Profile by Bridget Petrella (old bio from shanedouglas.com)
Updated by Mike Petkovich
In a uncompromising sport where conflicts rage uncontrollably... and combat
isn’t just professed, it’s encouraged, Shane Douglas is indeed a defiant
warrior. His intensity is absolutely unparalleled and his dedication is
incomparable by most standards. Perhaps the most poignant example of
Douglas’ unwavering devotion to wrestling came in 1998 when he vehemently
insisted on participating in a nationally televised pay-per-view main event,
with a broken jaw and a fractured palette. Unable to disappoint his many fans,
in agonizing pain, Douglas’ actually completed the entire match, simply
because it had been advertised weeks in advance. The audience was more than
just a bit astonished by his unbridled fervor... to say the least. He’s
definitively been referred to as a "Judiciously Intellectual
Extremist", with a penchant for controversy and self-imposed challenges.
Douglas is an by far an undisputed technician in the ring. His moves are pure
precision. Shane Douglas, for the uninitiated, is a brash and ferocious
veteran who literally personifies the word endurance... in wrestling as well
as life.
One of six children, Douglas immediately filled in for his father, both
financially and emotionally, actively supporting the rest of his family, when
his parents divorced. Almost effortlessly, he learned to be both
self-sufficient and resilient. His avid interest in sports continued
throughout high school, particularly in wrestling and weight lifting, which
ultimately led to a very lucrative career. Upon graduating high school,
Douglas started wrestling professionally in 1982, as a way to pay for his
college education. Subsequently he graduated from Bethany College in 1986.
With a BA in History and Political Science and several academic honors
(graduated Cum Laude), Douglas decided to continue his studies, eventually
earning his MA in Education. At the time, he had also been accepted into the
prestigious Saba Medical School, but deffered to continue wrestling. In 1991,
Douglas again left the WWF to take care of his father, who was now alone and
dying. It was a decision that further illustrated Douglas’ unyielding
commitment to his family. In 1993, while wrestling with the WCW, Douglas began
teaching emotional support classes to high school students, grades 9 through
12. He continued his teaching career while wrestling simultaneously, opting to
expand his syllabus to include World Economics and U.S. History. After the
untimely death of his sister in 1997, his mother fell into a severe
depression. Again, Douglas was there to pick up the pieces. His depth and
courage in the face of adversity were more than exceptional.
Shane Douglas made his first unprecedented national appearance in the
squared circle in the early 1990's. He had signed on with the World Wrestling
Federation and became the youngest wrestler to ever win a national title (WWF
Television Title) at age 21. But after struggling as a "mid-card"
attraction, and dealing with his dying father, Douglas departed for the WCW
and instantly captured the WCW tag team titles with Ricky "The
Dragon" Steamboat. The duo defeated Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham on
December 18th, 1992. They eventually lost the tag team title belts to Steve
Austin (who was "Stunning Steve Austin" at the time) and the late
Brian Pillman, a duo affectionately called, "the Hollywood Blondes".
Douglas again became rather disillusioned with the underlying objectives of
the WCW and left to pursue the Extreme Hardcore style wrestling of the ECW.
Douglas shocked the entire wrestling world when, in a rather audacious move,
after winning the NWA Heavyweight Title belt in 1994... (in front of a
sell-out crowd no less), he threw the belt itself down on the mat stating that
he, "No longer wanted to be the champion to a 'dead' promotion."
This was typical Shane Douglas, no holds barred, candid and sincere.
"I've been in the squared circle with some of the greatest wrestlers in
the history of the sport. It taught me about persistence and inner strength.
Wrestling allows you to be openly antagonistic, but it also inspires a
resourceful instinct. I wasn’t about to concede to mediocrity."
