What if #7: Shane Douglas doesn't "throw down" the NWA belt

08-14-2010, 11:26 AM

On August 27th 1994, Shane Douglas defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in the finals for the NWA belt in former Eastern Championship Wrestling and declares the belt the Extreme Championship Wrestling belt, ushering in a new era in professional wrestling, while breaking all ties from the NWA.
What transpired was the birth of an important era in professional wrestling, and brought ECW into a new era, and most argue, laid the foundation for the Attitude Era.
After the belt was thrown down, ECW gained prominence for it's hardcore style, and created a host of important characters and wrestlers in the attitude era such as Mankind/Mick Foley/ Cactus Jack, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guererro, Dean Malenko, The Dudley Boys, RVD to name a few. With ECW's rise, it became a land of misfit toys, where disgarded wrestlers would be reformed and become a talent pool which the big two fished from, and gained ECW much popularity. Many of those mentioned would previously have been "too small" to be stars in WCW and especially the WWF.

What if Shane Douglas doesn't throw down the belt?
Does ECW become the phenomenon that it became?
Do wrestlers who may not have been known during that era flock to ECW to be noticed?
How would it effect the Attitude Era, or would that era have been delayed?
Do the previous stars mentioned get their break in another promotion?
One more question. I have always contended that ECW gave birth to the IWC, as it became a promotion where smarks gathered and became noticed as being fans on a known promotion. Ecw in my opinion was the first smark promotion.

Discuss.

**Loose Cannon** · 08-14-2010, 12:38 PM

Hindsight is 20/20 on this one. Back then (in the 90's), I thought this was one of the most shocking moments in wreslting history. And it was at the time. But today, I believe whether or not Douglas threw down the NWA title belt had a minimal effect on ECW's rise. It still would of become the rouge machine it did with or without shitting on the NWA.

Cool moment and probably the greatest moment of Douglas' career, but not something that had a big effect on anything

08-14-2010, 02:00 PM

It seemed like that moment propelled ECW from just being another indy fed, to the #3 promotion. It kinda seperated ECW from the pack.

**VSG** · 08-14-2010, 04:21 PM

Oh it was definitely a huge moment, one that people believe was the turnover point of Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling.

**Theo Dious** · 08-14-2010, 06:00 PM

Seriously, the NWA title throwdown had minimal effect on the history of wrestling. It's only a total OMG moment to ECW marks who want it to be. The only people who even know about it today are devoted ECW and NWA fans. They could just as well as held a tournament with the stated intention of crowing a new ECW champion and there would have been no difference in how things went from there.

**Cad Bane** · 08-14-2010, 06:21 PM

They were going to break away from NWA - one day - they just did it in a very dramatic and awesome way.

**Emperor Smeat** · 08-14-2010, 06:26 PM

The throw down of the belt did have one lasting aspect since the NWA did drop all support and funding they would have been giving ECW.

While Vince and Ted Turner could break away since they had the cash needed to rebrand and develop their companies post-NWA era, Heyman didn't have the same luxury. As a result, he has to connect more with the fans to ensure they provide the money and support ECW needed in the early years.

08-14-2010, 06:26 PM

Nothing major at all would have happened at the end of the day ECW was just another Indy Fed they just happened to get buddy,buddy with one of the bigger guys thats what really got them known on a world wide level.

08-14-2010, 06:39 PM

Destro, stay out of my threads douche.

**Seth82** · 08-14-2010, 10:29 PM

I don't really think it woulda mattered

there were already extreme matches and they were already gaining an underground cult following

I think it definitely helped put ECW on the map with the casual fans though and it became destination tv

they really pissed off the NWA though

but by 1994 the NWA World belt didn't mean what it did say ten yrs before that

**YoungFlyFlashy** · 08-15-2010, 12:23 AM

Nothing different. ECW marks ate it up and continue to eat it up to keep feeding into ECW being a bigger legend than it actually was.

**DLVH84** · 08-15-2010, 01:04 AM

I've been a loyal fan of the NWA, ECW, and wrestling in general. I'd say it wouldn't matter, because it was Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman's intention to break away from the National Wrestling Alliance at all costs, and become their own promotion.

Sure, the belt throwing incident with Shane Douglas increased the impact, but at the time, Dennis Coraluzzo talked a lot of shit about Douglas, so that's why Douglas threw down the NWA belt.

**RiX1024** · 08-15-2010, 02:23 PM

wouldn't do much for the promotion as ECW's popularity grew anyways but wouldn't have much exposure than when Douglas threw the belt down but I could see Douglas would do something else to gain controversy and that is to just bury the NWA and Coraluzzo for burying him. can't think of another good scenario.

