to reunite on Monday Night RAW:

Bring back Beer Money. #WWE #Raw

— Scott Fishman (@smFISHMAN) June 5, 2018

The tag team was made up of Bobby Roode and James Storm during their time in TNA back in 2008. They would split in 2011 but briefly reunited 2016. Storm is currently a free agent while Roode is working in the WWE on RAW.

Storm responded to Fishman’s Tweet and said a reunion would result a lot of merchandise sales:

https://twitter.com/JamesStormBrand/status/1003810822022451201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F411mania.com%2Fwrestling%2Fjames-storm-beer-money-reunion%2F

Discussion: Would you like to see Beer Money reunite in WWE?

First Look At John Cena In Bumblebee (Video)

The first look at the upcoming Bumblebee video has been released, and it features brief footage of WWE’s John Cena in the movie. Cena can be seen holding a large weapon, looking to be a member of the military. He appears at the 1:46 mark of the video below:

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Shane Helms was recently a guest on the Pancakes And Powerslams Show to talk about his professional wrestling career. “The Hurricane” talked about his time working in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), why the original WCW-WWE Invasion angle was a flop, his issues with 205 Live, and much more. Here are the highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r04OAqJxNhM

His time with WCW:

“Keep in mind that I am probably a little more positive than 95% in this business. I can be annoyingly positive, but anything that was bad I didn’t focus on it as much. I had a great time there in terms of exposure to the world my time in WCW did. I just took that opportunity and ran with it, and had a great time. Any of the bad stuff that you might hear the guys talking about I just didn’t pay any attention to it.

“I wasn’t part of any of the corporate decision making meetings, so there wasn’t anything for me to really worry about with what was going on behind the scenes. The only thing I was able to control was what I was doing inside the ring. That was the only thing I was able to focus on.”

Why the original WCW-WWE Invasion angle flopped:

“It made money, it didn’t flop necessarily. Could it have done a lot better with the top stars coming in? Absolutely! We didn’t bring the varsity team. We didn’t bring the true power like the nWo right away. The first thing was Lance Storm coming in, and then Booker T coming in, and of course they were two top talents, but they weren’t the top guys in WCW at the time. It wasn’t the Goldberg, it wasn’t the Sting, and that was what you needed in terms of when we are going head to head you bring your heavy hitters. I always tell people that, just like the Super Bowl, but if your starting lineup doesn’t show up you have to bring in the second string.

“There were still a lot of good moments that came out of that, and it gave a lot of talents the chance to show themselves to the WWF audience, because the WWF audience doesn’t know who the [heck] ‘Sugar’ Shane was, so it gave me an opportunity and I also want to point of to, that the top WWF stars at the time; Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle all these guys; WWF’s top guys had it going on, they were able to talk and work, and especially during that time they were outworking the top guys of WCW.”

His issues with 205 Live:

“[205 Live] doesn’t have the star power that the main roster has. If somebody does get popular in that division they take them out and sending a message to the audience that this division isn’t as important. They never seem to capture the magic of how it happens in MMA and Boxing. In MMA and Boxing, their biggest stars are 30-40 lbs smaller than me. WWE has struggled with that. I’m not talking about just small guys, usually smaller guys in that division against other guys.

“They’ve done great things obviously with myself, Rey Mysterio, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, but imagine how great that 205 Live division would be if AJ and Finn Balor were in it, but it has to be presented as an important division or else AJ and Finn Balor wouldn’t want to be part of it, and I can almost assure you that they don’t. If it’s presented as second tier then nobody wants to be on the B-Team, on the Junior Varsity; everybody there wants to be on the main side and be viewed as important so WWE has to present it as important. Guys there also have to step up. There are a lot of guys look exactly like 40-50 guys on the Indies. There isn’t any standout looks or personalities. Enzo [Amore] is at least bringing about attention, and that is what this business is about. It’s about bringing on attention.”

Neville and Austin Aries leaving WWE:

“You only live once, and if they were miserable there then leave. Go somewhere that makes you happy. There is no company in the world that is going to say no to Neville right now. He is incredibly talented, and always has been. If he is that miserable then yeah, why not? Me, I was there, because I mentioned before, I had a talk with Steve Austin one time and he always mentioned how I was always a happy guy, and I would say, yeah, I just don’t let it get to me. That is just how I am in life.

“No matter what I will never let things bring me down. I will work my butt off to find that silver lining, but I will find that silver lining. I will find a way to get to it, and in this business, like any job, your job will piss you off at some point. You have to find a way to make it happen. You have to find a way to make it right for you. That is what it is about. If you are miserable, then change. You can’t expect change to happen for you. You have to be the agent of change.”

