"She said she would run it by Vince" - Vince McMahon's reaction to WCW star's WWE name-change revealed
Shane Helms was recently on WWE's The Bump where we found out that Molly Holly will be going into the WWE Hall of Fame. During his appearance on The Bump, Helms also opened up about changing his ring name when he first signed with WWE.
Shane Helms signed with WWE in 2001 following the demise of WCW and their purchase by Vince McMahon. Helms found success in WWE, including his most popular persona, The Hurricane. Helms, who was a former WCW Cruiserweight Champion, also found success in WWE in the form of a tag team championship run alongside the late Rosey.
Helms was wrestling under the name Sugar Shane Helms in WCW but was told that WWE didn't want two Shanes, with Shane McMahon an integral part of WWE television at the time. Helms wrestled as Gregory Helms in his first night in WWE but explained that he found the name bland and realized he would have to come up with a new one:
"When I came to WWE, I was Sugar Shane Helms in WCW. There were some conversations about the name. They didn’t want to have two Shanes, which I completely understand. So, on my first night in WWE, I was Gregory Helms. It didn’t have a hook; it was just bland to me. I was like, I have to come up with something else."
Vince McMahon's reaction to Shane Helms' WWE name change
Shane Helms went on to explain how he came up with the name "Hurricane Helms" on a flight and floated the idea backstage to Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie told him that she would run the idea by Vince McMahon at the upcoming production meeting. Helms went on to reveal Vince McMahon's reaction to the name change:
"On the flight home after my first appearance in WWE, I had to come up with a better name. So, I came up with Hurricane Helms, and I showed up the next week before the production meeting. I found Stephanie McMahon – I interacted with her the most during those early days. I presented her with the Hurricane Helms name, and she said she would run it by Vince. A couple of hours later, after the production meeting, Vince McMahon walks by and goes, ‘Hurrican Helms, I like it!’ I was like, ‘Yes!'" H/T: WrestlingINC
Shane Helms is currently signed to WWE as a producer. While on furlough last year, he made a cameo in AEW during the Elite Deletion match.