Gregory Helms
American professional wrestler / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Gregory Helms?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently 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.
| Gregory Helms | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Gregory Shane Helms[1][2] |
| Born | (1974-07-12) July 12, 1974 (age 49) Smithfield, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gregory Hanes[3] Gregory Helms[1] Gregory Shane Helms The Hurricane[4] Hurricane Helms[3] Shane Helms |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[4] |
| Billed weight | 215 lb (98 kg)[4] |
| Billed from | Joco, North Carolina[5] Raleigh, North Carolina[6] Smithfield, North Carolina |
| Debut | 1991[7] |
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.