WWE Region, Manchester Subregion, First Round: (8) AJ Styles vs. (25) Shane Douglas

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the WWE Region, Manchester Subregion. It is a standard one on one match. It will be held at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England.

#8. AJ Styles

Vs.

#25. Shane Douglas

​

Polls will be open for three days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster.

Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted.

 

[Master JM]

Douglas is pretty worthless. He hasn't done much of note aside from doing some of that hardcore shit back in ECW. I'm not a big fan of that and he wasn't ever much of a big deal.

Meanwhile, Styles is probably TNA's best wrestler ever. He was with them right from the beginning and has amassed a large amount of championships there. The fact that this takes place in the WWE region pretty much means that neither man has the advantage, so I'm going with Styles, the bigger star.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

The only thing Douglas has over AJ is the his ability to use the word "fuck" like its going out of style. Now realistically this could go either way, there was a time where Douglas was the king of ECW and there was a time where AJ was the king of TNA, both companies are glorified indy promotions so in that case they are about even.

In such a match I'm gonna go with AJ Styles. It's in England and TNA does pretty well for itself over there, AJ is far superior in the ring as I feel Douglas is vastly overrated and AJ can do anything Douglas can do in the ring but better. AJ is just a superior athlete and a better all around performer.

Douglas is ok but he may be the most overrated guy I've ever seen. He may have been "the guy" in ECW but he certainly wasn't the guy anywhere else. He did pretty good for himself in WCW but only when business was in the toilet (I did like Dos Hombres though). In WWE he couldn't cut it in what was possibly their worst year in WWE history.

I gotta give this one to AJ, he's just a better wrestler and was able to do it without trashing the competition on a regular basis.

 

[Johnny Scumm]

AJ please! He's the best wrestler TNA has to offer in the history of the company and what I've seen of Douglas is pretty worthless, specially in TNA. AJ would be fucking flipping and flying all about the ring in the first round to show that he really deserves to be here, giving him this first round win.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Styles takes this and it shouldn't be even remotely close.

Styles is, for all intents & purposes, Mr. TNA. He's done everything that there is to do in TNA and is recognized as one of the legit best in-ring guys in the world.

Shane Douglas is a hugely overrated neverwas who believed himself to be superior to anyone else who ever laced up a pair of boots. He's the epitome of an overrated & bitter veteran who continuously blamed everyone & everything for his own career shortcomings without ever considering that he simply wasn't as good as he believed himself to be.

If this took place in ECW under ECW rules, it'd be a much closer outcome I think. ECW is the one place where Douglas was able to shine along with a whole roster full of overrated scrubs.

The one place where Douglas has Styles is on the mic, though Styles has never had to resort to saying the word "fuck" a couple of dozen times per promo to get a response from fans.

 

[Brewski]

I'm going to play Devil's advocate here and endorse the Franchise Shane Douglas. Don't get me wrong, AJ Styles is an absolutely incredible performer. I feel bad that he'll go down in history as a guy who's peak was in the early days of TNA. He'll never get the recognition he deserves. On the other hand though, Shane WAS ECW in the early days of the promotion. He's a 5 time ECW/NWA champion and held the belt a total of 874 days. More reigns and more time than anyone else in history. Him throwing the NWA belt down was probably the single most important moment in ECW's history, it set them apart.

AJ is one of TNA's most popular guys but ECW is still the more popular promotion in nostalgia. Shane Douglas was ECW. The rest of his career I can admit is very lackluster, but his achievements are still important. It's also important to note that While ECW was hardcore douglas really wasn't a garbage wrestler. Later on yeah weapons came into play but he was talented enough on his own to be in championship position. AJ might be more exciting to watch, but the Franchise should win this one.

EDIT: Consider it this way. If AJ is Mr. TNA, Douglas is Mr. ECW. I love TNA but ECW is more important to wrestling history (for now).

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Styles takes this and it shouldn't be even remotely close.

Styles is, for all intents & purposes, Mr. TNA. He's done everything that there is to do in TNA and is recognized as one of the legit best in-ring guys in the world.

Shane Douglas is a hugely overrated neverwas who believed himself to be superior to anyone else who ever laced up a pair of boots. He's the epitome of an overrated & bitter veteran who continuously blamed everyone & everything for his own career shortcomings without ever considering that he simply wasn't as good as he believed himself to be.

