10 Most Badass Wrestling Threats EVER

3. Taz Tells Sabu To Get Out Of His Dojo

Eddie Kingston
WWE Network

In early 1997, Taz cut a typically threatening promo in his dojo - one of the coolest words ever, incidentally - building towards his slow-burn blowoff match with Sabu at Barely Legal 1997.

The programme is best remembered as a patient exercise in delaying gratification - Taz and Sabu didn't share a ring for a long, long time - but the promo work should be praised in equal measure. If it wasn't so unreal - and bear in mind Sabu didn't talk, so this was something special even by Taz's standards - the feud wouldn't be enshrined in legend.

Sabu wasn't the only target of Taz's ire. Bragging about how he'd been working hurt the whole time, and he was now at 100% following successful rotator cuff surgery, he insisted that ECW was his territory. He bemoaned the fact that every pretender relied on weapons to get ahead. Taz's hands were his weapons.

In a great line, he ripped Terry Funk apart for carrying a shovel around in a trademark short-tempered rant. "He should be dead! He should dig a hole for himself! The rigor mortis is settin' in! He's an old washed-up punk freak!"

Then, when locked into his zone, Taz saved the best line for his sign-off; after begging Sabu not to think their grudge was anywhere near over, he screamed like an animal and told him to "Get out of my dojo!"

It isn't the most vivid description of an imminent, violent sh*t-kicking, but the sheer rage of his cadence is exactly why he was taken seriously as the most feared shooter in the states in the mid-'90s.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!