 Douglas in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Troy Allan Martin (1964-11-21)November 21, 1964 (age 61)[1][4] |
| Alma mater | Bethany College |
Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | www |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Dean Douglas[1] Mike Kelly[2] Shane Douglas[1] The Franchise[1][2] Troy Martin[2] Troy Orndorff[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 240 lb (109 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania[4][5] |
| Trained by | Dominic DeNucci[1][4][5] |
| Debut | 1982[1][4] |
Troy Allan Martin[4] (born November 21, 1964) is an Americanprofessional wrestler,manager, andpromoter, better known by hisring nameShane Douglas.[1] He is best known for his tenures inExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW),World Championship Wrestling (WCW), theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF),Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW), andTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Martin held a dozen championships between ECW, WCW, and the WWF and is a six-timeworld champion: afour-timeECW World Heavyweight Champion, aone-time XPW World Heavyweight Champion, and aone-timeNWA World Heavyweight Champion. As ECW Champion, he holds the records for most combined days as champion (874) and the longest single reign (406 days). Martin is also atwo-timeECW World Television Champion, aone-timeWWF Intercontinental Champion, aone-timeWCW United States Heavyweight Champion and atwo-timeWCW World Tag Team Champion. Martin was also the first of eleven men to hold a championship in all three major U.S. promotionsof the 1990s, after he was awarded the WWF Intercontinental Championship in 1995.
Martin achieved the greatest success of his career in ECW, where he debuted in 1993 and captured the ECW Heavyweight Championship twice in his first year with the company. He gained attention when he won atournament for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, where he publicly rejected the NWA title belt and helped ECW in evolving from an NWA territory to a national promotion. Within ECW, he was dubbed "The Franchise" in reference to his status as thefranchise player of the promotion. WWE, who purchased that organization, asserted: "Without Shane Douglas, there would have been no ECW."[7] He headlined manyevents for ECW including three editions of the company's premierpay-per-view eventNovember to Remember in1996,1997 and1998.
Martin was born inNew Brighton, Pennsylvania, one of six children of a veteran ofWorld War II, who died in 1991.[4] He graduatedcum laude fromBethany College in 1986 with abachelor's degree inhistory andpolitical science.[4] He is an alumnus of the Psi chapter ofBeta Theta Pi.[8] After earning his degrees, he was offered to join theSaba University School of Medicine[4] but declined in order to continue wrestling.
Martin was trained byDominic DeNucci in thePittsburgh suburb ofFreedom, Pennsylvania, alongsideMick Foley in the mid-1980s.[9] He had been wrestling professionally to earn money since 1982. When he started, he used thecharacter of Troy Orndorff, the fictional nephew ofPaul Orndorff.[10] In 1986, he wrestledRandy Savage at aWWF Superstars of Wrestling taping using his real name. He also wrestled "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff in the debut episode ofWWF Wrestling Challenge, once again using his real name. Later that year, he began wrestling as afan favorite for theUniversal Wrestling Federation (UWF) using the name Shane Douglas,[11] which was given to him by"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert andMissy Hyatt (the "Douglas" last name was inspired by actorMichael Douglas). Douglas defeated Gilbert for theUWF Television Championship on August 3, 1987, but did not rise above mid-card status. Douglas lost the title on September 2 toTerry Taylor.
In July 1987, Douglas began wrestling forJim Crockett Promotions, a member of theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
In April 1989, Douglas was put into atag team ofskateboarders known as the Dynamic Dudes withJohnny Ace (John Laurinaitis, the younger brother ofRoad Warrior Animal).[5][12] Mick Foley has opined that since neither Ace nor Douglas knew how to skateboard, the fans saw through thecharacter and refused to buy into it.[12]Jim Cornette, who was managingThe Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton andStan Lane) at the time, decided to manage the duo to help themget over.[13] When Eaton and Lanein storyline did not approve, they forced a match between the two teams with Cornette remaining neutral at ringside. He ended up turning on Douglas and Ace and the teamsfeuded for a couple of months. Cornette's turn was to have established The Dynamic Dudes as a top fan favorite tag team, but the turn backfired and madeThe Midnight Express more popular than they already were.[13]
In November 1988, Jim Crockett Promotions was acquired byTurner Broadcasting System and renamedWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW).
