Gregory Helms

Gregory Helms
Helms (as The Hurricane) as the WWE World Tag Team Champion in 2005
Birth nameGregory Shane Helms[1][2]
Born (1974-07-12) July 12, 1974 (age 50)
Smithfield, North Carolina, U.S.
Children2
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Gregory Hanes[3]
Gregory Helms[1]
Gregory Shane Helms
The Hurricane[4]
Hurricane Helms[3]
Shane Helms
Billed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[4]
Billed weight215 lb (98 kg)[4]
Billed fromJoco, North Carolina[5]
Raleigh, North Carolina[6]
Smithfield, North Carolina
Debut1991[7]

Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract, as a wrestler and as a backstage producer. In WWE, Helms has wrestled as The Hurricane, Gregory Helms, and Hurricane Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms.

Helms first began wrestling in 1991 at the age of 17, and wrestled in numerous independent promotions, including the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts, winning numerous light heavyweight and tag team championships. In 1999, he signed with WCW, and gained fame as "Sugar" Shane Helms, a member of 3 Count. During his time there he won both the WCW Hardcore Championship and the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. When WCW was bought by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), Helms' contract was kept by WWF. Helms renamed himself "The Hurricane" and won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. He later picked up a sidekick, Rosey, and they won the World Tag Team Championship together.

He dropped the superhero gimmick in 2005, and began wrestling under his real name. He once again won the Cruiserweight Championship in early 2006, and held it for over a year, becoming the longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion and the longest reigning champion of any kind in SmackDown history. After being out of action for over a year after neck fusion surgery Helms returned to SmackDown in September 2008, referring to himself as Hurricane Helms, before moving to the ECW brand where he reverted to his Gregory Helms name, and became a backstage interviewer. In mid-2009, he brought back The Hurricane character, and appeared as both Gregory Helms and The Hurricane on the ECW brand. After the ECW brand ended, Helms was released by WWE in February 2010, however he returned as a surprise entrant in the 2018 and 2021 Royal Rumble matches.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference OWOW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Varsallone, Jim (June 2002). "The story of the Hurricane". Wrestling Digest. p. 2. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference slam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c "The Hurricane's WWE Alumni Bio". WWE. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference LLUSA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Gregory Helms Bio". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference hurricane was invoked but never defined (see the help page).