Shane Helms On WCW Locker Room Reaction To Shane McMahon Coming In Before Sale To WWE

WWE's purchase of WCW remains one of the most impactful moments in the history of professional wrestling. There are countless different aspects of the time period that stand out as tales worth telling, from the inevitable and disappointing "Invasion" storyline to the shocking way the sale was revealed on television. Speaking on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," WCW veteran Shane Helms discussed what it was like to see Shane McMahon appear backstage ahead of the sale being revealed as official.

"When Shane McMahon walked in that room that day, everybody's heart skipped a beat," Helms said. When asked about what the locker room did and didn't know, Helms revealed that there were all kinds of rumors running wild at the time.

"We heard this company's gonna buy, this company's gonna buy it, it's gonna be this, everything's gonna be fine," Helms continued. "In some cases, management was just trying to keep morale up, you know? I don't think they were [saying], 'Hey, just go tell them a lie.' I don't think it was that."

Helms suspects that even the people at the top of WCW at the time didn't know what was going to happen next. Being unable to control anything at that higher level, Helms said he simply focused on what he was doing in the ring.

"You'll see us, in those last couple months of WCW — if there's a match of the night, more than likely it's 3 Count, or Sugar Shane's in there," Helms stated. "It's that group of the young guys that — man, we [were] fighting for this, fighting for these moments. And for a lot of us, it paid off. Not for everybody, of course."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Christ Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.