How good was I?

[d-d-d-dAz]

Pretty much as it says on the tin.

 

I was simply interested in revisiting wrestling before I discovered the internet, and the wrestlers I (for whatever reason) thought were the shit. Taz, in particular, was the man as far as I was concerned. I think, considering I didn't really watch ECW pre-internet, I stumbled across a feature on him in Powerslam and bought a couple of ECW tapes that they had in MVC.

 

Somehow, he managed to transcend his stature issues and just look like a fucking killer. Oh, and I love a good suplex/judo throw/hardcore match.

 

In the interest of illumination, here are some videos of Taz being awesome;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgMd3oKYbpo

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYp_ET5Zbk0...feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW3HUhr7N9U...feature=related

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2h25l69n9M...54DF5E2806DDAF3

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dt52KS_mh0...feature=related

 

 

Technically, Taz doesn't do much but its got one of my favourite ever promo's in WWE history. So, WINNAH~

 

 

 

...Oddly, I didn't have his promo ability in mind when I started this thread but they are mostly promo vids. He's got such a believable delivery, and it furthers his aura and helps you get past his size.

 

So, yeah, when I was younger Taz was a fucking demi-god. Thoughts...?!

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Is this exclusive to Tazz or is it a one of those "pass it on" type thread, where we can add our own boyo into the thread?

 

As far as Tazz goes, I quite liked him. Wasnt a massive fan of ECW, but he stood out as the man. Especially when he had his leather flat cap, polo-neck jumper and leather jacket on. I remember the first day our school got the internet in our library, I stuck WWF.com on and on the front page it said Taz had signed for WWF. In that months issue of WOW Magazine it had various matches where Tazz was commenting on how he'd beat WWF wrestlers. But, when he came to WWF, even as a young lad, I could see what was going to happen. Just looking at him next to Stone Cold Steve Austin or the Rock was pretty ridiculous. Austin looked massive and Tazz looked tiny. Especially in his binman outfit.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Yeah, people, feel free to add your own...

[CJD]

I didnt like him. He was too small behind the announce table.

[d-d-d-dAz]

Fun TV match (Tazz vs. Rock vs. Angle)

[Twatters]

Fun TV match (Tazz vs. Rock vs. Angle)

 

That was his 2nd match right? The first time Angle was pinned.

 

I loved Taz in ECW and his debut vs Angle is one of my favourite matches (from my favourite event). But unfortunately it all went downhill from there, despite the odd highlight. I remember he started to have some kind of mini rivalry with Stone Cold, but it didn't really go anywhere. I just couldn't wait for Taz to snap and destroy him!

[Dirty Eddie]

He's another guy that WWF could have done so much more with. His debut (in the WWF's historical home) showed how popular he could be. He came straight in being super-over, with an established character and trademark moves. They even gave him a bad-ass theme song.

 

They they went there usual route of de-pushing someone for a while, and they never bothered doing much with him again.

 

Shame, as the Austin mini-feud showed he could hold up on the mike and his brawling/suplex-heavy style actually fit really well in the WWF at the time.

I don't bye the "he was too small" stuff either. Just look at the debut. He's a few inches shorter, but probably about the same weight as Kurt and they matched up fine. It would be different if he was skinny as fuck, but he was built like a right stocky bastard so i don't see why he couldn't be viewed as a threat. If Height = Toughness, then Austin wouldn't stand a chance against Taker, by that logic.

 

Loved all his ECW stuff. I think he's a very under-rated promo, as those posts above show.

[bAzTNM#1]

I think the signing of the "Radicalz" about a month later was the sudden reason for his de-pushing. If they hadn't came in, I'd imagine Tazz's WWE career would have been a bit different.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

If Height = Toughness, then Austin wouldn't stand a chance against Taker, by that logic.

I dont agree with that. You can relate to a bloke Austin's size being a hardcase and you can also associate someone of Tazz's size being push over. Austin's 6'2" and looks solid. He's someone you wouldnt start with on a night out. You imagine he could handle himself. Tazz to your casual audience wouldnt stand a chance in a real fight. He's 5'5" or something. He's the same size as a lot of the WWF's 13 year old fans. Everything about the timing was wrong for him showing up. About a week after his debut, Guerrero, Benoit, Malenko and Saturn. Which left Tazz in a feud with Prince Albert and the Boss Man. His ring style had to chance, because Austin, Rock and Triple H either werent taking Tazz's dangerous offence or he didnt have the power to deliever it. And his promo style was against the way WWF did their business at the time. He seemed pretty doomed.