The Dynamic Dudes broke up in 1990 after Ace began competing progressively more forAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), which was breaking its ties to the NWA. Jim Cornette also states that the end of the Dynamic Dudes came when Douglas went over his head to Jim Herd about having a finish changed to make him look stronger. Cornette, who was part of the booking committee, washed his hands of working with them afterwards. Shane argued that they had been repeatedly promised a big push and were instead being booked to lose all of their big matches, then getting criticized for not getting over as a top team. The Dudes would last wrestle together in March 1990, and Douglas soon left WCW after broken promises to give him a push, and wrestled on the Americanindependent circuit.[13][14]
In 1990, Douglas signed a deal with theWorld Wrestling Federation and made his debut on the June 18 episode ofPrime Time Wrestling, defeating Bob Bradley, in a match taped in Toronto, Ontario, on May 27.[15] Douglas remained undefeated in his first month, defeating Bob Bradley,Paul Diamond, andSteve Lombardi in a series of matches. He then moved up to begin a house show series in late June againstHaku and suffered his first loss on June 28 in Denver, Colorado. He remained without a win in subsequent rematches. He made hissyndicated television debut on the August 26 episode ofWWF Wrestling Challenge, teaming with jobber Mark Thomas in a loss toThe Orient Express.
In August 1990, he received his first break when he was tapped as the temporary replacement to an injuredShawn Michaels inThe Rockers tag-team. Douglas teamed with Jannetty six times in matches against The Orient Express. On August 27, he defeatedBuddy Rose in a dark match at theSummerSlam '90 PPV. On the September 17 episode of Prime Time Wrestling, Douglas wrestled Haku to a draw, and he was largely undefeated against low level competition throughout the fall. At theSurvivor Series '90 PPV Douglas defeated Buddy Rose in another dark match, and on January 3, 1991, at a house show in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he scored the biggest victory of his nascent WWF career when he upsetDino Bravo.[16] Four days later on the January 7, 1991, episode of Prime Time Wrestling he would pin Haku, and was strongly positioned as a rising young star.
His most memorable WWF performance took place at the1991 Royal Rumble, where he entered as the seventeenth entrant and lasted for 26 minutes and 23 seconds before being eliminated byBrian Knobbs.[17] Shortly after, he left the company to take care of his ailing father.[18]
Douglas would make intermittent appearances in 1991, subbing for various wrestlers on house shows. He returned on May 8 in Youngstown, Ohio, and lost toRicky Steamboat. In June he returned for a pair of house shows and was defeated byColonel Mustafa. He made his final televised appearance on the June 15th episode of Prime Time Wrestling, losing to Dino Bravo in a match taped at Madison Square Garden. Douglas closed out his first WWF run with two victories - a win on July 29 in a dark match at a WWF Superstars taping against Bob Bradley, and a victory over The Orient Express on August 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when he teamed with Marty Jannetty.
Douglas returned to WCW on the September 12, 1992, episode ofSaturday Night as afan favorite, where he defeatedSuper Invader in his return match by usingMagnum T. A.'s finishing move,belly to belly suplex, which was noted by Magnum, the following week onSaturday Night.[1][19] On the October 17 episode ofSaturday Night, Douglas had a match withBrian Pillman, which began arivalry between the duo.[19] He made hispay-per-view return atHalloween Havoc, where he teamed withTom Zenk andJohnny Gunn to compete againstArn Anderson,Bobby Eaton andMichael Hayes in a winning effort.[20]
While feuding with Pillman, Douglas formed atag team withRicky Steamboat to take on Pillman andSteve Austin in atag team match on the October 24 episode ofWorldwide.[19] The following month, Steamboat and Douglas won theNWA andWCW World Tag Team Championships fromDustin Rhodes andBarry Windham on the November 18Clash of the Champions XXI.[21][22][23] Steamboat and Douglas made a successful title defense against Windham and Pillman atStarrcade.[24]
Steamboat and Douglas began a lengthy rivalry withPillman and his new tag team partner Steve Austin.[1] Steamboat and Douglas successfully defended the tag titles against Austin and Pillman on the January 13, 1993Clash of the Champions XXII,[25] beforedropping the titles to Austin and Pillman on the March 27, 1993, episode ofWorldwide.[22][23] Soon after losing the tag titles, Douglas began a rivalry with theWorld Television ChampionPaul Orndorff, where he came up short against Orndorff in two respective matches in theComputer Contenders Challenge on the May 1 episode ofWorldwide and the May 8 episode ofPower Hour, before departing the company forEastern Championship Wrestling (ECW).[26] Douglas had been scheduled to team with Steamboat in asteel cage match for a title shot at the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championship atSlamboree, but was replaced byTom Zenk in a mask.[26][27]
Martin debuted in the upstart ECW during its formative years on the August 24, 1993, episode ofEastern Championship Wrestling and solidified his status as avillain by joiningHotstuff International. In his first match, Douglas defeatedDon E. Allen and Herve Renesto in ahandicap match.[28][29] Douglas quickly rose to the top of the roster, winning the promotion'sHeavyweight Championship on the September 14 episode ofEastern Championship Wrestling, after championTito Santana forfeited the title.[30] Douglas successfully defended the title againstThe Sandman at theUltraClash event.[31] AtNWA Bloodfest, Douglas retained the title againstJ.T. Smith beforedropping the title toSabu later that night.[32]
"In the tradition ofLou Thesz, in the tradition ofJack Brisco of the Brisco Brothers, ofDory Funk Jr., of Terry Funk-- the man who will never die. As the real Nature BoyBuddy Rogers, upstairs tonight. From theHarley Races, to theBarry Windhams, to the(Douglas grimaces in a look of disgust)Ric Flairs, I accept this heavyweight title. Wait a second. OfKerry Von Erich. Of the fat man himself,Dusty Rhodes. This is it tonight, Dad.(looking at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt) God, that's beautiful. AndRick Steamboat, and they can all kiss my ass!(throws down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt) Because! I am not the man who accepts a torch to be handed down to me from an organization that died - RIP - seven years ago. The Franchise, Shane Douglas, is the man who ignites the new flame of the sport of professional wrestling!(taking the ECW title belt) Tonight, before God and my father as witness, I declare myself, The Franchise, as the new ECW Heavyweight Champion of the world! We have set out to change the face of professional wrestling. So tonight, let the new era begin: the era of the sport of professional wrestling, the era of The Franchise, the era of the ECW."
