World Wrestling Entertainment

In the summer of 1994, Shane Douglas was the NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling Champion. When a tournament was held on August 27 to crown a new NWA World Champion, Douglas was entered into a field that included future World Champions Tazz and Chris Benoit among others.

That night, Douglas defeated Tazz, Dean Malenko and 2 Cold Scorpio to become the new NWA Champion. It seemed like a lofty honor...but it was one Douglas never wanted. Because when he was presented with the NWA Championship, Douglas promptly threw it down.

"I am not the man who accepts a torch to be handed down to me from an organization that died seven years ago," he exclaimed. "Shane Douglas is a man who ignites the new flame of professional wrestling."

That day, NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling ceased to exist; Extreme Championship Wrestling was born, and Shane Douglas was recognized as the first ECW World Champion.