In a recent tweet, Taz claimed that WWE piranhas screwed him.
There were few wrestlers as intimidating, as awesome, and as dominating as ECW’s (Extreme Championship Wrestling) Taz. He was the master of the suplex and the Tazmission. A stocky fireplug-like build only added to his strength and ability to toss people around. He was everything that was needed to thrive in professional wrestling except Vince McMahon’s approval.
Yep, we’re ripping the bandage off and diving right into this one. It’s no secret that McMahon micromanages the WWE and can be as petty as anyone. There have been numerous reports that everything the WWE does is for his benefit, not the fans. He’s built an empire to watch his fantasies come to life, and not everyone fits into that.
A promising start
There was a chance where he could’ve made some big waves in the WWE, and that came when he faced Triple H in a Champion vs Champion match on Smackdown.
Taz was ECW’s Heavyweight Champion at the time, and Triple H was the WWE’s, but as would be the case more times than not going forward, Triple H won because anyone not found and developed by the WWE wasn’t good enough.
That was okay; we had ECW. And there wasn’t another brand out there as visceral and fun as they were.
But then came the buy outs and the Alliance Invasion angle.
As has been chronicled across the internet, the Invasion storyline is much maligned, but it had potential. Had some of WCW’s bigger stars chosen to take part instead of continue cashing in on their Turner Broadcasting contracts, it would’ve been totally different.
What didn’t help was they were viewed as the heels while the WWE were the faces.
McMahon had to show WWE wrestlers were superior
This went beyond the Invasion storyline — that saw only WWE wrestlers win clean — as very few wrestlers from ECW or WCW that didn’t jump ship before WCW’s closure received a push.
Taz was one of the forgotten ones as hit title chances were limited before he was pushed behind a commentating table and trainer on the WWE’s reality show Tough Enough.
There are plenty of reasons for this, and depending who we talk to we’ll probably get a different answer. Taz’s recently came out when a fan asked him on Twitter why someone as awesome as him wasn’t bigger. His response was typical Taz — honest and direct.
Sure, he comes across as bitter, and if he is it’s understandable.
But there are certain known facts about the WWE at the time. There was a cliq that had Vince McMahon’s ear, and they reportedly had a big say on who worked and who didn’t.
Some of those that had McMahon’s ear included Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and JBL.
There are more than a few stories floating around about what they used to do, but I’ll leave that for you all to decide for yourselves. One thing is certain, and that’s Taz was screwed and should’ve had a much bigger push and run in the WWE. He may be one of many that can claim that, but that just speaks to the politics behind the ring and lends credence to his claim that WWE piranhas screwed Taz.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
