Success, Bust or In-Between: "The Franchise" Shane Douglas

[It's Damn Real!]

You know the series by now, I'd hope, but for those of you who don't, here's the run down:

• Former talents of TNA are to be critiqued regarding their work with TNA, and only their work with TNA for the basis of these polls.
• Any work from the performer that was not done during his/her tenure during TNA should not factor into your vote.
• You can vote them either a success, a bust or in-between if you don't feel they deserve either extreme.

In addition to your vote, I'd like to know why you feel the way you do. Why was this particular charater a succes, a bust or in-between?

Next in the series is "The Franchise" Shane Douglas.

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"The Franchise" Shane Douglas
Years with TNA: 5 (2003-2007, 2009)
Number of titles runs: none

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Notable Feuds:
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• Raven (2003)
• The Gathering via The New Church w/ Raven (2003)
• Various singles competitors via Michael Shane (Matt Bentley) (2004)
• Various tag-team competitors via The "Newly Franchised" Naturals (2005-2007)
• Chase Stevens (2007)
• Christopher Daniels (2009)

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Other Accomplishments:
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• Debuted in TNA in 2003 attacking Raven in a three-way match with he, Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles at a 2003 PPV
• Was a founding member of the stable The New Church (Tempest, Slash, Malice, Father James Mitchell)
• Managed Matt Bentley (with Traci Brooks) and The Naturals
• Worked as an on-air commentator on iMPACT! and at Pay-Per-View events
• Was retired (semi-kayfabe) by Daniels in 2009 in a Loser Leaves-TNA match

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Previous Polls:
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• Christian Cage – 87.72% Success, 12.28% In-Between, 0% Bust
• Booker T – 46.43% Bust, 33.93% In-Between, 19.64% Success
• Petey Williams – 52.50% In-Between, 35.00% Success, 12.50% Bust
• Gail Kim – 61.54% Success, 19.23% In-Between, 19.23% Bust
• Senshi – 66.67% Success, 28.57% In-Between, 4.76% Bust
• Monty Brown – 54.05% Bust, 27.03% In-Between, 18.92% Success
• Awesome Kong – 82.61% Success, 13.04% Bust, 4.35% In-Between
• Christopher Daniels – 68.97% Success, 20.69% In-Between, 10.34% Bust
• Consequences Creed – 80.77% Bust, 19.23% In-Between, 0.00% Success
• Sheik Abdul Bashir – 44.00% In-Between, 44.00% Bust, 12.00% Success
• The Naturals – 48.00% Bust, 28.00% Success, 24.00% In-Between
• Traci Brooks – 61.29% Bust, 25.81% In-Between, 12.90% Success
• Johnny Devine – 79.31% Bust, 17.24% In-Between, 3.45% Success[/i]

 

[Antabis]

The Franchise Shane Douglas was a success in the eyes that he was an amazing talented individual who had the mic to back up his wrestling. Was he a success? People can argue, but the truth is that he was too real for the business. He didn't kiss ass, he had his gimmick, but Vince was Vince, Eric was Eric. The only bust was that this guy never made it to the big stage and the closest was Ric Flair in WCW. Compared to so many that get by because of Politics, he was the one who didnt need it. He was wrestling's rebel, who was attitude before attitude was cool, and was as old school as shit. He deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, but will never get it, and will always be an underrated, under appreciated wrestler who never got his due, despite paying 10 fold his own.. Long live Shane Douglas,. because he didnt give a fuck about his future or his paycheck, for he was Ethics, and wrestling and ethics don't exist. Without him. the shoot, Paul E, Russo, nobody would know shit about the shoot if it wasnt for the Franchise. Another thing was that hell never get credit for having one of the greatest factions in history, for the Triple Threat was an amazing group that can be in the same category as the Horsemen and Evolution. He was the reason behind it, and he carried a company on his back. Long live Douglas, the Triple Threat, for he was and will always be THE FRANCHISE, NOT STING, NOT CENA.

 

[jusabro]

I feel he was able to provide name and face recongniton for TNA. He also was experience that the younger guys needed at the time. Also he brought a lil bit of that ECW cult fanbase with him like myself. I would have loved to see him hold the TNA/NWA title but he did disgraced the NWA World Title when he was the King of ECW.

 

[UseYourBrain]

The Franchise Shane Douglas was a success in the eyes that he was an amazing talented individual who had the mic to back up his wrestling. Was he a success? People can argue, but the truth is that he was too real for the business. He didn't kiss ass, he had his gimmick, but Vince was Vince, Eric was Eric. The only bust was that this guy never made it to the big stage and the closest was Ric Flair in WCW. Compared to so many that get by because of Politics, he was the one who didnt need it. He was wrestling's rebel, who was attitude before attitude was cool, and was as old school as shit. He deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, but will never get it, and will always be an underrated, under appreciated wrestler who never got his due, despite paying 10 fold his own.. Long live Shane Douglas,. because he didnt give a fuck about his future or his paycheck, for he was Ethics, and wrestling and ethics don't exist. Without him. the shoot, Paul E, Russo, nobody would know shit about the shoot if it wasnt for the Franchise. Another thing was that hell never get credit for having one of the greatest factions in history, for the Triple Threat was an amazing group that can be in the same category as the Horsemen and Evolution. He was the reason behind it, and he carried a company on his back. Long live Douglas, the Triple Threat, for he was and will always be THE FRANCHISE, NOT STING, NOT CENA.

