"Tough" is an understatement when describing Taz, ECW legend and current AEW mouthpiece. With a resumé featuring world championships, game-changing storylines, and four decades of experience in every major promotion imaginable, Taz is truly a legend of this business.
After years on the sidelines, Taz has finally re-emerged to manage the up and coming Brian Cage, AEW’s newest monster challenger for Jon Moxley’s heavyweight title. The pairing has been nothing short of electric and is the talk of the wrestling industry across social media. That being said, it’s important for fans to know just who they’re dealing with when it comes to Taz. Here’s ten facts for you about “The Human Suplex Machine.”
10 Taz Wrestled for WWE Before ECW
Taz and ECW are rather synonymous, but the Brooklyn-born brawler had plenty of experience before stepping into Paul Heyman’s extreme promotion. Wrestling as the Tasmaniac at the time, Taz toured around the world before making a name for himself in Philadelphia.
From Puerto Rico to Japan, Taz traveled the world seeking to hone his craft. He actually wrestled a few matches for the WWF in the early 90’s, and even worked one match for WCW in 1993 in what would be his first and only appearance for the company.
9 ‘The Tazmaniac’ Debuted For ECW In 1993
‘Taz’ might be a wrestling legend today, but ‘The Tazmaniac’ was his first step towards this amazing career. After debuting for Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1993 (the company had yet to undergo its ‘extreme’ name change), The Tazmaniac found success teaming with WCW legend Kevin Sullivan.
The pair won the tag team championships twice while teaming together, and this pairing offered the less-seasoned Taz the chance to learn from a veteran. It wasn’t until nearly 3 years later that the evolution of Taz would take it’s next step.
8 His Career Almost Ended Before It Got Started
In the summer of ‘95, the Tazmaniac was enjoying moderate success in ECW’s tag team division. That was until a piledriver gone wrong nearly ended his career. Taz’s career would never be the same after this neck injury, and in more ways than one.
When he made his return to the ring, gone was his cartoonish Tasmanian Devil gear. Instead, he sported a black and orange singlet, with a tougher, more mat-based style of wrestling to match. Suplexes became his specialty, the ‘Tazmission’ became his signature move, and the Taz as fans know him was born.
7 Sabu Was Taz’s Biggest Rival
Every wrestler needs a good rivalry to push them over the edge, and Sabu was that rival for Taz in more ways than one. The two were pitted in a heated feud in 1997, where Sabu became the first person to defeat Taz in over two years. Taz would eventually beat Sabu for the ECW Television Title, his first major singles championship with the company.
In "The Rise & Fall of ECW" documentary, Taz discussed how the hatred between he and Sabu stretched far outside of the ring. The two couldn't stand being in the same room and it was this animosity that attributed to some great clashes in the ring.
6 Taz Created His Own Championship
After losing the TV Title, Taz was well on his way to a World Championship match. The only problem? The champion at the time, Shane Douglas, was unable to wrestle due to an injury. In the storyline, Douglas was ducking Taz and refusing to fight. Rather than continue to chase after Douglas' title, Taz created his own world title - the "F*** The World Title."
He would defend it against all comers and went on to properly defeat Douglas when he was recovered from his injuries, eventually unifying the two titles. The FTW title remain retired until just a few weeks ago, when Taz presented his championship to Brian Cage.
5 He Was The First Person To Defeat Kurt Angle
After accomplishing nearly every goal in ECW, Taz made the decision to sign with WWE. This decision was only made easier by the failing financial state of ECW. While he was certainly an ECW legend, Taz had some great highlights in his short time as a wrestler for WWE.
This includes one of the best surprise debuts of the Attitude Era, when Taz showed up at the Royal Rumble to challenge Kurt Angle. Angle, who was undefeated at the time, was quickly rising to the top of WWE. A match between these two was a wrestling technicians' dream, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Many people actually forgot that this was Angle's first loss in WWE, which goes to show just how impenetrable his legacy is.
4 Retirement Led To A Second Career
The aforementioned neck injury that transformed 'Tasmaniac' into Taz was great for Taz in the short term, but it proved to be his ultimate downfall in the long term. After dealing with neck issues for over half a decade, in addition to a multitude of other injuries, Taz began to transition towards retirement.
Thankfully for him, he happened to be just as talented at commentary as he was at wrestling. Originally starting on Sunday Night Heat, Taz became a full-time color commentator for SmackDown in 2002. Many considered him to be the defining voice of SmackDown in the early days of the first brand-split.
3 He Spent Half A Decade In TNA
Though many remember that Taz spent time in TNA, it's easy to forget just how long he was with the company. After leaving WWE following the failure that was the ECW relaunch, Taz found himself sitting at the commentary desk of WWE's biggest competitor at the time, TNA.
Taz would add some major credibility to the TNA announce desk with his world championship experience. He was also eventually revealed to be a key member of the Aces & Eights faction with fellow ECW-alumni Bully Ray Dudley.
2 He Made His Own Radio Show & Podcast
World-class wrestler, Hall-of-Fame commentator, and national radio host? There really isn't anything Taz can't do. After his contract with TNA expired, Taz cashed in on his own nationally syndicated sports radio show, Taz & The Moose.
Regularly discussing the current pro wrestling scene, as well as MMA and other events in sports, Taz enjoyed a successful run with his radio show alongside his own personal podcast. Both were recently put on hold to accommodate for Taz's busy schedule now that he is a full time AEW talent.
1 His AEW Appearance Was Originally A One-Off
Taz has been one of the best things in wrestling since his newfound alliance with Brian Cage, but that wasn't always the plan. In fact, Taz was initially brought in for a one-off appearance. AEW was in Taz's home base of Philadelphia, PA, and the show needed to give fans a reason to tune into the new YouTube exclusive Dark.
Taz was received so well that he was eventually put onto the commentary team full time, only to transition into managing one of the hottest wrestling acts in the company. The two were a match made in heaven, and their future seems to be only getting brighter than ever.