Every professional wrestling promotion needs a person that they can count on when times get tough. A performer they can turn to when they need a quick boost. Someone who is synonymous with the promotion and is seen as the MVP of the company. Their ace in the hole. Their franchise player. This installment of Fights of Fancy is a battle of franchise players, one of whom takes that title very seriously and quite literally: Bobby Roode vs Shane Douglas.
The Franchise
Shane Douglas is a man synonymous with Extreme Championship Wrestling. During his runs with the company he epitomized the rebellious and cocky attitude the promotion was known for during its heyday, and loved to back it up in the ring. Douglas was a skilled technician between the ropes, but making a career in the land of extreme meant knowing how to throw down when necessary, which Douglas certainly could do. He was also smart enough to surround himself with the best talents ECW had at the time with his faction the Triple Threat, the best known incarnation being Douglas, Chris Candido, and Bam Bam Bigelow, who were always ready to help their stable mate when needed. Of course many would argue that Douglas wouldn’t be anything without the help of the “Queen of Extreme” Francine, who faithfully stayed by his side, even if that meant going through a table for her man.
The Franchise could certainly hurt you in the ring, but his greatest weapon was the deadly combination of his razor sharp tongue and wit. Few men in ECW could talk like Shane Douglas, which is quite the compliment when you think of the great interviews that have walked through the doors of that bingo hall on the corner of Ritter and Swanson. Shane Douglas was merciless on the microphone and had the magical ability to turn an entire arena against him, or rally them to battle beside him. At separate times he has been both the most reviled and beloved man in ECW, and if you ever doubt his impact on the company, or how good he actually was, just ask him. He’ll be happy to remind you.
When looking back on Douglas’ competition, The Franchise has certainly had a slew of tough opponents. Some of his greatest rivals include Taz, Sabu, and Terry Funk, a group of men that would have no trouble topping a list of the most unorthodox fighters to ever step in the squared circle. Those experiences have made Douglas a man ready for just about anything that gets thrown at him.
Of course, that isn’t to say The Franchise was without his flaws, the biggest being his massive ego. Douglas can’t be faulted for being a fighting champion, in fact it was one of his more admirable qualities, but his arrogance and big mouth often got him into trouble that he was either unprepared for or just plain not able to handle. In fact, in almost every situation where he suffered a major loss, it was Shane’s own undoing, whether in the ring or backstage.
The Leader of the Selfish Generation
On the flip side of that same coin is a man that has taken on the mantle of franchise player for another upstart promotion that has done its best to become an alternative to the WWE product. In fact, he is one of their strongest assets and has become so by proving that no matter what is needed, be it a strong in ring performer, someone to talk fans into the arena, or a man who represents the company’s ambitious, never say die attitude, that man is the IT Factor, Bobby Roode.
Unlike Douglas, Roode’s story is one of evolution. Originally thought of as a throw away member of the Team Canada faction during TNA’s World X Cup Series, Bobby Roode branched out on in his own, becoming a well-established heel who had the skill set to back up his ever running mouth. He even managed to secure the managerial services of TNA’s original Knockout, Traci Brooks, a woman who often gets overlooked for all the help she was during Roode’s first single’s run.
He returned to the tag team ranks by joining “Cowboy” James Storm in forming one of TNA’s greatest duos in their history: Beer Money. During this run, Roode and Storm fought the best tag teams in the world at the time including Team 3D, The Motor City Machine Guns, and the Latin American Exchange. The experience gave Roode enough confidence to break out into the singles spotlight and did so by becoming the first winner of the Bound for Glory Series. He would later use those same skills to defeat his Beer Money partner James Storm and begin one the longest reign as TNA World Heavyweight champion in the company’s history.
But Roode is not perfect; in fact he’s far from it. He has had a tendency to choke in big match situations, and when backed into a corner can be a bit of a coward, often relying far too much on outside interference from a bevy of allies he has befriended and double crossed over the years. Ironically, his other big drawback is an all-encompassing tunnel vision, which when channeled properly can lead to great victory, but when not held in check, causes him to lose focus and make mistakes.
