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Stand back, there's a Hurricane coming through

Helms and Bushwhacker Luke to headline Friday wrestling card

Guys who sport a black mask, long green hair, and a cape in public aren't particularly common in Saskatchewan.Not even at university.Which leaves plenty to be explained about why professional wrestler Hurricane Helms relates so well to our province."I'm a big fan of the TV show Corner Gas," Helms said with a laugh from his home in North Carolina. "A good friend of mine is Canadian wrestler Lance Storm and he sent me some Corner Gas DVDs. That show is hilarious."I can laugh at it because I've wrestled many times in Saskatchewan and I know the people a bit, but when I show it to some of my American friends down here they don't see why it's so funny."It turns out people -from Saskatchewan or elsewhere -don't have a hard time relating to Helms either.Even in the sometimes-cartoonish world of pro wrestling, Helms' superhero gimmick as the Hurricane looked like something straight out of a comic book.But it was also one of the most popular.In his nine years with World Wrestling Entertainment, Helms (either as the Hurricane or under his real name Gregory Helms) won two world tag team championships, two cruiserweight titles, one European belt, and was a one-time hardcore champ as well.He was released from his WWE contract in February and is scheduled to appear in the tag-team main event Friday as Canadian Wrestling's Elite makes its return to Estevan.Helms will team with Mentallo to take on CWE champion A.J. Sanchez and Plum Loco.Show time is 7 p.m. at the Wylie Mitchell Hall."A lot of times when guys are off TV and go back to the independent circuit they don't work as hard as they did when they were on TV, but I'm not one of those guys," said Helms. "When I'm out there I bust my butt and I give people their money's worth."***Co-headlining Friday's show will be Luke Williams, better known as one half of the Bushwhackers.A 25-time tag-team champion in various regional promotions, Bushwhacker Luke never won a belt while with what was then known as the World Wrestling Federation, yet was never more recognized than during his stint there with his cousin Butch Miller from 1989-96.Both Bushwhackers retired in 2001 but Luke was summoned back to the ring in 2008 at the behest of an old friend, the Honky Tonk Man.Now 63 years old, Bushwhacker Luke is slated to take on Pimp Daddy Rick Matthews on Friday."It will be the last time he goes pimping anything," Luke said laughing from his home in Puerto Rico.Luke says he is back working 12-15 independent shows a month and has one man to thank for it."I don't think I'd be around now if it wasn't for the Bushwhackers," he said. "Vince [McMahon] has got the biggest stage in the world, and a lot of people say Vince McMahon f---ed the business, but he put the business on the map."***Friday's card will also see Hotshot Danny Duggan taking on former Ring of Honor tag-team champion Roderick Strong; Zack Mercury squaring off with Big Daddy Kash; and four-time ROH tag champ Jimmy Jacobs wrestling Regina's Rex Roberts in Roberts' CWE debut."I thought we came in the first time with a really strong show and I think this time it's even better," said Duggan, who also serves as the CWE's promoter. "This time we've got a little bit of something for everyone, a couple of guys who should appeal to a couple different generations of wrestling fans."Tickets are $18 in advance or $21 at the door and available at XS-iV.

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