On the December 14 episode ofNWA Eastern Championship Wrestling, Douglas substituted for an injuredJohnny Gunn to defend theTag Team Championship alongside Gunn's partnerTommy Dreamer againstKevin Sullivan andThe Tazmaniac, during which Douglasturned on Dreamer by attacking him with asteel chain.[1][34] The following week, Douglas defeated Dreamer viadisqualification by hitting Dreamer with a steel chain and handing over the chain to Dreamer, which fooled thereferee to believe that Dreamer had hit him with the chain.[34] This strategy would be adopted byEddie Guerrero a decade later.[35] Douglas defeated Dreamer atHoliday Hell to end the feud.[36]
Douglas developed agimmick of a foul-mouthed, incredibly arrogant villain (an attitude that would define him permanently and give him success), and gave himself the nickname "The Franchise".[1] Hisbest friendSherri Martel became hisvalet.[37] Douglas gained notoriety when he wrestledTerry Funk andSabu to a one-hour draw in the company's first-everthree-way dance for the ECW Heavyweight Championship atThe Night the Line Was Crossed.[38] Douglas dethroned Funk in anUltimate Jeopardy steel cage match to win his second Heavyweight Championship atUltimate Jeopardy.[30][39]
Since its founding, ECW had been a member of the NWA. Douglas was instrumental in the development of "extreme wrestling" when he defeated The Tazmaniac,Dean Malenko and2 Cold Scorpio to wina tournament to become theNWA World Heavyweight Champion on August 27.[40] In anangle which only he,Tod Gordon, andPaul Heyman knew about, Douglas threw down the NWA title belt and stated that he did not want to be champion of a "dead promotion".[41] Douglas raised the ECW Heavyweight Championship belt and declared it to be aworld championship belt, renaming it the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.[42] WWE recognizes this moment as the beginning of ECW Championship and Douglas as the first ECW Champion.[43] According to theForever Hardcore DVD, Douglas only decided to throw down the NWA belt after NWA presidentDennis Coralluzzoburied Douglas onMike Tenay's radio show.[44][45] On the August 30 edition ofNWA Eastern Championship Wrestling, Gordon announced he was folding Eastern Championship Wrestling, and in its place forming Extreme Championship Wrestling, a new promotion independent of the NWA.[46] Capitalizing on the controversy that surrounded his literally "throwing down" the NWA belt and thepromo following it, Douglas was encouraged to express histrue feelings in interviews by the ECWbookers. This helped raise ECW's prominence in the eyes of wrestling fans and journalists and allowed it to become an alternative to WCW and the WWF and Douglas cemented a legacy in the history of ECW.[1] Douglas closed 1994 with successful title defenses of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship againstRon Simmons.[47][48]
In early 1995, Douglas formed theTriple Threatfaction, aligning himself withChris Benoit andDean Malenko.[49] He started the year with successful title defenses of theWorld Heavyweight Championship againstTully Blanchard[50] andMarty Jannetty.[51] He then entered a feud withThe Sandman during a match atThree Way Dance, where Sandman'svalet,Woman, seemed to have aligned herself with Douglas by helping him in retaining the title against Sandman by handing him Sandman'sSingapore cane to attack him and get the win.[52][53] However, it turned out to be a ruse when she aided Sandman in defeating Douglas for the title atHostile City Showdown.[52][54] Douglas' lengthy reign ended at385 days, which is the second longest reign in the title history.[55]
After failing to regain the title,[56] Douglas began a rivalry withCactus Jack, as each man wanted to capture the title from Sandman and saw the other as competition. During this time, Douglas went on a tirade about the lawlessness of ECW and brought inBill Alfonso as a troubleshooting referee to restore order. After teasing a departure for the WWF, Douglas finally left ECW for the WWF in July 1995, making his last appearance during a world title match between Sandman and Cactus Jack atHardcore Heaven, during which he attacked both men and left.[52]
In 1995, Douglas returned to the World Wrestling Federation with acollege deancharacter under thering nameDean Douglas, making his first appearance on the July 29 episode ofSuperstars. To establish himself, he filmed severalvignettes with achalkboard, lecturing wrestlers and fans. He would also be shown taking notes of his opponents at ringside during some matches, and frequently carried apaddle (dubbed the "Board of Education") with him to the ring.[1] He would usually present a "Report Card" in which he would degrade the performances ofheroic wrestlers after their matches.[57]