There is no doubt that now more than ever that Bobby Roode is TNA’s MVP (editor note: In TNA, that might be best to specify for the men as Gail Kim can put just as much argument up as the MVP of TNA), putting on high quality matches and getting under the skin of wrestling fans the world over in way that hadn’t been seen since, well, Shane Douglas. In fact it’s pretty easy to see the similarities between “The Franchise” and “The IT Factor”, but if these two top players were to clash, which former world champion would have bragging rights to take advantage of afterwards?
Bobby Roode vs Shane Douglas
It is easy to assume that Roode would take the advantage early on. Although neither man is a slouch, Bobby is more athletic than Douglas, and his battles against the more agile and nimble Motor City Machine Guns would have taught him a few fast paced attacks that would leave Douglas stunned and stalling for time. With enough agitation, Roode would become frustrated, allowing Douglas to capitalize on any small mistake he could take advantage of. While in control, Shane would likely try to wear down Roode as much as possible, potentially focusing on his arm in an effort to prevent him from locking on his crossface submission.
It would only be a matter of time before Douglas got cocky and began to worry more about humiliating Roode than defeating him, which would be a huge mistake on the part of the Franchise. Fueled by his will to win, Roode would use his large frame, athleticism, and maybe a dirty trick or two, to stop Shane’s momentum and tire him out with a flurry of offense, leaving him ready to pick off his opponent with a death valley driver.
At this point, I imagine Francine would jump on Roode’s back, distracting him and forcing the referee to throw out the match due to interference. Once Roode realized what happened, it wouldn’t be long before Francine suffered the fate reserved for Douglas and fell victim to a death valley driver at the hands of the IT Factor, who would head to the back visibly upset that he missed his chance to beat a legend.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the fight is over. While heading to the back, Shane would use this opportunity to gloat about avoiding a beating and then mock Roode, telling the IT Factor that he could never hack it in ECW. With his pride hurt and his ego bruised, Roode would challenge Douglas to restart the match as a Philadelphia Street Fight! Not wanting to look like a coward, Shane reluctantly would agree and the fight would be back on!
With no restrictions, the two men would leave the wrestling in the ring and take their battle around ringside, throwing fists and whatever else they could find at each other. It would likely spill into the crowd and both men would take an incredible amount of punishment, trading blows and falls on the concrete floor as they made their way back to the ring.
By this point, both Douglas and Roode would be throwing bombs at one another in a vain attempt to out-macho the other. They would be so pre-occupied that neither one would have noticed Francine had regained consciousness and made her way into the ring to hit Bobby Roode with a low blow, leaving him open to a belly to belly suplex from Douglas and a very close two count!
Getting desperate, the former ECW Champion Douglas would start to reach into his boot for his trusty chain when help for Roode would arrive unexpectedly in the form of Traci Brooks! She would grab the chain from Douglas, but get tackled by Francine for her trouble, leading to a CATFIGHT! CAAAATTTFIIIGHT! During the ladies’ tussle, Douglas would manage to pull his chain away and wrap it around his fist, ready to smash Roode’s face with it. Knowing Shane, he would take this opportunity to play the crowd one last time, unaware of the beer bottle that Bobby Roode had quietly acquired during the cat fight. With bad intentions, both men would wind up, swing and connect, leaving each other a bloody mess in the middle of the ring.
As the blood begins to pool around the foreheads of both competitors, one’s eyes would flutter open and use their last bit of energy to reach over and drape their arm across the chest of their opponent. That man is Shane Douglas, and as the referee slides his hand towards the mat for the final three count, a cocky grin would spread across the face of the Franchise, confident that he had secured victory.
The only problem is, he hasn’t, as Roode would spring to life and roll through, trapping Douglas in the cross face, forcing the former ECW World Champion to tap out and signify the end of this war. A war that had left both men scarred, but only one victorious.
WINNER: Bobby Roode
Now some of you may believe I’m wrong in my analysis, and think The Franchise would pull out the victory. Maybe you think I’m right about Roode winning, but think the way my fantasy match went down is way off from what would REALLY happen. Well, feel free to sound off using #FranchisePlayer or #ITFactor to make your voice heard and give your own take on this Fight of Fancy.
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