The Franchise Shane Douglas

Real Name:Troy Martin

Height:6'2 Weight:256

This 16 year veteran was trained by Dominic Denucci, the same man that trained Mick Foley.He wrestled his first match in 1985 under the name Troy Orndorff, but promoters didnt like how the name fit his image so they changed it to Shane Douglas.Douglas didnt get noticed until he started wrestling for the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1987, but that only lasted for 2 years as the UWF was bought out by Jim Crockett Promotions, the previocus owners of the NWA, then Crockett sold the NWA to Ted Turner and he renamed it WCW,so Shane was forced to go back to the indies until they found a spot for him, he and another up and comer, Johnny Ace formed a tag team called the Dynamic Dudes, even though the team got over pretty well, t hey soon fizzled out after a push in the company against Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express.Afterwards they both left WCW at the end of 1990, Ace went back to the indies ans soon quit wrestling ,Douglas started a short stint with the WWF in January of that year. He had no signature move, no gimmick, . It was how he liked it, but the WWF didnt like a wrestler in a plain white wrapper like Shane and they parted ways.

So in 1991, Shane went back to WCW and tagged with Ricky The Dragon Steamboat. Where he earned his first national title as one half of the WCW tag team Champions, but lost them just as fast as they won them to Steve Austin and Brian Pillman, the Hollywood Blondes. WCW grew tired of Douglas so he left and went back to the indys.He competed regularly in the NWA and ECW, with Sherri Martel as his manager. Douglas fought with Sabu and Terry Funk in a three way dance for the ECW Title. The match ended in a time limit draw, in probaly one of the most rememberd matched in ECW history. He fueded breifly with Funk and SABU. Finally ECW officals signed a Ultimate Jeopardy match in which Douglas won the world title. And this was the begining of the FRANCHISE s run to the top.

So in August of 1994, Shane fought 2 Cold Scorpio in the tournament finals to determine the new NWA World Champion, which wrestler form a number of promotions competed in including ECW. Shane overcame Scorpio with a belly-to-belly suplex. After the match, the new champion grabbed the mic, and gave credit to all the past NWA champions: Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, and Kerry Von Erich. Then he invited them all to kiss his ASS. He threw the belt down, proclaiming it meant nothing to him. And then anounced the death of the NWA.He then grabbed the ECW World Title belt and proclaimed it to be an "official" World Title.

Believe me it PISSED officals in both promotions off BIG TIME. Back then it was a carnal sin to mention another the name of another wrestling promotion on the air. Due to this act, Eastern Championship Wrestling would reform as Extreme Championship Wrestling . He took ECW to the top of the independent circuits, as it slowly caught on with mainstream fans. He defended the title for a long time against Cactus Jack, Sabu and anyone that wanted a shot in ECW. He then hired Mr. Hughes as a bodyguard. But soon after he hired them, he dropped them. He formed a new group, he called the Triple Threat. It consisted of Douglas, Chris Benoit, and Dean Malenko. At one point, Malenko and Benoit captured the Tag Team Titles from Sabu and Taz. And Malenko also captured the ECW TV Title from Eddie Guerrero, making the Triple Threat the first group in ECW to secure all the titles at once.

But the Threat soon dissolved. Benoit and Malenko left several months thereafter because of their contracts with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Douglas went on without them.He began a feud with the Sandman in 1995. At one point, he obtained the services of Woman. But when he fought the Sandman at Hardcore Heaven 95, Woman turned on him, and he lost the ECW World Title. Douglas was so PISSED at womans betral.He grabbed a fan at ringside and stole his Monday Night Raw T-shirt and became one of the most infamous turncoats in ECW history. He even brought in former WWF referee Bill Alfonso to restore order. But his anti-ECW tactics soon aggravated ECW Commissioner Tod Gordon, who promptly fired Douglas, but Shane didnt like that, so he Belly to Belly suplexed him through a table at Heat Wave 95 and went straight to the WWF.