Douglas began a rivalry withRazor Ramon after grading him "MF" for miserable failure after Razor's loss toShawn Michaels atSummerSlam. Douglas made his in-ring return to WWF on the September 9 episode ofSuperstars, where he defeated1-2-3 Kid by disqualification after Razor attacked Douglas.[57] This resulted in a match between Douglas and Razor atIn Your House 3, which Douglas won after interference by the Kid.[57][58]
He was set to wrestleShawn Michaels for theWWF Intercontinental Championship atIn Your House 4, but Michaels forfeited the title due to injuries incurred after being attacked and beaten by aUnited States Marine inSyracuse, New York.[57] Douglas, however, immediately had to defend the title against rival Razor Ramon. Ramon would go on to defeat Douglas, ending his reign at only 20 minutes.[59] Douglas was randomly paired with Razor,Owen Hart and Yokozuna against Shawn Michaels,Ahmed Johnson,British Bulldog andSycho Sid in a WildcardSurvivor Series match atSurvivor Series. Douglas was eliminated by Michaels after Razor attacked him. His team went on to lose the match.[57][60]
Douglas failed to recapture the Intercontinental Championship from Razor Ramon on the December 4 episode ofMonday Night Raw. His last televised match was on the December 9 episode ofSuperstars, where he defeatedenhancement talent Tony Williams.[57] His last appearance on WWF television was atIn Your House 5, when he wasbooked to wrestleAhmed Johnson. According to thestoryline, his back was not in wrestling condition, so he introducedBuddy Landel as his substitute, who was subsequently defeated by Johnson injust forty-two seconds.[61] His very last day working in WWF was atMadison Square Garden where he was diagnosed with a severe muscle spasm in his back that if agitated could have paralyzed him. Despite doctors telling Vince McMahon it was a legitimate injury, Vince became angry at the news and tried to intimidate Shane into denying it, and was explicitly told byVince McMahon to leave the company on January 1, 1996. However, Vince made him go out that evening and deliver a promo, in which he announced his injury. Douglas has been very outspoken about how Vince paid him much less than what was agreed upon, and because of his treatment before he refuses to ever work for Vince again.[62]
After leaving the WWF, Douglas made his surprise return to ECW at theHouse Party event on January 5, 1996, where he briefly reprised his Dean Douglas character, correctingBuh Buh Ray Dudley's grammar after a match, thus becoming afan favorite.[63] His televised return aired on the January 9 episode ofHardcore TV, where he confrontedStevie Richards andBlue Meanie, denounced his Dean gimmick and declared "the Franchise is back!".[63] During this time, he had a memorable feud withCactus Jack as Cactus was getting ready to leave for WWF and cutting promos encouragingTommy Dreamer to side with him, deriding ECW's hardcore style and promoting clean wrestling.[1] Douglas eventually pinned Jack in a match atCyberSlam after performing adrop toe-hold onto anopened steel chair after Jack's partnerMikey Whipwreck betrayed Jack.[63][64] Upon his return, Douglas also targeted theWorld Heavyweight ChampionRaven and received several title shots but came up short due to heavy interference by members of Raven's Flock.[65][66]
After failing in his attempts to regain the World Heavyweight Championship, Douglas won theWorld Television Championship from2 Cold Scorpio atA Matter of Respect and eventuallyturned into avillain by showing disrespect to the title. After the match, 2 Cold Scorpio attacked him.[67][68] A month later, Douglas was scheduled to defend the title against Scorpio atFight The Power, but Scorpio was injured, which resulted in Douglas retaining the title againstEl Puerto Ricano, Don E. Allen,Devon Storm and Mikey Whipwreck in quick succession before losing it toPitbull #2 after Douglas insultedThe Pitbulls'manager,Francine and gave her abelly to belly suplex.[63][69] AtHeat Wave, Douglas won his second World Television Championship by defeating championChris Jericho, 2 Cold Scorpio and Pitbull #2 in afour corners match, after Francine turned on them and aided Douglas in winning the match.[63][70] With Francine by his side, Douglas continued to feud with Pitbull #2 and retained his title against the latter in subsequent rematches for the remainder of the year.[71][72]
In the fall of 1996, Douglas reformedThe Triple Threat with new membersChris Candido andBrian Lee. Douglas andFrancine entered a feud withTommy Dreamer andBeulah McGillicutty, which culminated in a series of matches between the two pairs throughout late 1996 and early 1997.[63][73][74][75]
