Gregory Helms, ECW's Nubber One Announcer! LOL So I'm getting bombarded with emails, messages, comments and tweets asking me about my new position on ECW (that's on Tues nights on Sci-Fi for those in the Land of the Lost) and what it entails for my future. Well a wise man once said, "You don't really have to plan for the future, cuz it's gonna happen anyway!" :) But then again, there's nothing wrong with a little preparation. Being an announcer is just another part of this business that I wanted to try and that I think I'll be good at. I've always prided myself on being good no matter what roll I was in, be it a great roll or one of less-than-stellar proportions. I've always been underrated when people mention mic skills despite the fact that I'm almost mostly known for my promo's, especially The Hurricane one's! LOL Strange huh? Anyway, I think my first interview went damn good, and I think I'm only going to get better. As for what this means for any in-ring activity, honestly, only time will tell. Injuries aside, I've been on TV in one capacity or another for over 10 years now. That's a career to be proud of in my opinion. Either way, I'm excited about the future and I hope my fans are as well.
On to a few quickies:
- - The Watchmen is still the best movie I've seen in a while. I thought it was extremely good but I will concede that it probably went over a lot of people's heads. One of my friends said to me, "It just seemed kinda political." I replied, "Yeah, it was supposed to be, thanks for playing!" :)
- - Speaking of books, my latest read was "The First Apostle" by James Becker. Pretty good, in a DaVinci Code sort of way. Chelsae Handler's books were also very good, and very funny! Currently reading "The Alexader Cipher" by Will Adams. Awaiting the arrival of Dean Koontz's "Frankenstein 3" and Vicki Pettersson's "City of Souls" both coming in July. Although in Koontz's case, it's been so long since the first two came out that I can barely remember what happened.
-- Fedor: Is still the man! With all respect to Dana White, Fedor is the best Heavyweight in the world.
- - And Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton? Wow! What a shot!
- - I finally got to meet Evander Holyfield. My all-time favorite boxer attended WrestleMania 25. I was at the "curtain" waiting to go out for the lumberjack tag-team title match, which should be included on the DVD when it's released, and as I'm standing there I see Evander walk in. And now I get a little flustered, cuz the match is about to start, but I have seriously been a fan of Evander since I was like 12-13 years old! I wasn't a late bangwagon jumper, I always thought Evander was gonna beat Tyson and I rubbed it in all my friends faces when he did. So anyway, I run over to get a pic, but of course I got no cam with me cuz I'm in gear. Referree Scott Armstrong gets me to take a pic of himself with Evander, which I do, but when I ask Scott to return the favor his battery dies! Arghhh!!!!! But luckily, who comes to save the day?? Little Natch himself, Charles Robinson! I take the pic, inform Evander of how he made my broke ass some money back in the day, and then I run back to the curtain for the match! Sh-sh-shhhhhweeet!!
- - A funny story from Wrestlemania the previous year, that would be 24 for those who need the assist, I was introduced to Kim Kardasian and had absolutely NO IDEA who she was. I thought she was just another chick trying to get a job. LOL It's a strange world where you're around hot chicks so much that you kinda get immune to them. Dating VS has a lot to do with that as well. :)
Check me out on Twitter at @HurricaneHelms and become one of my Twitizens, and yeah, I coined that phrase! :):)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 11:42 AM EST
[General]
Albany, NY Rules!!
So this Friday, Dec. 5th, marks my return to Smackdown, and I want to go on record and thank the Albany crowd for the reception they gave me. Crowds really do make a difference in a show. A dead crowd can bring a great show down, while an excited energetic crowd can make an average show seem top notch! The energy from a great crowd is something that I feed off of and I know others do as well. Great crowds and towns are always high on our list of places that we, as performers, like to go to. Chicago, Detriot, MSG, Toronto, Montreal, and Anaheim are among some of the loudest crowds that I have been in front of and therefore, these are the places that I've always liked the most. Well now, I must add Albany to that list! Albany was very good to me! The various chants they gave me were exciting and I must admit also very touching. A "Welcome back" chant caught me off gaurd right off the bat, and it bought a touch of emotion to my return. The "Hurricane" chant was nice to hear after such a long time not hearing it. The "I'm just saying" chant almost made me chuckle, and right behind the "Welcome Back" was my favorite of the night! I believe there was a "Rosey" chant too, which I'm sure Big Ro-Ro will be happy to hear about. There was also a small chant about my tattoo, which I heard, but I couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but it was still very much appreciated. This past year and a half was about as tough a year as one could have and by far, the toughest of my life. The injury notwithstanding, the loss of my mother was, and still is, something that affects me all the time. On top of that, about 6 months later, I also lost my step-mother Bridgette. Bridgette was my father's 2nd wife, and was whom I, my brother and my sister were raised by for nearly 13 years. I kept that loss out of the media as best I could, because to be honest, I just wasn't ready to deal with that yet. A few months later, two close friends of mine, Brannon and Crystal, and their 7 day old newborn, Skylar, were struck by a train and killed. A triple funeral was held for them and up until that point I'd never seen an infant in a casket before, and I hope I never do again. That will indeed put your life in perspective if nothing will. Finally, as if that wasn't enough, a few months later, an uncle by marriage, Ronald, also passed. I understand that death is a part of life, but this last year, it played a HUGE part in mine and I honestly need a break from that!! At least in Ronald's case, their was a small blessing in that it re-connected me and my family with his daughter Tina, my lil cuz who I hadn't seen in years.
So it is with all that knowledge that I hope everyone watching the show this Friday understands that at the end of the match when I probably should've been a little more jubilant, I was honestly trying my best to hold back a few tears. I'm far from the most emotional guy on Earth, but that "Welcome Back" chant coupled with the thought that my mom wouldn't be able to see my return got to me at the end. I haven't seen the playback yet so I'm not even sure what will show up on camera, but just in case, I thought I would let you know. And Albany....Thank You!!! You guys are the perfect example of why I do what I do! I've said before that I didn't get into this industry for the fame and fortune, hell, I fell in love with pro-wrestling before I even knew what fame and forture were! I've just always loved it and crowds like Albany re-inforce that love. Thank you again guys. It's good to be back!
So be sure to tune in Friday night! And I'm not sayin'....I'm just sayin!!! :):)
Just a quick note that I posted a new blog on my MySpace. The link is: www.myspace.com/gshelms It is in regards to the bar skirmish that I'm sure most of you've heard about.
