Shane Helms recently appeared on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. Here are the highlights:
On his problem 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.”
On Austin Aries and Neville being gone from 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.”
On departing from Impact Wrestling:
Well, he 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.”
