Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler, manager, and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Martin held a dozen championships between ECW, WCW, and the WWF and is a five-time world champion: a four-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, and a one-time NWA 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 a two-time ECW World Television Champion, a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, a one-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and a two-time WCW World Tag Team Champion. Martin was also the first of eleven men to hold a championship in all three major U.S. promotions of 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 a tournament 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 the franchise player of the promotion. WWE, who purchased that organization, asserted: "Without Shane Douglas, there would have been no ECW." He headlined many events for ECW including three editions of the company's premier pay-per-view event November to Remember in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Martin was born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, one of six children of a veteran of World War II, who died in 1991. He graduated cum laude from Bethany College in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in history and political science. He is an alumnus of the Psi chapter of Beta Theta Pi. After earning his degrees, he was offered to join the Saba University School of Medicine but declined in order to continue wrestling.
Martin was trained by Dominic DeNucci in the Pittsburgh suburb of Freedom, Pennsylvania, alongside Mick Foley in the mid-1980s. He had been wrestling professionally to earn money since 1982. When he started, he used the character of Troy Orndorff, the fictional nephew of Paul Orndorff.
In August 1986, Martin debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), losing to Randy Savage at a WWF Superstars of Wrestling taping using his real name. Later that month, he wrestled "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff on the debut episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, once again using his real name. In autumn 1986, he wrestled four matches for the WWF under the ring name "Mike Kelly".
Universal Wrestling Federation (1987)
In February 1987, Martin (under his real name) debuted in the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), shortly priorly to its acquisition by Jim Crockett Promotions. In June 1987, he began wrestling regularly for the UWF - now an affiliate of Jim Crockett Promotions - under the ring name "Shane Douglas", which was given to him by "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert and Missy Hyatt (the "Douglas" last name was inspired by actor Michael Douglas). He formed a short-lived tag team with Davey Haskins, then faced him in a short feud. On August 3, 1987, Douglas defeated Eddie Gilbert for the UWF Television Championship. He held the title until September 2, when he lost to Terry Taylor in the Cajundome. Later that month, he formed an alliance with Michael Hayes, culminating in Douglas, Hayes, and Sting defeating Big Bubba Rogers, Rick Steiner, and The Terminator in a first blood elimination cage match. He made his final appearance with the UWF in October 1987.
Jim Crockett Promotion / World Championship Wrestling (1987–1990)
In July 1987, Douglas began wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
In April 1989, Douglas was put into a tag team of skateboarders known as the Dynamic Dudes with Johnny Ace (John Laurinaitis, the younger brother of Road Warrior Animal). Mick Foley has opined that since neither Ace nor Douglas knew how to skateboard, the fans saw through the character and refused to buy into it. Jim Cornette, who was managing The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) at the time, decided to manage the duo to help them get over. When Eaton and Lane in 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 teams feuded 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 made The Midnight Express more popular than they already were.
In November 1988, Jim Crockett Promotions was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System and renamed World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
The Dynamic Dudes broke up in 1990 after Ace began competing progressively more for All 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 American independent circuit.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (1989)
In August to September 1989, the Dynamic Dudes toured Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as part of its "Summer Action Series II", where they faced teams such as the Can-Am Express and Revolution. Douglas' matches during the tour included losing to Shunji Takano in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall and teaming with Todd Champion in a loss to Takano and Shinichi Nakano in Tokyo's Nippon Budokan.
World Wrestling Federation (1990–1991)
In 1990, Douglas signed a deal with the World Wrestling Federation and made his debut on the June 18 episode of Prime Time Wrestling, defeating Bob Bradley, in a match taped in Toronto, Ontario, on May 27. Douglas remained undefeated in his first month, defeating Bob Bradley, Paul Diamond, and Steve Lombardi in a series of matches. He then moved up to begin a house show series in late June against Haku and suffered his first loss on June 28 in Denver, Colorado. He remained without a win in subsequent rematches. He made his syndicated television debut on the August 26 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, teaming with jobber Mark Thomas in a loss to The Orient Express.
In August 1990, he received his first break when he was tapped as the temporary replacement to an injured Shawn Michaels in The Rockers tag-team. Douglas teamed with Jannetty six times in matches against The Orient Express. On August 27, he defeated Buddy Rose in a dark match at the SummerSlam '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 the Survivor 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 upset Dino Bravo. 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.