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What's the story?
Chris Featherstone of WrestlingNews.co recently interviewed Shane Helms on the Pancakes and Powerslams show where they talked about a variety of topics. One topic, in particular, was the WWE Cruiserweight Division.
In case you didn't know...
Shane Helms is best known for wrestling as The Hurricane in the WWE from 2001 until 2005. The Hurricane would be a superhero gimmick for Helms that was very popular with the WWE Universe, and the character would reach its greatest heights with segments and a match with The Rock; which The Hurricane would win in 2003.
Helms would know a thing or two about being Cruiserweight Champion as he won the title once with WCW and twice with WWE.
The heart of the matter...
The first matter he spoke about with the Cruiserweight Division was the problem it currently has. He believes that the biggest problem is the lack of star power in the division. It would matter more if they had some megastars such as Finn Balor and AJ Styles in the division, but since it isn't presented as an important division, they wouldn't want to be a part of it.
He did mention the current roster and what they need to do:
"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.”
In regards to Neville and Austin Aries departing the company, Helms said that "you only live once," and if you are miserable where you are, then you need to leave.
He stated that there is absolutely no company in the world that wouldn't sign Neville, so he has plenty of options ahead of him.
What's next?
Helms announced this past June that he left Impact Wrestling after being a manager to The Helms Dynasty (Andrew Everett and Trevor Lee).
It is unknown what is next for Helms, but you can keep up to date with his life by following him on Twitter @ShaneHelmsCom.
Author's take
I think just like with NXT, it takes time to get a new division established. I absolutely love the roster they put together on 205 Live, and I believe in time, it'll garner more attention.
You look at guys like Drew Gulak who was constantly in the beginning of the new Cruiserweight Division, and now (with the help of PowerPoint) he's on quite the roll.
As for Neville and Aries, it definitely is bad that I won't get to see them compete in the WWE anytime soon, but at the same time, being happy is the most important. The WWE called upon them to lead a new group of wrestlers instead of getting a major push on the main roster, and if they weren't happy with that, you can't fault them for wanting to go elsewhere.