[sukhy]

He was a great wrestler, very convincing on the mic, absolutely smashed it in ECW when they gave him the platform, looked like he was genuinely tough. He could have been a big time player in the WWF if they used him properly, he could have had some bad ass matches with Rock, Triple H, Angle, Benoit, Jericho etc. and especially Austin

[Vito]

I loved Taz in ECW but his WWE run was virtually a crime, who could have imagined that it'd be all downhill after beating the undefeated Kurt Angle in his debut match? I idea that Taz was for some reason de-pushed because of the arrival of the Radicalz is laughable, Taz was de-pushed because the WWE doesn't know how to manage its talent properly, there were a million and one things they could have done with someone like Taz but as usual they dropped the ball because they apparently hate making money.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Taz was de-pushed because the WWE doesn't know how to manage its talent properly, there were a million and one things they could have done with someone like Taz but as usual they dropped the ball because they apparently hate making money.

Tazz got depushed during a period when the current storyline feuds were the biggest money spinners in the history of the business up until that point. WWF was shitting golden eggs and the talent they had on Metal was better than anything WCW had at the time. The night Tazz was losing to Crash Holly by pinfall in a multi-person cluster fuck, was the night after The Rock guest hosted Saturday Night Live and set the all-time wrestling PPV record. I bet there was floods of tears when the buyrate came in. In the grand scheme of things and in looking back on everything, Tazz not getting a push meant nothing, because he was pretty much finished when the boom period ended.

[Dirty Eddie]

If Height = Toughness, then Austin wouldn't stand a chance against Taker, by that logic.

I dont agree with that. You can relate to a bloke Austin's size being a hardcase and you can also associate someone of Tazz's size being push over. Austin's 6'2" and looks solid. He's someone you wouldnt start with on a night out. You imagine he could handle himself. Tazz to your casual audience wouldnt stand a chance in a real fight. He's 5'5" or something. He's the same size as a lot of the WWF's 13 year old fans. Everything about the timing was wrong for him showing up. About a week after his debut, Guerrero, Benoit, Malenko and Saturn. Which left Tazz in a feud with Prince Albert and the Boss Man. His ring style had to chance, because Austin, Rock and Triple H either werent taking Tazz's dangerous offence or he didnt have the power to deliever it. And his promo style was against the way WWF did their business at the time. He seemed pretty doomed.

 

Austin, Rock and Triple H had no issues getting suplexed all over the place by Benoit just a few months later. In fact, Benoit is probably only a couple of inches taller than Taz.

 

Yes, you could "associate someone Taz's size as a pushover", but that doesn't mean it would actually be the case with Taz (or anyone else his height who looked tough).

 

Don't know about anyone else, but to me, this bloke looks pretty fucking hard...

 

 

You are absolutely right that the Radicalz defecting from WCW a month later probably derailed his push.

 

His promo's were that of a smack-talking ass-kicker. What's not WWF 2000 about that?

[Devon Malcolm]

Taz was de-pushed because the WWE doesn't know how to manage its talent properly, there were a million and one things they could have done with someone like Taz but as usual they dropped the ball because they apparently hate making money.

 

I know you're excitable and good for an overreactionary chuckle, but that's mostly complete nonsense. Yeah, they could have done something with Taz, they possibly missed the boat with him. But does that justify a blanket 'they don't know how to manage their talent properly' statement? Of course it doesn't.

[Dr Reefer]

If Height = Toughness, then Austin wouldn't stand a chance against Taker, by that logic.

I dont agree with that. You can relate to a bloke Austin's size being a hardcase and you can also associate someone of Tazz's size being push over. Austin's 6'2" and looks solid. He's someone you wouldnt start with on a night out. You imagine he could handle himself. Tazz to your casual audience wouldnt stand a chance in a real fight. He's 5'5" or something. He's the same size as a lot of the WWF's 13 year old fans. Everything about the timing was wrong for him showing up. About a week after his debut, Guerrero, Benoit, Malenko and Saturn. Which left Tazz in a feud with Prince Albert and the Boss Man. His ring style had to chance, because Austin, Rock and Triple H either werent taking Tazz's dangerous offence or he didnt have the power to deliever it. And his promo style was against the way WWF did their business at the time. He seemed pretty doomed.

 

Mike Tyson was 5' 10" in a world of 6 foot 5 giants. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6WX4becZSg