Jim Ross Says Shane Douglas Hurt His Career By Refusing to Lose to Undertaker’s Finisher in WCW

– On the latest Grilling JR, Jim Ross recalled Shane Douglas leaving WCW after trying to get the finish to his Capitol Combat match with Mean Mark Calaway, aka the Undertaker, changed. Douglas was set to lose to Calaway via his heart punch finisher but lobbied to get the finish changed and when he couldn’t, he left the company. Calaway ended up beating Ace Douglas instead on the PPV. Highlights are below:

On Douglas refusing to lose to the heart punch: “I had a lot of experience with Shane. Eddie Gilbert was very high on Shane Douglas. I think Eddie’s the one who gave Shane his name. Shane’s a Pittsburgh boy, very very bright guy. Still is. And you know, he was highly intelligent, but very headstrong. And he had his thoughts on how his character should be portrayed. But somewhere along the way, you’ve gotta be a good enough performer to lose to the other guy’s finish and not worry about it. To me, if you’re gonna get beat, you wanna be beat by the very best thing the guy’s got. Plus, notwithstanding the fact that this is what the office, the company, the people who were paying you have requested you do. You’re being cast in a role. ‘Your role, Shane, is to lose to Mean Mark,’ who will eventually become the Undertaker, ‘and you’ll do it with his finish.’ It’s just the way it works. But he had issues with that.”

On the decision hurting Douglas’ career outside of WCW: “I thought he even made a strategic error there. Because the word gets out, you know, about ‘Well, he’s gonna work with’ — and Mark was very highly respected, we all knew that the upside for Mean Mark was unlimited. You didn’t find too many guys 6’10” that was that athletic. His basketball playing ability came through, the guy who could Don Jardine walk the top rope thing, the old spoiler deal was pretty extraordinary too at that era. So it made Shane look bad, and that was unfortunate. He had a great look. He finally made it to WWE as Dean Douglas, but there again I think some of his past discretions didn’t play well for him within the creative and some of the power brokers in WWE at that time who were wrestlers, they made it kind of hard on him, and I thought that was disruptive and disrespectful and unnecessary. But maybe some could say, ‘Well, he kind of brought it on himself.’ And maybe he did.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.