If this took place in ECW under ECW rules, it'd be a much closer outcome I think. ECW is the one place where Douglas was able to shine along with a whole roster full of overrated scrubs.

The one place where Douglas has Styles is on the mic, though Styles has never had to resort to saying the word "fuck" a couple of dozen times per promo to get a response from fans.

Took the words right out of my mouth. If Shane Douglas were as good as he's said he was, he'd have a shrine and an arena named after him. Douglas is crap and none of his matches tell me different.

AJ Styles is the picture of what a wrestler should be and despite a few bad gimmick choices, he's still one of the top wrestlers in the world, something Shane Douglas never got close to.

Styles, in a 10 minute match, wins with the Styles Clash.

 

[Tastycles]

The only thing I like about Shane Douglas is he did really well in a Royal Rumble for no reason in about 1991. Pretty much everything else he did was small time. It's probably true to say that the same could be said for AJ Styles, but if we're being honest, AJ is just better isn't he? The fact is, the company that was built around AJ has remained solvent for 10 years and managed to attract big names, while wrestling is in the doledrums. The house that Douglas built lasted 8 years and never competed in a period when people were watching anything to do with wrestling. AJ has to take this.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Douglas was awful. I think I hate him as much or more than I do any other wrestler, ever. Always runs his mouth about how awesome he is, so I'm sure that doesn't help my opinion.

A.J. may be a tad overrated, but at least he's not the one doing the overrating.

I'm not going kayfabe on this one, I hate Douglas too much for that. A.J. probably wins in that realm as well, but I don't think it's worth figuring out.

 

[LSN80]

While TNA has dropped the ball tremendously with AJ Styles, he's still accomplished quite a bit there. One of those things? He's beaten Shane Douglas in the past, in a 3 minute match. While Douglas may have been a tad out of his prime at the time, there's still history there. AJ took a beating, mounted a comeback, and finished off Douglas with relative ease.

Douglas was worthless outside of ECW. When he made it to the big leagues and was forced to wrestled matches that didn't involve garbage cans, tables and singapore canes, he was exposed for what he was: A loudmouth that couldn't wrestle. He lasted a year apiece during both his stints in WWE, and bounced around between WCW and ECW in between, with a stint in TNA later on. If you're that good, you generally have a secure spot. Douglas never did other then in ECW, and his general failure in 3 other promotions attests to his relative lack of talent.

Styles, on the other hand, is the first Grand Slam winner in TNA history, and he's simply better then Douglas. He's beaten him before, so there's history as well. While he's not as good as I think he is, he's far better then Douglas. AJ wins this, easily, as he's done against Douglas in the past.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I'm voting for AJ Styles here. Shane Douglas sucks, AJ Styles does not suck.

That's pretty much the long and short of it.

Mr. ECW? That'd be like calling Ken Shamrock Mr. TNA. Yeah he was there for a while and was the first champion they had, but he was terrible.

 

[Jaffa]

My biggest concern is how is Douglas going to be able to afford to fly to England with his minimum wage job at Target/K-Mart?

Yes I hate Shane Douglas and love AJ Styles this is not objective but if you don't like just give me bad rep.

Shane Douglas thinks he is on the level of Stone Cold, The Rock, HBK (who I actually think is overrated extremely), Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. However in actuality he is on the level of The Brooklyn Brawler, JTG, Gillberg actually that's a bit harsh to Gillberg.

AJ Styles is a great wrestler actually my favourite TNA talent ever I wouldn't watch TNA if it wasn't for him.
Shane Douglas sucks

AJ Styles is a humble guy and quite likeable
Shane Douglas is arrogant and a massive prick who just likes to bitch about how life gave him lemons.

AJ Styles has to be one of the biggest and best wrestlers of all time not to wrestle for a promotion that has been number 1 in the world at any point (WCW Thunder in March 2001 doesn't really count)
Shane Douglas was overrated and sucked in WWF WCW ECW TNA I'm glad he was apparently "held down" could you imagine the nightmares if he wasn't.

 

[supernatural1981]

Pretty simple this one for me. AJ Styles wins the match with a styles clash after 10 mins.

Shane Douglas made his name in ECW and was a big fish in a small pond but when he went to the big leagues he just was the opposite.

His WWF runs were forgetable at best and his time in WCW was mediocre.

