10 Former Cruiserweight Champions: Where Are They Now?

Whether you know him as Gregory Helms, 3 Count’s “Sugar” Shane, or The Hurricane, this man is a three-time Cruiserweight Champion who held the belt for a recording-breaking combined 532 days. Helms was actually Cruiserweight Champion when WCW and WWE became one, although he quickly lost the strap to Billy Kidman.

A great worker inside the ring and out, Helms’ zenith came as The Hurricane. The comic book superhero came out of nowhere, and at the height of his powers, The Hurricane was one of WWE’s most popular acts. Whether teaming with Rosey and Mighty Molly or competing the championship gold, The Hurricane was a roaring success who rivaled even WWE’s main eventers in terms of overness.

The Hurricane’s 2002 Cruiserweight Title run didn’t last all that long, but Helms dropped the gimmick a few years later and enjoyed a lengthy reign after recapturing the belt in 2006. Holding the belt for a full year, Helms lost his belt in an open invitational tournament in 2007, and moved to a part-time wrestler/part-time interviewer role a year later.

Helms followed a familiar path after leaving WWE in 2010 and worked a number of independent dates across north America. He suffered a horrific motorcycle accident in 2011 that left him with a broken jaw, anke, nose, and leg, and required more than 100 stitches. Miraculously, Helms recovered to resume his wrestling career, though his work is mostly kept outside the ring these days. Helms has been a producer and manager for TNA Wrestling since 2015, and was most recently seen alongside former X Division Champion Trevor Lee.