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Troy Martin, better known by his ring name, Shane Douglas, is an American professional wrestler. In the course of his career, which has spanned three decades, Douglas has wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling as "The Franchise" Shane Douglas and for the World Wrestling Federation as Dean Douglas. Douglas is currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Career

Shane Douglas was trained by Dominic DeNucci in the Pittsburgh suburb of Freedom, Pennsylvania alongside notables such as Mick Foley and Brian Hildebrand in the mid-1980s, though he had been wrestling professionally to earn money since 1982. He first used the names Troy Orndorff and Terry Orndorff due to his likeness to Paul Orndorff (they are not real-life relatives). In 1986 he began wrestling for the Universal Wrestling Federation. He was a face then and did not rise above mid-card status.

He formed a team with Johnny Ace in WCW called the Dynamic Dudes, a gimmick which required him to wear flourescent pink trunks and carry a skateboard, which he did not know how to use. Jim Cornette, who was managing Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane (the Midnight Express), decided to manage the duo to help them develop. Eaton and Lane did not approve so they forced a match between the two teams with Cornette remaining neutral at ringside. He ended up turning on Douglas and Ace and they feuded for a couple of months.

The Dynamic Dudes broke up in 1990 after Ace began competing more and more for All Japan Pro Wrestling, which was breaking down its ties to American promotions. Douglas soon left WCW to wrestle on the independents. He also spent a good amount of time in the WWF where he had some modest success and defeated some good wrestlers. He returned to WCW in 1992 and teamed with Ricky Steamboat to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship. They had a long feud with The Hollywood Blondes, Steve Austin and Brian Pillman, and lost the belts to them on March 11, 1993. Douglas soon left WCW for Eastern Championship Wrestling, later known as Extreme Championship Wrestling. In ECW, he initially supported the faces, but then turned against Tommy Dreamer during a match in which Douglas was defending the ECW tag team belts with him on behalf of Johnny Gunn, an old WCW comrade, against Kevin Sullivan and Tasmaniac. Douglas blamed Dreamer for the loss and turned on him, effectively becoming a heel, an attitude that would define him permanently and give him success.

Douglas was instrumental in the development of "extreme" wrestling when he won the tournament to become the NWA World Heavyweight Champion on August 27, 1994. In an angle that only he and Paul Heyman knew about, Douglas threw down the belt and declared the ECW Title the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and the only real World Title. Eastern Championship Wrestling then changed its name to Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Had Douglas accepted the NWA title, he would've been the first wrestler to have won both the ECW and NWA World Heavyweight Championships. Instead, this honor would go to Terry Funk.

Douglas started to express his true feelings in his interviews and was encouraged to do so by ECW boss, Paul Heyman. This helped ECW become an alternative to WCW and the WWF. He feuded with Sandman and Sabu for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Although Douglas was never a hardcore wrestler per se (his brawling was stylish, reminescent of AJPW's Kings Road style), he could turn on the spots if he had to, as demonstrated during a subsequent feud with Sabu over who was the true symbol of ECW (despite Raven holding the ECW title at the time, both men sought not the No. 1 contendership, but name honor in those bouts).

In 1995, he went to the WWF as Dean Douglas. He filmed several vignettes with a chalkboard teaching the wrestlers. He won the WWF Intercontinental Championship on October 22, 1995 by forfeit when Shawn Michaels said he couldn't wrestle Douglas. They then had Razor Ramon defeat him for it later that night. Douglas had been having problems with Michaels and Hall, who were members of the Clique, and he took this personally and quit the company. He has since held a grudge against Vince McMahon and WWE, and has stated that he would never work for them again.

In January 1996, The Franchise returned to ECW and targeted ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Raven. He was unsuccessful in a few title matches, and began a feud with 2 Cold Scorpio, based on Shane's lack of respect for the ECW World TV Title. Douglas held the title briefly, but then lost it to Pit Bull 2. He regained it from Chris Jericho in a 4-way dance that also inluded 2 Cold Scorpio and Pit Bull 2 (who lost the title to Jericho.) At the end of the match, The Pit Bulls' manager, Francine, turned on them and aided Douglas to get the win. The went on to superbomb her through a table, but as part of the postmatch altercation, Pit Bull 1, Gary Wolfe, suffered a broken neck at the hands of The Franchise. Douglas went on to feud with Pit Bull 2 for the rest of 1996 and, by year's end, had reformed the Triple Threat. The new Triple Threat consisted of Chris Candido and "Primetime" Brian Lee, Later adding Bam Bam Bigelow after Lee left ECW for WWF. He finally lost the ECW World TV Title, to Taz, after reigning as champ for nearly one year. He then turned his sights on ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Terry Funk and, at Hardcore Heaven 1997, in a rematch from The Night the Line Was Crossed, Shane Douglas defeated Sabu (who had beaten Funk a week earlier for the title) and Terry Funk to regain the ECW World Heavyweight Title. He lost it to Bam Bam Bigelow, briefly, then regained it at November To Remember 1997. He would reign as champion until January 1999, losing the title to Taz, whom he feuded with all during 1998. Differences with Paul Heyman culminated with The Franchise's departure from ECW in early 1999.

Douglas then appeared in WCW and pledged to cut the cancer out of WCW, the cancer being Ric Flair. He reunited with former Triple Threat members Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko, along with Perry Saturn to form The Revolution stable.

He had an onscreen feud with Ric Flair, who was often his target during his ECW interviews. He was part of The New Blood group run by Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff who feuded with the older established stars, The Millionaire's Club. He won the Tag Team Championships with Buff Bagwell, the Hardcore title and the United States Championship during this run. He had Torrie Wilson as his valet too.

