I had suffered a multitude of injuries, as most guys in the business do. Most of them came at the end of my career.
— Shane Douglas
Harley Race was eloquent in his moves - everything made sense, like a hand in a glove.
I've tried repeatedly, but I just cannot sink my teeth into the WWE product.
To me, there are certain things you lay claim to proudly and others you hope the people look over them, and for me, the NWA title throwdown is something that I wear like a badge of honor and what we did and what it achieved for ECW at the time, and ultimately we failed, but damn, we came close to grabbing those keys to the kingdom.
To me, the NWA is a thing of the past.
In ECW, we couldn't have an off night.
I've said it before that I am not and haven't been throughout my career a huge supporter of women's wrestling, and I haven't paid that much attention to it.
I was the last person in the world that wanted to leave ECW.
I got my break in the business with the now-defunct Bill Watts' TWF, the old Mid-South. Which was really, in many ways, the predecessor to ECW in its time, in that age. It was a really cool, high-impact, snug type of product.
When I got the name 'The Franchise,' the gimmick, and turned it into what it became, I put my heart and soul into that.
Nobody wants to see arm bars or cross-body blocks anymore.
I had no desire to leave ECW, but in '95, I was reaching my mid 30s. I'd been the World Champ multiple times... I'd pretty much done everything in ECW - all I could do is repeat.
In TNA, if I wrestle, I'm able to help one person. As a road agent and head of talent relations, I can help an entire crew.
Everybody has the prerogative for their own career in this business, and I firmly believe that to this day. But if you and I give each other our word - call me corny - I think you have an obligation to uphold that.
When I was a kid in the business, you always had in the back of your head this feeling that if I screw up, I might be fired. So you went out every night and tore your rear end up to make sure that you gave the best performance you can and learning constantly because you never had that idea of 'I'm so great, I'm never going to be fired.'
Your Shawn Michaels can lose his smile, and he's so afraid of me, he comes out and hands me his belt. Spineless!
I have seen enough people in my business die that I don't sit back and hope that this one or that one goes but not the other guys. I don't want to see anyone of these guys die.
I always thought the fans deserved the best I can give them.
If I went out and tried to be 'Shane Douglas the Superstar' when it wasn't my time, one of the veterans would have put me back in line.
I can't even tell you how many 8, 9, 10 year old kids have come up to me and said, 'You are my favorite wrestler, and I've seen you on 'the network' or on YouTube.'
In the overall scheme of things, Tommy Dreamer and The Franchise are opposite characters.
People can say what they want about Eric Bischoff, and I've heard a lot of people make negative comments about him. I'll comment on his booking. His booking is not what I look for in wrestling, but that said, I will always be appreciative and thankful to Eric Bischoff for offering me the contract he did, when did because it saved my financial life.
I'll tell you upfront, I think Shawn Michaels was probably the most gifted worker the business has ever seen.
A morality clause is a grey area that the powers that be say if it is immoral, than it's immoral, and you are getting fired.
I can speak for myself personally, I loved ECW. I loved everything about it. I loved the crew, I loved the fans, the style, working there.
'The Franchise' is that guy that never had an off switch. Whatever pops into his head, he says. Whatever he wants to do, he does.
We all go to our grave thinking that we will never be forgotten, and we are forgotten ten minutes later.
You'd like to leave the world a better place than it was before.
The fact I've carved out a niche in the business and had an almost 30-year career and done well without competing at a WrestleMania is something I'm proud of. To be in a business that's dominated by one guy and be able to do well without having to walk on that stage is great.
Vince McMahon could care less about the ECW legacy.
Historically, Vince McMahon's company has always been where the Hulk Hogans get the push and the Paul Orndorffs and Jake Roberts does the pushing.
I think Ric Flair has been tarnishing his legacy since 1990 - he has done more to tarnish his career then anything I could have said or did, then anybody could have said or did.
Your Bret Harts can lace my boots.
People think all wrestlers are millionaires. It's really a blue-collar existence.
Chris Candido - besides loving him like a little brother - I used to sit and watch him in awe because it was so effortless for him. He could wake up from a nap and go out and have a five-star match.
I gravitated to the pro wrestlers and the grappling - Hulk Hogan 'hulking up' always looked cornball to me - and I wanted to see Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and Harley Race go move-for-move.
With what we were doing in ECW, the first thing you had to overcome was the fear of getting hurt.
The world is made up of good and evil, and everybody has their own take, and everybody thinks they are on the good side, and a very few, select group of us will admit that we come from the dark side.
I was so deep in red ink coming out of ECW that I had to make a good solid living just to get my nose above the water line because of ECW.
I've always been a huge mark for Samoa Joe.
Bam Bam Bigelow truly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and if that call would come, I'd be honored to do it, but I don't think it is going to come. I think there is a much greater likelihood that Vince would look elsewhere, but I am honored that the fans would want to consider that I should be the one to induct him.
For a company the size of ECW, there wasn't room for multiple over-the-top personalities.
When Paul Heyman came and gave me the whole idea for the character, 'The Franchise,' I remember the NFL was just starting to classify one of their players as the franchise player. So that was the whole idea, that 'The Franchise' was the franchise player for ECW.
John Cena's name is already universal enough. Kudos to him for that.
My house is paid for because of wrestling, and it's given me a nice savings.
I remember, in 1993, sitting in the back watching him; I'd never met him. He hit a triple moonsault. I jumped out of my seat. As a fan, I've always been a huge mark for Sabu.
I know this sounds corny, but if I give you my word I am going to do something, you can take it to the bank. Whether that means if my giving my word puts me in a detrimental position, I'm still going to follow through on my word, and I'll let the pieces fall where they may.
To be someplace for ten years or to work anywhere for ten years is a tough deal. But to work in the WWE for that long, knowing how their dressing room is run with this top heavy, condescending 'do this and nothing else' attitude, it gets tiresome.
For those of you who weren't a part of the era of ECW, understand, you're looking at the guy that made ECW what ECW was. So, simply put, I'm as close to royalty in this sport as it comes.
It would be a huge loss to the wrestling industry and for those of us that have made our living in this industry to lose someone like Ric Flair.