Douglas wrestled in the ECW for a few more years and won numerous titles
before heading back to the WWF. He captured the WWF Intercontinental
Heavyweight title after an injured Shawn Michaels (he suffered a concusion
earlier) forfeited the title to Douglas. A record-breaking 15 minutes later,
he lost the title to Razor Ramon. Douglas again decided leave the WWF after
suffering a broken back in the ring during a highly confrontational match with
Razor Ramon. He returned to the ECW in 1996. Douglas became the first
wrestling superstar to ever capture the ECW Heavyweight title four times when
he defeated former WWF Superstar Bam Bam Bigelow on November 30th, 1997 in his
home town of Pittsburgh, PA. For Douglas, this was more than just a defining
personal moment, it was a bittersweet victory, the culmination of his
phenomenal efforts as a paramount wrestler. "My only disappointment was
that my father, (a former WWII hero) who had passed away a few years before,
wasn’t there to see it." Shane went on to lose the ECW title to Taz and left the promotion when monitary issues came between him and Paul Heyman.
Shane then made his move to World Championship Wrestling. He came in to lead the Revolution, a group consisting of Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and Perry Saturn. They were supposed to usher in the youth movement in WCW. Again the glass ceiling that kept so many wrestlers down hit the Revolution. Vince Russo was fired and Kevin Sullivan took control. The Revolution and Eddie Guerrero stood up for Vince Russo and soon they were all out of work. Benoit, Malenko, Saturn, and Guerrero left to the World Wrestling Federation leaving Shane out of a job. Shane made a brief appearance in XPW in California, but that was short lived because Russo and Bischoff were back in power and wanted the Franchise. On his first show back, Shane got to have one of his goals fulfilled. He attacked Ric Flair leading to a short feud. Douglas won the WCW tag team titles with Buff Bagwell. They lost the titles but Shane was headed to the top of the mid-card. Some of Shanes segments on WCW t.v. were some of the highest rated segments WCW would recieve toward the end of their existence. Shane won the WCW United States Title from Hugh Morrus. He lost the title to Rick Steiner because of injury. Before WCW was sold to the WWF there were many rumors running through WCW that Shane would be given a chance as world champion, too bad we weren't able to see what could have been the rebirth of WCW.
After the fall of WCW, Shane made his way back to pro wrestling with XPW and various independent companies, eventually landing in TNA wrestling. Shane feuded with Raven for a short period of time. It was after his feud with Raven that saw the rise of a new group with Michael Shane, Tracy Brooks, and of course The Franchise. The group was short lived and Shane was moved to an announcing role on TNA programming.
In June of 2005, Shane promoted the highly successful Hardcore Homecoming event in Philadelphia. The event was the highest grossing professional wrestling event outside of the WWE in 2005. Under Shane's lead, Hardcore Homecoming would go on to have a events in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and the final event in Philadelphia in November of 2005.
In December of 2005 Shane would check himself in a rehabilitation facility for an addiction to painkillers. In what would be one of the great success stories of 2006, Shane would emerge clean and healthy and stay that way to this day. The Franchise returned to TNA managing the Naturals. His stay with TNA in 2006 was shortlived as creative ran out things for him and he needed a much overdue break from pro wrestling.
Shane still makes appearances on the independent wrestling scene. He even returned to the ring for his first match since 2005 in March of 2009.
Every organization has what is known as a "Franchise" player. One
man who profoundly stands a cut above the rest. A passionate athlete who has
accomplished something beyond his own far-reaching expectations. A person
whose mere presence shapes and structures the organization itself. Shane
Douglas is one such individual. He has proven his athletic prowess in the ring
on countless occasions. As the epitome of wrestling’s renound "bad
boys", Douglas may not always hear his name chanted openly in arenas
throughout the country, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to maintain
his enduring success. There’s a contagious enthusiasm that radiates from
Shane Douglas. It’s obvious the moment he steps into the room. He’s
clever, insightful, bold and endearing. A walking breathing "contrast in
terms", Douglas brings an obvious "edge" to the wrestling
genre. Perhaps Douglas himself explains it best, "Many athletes define
themselves by the expectations of others. I define myself by my own measure of
personal accomplishment."
Shane Douglas is an earnest outdoorsman and has literally spanned the
globe, in search of high adventure. When he’s not applying a full body
suplex, or Douglas is an avid reader, having read and collected thousands of
books, including several classic works of literature such as The Complete
Works of William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. He also enjoys yoga,
listening to cool blues guitarists like Buddy Guy and BB King, hiking,
mountain-biking, weight-lifting and boxing.