When Vince McMahon bought WCW, he did not buy Douglas' contract and Douglas did not want him to. He went on the independent circuit winning several titles and wrestled for some time as a heel in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, forming The New Franchise with Michael Shane and Tracy Brooks. After the stable split, he became an onscreen commentator and interviewer for TNA weekly television show, TNA iMPACT!, and TNA's monthly PPVs. In addition, he works backstage as a road agent. Douglas also continues to wrestle on the independent circuit, and in 2005 he promoted Hardcore Homecoming, an ECW Reunion Show.

At the first Hardcore Homecoming show on June 10 2005 he lost a 3 way dance barbed wire rope match to Sabu. In 2006, Shane Douglas took time off to undergo rehab for an addiction to painkillers (see below). He returned to television on the May 18 episode of iMPACT!, appearing on the face ramp as Andy Douglas (no relation, real or kayfabe) made the save for his tag team partner Chase Stevens after a brutal squash by Samoa Joe. A few weeks later, on June 15, Shane confronted them on their recent losing streak and their squandered talent. He made the offer to become their manager, which they accepted.

Douglas is against the revival of ECW by WWE. In the promo when he offered himself to manage The Naturals, he shot on Vince McMahon for exploiting the memory of the company he helped build nearly 15 years earlier.

Wrestling facts

Finishing and signature moves

Managers

Championships and accomplishments

  • BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship
Defeated D-Lo Brown on September 14, 2003 in Belleville, Michigan, USA.
Vacated title in 2004.

Defeated Tito Santana by forfeit on September 9, 1993 in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
Lost to Sabu on October 2, 1993 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA at NWA Bloodfest Part 2.
  • ECW World Heavyweight Championship (2)
Defeated Terry Funk on March 26, 1994 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Lost to The Sandman on March 15, 1995 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA at Hostile City Showdown.
Defeated 2 Cold Scorpio on January 5, 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA at A Matter of Respect.
Lost to Pit Bull #2 on June 1, 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA at Fight The Power.
  • ECW World Television Championship (2)
Defeated Chris Jericho on July 13, 1996 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA at Heatwave.
Lost to Taz on June 7, 1997 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA at Wrestlepalooza.
  • ECW World Heavyweight Championship (3)
Defeated Sabu on August 17, 1997 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA at Hardcore Heaven.
Lost to Bam Bam Bigelow on October 16, 1997 in Queens, New York, USA.
  • ECW World Heavyweight Championship (4)
Defeated Bam Bam Bigelow on November 30, 1997 in Monaca, Pennsylvania, USA at November To Remember V.
Lost to Taz on January 10, 1999 in Kissimmee, Florida, USA at Guilty as Charged 1999.

  • International Wrestling Association
  • 1-time IWA Heavyweight Champion (Ohio version)

Defeated Vampiro and Taiyo Kea in a three way dance to crown the first champion on July 15, 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Stripped of the title on September 13, 2002.

  • New Era Wrestling
  • 2-time NEW Northeast Heavyweight Champion

  • North American Wrestling Alliance
  • 1-time NAWA Heavyweight Champion

  • PWI ranked Douglas # 118 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
  • PWI ranked Douglas # 82 of the best tag teams of the PWI Years in 2003 (with Ricky Steamboat).

  • Pro Wrestling Xpress
  • 1-time PWX Heavyweight Champion

  • Superstar Wrestling Federation
  • 1-time SWF Heavyweight Champion

  • USA Pro Wrestling
  • 1-time USA Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion
Defeated Raven on February 14, 2004 in Bethpage, New York, USA.
Lost to Raven on May 14, 2004 in Jamaica, New York, USA in a steel cage match.

  • United States Wrestling League
  • 1-time USWL Unified Heavyweight Champion

Defeated Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham on November 18, 1992 in Macon, Georgia, USA at Clash of the Champions XXI
Lost to the Hollywood Blondes on March 3, 1993 in Macon, Georgia, USA.
Defeated General Rection on January 14, 2001 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA at WCW Sin.
Lost to Rick Steiner on February 5, 2001 in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA.
Defeated Team Package in a tournament final on April 16, 2000 in Chicago, Illinois, USA at Spring Stampede 2000
Lost to KroniK on May 5, 2000 in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA, with The Wall substituting for Bagwell.
Defeated Terry Funk and on May 22, 2000 in Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Lost to Terry Funk on May 23, 2000 in Saginaw, MI, USA

Defeated Shawn Michaels via forfeit on October 22, 1995 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at "Great White North".
Lost to Razor Ramon on October 22, 1995 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at In Your House IV.

Defeated Johnny Webb on July 20, 2002 in Pico Rivera, California, USA.
Title is abandoned in 2003.

Personal life

Douglas graduated cum laude from Bethany College in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in history and political science. He went on to receive teacher certification from Geneva College. Douglas taught at Beaver High School throughout the early 1990s, teaching emotional support classes, economics and the history of the United States.

Douglas is married to Carla. Their first son, Connor, was born in early 2001, and their second son, Caden Andrew, was born on December 6, 2005.

Douglas entered drug rehabilitation in January 2006 after becoming addicted to the analgesic Oxycontin. He left rehabilitation in April 2006, having taken no Oxycontin tablets since December 22, 2005.

References

External links

1964 births | American color commentators | American professional wrestlers | American schoolteachers | ECW alumni | Living people | People from Pennsylvania | Professional wrestling announcers

Shane Douglas | Shane Douglas

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Shane Douglas".

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