Triple Threat feuded with Douglas' enemies Tommy Dreamer andThe Pitbulls throughout the first half of 1997, while Douglas continued his successful title defenses of theWorld Television Championship againstPitbull #2.[76][77][78] Douglas retained his title againstPitbull #1, as well, in an"I Quit" match atHostile City Showdown.[79] During this time, a mysterious man began stalking Francine and displayed mannerisms ofRick Rude. After Douglas retained his title against Pitbull #2 at ECW's firstpay-per-viewBarely Legal, Brian Lee revealed himself to be the mysterious stalker and delivered aChokeslam to Douglas. As a result, Lee was removed from Triple Threat due to his betrayal and left ECW.[75][80] Triple Threat gainedBam Bam Bigelow in Lee's place, who joined the group as Douglas' partner in a tag team match against The Pitbulls atChapter 2.[81]
AtWrestlepalooza, Douglas retained his title againstChris Chetti. Later that night, Douglas interruptedTaz'spromo after a match between Taz andSabu. Douglas defended his title against Taz, with thestipulation that Taz would not be able to compete in ECW for sixty days. Douglas lost the title inunder three minutes after Taz made himsubmit to theTazmission.[75][82] Douglas' reign ended at329 days.[67] He then turned his attention on capturing theWorld Heavyweight Championship fromTerry Funk and challenged him for the title atHeat Wave but lost by disqualification.[83] Douglas received another shot on the August 14 episode ofHardcore TV, but lost.[75] Shortly after, Sabu won the title but Douglas remained in the title picture. AtHardcore Heaven, Douglas defeated Sabu and Funk in athree-way dance to win the title for the third time.[30][84] In September 1997, Douglas retained the title againstTommy Dreamer atTerry Funk's WrestleFest[85] and againstPhil Lafon in ano disqualification match atAs Good as It Gets.[86]
Douglas lost his title to Bam Bam Bigelow on the October 24 episode ofHardcore TV after Rick Rude chose Bigelow as Douglas' challenger.[75][87] As a result, Bigelow was kicked out of Triple Threat and replaced byLance Storm. After failing in a rematch atUltimate Jeopardy,[88] Douglas regained the title by defeating Bigelow at theNovember to Remember pay-per-view, beginning his fourth reign as champion.[30][89] Douglas was injured in the match and was sidelined for nearly two months, making his return to action on January 30, 1998.[90][91] AtHostile City Showdown, Bigelow rejoined Triple Threat by turning on his partner Taz during a match against Triple Threat.[92] Bigelow's return lead to Lance Storm being kicked out of the group, which began a feud between Storm and the Triple Threat. AtLiving Dangerously, Douglas and Chris Candido faced Storm and his mystery partner, who was revealed to beAl Snow. Snow pinned Douglas following aSnow Plow.[90][93] This earned Snow a title shot against Douglas for the world title atWrestlepalooza, where Douglas retained the title.[94]
Douglas suffered an injury which prevented him from competing for a couple of months but he continued to appear on television, during which Triple Threat began feuding with Taz,Rob Van Dam and Sabu.[90] The two teams squared off in a match atNovember to Remember, where Triple Threat lost.[95] After the match, Bigelow left ECW and Chris Candido abandoned Douglas, resulting in Triple Threat being disbanded.[90]
Douglas continued hisfeud withTaz, which culminated in a match between the two atGuilty as Charged in 1999, where Douglas lost theECW World Heavyweight Championship to Taz after Douglas was attacked by former teammateChris Candido, allowing Taz to win with aTazmission.[96][97] Douglas' fourth ECW World Heavyweight Championship reign was the longest reign in the title's history, lasting406 days.[43]Douglas faced Taz in a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship atHouse Party, where he lost.[98] On February 12 atCrossing the Line '99, Douglas allied with his long-time nemesisTommy Dreamer to feud withImpact Players after both men claimed to be the "New Franchise" but Douglas elected Dreamer as his successor, turning Douglas face for the first time in nearly 3 years. After the face turn, Douglas would perform in a heroic role for the first since hedisrespected the ECW Television title in 1996 and continued to feud with the Impact Players.[96] AtLiving Dangerously, Dreamer and Douglas defeated Impact Players.[99] Douglas wrestled his last match in ECW on April 15, where he defeatedJustin Credible after aPittsburgh Plunge.[96][100] On May 15, Douglas was scheduled to represent ECW on the interpromotionalBreak the Barrier event. However, after a disagreement withPaul Heyman, Douglas delivered a controversialshoot promo at the event which ended with him quitting ECW one day before itsHardcore Heaven pay-per-view.[101]
