Mayhem
Don Corleone
BANNED.
No dreams breed in breathless sleep...
Posts: 1,590
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Post by Mayhem on Dec 23, 2007 15:01:36 GMT -5
Taz debuts WWF and ends Kurt Angle's undefeated streak. au.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdx7g88Bm3g&feature=relatedIt's really sad that Taz was brought in and treated as he should have been, then demoted to jobber so quickly his head spun. I understand he wasn't going to get pushed to the moon and headline Wrestlemania (though I wouldn't have complained) but I certainly think he deserved to be a solid IC Champion/contender. The blew their chance to have some really good matches by putting him into a couple shitty two minute matches with Chris Benoit that saw run-ins from the goddamn Big Bossman of all people. He and Benoit should have been given at least 15 minutes. They should have put him in the ring with Guerrero, Saturn and Malenko for some lengthy matches as well. I don't see the reasoning behind taking a guy known for being a pure athlete and turning him into a one-dimensional brawling jobber that couldn't even manage to dominate the ridiculous hardcore division. At least he got a little tag title run with Spike. Worthless, but better than nothing at all I guess. And he did get that one shot at the Undisputed Title against Jericho. It was another quick match with no story or build-up, but it was probably the highlight of his WWF career for me...
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wwerules60
El Dandy
"Bring what? a vomit bag? a fig newton?"
Posts: 8,999
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Post by wwerules60 on Dec 23, 2007 15:04:48 GMT -5
It's probably because he wasn't big enough in the minds of the people backstage.
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Mayhem
Don Corleone
BANNED.
No dreams breed in breathless sleep...
Posts: 1,590
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Post by Mayhem on Dec 23, 2007 15:06:21 GMT -5
Yeah, I figured that ws one reason for no main event push, but why not the midcard? Seems like a waste...
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Post by cpbuff22 on Dec 23, 2007 15:07:52 GMT -5
Well Kurt was right about the Knicks.
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Post by Lionheart on Dec 23, 2007 15:10:08 GMT -5
Yay for a match consisting entirely of suplexes.
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Post by molson5 on Dec 23, 2007 15:13:00 GMT -5
I always thought Taz really got exposed on the big stage of the WWE. Not just the height (which is a huge issue), but he pretty much needs to be booked as an unstoppable force to get over. With the talent in the WWE, that wasn't going to happen.
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Cranjis McBasketball
Crow T. Robot
Knew what the hell that thing was supposed to be
Peace Love and Nothing But
Posts: 42,350
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Dec 23, 2007 15:15:40 GMT -5
I never saw Taz wrestle until he debuted in the WWF. Though I heard all about him. I was excited. Here comes a guy who's gonna tear through everyone....I can't wait.
Then it turned it out Taz sucks and I hated every match he was in. I seriously can't stand to watch the guy wrestle.
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Post by machinegun on Dec 23, 2007 15:16:05 GMT -5
Small fish
Big Pond
That's what happens when your a midget
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Agent P
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wooo
Posts: 18,180
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Post by Agent P on Dec 23, 2007 15:17:50 GMT -5
If he debuted during the Brand Extension, he probably could have gotten a U.S. or IC Title reign, but that's about it.
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Mayhem
Don Corleone
BANNED.
No dreams breed in breathless sleep...
Posts: 1,590
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Post by Mayhem on Dec 23, 2007 15:30:36 GMT -5
I think anyone calling Taz untalented must be unfamiliar with his run in ECW. If I'd just seen him in WWF, I probably would have thought the same. No one is ever allowed to display their true talent in WWF/E.
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Post by Dynamite Kid on Dec 23, 2007 15:36:35 GMT -5
Tazz had great matches and was a great wrestler. But you have to push the guy, fer chrissakes. Nobody can get by being put in stupid matches no-one cares about.
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jobber2thestars
Hank Scorpio
Buy the Simon System. You'll thank yourself.
Posts: 7,097
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Post by jobber2thestars on Dec 23, 2007 15:48:12 GMT -5
It's obvious that the WWF/E had some major plans for his debut and future storylines. You don't build someone up for months, have him beat a top, undefeated star in his first match, only to job him out (hold off on the Glacier jokes). I think his size, but more importantly, his wrestling style played a big role in his not getting over. With the history of neck problems of guys like Austin and Angle, it's no surprise that a guy like Taz, who was known for his crazy suplex's, wasn't going top get a major push with them.
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wwerules60
El Dandy
"Bring what? a vomit bag? a fig newton?"
Posts: 8,999
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Post by wwerules60 on Dec 23, 2007 15:53:45 GMT -5
I think the time period in which he debuted in also played a factor in it. The WWF was on fire at that point and had so much established talent already, Taz just got lost in the shuffle.
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Post by molson5 on Dec 23, 2007 16:02:16 GMT -5
Tazz had great matches and was a great wrestler. But you have to push the guy, fer chrissakes. Nobody can get by being put in stupid matches no-one cares about. EVERYONE in the world could have been pushed "a little more". That's why it's so easy to criticize the WWE - someone could have always been pushed more, so you can always blame then rather than the wrestler. Taz was great for ECW - he was not, all around, a WWE-caliber talent. He probably would have gotten over if he got to dominate everyone on the entire roster like he did in ECW - but that wasn't going to happen.
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Hiroshi Hase
Patti Mayonnaise
The Good Ol' Days
Posts: 30,755
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Post by Hiroshi Hase on Dec 23, 2007 16:03:54 GMT -5
I think the time period in which he debuted in also played a factor in it. The WWF was on fire at that point and had so much established talent already, Taz just got lost in the shuffle. Also, don't forget his debut was a week before the Radicalz debut, which honestly was a bigger deal than him coming into WWF. So he got pushed into the background and forgotten, and got thrown into feuds with Lawler and Big Boss Man.
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Post by Next Level was WRONG on Dec 23, 2007 16:12:34 GMT -5
Did'nt he have knee problems aswell?
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Post by Dynamite Kid on Dec 23, 2007 18:50:23 GMT -5
Taz was great for ECW - he was not, all around, a WWE-caliber talent. See, that reads to me as ECW's talent not being as good as WWE's.
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Post by molson5 on Dec 23, 2007 18:54:46 GMT -5
Taz was great for ECW - he was not, all around, a WWE-caliber talent. See, that reads to me as ECW's talent not being as good as WWE's. I realize there's a lot of people that prefer the ECW product of that era, and that's fine, but most of that roster wouldn't have worked in the WWE product, Taz included.
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Post by xombiehiphop on Dec 23, 2007 19:14:17 GMT -5
They could have drawn money with Taz. Key instance:
During The Alliance angle, Austin is running down all of The Alliance members and singles out Taz. He tells Taz to take off his shirt so he can whip him. Taz hesitates and Austin is about to hit him with his belt but Taz catches it. Crowd pops HUGE. Taz ends up getting a beat down from all of The Alliance. ..So what happens?
Austin beats Taz in a match next week that lasts less than a minute.
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Post by pathogen on Dec 23, 2007 19:25:01 GMT -5
I watched his devut earlier and was saying they messed it up, and should have utilised him better. He came in, defeated the olympic medalist who was undefeated, and then went on to, announce? Doesn't make sense to me after his ECW run.
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