08-14-2010, 11:26 AM	#1
Gertner Guest Posts: n/a	What if #7: Shane Douglas doesn't "throw down" the NWA belt On August 27th 1994, Shane Douglas defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in the finals for the NWA belt in former Eastern Championship Wrestling and declares the belt the Extreme Championship Wrestling belt, ushering in a new era in professional wrestling, while breaking all ties from the NWA. What transpired was the birth of an important era in professional wrestling, and brought ECW into a new era, and most argue, laid the foundation for the Attitude Era. After the belt was thrown down, ECW gained prominence for it's hardcore style, and created a host of important characters and wrestlers in the attitude era such as Mankind/Mick Foley/ Cactus Jack, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guererro, Dean Malenko, The Dudley Boys, RVD to name a few. With ECW's rise, it became a land of misfit toys, where disgarded wrestlers would be reformed and become a talent pool which the big two fished from, and gained ECW much popularity. Many of those mentioned would previously have been "too small" to be stars in WCW and especially the WWF. What if Shane Douglas doesn't throw down the belt? Does ECW become the phenomenon that it became? Do wrestlers who may not have been known during that era flock to ECW to be noticed? How would it effect the Attitude Era, or would that era have been delayed? Do the previous stars mentioned get their break in another promotion? One more question. I have always contended that ECW gave birth to the IWC, as it became a promotion where smarks gathered and became noticed as being fans on a known promotion. Ecw in my opinion was the first smark promotion. Discuss.

08-14-2010, 12:38 PM	#2
Loose Cannon I'm all there is Posts: 31,811	Hindsight is 20/20 on this one. Back then (in the 90's), I thought this was one of the most shocking moments in wreslting history. And it was at the time. But today, I believe whether or not Douglas threw down the NWA title belt had a minimal effect on ECW's rise. It still would of become the rouge machine it did with or without shitting on the NWA. Cool moment and probably the greatest moment of Douglas' career, but not something that had a big effect on anything

08-14-2010, 02:00 PM	#3
Gertner Guest Posts: n/a	It seemed like that moment propelled ECW from just being another indy fed, to the #3 promotion. It kinda seperated ECW from the pack.

08-14-2010, 04:21 PM	#4
VSG Hazardous to Your Health Posts: 21,730	Oh it was definitely a huge moment, one that people believe was the turnover point of Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling.

08-14-2010, 06:00 PM	#5
Theo Dious EATER OF HOT POCKETS Posts: 14,340	Seriously, the NWA title throwdown had minimal effect on the history of wrestling. It's only a total OMG moment to ECW marks who want it to be. The only people who even know about it today are devoted ECW and NWA fans. They could just as well as held a tournament with the stated intention of crowing a new ECW champion and there would have been no difference in how things went from there.

08-14-2010, 06:21 PM	#6
Cad Bane Junior Member Posts: 22	They were going to break away from NWA - one day - they just did it in a very dramatic and awesome way.

08-14-2010, 06:26 PM	#7
Emperor Smeat Former TPWW Royalty Posts: 66,659	The throw down of the belt did have one lasting aspect since the NWA did drop all support and funding they would have been giving ECW. While Vince and Ted Turner could break away since they had the cash needed to rebrand and develop their companies post-NWA era, Heyman didn't have the same luxury. As a result, he has to connect more with the fans to ensure they provide the money and support ECW needed in the early years.

08-14-2010, 06:26 PM	#8
Destro 2.0 Guest Posts: n/a	Nothing major at all would have happened at the end of the day ECW was just another Indy Fed they just happened to get buddy,buddy with one of the bigger guys thats what really got them known on a world wide level.

08-14-2010, 06:39 PM	#9
Gertner Guest Posts: n/a	Destro, stay out of my threads douche.

08-14-2010, 10:29 PM	#10
Seth82 OLD SCHOOL FAN Posts: 13,946	I don't really think it woulda mattered there were already extreme matches and they were already gaining an underground cult following I think it definitely helped put ECW on the map with the casual fans though and it became destination tv they really pissed off the NWA though but by 1994 the NWA World belt didn't mean what it did say ten yrs before that

08-15-2010, 12:23 AM	#11
YoungFlyFlashy My Space Jam Bitch! Posts: 1,507	Nothing different. ECW marks ate it up and continue to eat it up to keep feeding into ECW being a bigger legend than it actually was.

08-15-2010, 01:04 AM	#12
DLVH84 Samurai Rocker Posts: 2,876	I've been a loyal fan of the NWA, ECW, and wrestling in general. I'd say it wouldn't matter, because it was Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman's intention to break away from the National Wrestling Alliance at all costs, and become their own promotion. Sure, the belt throwing incident with Shane Douglas increased the impact, but at the time, Dennis Coraluzzo talked a lot of shit about Douglas, so that's why Douglas threw down the NWA belt.

08-15-2010, 02:23 PM	#13
RiX1024 Posts: 1,711	wouldn't do much for the promotion as ECW's popularity grew anyways but wouldn't have much exposure than when Douglas threw the belt down but I could see Douglas would do something else to gain controversy and that is to just bury the NWA and Coraluzzo for burying him. can't think of another good scenario.