Exactly How Good Was Taz?
The first time Taz picked a headset over a head drop was in ECW. Nursing a broken neck after a 1995 match against Dean Malenko and Too Cold Scorpio, the company's monster-in-waiting used a brief stint in the booth as a way to broaden his horizons in a business known for rewarding the multi-skilled.
Exhibiting the perfect blend of quiet menace and shrewd analysis, the move was vital in ensuring he'd never again go full caveman as The Tasmaniac. He'd only worked five matches in his updated shooter role before the knock, but the move to boots and trunks was made permanent by the virtue of him absolutely not f*cking around when he returned.
Taz' November To Remember 1995 heel turn was the stuff of legend when it occurred. The Red Hook native was a b*stard, but he typically unleashed his bad mood on the bad guys. No longer - the 'Human Suplex Machine' was in the pocket of loathed heel referee Bill Alfonzo, and on a collision course with one of the company's poster boys.
To paraphrase a b*stardised chant, this was awesome.
CONT'D...