His fallout with Impact Wrestling:

“Well, he [Jeff Jarrett] brought himself in. His wife, his buddy, which created a budget issue that he created. Because of that several guys were let go. My contract was up anyway, so was Al Snow’s, and Simon Diamond. Apparently to him longevity didn’t matter to him. He comes from a family that are kind of a carney family anyway so he is from that lineage. That is what it was; it didn’t matter that the people brought in weren’t as talented or successful as me and Simon Diamond worked, that didn’t matter, he was just going to bring in his buddies. The second I got released, my phone blew up. Everyone from that roster called me because I went above and beyond there from my duties as an Agent to help people out. Not just with their matches, but with their characters, their promos, I was a promo guy. I would have guys reading me their promos, and watching their entrances. I went above and beyond trying to see everyone their succeed. I caught heat because of the thing with the Hardy’s because they were my friends.

“To them it was bush league mentality and not professional, but that was just one person I had to deal with that issue. Impact Wrestling I had a great relationship with them, no heat there whatsoever. I wish them all the best. I am looking forward to Bound for Glory to see what they can do. I’m looking forward to Eli Drake. I told them back in the day that he is going to be ‘the guy’ to carry this company in terms of being a champion. I am a big fan of a lot of the talent there. I have nothing but respect and love for the roster.”

You can check out Helm’s full interview on the Pancakes And Powerslams Show here.

– It was initially reported last year that WWE’s Stephanie McMahon was preparing to release her memoir last October, however, Amazon listed the book on their website with a release date in 2020. McMahon noted on Twitter that the book would be released this year in 2017, but nothing has been said about the project since. A fan asked McMahon about the book, entitled “unREAL!,” recently on Twitter and “The Billionaire Princess” revealed that the book is now officially on hold:

LOL! My book is officially on hold. There are too many stories that need to be told before mine. One day, I promise! https://t.co/StQ9hIiBQK

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) September 12, 2017

– Former Global Force Wrestling (GFW) star and producer Shane Helms recently took to Twitter to fire shots at GFW’s new t-shirt for Johnny Impact:

New Johnny Impact tee up for presale now! –> https://t.co/qKGusGXMd7 pic.twitter.com/cHJM1RHHyb

— TNAMerch.com (@TNAMerch) September 12, 2017

Brought to you by Windows Paint. https://t.co/BmlA76epW3

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) September 12, 2017

– The WWE has released a promo for tonight’s (Wed. September 13, 2017) UK Title defense between champion Pete Dunne and Wolfgang, as the pair main event tonight’s episode of NXT. Check it out here:

– India looks to be a very big market for the TNA brand in the next few upcoming years. TNA employees remain very optimistic that the company will land a new cable TV deal in the United States in 2016. They also hold out hope that next year will be a new launching point for a better overall position in the TNA company.

– Shane Helms continues to be praised for his recent work as an agent in TNA. Helms was responsible for the Bound For Glory main event with Matt Hardy vs. Drew Galloway vs. Ethan Carter III for the TNA World Heavyweight title. Additionally, Tommy Dreamer has been getting more agent work in TNA, as he most recently served as the agent for the “Bound For Gold” match at this year’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view.

• Ronda Rousey Beefing With Justin Bieber Over Incident Between Bieber & Rousey’s Sister!

TNA star Jeff Hardy, who was recently injured during a dirt bike accident (watch here), will be making his first appearance since surgery this Saturday at the “Chaos in Cameron 2” event in Cameron, North Carolina.

OMEGA promoter Shane Helms issued the following statement on Friday to promote the appearance:

“HUGE NEWS!! We’ve just received word from Jeff Hardy himself, that despite being only a few short days away from having a titanium rod surgically inserted into his leg, Jeff Hardy WILL BE at Chaos in Cameron 2, this Sat. May 2nd!!

“We here at OMEGALives are quite simply blown away by this act of courage and dedication by Jeff to his fans, his supporters, and the company he helped make famous, OMEGALives. Jeff has agreed to do a special meet and greet to show his continued support for OMEGALives and the extremely loyal fanbase that both he and OMEGALives appreciate so much! This event will indeed be special!!” For more details on the event, visit Omegachampionshipwrestling.com/.”

• WWE Still Convinced Ronda Rousey vs. Stephanie WILL Happen At WM32

– Former WWE Superstar Shane “Hurricane” Helms is now working as an agent/producer for TNA. Helms was at the Impact Wrestling television taping in Orlando a few weeks ago.

– Tommy Dreamer will be making the announcement for the next House Of Hardcore show on Monday. RF Video’s Rob Feinstein was quoted as saying fans won’t believe when and where the next HoH event will be.

