26 Times Wrestling Titles Have Been Disrespected

2. Shane Douglas Throws Down The NWA Title

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kpEjrKqf3s

Earlier on in this list, there was mention of Colt Cabana refusing the NWA Title back in 2012 and calling the organisation outdated and moronic. Going one better, Shane Douglas was calling the NWA outdated way back in 1994!

Douglas, then a part of ECW, won a tournament to crown a new NWA World Champion. In a move that apparently only Douglas, Paul Heyman and Tod Gordon were in on, Douglas went on to cut a vitriol-fuelled promo about how the NWA was a dead organisation. 

Before he threw down the NWA Title and took up the ECW Title, he name checked legendary figures such as Lou Thesz, Jack, the Funks, Buddy Rogers, Harley Race, Barry Windham, Jack Brisco, Ric Flair, Kerry Von Erich, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat... and then promptly said that they could all kiss his ass.

The promo from The Franchise was shocking and is seen as a huge moment in wrestling history, but it is one of the most disrespectful acts ever seen in the wrestling business. Granted, the NWA was a shadow of what it once was, but to throw down its title and ridicule so many of the industry's great names was a low, low move and one that stunk of nothing but pure disdain and disgust.

 
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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.