After quitting ECW, Douglas made a surprise return to WCW on the July 19, 1999, episode ofNitro, where he joined with formerTriple Threat membersChris Benoit andDean Malenko and fellow ECW alumnusPerry Saturn to formThe Revolution and pledged to cut the "cancer" out of WCW. This was a reference toRic Flair, with whom Douglas had anoff-screen grudge.[102]Asya was later added to the group in place of Benoit, who left the team. The group wrestled other groups includingWest Texas Rednecks,[103]First Family,[104]Filthy Animals,[105] andVarsity Club during its run.[106] The group was rarely featured prominently and never really challenged the dominant wrestlers of WCW. This led to them never really gettingpopular as an idea, though both Benoit and Malenko were successful individually. The lack of success would eventually lead to the demise of the group after Malenko and Saturn left WCW.[1] Following the disbanding of the Revolution, Douglas managedThe Wall at theSouled Out pay-per-view in 2000, before taking a hiatus from television as the company did not have any plans for him at the time.[107]
Douglas returned to WCW television on the April 10 episode ofNitro, where he aligned himself withVince Russo and joinedThe New Blood group run by Russo andEric Bischoff, which feuded with the older establishedThe Millionaire's Club, which included his on-screen and real life off-camera nemesis Ric Flair. Douglas faced Flair for the first time on that same night in a match, which Douglas lost by disqualification.[107] AtSpring Stampede, Douglas was paired withBuff Bagwell in afour-team tournament for the vacatedWorld Tag Team Championship, where they defeatedHarlem Heat 2000 in the semi-finals and the makeshift team of Ric Flair andLex Luger in the finals, afterBrian Adams and Bryan Clark delivered aHigh Times.[23][107][108] Douglas resumed his feud with Flair, which culminated in a match between the two atSlamboree, which Douglas won, with the help of Flair's sonDavid Flair in disguise of a masked man.[107][109] On the May 15 episode ofNitro, Douglas defended the tag title alongside The Wall, who substituted forBuff Bagwell in a match against KroniK, which KroniK won.[23][107]
Douglas received an opportunity for theWorld Heavyweight Championship againstJeff Jarrett on the May 31 episode ofThunder, where he failed to win the title after theWCW CommissionerErnest Miller delivered aFeliner to Douglas.[107] Douglas competed against The Wall in aBest of Five Tables match atThe Great American Bash, which Douglas won by driving Wall through three tables.[110]
AtBash at the Beach, Douglas defeated his former tag team partnerBuff Bagwell, by debuting his new finishing move calledFranchiser and with assistance byTorrie Wilson, whoturned on Bagwell.[111] With Wilson as hismanager, Douglas began using his ECW nickname "The Franchise" and began using "Cut the damn music!"catchphrase during his entrance to the ring and then delivered a promo on the microphone.[107] Douglas participated in atournament for the vacatedUnited States Heavyweight Championship on the July 18 episode ofMonday Nitro, where he defeatedBilly Kidman in the quarter-finals but lost to eventual winnerLance Storm in the semi-finals.[112]
Douglas would begin a rivalry with Kidman, who had previously been aligned with Torrie Wilson. During this rivalry, Kidman notably displayed footage of a supposedsex tape between Douglas and Wilson, in which Douglas sufferederectile dysfunction.[113] This led to a "Viagra on a Pole" match, which Douglas won.[114] At theNew Blood Rising pay-per-view, Kidman defeated Douglas in aStrap match.[115] However, Douglas and Torrie Wilson defeated Kidman andMadusa in ascaffold match atFall Brawl.[116]
In the fall of 2000, Douglas became allied with theNatural Born Thrillers, during which he helped their leaderMike Sanders win akickboxing match against Ernest Miller atHalloween Havoc,[107] which lead to Douglas facing Miller in a match atMayhem, which Miller won.[117] Douglas would then enter a rivalry withMisfits in Action leaderGeneral Rection over Rection's United States Heavyweight Championship. He faced Rection for the title atStarrcade, but lost by disqualification afterChavo Guerrero Jr. informed the referee that Douglas was trying to use achain to hit Rection.[107][118] In 2001, Douglas defeated Rection in afirst blood chain match to capture the title at theSin pay-per-view.[119][120] Douglasdropped the belt toRick Steiner on the February 5 episode ofNitro.[107] This was Douglas' last WCW match in the company and he sat out the rest of his WCW contract until it was purchased by the WWF on March 23, 2001. After WCW closed down, Douglas refused to return to the WWF because ofpaternity leave due to his wife'spregnancy.[1]
After the WWF purchased both WCW and ECW in 2001, Douglas participated in the inauguralMajor League Wrestling eventGenesis, where he won the tournament to crown the inauguralMLW World Heavyweight Championship. In similar fashion to his throwing down of the NWA World Championship, he discarded the MLW Championship. The company went on hiatus shortly thereafter and does not recognize Douglas's inaugural reign.