– The latest edition of WWE Fury, which you can watch below, looks at “36 double-team moves that devastated the competition.”

• WWE Personality Explains Why He Wants To Kick CM Punk’s Ass!

– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with former WWE Superstar Shane “Hurricane” Helms, as well as a WWE Fastlane pay-per-view, is now online. You can download the show at PodcastOne.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall posted the following on Twitter recently regarding his upcoming return to Madison Square Garden.

I'm very happy to be returning to MSG on 2/27/15. It will be my first time back since 1996….#CurtainCall

— Scott Hall (@SCOTTHALLNWO) February 25, 2015

https://twitter.com/SCOTTHALLNWO/status/570429896884932609

– The latest edition of WWE’s “5 Things” web series, which you can check out below, looks at “five dream matches that actually happened.”

• VIDEO: UFC Fighter CAUGHT ON TAPE Violently Assaulting Man At His Gym!

– Mike Mooneyham of the Post & Courier has a new article up looking at pro wrestlers who passed away in 2014. He listed the following wrestlers in the article, which you can check out at .

Don Chuy, Jan. 6, age 72; Mae Young, Jan. 14, 90; George Scott, Jan. 20, 84; Gloria Barattini, Jan. 27, 84; Vic Rositanni, Feb. 6, 74; Ryu Nakata, Feb. 15, 51; Viscera (Nelson Frazier Jr.), Feb. 18, 43; Billy Robinson, March 3, 74; Jerry Kozak, March 5, 79; Lorenzo Parente, March 15, 78; The Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hellwig), April 8, 54; Lee Marshall, April 26, 67; Joe Turner, May 1, 74; Larry Nelson (Larry Shipley), June 23; Ken Lucas, Aug. 1, 73; Ted Heath, Aug. 17, 80; Bonnie Watson, Aug. 21, 82; Don Green, Aug. 29, 84; Sean O’Haire (Sean Haire), Sept. 8, 43; Rikki Starr (Bernard Herman), Sept. 20, 83; Don Manoukian, Sept. 23, 80; Cowboy Bob Kelly, Oct. 12, 78; Dr. Ken Ramey, Oct. 16, 84; Ox Baker (Doug Baker), Oct. 20, 80; Johnny Angel (Johnny Lee Clary), Oct. 21, 55; Bob Geigel, Oct. 30, 90; Brad Batten, Nov. 18, 56; Rodger Kent (Rodger Vogel), Nov. 24, 90; The Mighty Wilbur (Randall Lee Buchanan), Nov. 26, 57; Jimmy Del Ray/Jimmy Backlund (David Ferrier), Dec. 6, 52.

– Below is a new video interview with former WWE Superstar Shane Helms (aka The Hurricane).

– The Rock will be appearing on the Christmas Eve edition of “Live with Kelly and Michael” on Wednesday morning. The promotional synopsis for the show reads as follows:

“This Wednesday, December 24, 2014, DWAYNE JOHNSON will be appearing on “LIVE with Kelly and Michael” as part of “LIVE’s Cozy Classic Christmas.” Only Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan could get the actor and WWE superstar into a holiday onesie, and then challenge him to a not-to-be-missed, epic Christmas Karaoke Smackdown. “LIVE” airs weekdays in national syndication, check local listings for time and station.”

– Former WWE Superstar Shane “Hurricane” Helms recently posted the following on Twitter, updating fans on his condition after undergoing surgery.

Thanks for all the get well tweets and messages. Surgery went well. They used part of my hamstring to repair my ACL. I'll be down for a bit.

— Hurricane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) December 21, 2014

The exclusion of Daniel Bryan in the Royal Rumble match on Sunday night continues to be a hot topic in the wrestling world. The following are some Twitter comments from current and former WWE Superstars giving their take on the subject:

Brie Bella:

Daniel Bryan should of been in the #royalrumble He should be going for the championship! We hear you… http://t.co/WxpNUxGQg9

— The Bella Twins (@nicoleandbri) January 27, 2014

Lance Storm:

I don't understand why everyone is so upset, considering they got exactly what was advertised and everyone predicted. #RoyalRumble

— Lance Storm (@LanceStorm) January 27, 2014

Shane “Hurricane” Helms:

Hey WWE I’m not trying to be rude but the crowd seems to really want Daniel Bryan. Juuuuuuust MAFAKIN Saying!! Geez

— Gregory Shane Helms (@ShaneHelmsCom) January 27, 2014

Armando Estrada:

It amazes me how much a company constantly ignores the feedback/suggestions of its customers! #Terribleforbusiness

— Armando Estrada (@RealArmandoHaHa) January 27, 2014