SHANE DOUGLAS
Shane Douglas
Hometown: Pittsburg, PA
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 250 lbs.
Turned Pro: 1982
Trademark Move: Belly to Belly Suplex, Pittsburg Plunge, The Franchiser
Championships Held:
ECW World Heavyweight championship
ECW World Television championship
WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship
WCW United States Championship
WCW Tag Team Championship
He is the man that set the wrestling world on it ear,the man that set ECW on fire, the most outspoken world champion of all time, and without a doubt the Greatest ECW World Champion in history.
He is The Franchise Shane Douglas.
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 him, he dropped him. 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.
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 Pittbull #2 came out and made short work of Douglas.
He vowed revenge. Pittbull #2 lost the Title to Chris Jericho at Hardcore Heaven 96, and a four way dance was signed for the TV Title. Jericho, Pittbull #2, 2 Cold Scorpio, and Douglas. Pittbull #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 Pittbull #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.
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 Pittbull #2 taken out earlier in the evening. Douglas, ever-confident, accepted, only to find a raging Pittbull #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 Pittbull #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 Pitbull #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 ECW World Heavyweight 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.
So Shane was alone or so we thought, seeing that TAZ was pissed off over Sabu stealing a clean cut victory over Douglas and a shot at the ECW World Heavyweight championship, he played some mind games with Taz to get him to take out Sabu before the match a Guilty as Charged. And Taz responded by turning it around on Douglas, as he took Sabu's spot at the PPV and beat Douglas for the ECW Wolrd Heavyweight title 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.
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, only time will tell.
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