When you think of TNA you think AJ Styles he is mr TNA the same way Tommy Dreamer is mr ECW.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't hate Shane Douglas as much as most people seem to on here, there was a time when he was a very good talent, but he was NOWHERE near as good as he seemed to think he was, and his constant whining and bitching even today about how he was held back sours my opinion of him.

AJ Styles is a phenomenal performer and so well rounded. His high-flying, death defying style would blow Shane Douglas away within a few minutes and AJ would advance pretty easily after a Styles Clash.

Winner- Mr TNA, AJ Styles.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Douglas could have had similar success to Styles if he would've just settled somewhere and been devoted. Instead he was a self-serving prick who burned bridges as a passtime.

Douglas was a very good wrestler in his prime, but AJ has always been on a different level. From the time I first saw him in Wildside I knew that he would go on to be something special. He just has an "it" quality.

AJ has the more complete resume as well. Also Douglas and a group like Triple Threat for example are just the type of heel entity that AJ lives to come out victorious over. If this match really happened, it would have been Douglas sauntering into AJ's territory, being shady and trying to get one over on Styles, all to set up the big triumphant moment for AJ to thrive. This is AJ's matchup hands down.

 

[deem]

Giving this match more consideration than I should so as not to make a mistake and blindly vote AJ - I far prefer him, he's worlds better and on the surface has had a better career.

This Mr TNA tag for Styles makes him sound more important than he is to be honest. Undoubtedly he was the #1 face vs Jarrett in the early stages of the company, but he dropped his three World Titles at the time to Rhino, Raven and Truth. Hardly a stellar worldtitle roster. After those 190 days with the title? It took him over 4 years to win it again, for his fourth and final title reign. Now THIS was a significant title reign - beating Kurt Angle for it and holding it for 211 days. He retained against Sting, breaking his undefeated BFG stretch. He retained in triple threats, vs the far larger Tomko, as well as beating Angle multiple more times and going over established main event talent like Joe.

My point is - that's it. That one year Styles WAS Mr TNA. In terms of being on top of the roster, the guy that everyone is shooting for.. that's it. I mean, the 2004 TNA roster is comparable to WWECW imo, which I treat as a midcard title. This "Mr TNA" nickname has come from the embodiment of everything the company strives to be - high flying, innovative, extreme, total non-stop action. He fits like a glove, he has absolutely single handedly promoted the X Division to a point that it almost feels as big as the world title. But for the purposes of a tournament like this? He's an infrequent main eventer and mostly a midcarder.

You know what though? FUCK Shane Douglas. He's an absolute joke, an overachiever for reasons I simply cannot understand, a promotion jumper that can't sit still enough to justify a single push, let alone four world titles. The fact remains, he's been in the main event with tons more presence than AJ Styles ever has. And early ECW>early TNA.

Also Douglas and a group like Triple Threat for example are just the type of heel entity that AJ lives to come out victorious over. If this match really happened, it would have been Douglas sauntering into AJ's territory, being shady and trying to get one over on Styles, all to set up the big triumphant moment for AJ to thrive. This is AJ's matchup hands down.

I'm absolutely desperate to put AJ over Douglas here, so I'm turning to this. is there any justification for this? I mean, I can imagine it happening but I havn't religiously followed TNA recently so maybe i've missed a case of exactly this. Any history of AJ overcoming stables to beat heels in feel good moments? I've tried looking it up but the vast majority of his title wins have been in multi-way matches and I can't find any evidence that he is the babyface to go over the dastardly, supported heel here.

I'm not going to vote and re-evaluate in a bit cos I really, really hate Shane Douglas and love AJ Styles. Just can't justify it at all at the moment.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Shane Douglas threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship over fifteen years ago, did you not know?

Douglas is for all exstensive purposes a ********. He thinks everyone held him down, feels that everyone rips him off, thinks CM Punk stole his character for the worked promo, thinks TNA are assholes for using the "ECW" name despite the fact they didn't use the name to squeeze out some pay-per-view buys, thinks Rob Van Dam betrayed ECW for proposing the One Night Stand idea, thinks this, that and every other thing but the one thing he doesn't think about is how much of a failure his career has been.

Paul Heyman is a great booker, not the best, but very good, Smackdown under his reigns was awesome back in the day, but in ECW he knew controversy sold, dangerous sold and dicks with an agenda like Shane Douglas sold. That's how Shane Douglas was able to get his five minutes in the spotlight, by being a dick and creating controversy. That's fantastic for some guys who can back it up, sadly he can't, hence why Douglas is a failure.