I agree with you that Shane's influence is underrated, but I don't think he's solely responsible for "the shoot", and I also don't think everything he did was based on integrity or ethics. He was bitter. He wasn't a bad ass who didn't care. He was a man who had TRIED to succeed by other peoples' standards and who FAILED to do so. In ECW, he was talented, he was controversial, but he was also very bitter. He had nowhere else to go. If he had succeeded as Dean Douglas in WWF, there would be no "Franchise". There'd just be another goofy character in the vast sea of goofy characters. His pushing the envelope wasn't done out of genius or integrity. It was done because he had nowhere else to go.

I think his mouth was his meal ticket... but that sometimes he took it too far and said stuff that wasn't exactly justified. For every one guy who buries Ric Flair, you'll find ten who thank him for making them who they are. Shane wasn't one of them, so he badmouthed the guy to no ends. It was edgy, it was popular, but it was unprofessional as hell, EVEN IF IT WAS TRUE. He crossed the line not because he watned to, but because he had failed at everything else. He had failed on the big stage. Ric Flair, WCW, Bischoff, the Kliq, and WWF were all fodder for Shane Douglas rants. They were, in other words, the very things that put food on his table.

That being said, I LIKE Shane Douglas. I voted "Success". I think the guy was talented, a great main event presence, and had one of the first ever modern looks that didn't make him look like a goofball when he wasn't in his ring attire.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The presence of Shane Douglas in TNA was a complete and absolute bust. Shane Douglas is among the most overrated neverwases in wrestling of the past 20 years, but internet fans go on about this guy as if he was some sort of god.

Shane Douglas is a perfect example of an average wrestler riding the crest of past successes, those successes being ECW. Because of feuds he had and matches he wrestled in the mid to late 90s, he's still thought of as this underappreciated white knight of pro wrestling.

As for TNA, you've got to be kidding me? Aside from giving the hardcore ECW fans a bit of nostalgia, what exactly did he do in TNA that was even remotely memorable? He did nothing and accomplished nothing during his first run in TNA and his second run was nothing short of an absolute embarassment. His time with the company last year made him a ridiculed laughing stock on this forum and deservedly so.

Shane Douglas' time spent in TNA was and remains a complete bust, possibly more than any other wrestler mentioned in this series.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

I would love to say success but that would only be wiht regards to his own work. His TNA tenure on the other hand was a bust. It wasn't the same shane from ECW who I enjoyed a lot. Hell even WCW shane wasn't bad (w/ steamboat). But this TNA shane was over the hill and reminds me of the band. AND one thing that should get him an automatic bust, throwing up in the ring during a match, that's a surefire sign of being unfit to be in the ring

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

Shane Douglas's career in TNA is a complete and utter bust, he started off attempted to take Raven on in some main event feuds to recindle his spark in his ECW days but ended up having a short tenure as a wrestler but remianed with the company working as a manager and on air talent.

He didn't win a single title and never main evented in any matches for the TNA/NWA world title.

become significatly out of shape and ended up working as a manager in Walmart i believe so he basically didn't save any of his money over his illustriase Career even being paid rather handsomly in WCW.

apart from a couple of stints Douglas did nothing of value and just faded away from the TNA scene until he attempted to return in 2009 in a match with Daniels that looked painful (I mean painful in the sense that watching it made me want to gouge my eyes out).

the feud with Douglas nearly ruined what could have been an ok feud, Im glad hes gone and needs to get himself together, he was out of shape and lazy I would have never hired him if i where Dixie Carter.

He remains one of TNA's none existant blank Spots IMO

 

[a0161613]

Yeah, Shane Douglas was only ever a success in ECW and even then it was a stretch. He was irreleveant and overrated in pretty much everywhere he went.

He did nothing except stink up the ring in TNA in his last run because by that point he was overweight, contributed less than nothing and didn't care. But even before that, his work with Raven was poor and he showed nothing of note.

 

[ABMorales787]

He was mostly a manger. He wrestled sporadically. He helped out other talents by managing them. Did some stuff on the side like announce and interview. he never won a title. Works for me. He wasn't just past his prime, he wasn't a good wrestler to begin with. I get what he did in '93. But that was in '93. He was a success. He was used as best suited.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

His wrestling career was obvious pretty much at it's end by the time he returned to reignite his ECW feud with Raven, but considering all the potential Douglas had as a manager, I'd say he fell quite short of it when you realize just how little Bentley & The Naturals failed to achieve respectively.

It's unfortunately, but I have to vote him a bust, despite being one of my favorite mouth-pieces in wrestling history.

 

[JollyJokerthePhoenix]

I'd say in-between. His biggest success comes from ECW, but I remember him from his days in TNA and his days in WCW(which i've seen the most) and he's been a major player in some cases. However, during his most recent run in TNA, it seemed like a bust as his students the Naturals failed to build themselves up even despite beating the Dudleys in a Tables match on an episode of Impact. So it's a mixed bag for him.

By the way, somewhat off topic, his WCW theme was one of the coolest ones to listen to.

 

[RVDgurl]

Shane Douglas....what a talent this guy was. In my opinion, I sincerely think he was the greatest heel we have ever seen in this business. His work in ECW was beyond extraordinary. Unfortunately, TNA got a hold of him towards the end of his career and he never got the chance to show what he could do. He never played a significant role in TNA nor did he have any stellar matches that I can recall. In addition, I can't remember any really special promos that he cut either, and that's saying something for a guy that could work the mic like nobody's business.


Douglas in TNA = Bust