Douglas went toXtreme Pro Wrestling in July 2002, where he won itsWorld Heavyweight Championship after defeating Johnny Webb at the Night of Champions event. Douglas later helped expand the promotion from its base inLos Angeles toPhiladelphia, and XPW held its first show in Philadelphia on August 31. Douglas would later become the final World Heavyweight Champion in XPW history, as the promotion held its final event on March 8, 2003, in his hometown ofPittsburgh.
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Following the closure of XPW, Martin signed withNWA Total Nonstop Action (NWA TNA) in June 2003. Under his Shane Douglas ring name, he debuted in TNA on the company's weekly pay-per-view on June 11, where he immediately reignited his feud withRaven by costing him an opportunity for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship.[121] The two ended up joining separatefactions as Douglas became a member ofThe New Church and Raven formedThe Gathering. Douglas made his TNA in-ring debut on July 2, where he defeatedCM Punk in aClockwork Orange House of Fun match.[122] Douglas and Raven clashed throughout the summer of 2003, with both men trading wins in a couple of matches.[123]
When this feud ran down, Douglas broke away from The New Church on October 1 and began a quest to find "The New Franchise".[124] He was joined byTracy as his newvalet after his match againstSandman on November 5[125] andMichael Shane was introduced as Douglas' protege and the trio formed their new group called "The New Franchise" on November 26.[126] Douglas took him under his wing throughout the end of 2003 and beginning of 2004, as the two joined the company's tag team division. The duo were entered into atournament for the vacatedNWA World Tag Team Championship, where they lost toChristopher Daniels andLow Ki on March 24.[127] The following week, Douglas and Shane participated in afour-way tag team match to receive a shot at the tag team titles, but came up short.[128] On May 5, Shane turned on Douglas and the two squared off in a match, which Douglas won. After the match, Traci joined Shane to abandon Douglas.[129]
When the grouping of Shane and Douglas broke up, Douglas went into a semi-in-ring retirement. He became an onscreen commentator and interviewer for TNA's new weekly television show,Impact!, and their monthly pay-per-views. In addition to this on-screen role, he worked backstage as aroad agent and took a few independent bookings.[1]
Douglas returned to television on the May 18, 2006, episode ofImpact!, appearing on the entrance ramp as Andy Douglas (no relation) made the save for histag team partnerChase Stevens after a brutalsquash match againstSamoa Joe.[130] He would scout The Naturals again on the May 25 episode ofImpact!, when Andy Douglas lost his match.[131] A few weeks later, on June 15, Shane confronted them on their recent losing streak and their squandered talent, referring to their former manager and Douglas's ex-Triple Threat teammateChris Candido in the process. He offered to become their manager, which they accepted. During thepromo when he offered his services, he spoke histrue feelings onWorld Wrestling Entertainment's revival of Extreme Championship Wrestling, admonishingVince McMahon for "exploiting the memory" of the company he helped build nearly 15 years earlier.[132] After becoming their mentor,pre-recorded videos showed Douglas training The Naturals have been shown on TNA programming, though he doesn't stand at ringside during their matches like most other managers. Once they were deemed ready for competition, Douglas billed them as "The Newly Franchised Naturals".[1]
On the December 21 episode ofImpact! after The Naturals lost toTeam 3D in a tables match, a fed up Douglas turned his back on them, claiming that his experiment was over.[133] Despite the failed "experiment", prior to the departure of The Naturals from TNA, Chase Stevens was featured in a match on thepre-show of theFinal Resolution pay-per-view in 2007. During the match, Stevens wore the gold-and-black "Franchised" Naturals attire. Douglas came out after his match to heatedly confront Stevens about wearing his colors, leading to an in-ring confrontation between the two.[134] After theangle was dropped, Douglas remained completely unseen on TNA programming. On October 10, 2007, TNA announced that Douglas was released from his TNA contract.[135]
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On the May 28, 2009, episode ofImpact!, Douglas returned to TNA and attackedChristopher Daniels after his match withA.J. Styles.[136] The following week onImpact!, Douglas again attacked Daniels during his match before subsequently stating that he wanted a second chance in TNA like Daniels received, after the latter was,in storyline, fired from TNA.[137] He was granted a second chance on the June 11 episode ofImpact!, where he was given a match with A.J. Styles which he lost, only to attack Styles after the match. Daniels would come out to help Styles, only to have Douglas hit him with a towel containing a pair of handcuffs.[137] At theSlammiversary pay-per-view, Douglas lost to Daniels in asecond chance match, resulting in Daniels retaining his spot on the TNA roster.[138] Following the match, Douglas left TNA once again, although asked by TNA to participate in their ECW reunion showHardcore Justice, he refused the invitation.[139]
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On March 14, 2009, Douglas returned to theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) for the first time since hedropped the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 15 years, wrestling for theNWA On Fire territory in a singles match, and defeating ECW alumnusLittle Guido.[140]
In 2012, Douglas announced that he would take part inExtreme Reunion, an event consisting of formerECW Originals. It was the first in a series of three events. The event was held on April 28 in the National Guard Armory of Philadelphia. The second event, Extreme Rising, was held on June 29 in New York and on June 30 in Philadelphia. There was a third show promoted by the same group, held on November 17 in Pittsburgh called Remember November. In the main event Douglas wrestledMatt Hardy to a no-contest.