AJ Styles takes this every day in the week. Hell, AJ Styles as Ric Flair's protogé would beat Shane Douglas - It'd be great too cause it might cause Douglas an aneurysm.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

No way Douglas should win this one. Styles is much better than him in the ring and his speed and high flying ability helps him get the W here.

The only way I think Douglas would stand a chance in this match is if it took place in ECW.

 

[deem]

AJ Styles takes this every day in the week. Hell, AJ Styles as Ric Flair's protogé would beat Shane Douglas

You know what? Fuck it, sold. Agreed, Douglas hates Flair, tries to embarrass AJ, that never works out vs the cherished babyface of a federation and AJ goes over. I feel a lot better putting AJ over when considering he can be booked as an underdog that gets thrown around, occasionally making false comebacks with spots, before grinding out the win with tons of heart.

Still feel Douglas did more for the industry, but whatever. My vote goes to a great upper midcarder in Styles as Douglas screws it up trying to humiliating a gutsy, unpredictable champion.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I'm absolutely desperate to put AJ over Douglas here, so I'm turning to this. is there any justification for this? I mean, I can imagine it happening but I havn't religiously followed TNA recently so maybe i've missed a case of exactly this. Any history of AJ overcoming stables to beat heels in feel good moments? I've tried looking it up but the vast majority of his title wins have been in multi-way matches and I can't find any evidence that he is the babyface to go over the dastardly, supported heel here.

AJ as a leader of Frontline representing TNA originals defeated Booker T to take the Legends Title that Booker had annointed himself with when he was leading The MEM, making AJ the first Grandslam Champion.

Also at Lockdown 2011, even though he was not part of the match with a kayfabe injury, he came in to save the day for Fortune(again a group of originals who were defending the company) as they were on the verge of losing Lethal Lockdown against Immortal, with his interference directly leading to the Fortune victory.

To this same point he also defeated Tommy Dreamer in a PPV encounter, representing Fortune, while Tommy was the leader of EV 2.0, coincidentally important for this case, a stable of former ECW wrestlers who had joined the company. Although it wasn't necesarily as a face conquering heels in that instance.

So yes there is history to that point.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Okay, so Shane Douglas meant nothing in WCW, the WWF or TNA so that leaves his ECW Tenure. The thing is, every accolade and bit of momentum he achieved in ECW he pissed away every time he left for the bigger paycheck in the big 2 - Dean Douglas in the WWF first time round and then he got overshadowed by two guys who were his lackies in ECDub (Benoit & Malenko). The biggest indictment of Douglas is that despite being the longest holder of the belt under Paul Heyman by a long margin, there are several guys who are regarded as being more synonymous with the promotion - RVD, Dreamer, Sandman, Raven, Taz, Sabu are examples and even valets like Francine and Beulah. As far as ECW's influence, yes - the WWF and WCW did follow them into adult themed plotting but their programs didn't garner huge ratings in the states and they were pretty much unknown internationally.

AJ Styles is Mr TNA. Sting, Kurt, Joe, Storm, Roode etc might all get kudos for their contributions but we are never left in any doubt who the original is. And while TNA might not have had the influence that ECW had on the business, globally they eclipse anything ECW achieved. It's that popular in the UK that it has spawned original wrestling programming on the channel. It's been so financially successful, they now have their own development territory, were able to run an Indian experiment, were able to promote live television and are now taking their flagship television program on the road. All things, Paul E with all his experience was unable to achieve.

AJ is a better wrestler than Douglas, he has meant more to his company than Douglas did to any of his and, with AJ as the 'franchise', TNA has prospered... something Shane, despite all of his bitching and boasting, cannot claim on his resume.

 

[The Brain]

I'm not big on either guy. Styles has been an on again off again top guy for many years now. Douglas was good for ECW for a little while but was a big disappointment everywhere else. If Douglas would have kept his mouth shut about how good he was people would have likely respected him instead of looked at him as an underachiever. Styles gets the win here.

 

[HBsam31]

Wow, I didn't know there was this much hatred of Shane Douglas. I always thought he was ok. Never amounted to much anywhere besides ECW, but I never thought he was as bad as everyone else seems to think. That being said AJ gets the win here. His accomplishments in TNA I believe outweigh anything Shane did in ECW.