By 2000, cracks were starting to really show face in Extreme Championship Wrestling's resolve. Head honcho Paul Heyman had done a remarkable job of building new stars each and every time WCW and WWE had come calling for his top draws, but a TV deal with TNN (Spike TV) had gone sour, and few were convinced that the promotion had a long term strategy. The 2000 Royal Rumble is heralded as a special event, one infamous for an awesome Street Fight between Triple H and Cactus Jack, a great tag-team Tables bout pitting The Hardy Boys vs. The Dudley Boys, and a fun Rumble match itself, but that wasn't all the show had to offer. Starting things off with a bang, Tazz - complete with extra 'z' - made his company debut, given the distinction of being the first man to defeat arrogant heel Kurt Angle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blO5nQ012w8 Fans in Madison Square Garden went bananas for the former ECW Heavyweight Champion, and it looked like the guy would have a very bright future in WWE. Incredibly, less than a year later, Tazz was jobbing to Jerry 'The King' Lawler, and his star had faded, but for one night, Tazz reigned supreme, and it looked for all the world like he could make a huge splash in the land of the giants.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