On March 24, 2017, at a Pro Wrestling All-Stars of Detroit event, Douglas defeated The Great Akuma in Melvindale, Michigan, to become the Pro Wrestling All-Stars Heavyweight Champion. On April 21, Douglas defeated Paul Bowser by countout in an Extreme Rules match to successfully defend the title. He lost the title on May 12, 2017, when Breyer Wellington beat Douglas, Paul Bowser, and Atlas Hytower in a Fatal Four-Way match.
On May 13, 2017, at XICW Best In Detroit 20 in Clinton Township, Michigan, Douglas beat Joe Coleman to become the XICW Xtreme Intense Champion.[141]
On March 3, 2018, at the World BigTime Wrestling (WBW) Extreme Warfare event in Lucas County, Ohio, Douglas defeated Shawn Blaze for the WBW Heavyweight Championship. He lost the belt back to Blaze on May 5, 2018, after the WBW commissioner interfered with the match. Douglas also feuded with Bobby Fulton, squaring off against the former Fantastic in a series of hardcore matches.
On March 11, 2018, at XICW March Madness & Mayhem in Fraser, Michigan, Shane Douglas lost the XICW Xtreme Intense Title to Kongo Kong.
On June 28, 2025, Douglas debuted for Tighten The Turnbuckle Wrestling, teaming with Chrisifix Greek to defeatEvan Golden and Bryan Montgomery inJohnson City, Tennessee.
Douglas was a booker for theXtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) promotion during the 2000s. Under his directive, XPW moved from California to Philadelphia and featured many formerExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) stars.
In mid-2005, Douglas conceived and, alongsideJeremy Borash,promoted andbookedHardcore Homecoming, a series of reunion events. The first event occurred on June 10, two days beforeWorld Wrestling Entertainment's own ECW reunion show,ECW One Night Stand. Hardcore Homecoming's final show occurred on November 5.
On April 9, 2009, it was announced that Douglas and Nite Owl Production were to promote a follow-up to Hardcore Homecoming called November to Remember: The Final Chair Shot.[142] Originally, the event was to occur on June 10, 2008, the anniversary of the original Hardcore Homecoming event, but the date was rescheduled to 2009 to coincide with anAmerican Cancer Society charity event hosted by Douglas' former valetFrancine.[142]
In 2012, Douglas founded theExtreme Reunion (later Extreme Rising) promotion. Douglas was scheduled to headline an Extreme Reunion event scheduled for April 28, 2012.[143] Unbeknownst toWWE, Douglas appeared in the audience on the March 19, 2012, episode ofRaw to promote the event, but was escorted out of the arena by security after causing a disturbance.[144] Extreme Rising closed in 2014.
In 1993 during his first stint withWorld Championship Wrestling, he began teaching emotional support classes,economics, and thehistory of the United States atBeaver Area High School.[4] While not wrestling, Martin works as amotivational speaker.
Martin married Michelle Burke on August 17, 1987. They divorced on November 24, 1994. Five years later, Martin married Carla Marie Reeves on August 13, 1999. Their first son, Connor, was born in April 2001, and their second son, Caden Andrew, was born on December 6, 2005.[citation needed] Soon after his second son was born, Martin checked himself into adrug rehabilitation program due to a painkiller addiction.[4] Since 2006, Martin has remained drug-free.[4] He discussed this on Steve Austin's podcast during a two-part episode in April 2015.[145] Martin and his wife divorced in 2017.[146]
Martin produced, choreographed and played himself in the 2013 filmPro Wrestlers vs Zombies.[147]
In July 2016, Martin was named part of aclass actionlawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit was litigated byattorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE.[148] The lawsuit was dismissed by US District JudgeVanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018.[149]
1Douglas' twice won the title while the promotion was aNational Wrestling Alliance affiliate namedEastern Championship Wrestling. During his second reign, the promotion was renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling. Douglas held the title an additional two times after these events.
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Douglas (hair) | Raven (hair) | Nashville, Tennessee | NWA TNA Weekly PPV #63 | September 17, 2003 | [178] |
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