He went to the WWF in the fall of 95 as "Dean Douglas," a teacher-turned-wrestler. Mchahon an CO exployted the fact that douglas is in real life a licensced teacher.He began a feud with Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Title. But due to an attack that took place in upstate new york where Michaels was assaulted by nine men outside a bar, he unable to defend the title in less than a week. Michaels was forced to forfeit the title to Douglas, who became the new WWF Intercontinental Champion, as much as Shane didnt like it ,for about 15 minutes. WWF ordered Douglas defend the title(aginst his will at the time by th way) against Razor Ramon (Scott Hall). Douglas dropped the title in one night. To put it lightly Shane was PISSED , he stayed in the WWF for about a month after that and then left.

At House Party 96, the world was shocked to see Douglas return to the ECW Arena, proclaiming that the Franchise was back. He automatically ran into trouble with Brian Pillman but all that stopped once Pillman was injured in car accident, He promised Tommy Dreamer he would protect Beulah, who falsely claimed to be carrying Tommy's baby just to get away from Raven. He feuded with Raven for the world title, and briefly stole his new valet, Kimona WanaLaya, only to have her taken away by Tommy,Then Douglas defeated Mikey Whipwreck for the ECW TV Title. One night he was supposed to defend the belt against 2 Cold Scorpio.But He was injured, so he called out any and all challengers, and ran through them all. Until Pit Bull #2 came out and made short work of Douglas. He vowed revenge. Pit Bull #2 lost the Title to Chris Jericho at Hardcore Heaven 96, and a four way dance was signed for the TV Title. Jericho, Pit Bull #2, 2 Cold Scorpio, and Douglas. Pit Bull #2 and Douglas made short work of Jericho and Scorpio. But Shane as always was one step ahead of everybody,when he convinced Francine to double Cross the Pitbulls, only to be super bombed through a table.Then Douglas hit the belly-to-belly on Pit Bull #2, pinning him for the TV Title. But he didnt know he had broke Pitbull #1 Gary Wolfe s neck by accident, but he gloated over it.Wolfe entered the ring with a surgically implanted halo a couple weeks later, and threw a towel in Douglas' face. Douglas grabbed Wolfe and shook him violently, causing him to fall to the ground. Everyone in the ECW locker room was PISSED exspecally The Inovator of Violence Tommy Dreamer.

Tommy and Shane fueded briefly,but after Brian Lee was hired by Douglas after defecting from ravens flock, and he brought Chris Candido out of the WWF ,and they reformed the original super group of ECW. The group interfered with Tommy constantly, making dreamers life hell.1996 came to a close, Douglas still the ECW TV Champion, with Francine and the Triple Threat by his side. But one night, a strange masked man came to the ring, proclaiming his new years' resolution was to f*ck with the Franchise. The masked man called out a challenger for Douglas since he had Tommy Dreamer and Pit Bull #2 taken out earlier in the evening. Douglas, ever-confident, accepted, only to find a raging Pit Bull #1 charging down to the ring. For months, the masked man plagued Douglas, interfering in matches. He even hired the services of Mike Awesome to protect him. But Awesome quickly fell to the masked man... and the Rude Awakening. Douglas was convinced that the masked man was Rick Rude. He called him out endlessly. Finally, Douglas signed an "I-Quit" match against Pit Bull #1, in which he caught his neck between tangled ring ropes and had Francine tighten the bolts so they locked around his neck. Wolfe gave in.Douglas took on Pit Bull #2 at the first ECW pay per view, Barely Legal. If Douglas won, the masked man would unmask. If he lost, he'd lose the TV Title.He was so Paraniod of an attack before the match from the masked man, he had a riot squad accompanie him and Francine to the ring, Douglas won, and the masked man came out... in a glittering robe reading "Simply Ravishing." He kissed Francine, then got jumped by Douglas. he unmasked, it was Brian Lee, and one of the Riot Squad removed his helmet to reveal Rick Rude.

