Shane Helms continues his rehabilitation from injuries sustained during a May motorcycle accident with the ultimate goal of returning to the ring.

Prior to the crash, the Hurricane made headlines earlier this year by signing with Lucha Libre USA. After getting released from WWE last year, he saw a unique opportunity.

“A lot of companies come out, and they say they are going to be different, an alternative to the WWE,” Helms said.

“Then they end up being exactly the same. I thought with Lucha Libre USA that it could be something new and it is. The first season was okay, but this season it really picked up. The energy, the laughter going on without the crazy dramatics, and the in-ring action is really something different.”

The Shane Event’s in-ring abilities were not showcased by his former employer. He wanted to be taken more seriously in the ring.

“When I came back in my last run after my neck injury I wanted to not really be the Hurricane, but I wanted to wrestle as Gregory Helms or ‘Sugar’ Shane Helms,” Helms said.

“Not just do the comedy stuff. I really didn’t get that opportunity. They wanted me to be the super hero thing again and that sort of thing. It was for ECW on SyFy because they saw the super hero was a sci-fi like character.”

LLUSA gave him more creative freedom of where he wanted to go with his persona. For Helms, it was a welcome change.

“Lucha Libre USA basically said we want you, and you can kind of do what you want,” Helms said. “They knew my name value would be good. The company is like a new hybrid of lucha libre and American styles. I saw the opportunities there. I know people wanted me to be in TNA with Jeff [Hardy] and Shannon [Moore], together again.

“Like I said before, I see those guys anyway. I don’t necessarily need to work with them as well. We all love each other and are all great friends through the ups and downs. I think if you saw Lucha Libre, you would see a new Shane Helms debut.”

The company’s “Masked Warriors” show on MTV2 and Tr3 stopped airing. The program, which aired 10 a.m. [ET] on Saturdays, was announced by the company to be “on a brief hiatus until a more convenient viewing experience becomes available”. The opinionated wrestling star thought the timeslot wasn’t the best.

“It was 7 a.m. on the west coast in places like California where there is a large Latin population. I mean I’m the biggest wrestling fan in the world, but I don’t know if I’m going to get up and watch it though. Luckily I had DVR. I mean it’s hard for me to get up, and I was on the show.”

Part of Helms’ motivation to return to the ring was working with a number of performers on the LLUSA roster.

“There are a lot of talented guys in that locker room,” Helms said. “That is what I was happiest about. I got to watch the guys and saw that hunger that I hadn’t seen that in a while. I mean it’s easy in WWE when you are on top of the world and get complacent. You see a lot of complacency there. They are walking on eggshells and don’t know what to do. There is a lot of talent that deserves to be seen. I kind of had that deal of being on TV for 12 years, but would love to help them become bigger stars. I think Lucha Libre USA deserves a chance.”