He hired Bam Bam Bigelow as the newest member to the Threat. He dropped the ECW TV Title to Taz in about a minute, claimed he only did so to go after the World Title owned by Terry Funk. He took on Rick Rude as a personal ally to the threat. He fought Terry Funk and Sabu at Hardcore Heaven 97 in another three way dance in which he won the World Title. He traded Rude Francine's services in return for hand picked opponents and guarranteed security of his belt. But he was double crossed when Rude picked Bam Bam Bigelow who defeated Douglas. Douglas went on to defeat Bigelow at November to Remember 97, but with a severely injured elbow.The Triple Threat was dead or so we thought.He hired Lance Storm as a potenttial member to the Threat. The Threat signed a match against Bigelow and Taz in which Bigelow turned on Taz, and the Treat turned on Storm. Because of Storm and Candidos ROCKY relationship, at the Living Dangerously ppv, Bigelow defeated Taz for the TV Title,tieing up all the ECW titles within the Threat. Douglas and Candido signed on a match against Lance Storm and a partner of his choosing. Storm chose Sunny, Candido's fiancee, but she turned on him quickly. Storm called out his real partner, Al Snow, who Snow Plowed Douglas. A inraged Douglas reluctantly agreed to put the world title up against Snow at Wrestlepolooza 98, but Shane was still suffering from an severly injured elbow, he refused to stay out of the match. But it got even worse as a very pissed off TAZ came out and attacked Douglas before the match, Douglas just sucked it up and wrestled a classic match against Snow retaining the Belt.

Because of theses injuries, The Franchise was forced to sit out and do color commentary with Joey Styles until he got the itch to wrestle again, by this time he and Candido and Bigelow were well into a fued with Rob Van Dam and Sabu over the tag team belts and of course TAZ as always was after douglas for a shot at the world title, so Shane teamed up with the Threat to take on RVD TAZ and Sabu at the November To Remember PPV , but they fell short of victory as the so called New Triple Threat beat them in the main event.But then The Triple Threat started to crumble, Bam Bam Bigelow got a huge offer to jump ship and go to WCW so he took it, Chris Candido was next as he took time off for personal reasons. So Shane was alone or so we thought, seeing that TAZ was pissed off over Sabu stealing a clean cut victory over the champ and a shot at the champ, he played some mind games with Taz to get him to take out Sabu before the match a Guilty as Charged. And TAZ did but not without turning it around on Douglas , as he took SABU s spot at the PPV and beat him for the belt in a interferance filled match that seen Sabu get revenge on the both of them, and Chris Candido turn his back on him and declare the triple threat dead. This sent Douglas into a deep depression, it was so bad that he threatend retirement, but if it were not for the fans who chanted "PLEASE DONT GO" The Franchise would be no more.Douglas would then try to hand over the Franchiseship of ECW to someone,in a touching retirement speech that ended in Justin Credible and Lance Storm trying to fight over who would get it then Douglas shocked everyone by saying it was Tommy Dreamer.This act would form the Impact Players and a war that would change the face of ECW.Douglas banded with Tommy Dreamer to take out these 2 upstart punks and at the Living Dangerously 99 PPV The Franchise and The Innovator Of Violence took it too these 2 punks.But Justin Credible was hell bent on running Douglas out of ECW.And nearly did at Cyberslam 99 in a match that ECW fans still talk about today Douglas beat Justin Credible but was caned unmericifully for his troubles.Then all hell broke loose in Douglas's life.

Douglas's contract with ECW was up 2 weeks before the Hardcore Heaven PPV that he was scheduled to face Justin Credible one more time on.The WWF and WCW both made offers to Douglas , wating on ECWs offer Douglas was declared a free agent and started accepting offers from other companies.This pissed ECW officals off and finally Douglas told ECW executive Producer Paul E Heyman that he no longer wanted to do business with them and left ECW.The era of the Franchise was over.He soon signed with WCW forming a group called The Revolution with former Triple Threat Memembers Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit, and former Eliminator Perry Saturn,they would go on to Fued with The Filthy Animals and Hacksaw Jim Duggan.But his WCW carrer would be short lived when Vince Russon was fired from his position in WCW and replaced by Kevin Sullivan, Douglas and his revolution buddies along with Eddy Gurrero walked out and asked for there realease, Douglas who was already injured and had not wrestled for over 4 months due to his bicep being ripped off his right arm.WCW let all of them hve there release, but him.Douglas tried to work with WCW management but they would budge and finally fired him unwillingly for his trouble.TYPICAL WCW BULLSHIT.Now Shane Douglas is wroking indy shows around the country till he finds a place to be again.Hopefully The Franchise can look past all the problems with heyman and come back to ECW,time will only tell .