The Taz Show, Bodyslams & Beyond
Host: Taz
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2015
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Recap by Sean Sumey
HOT TOPICS
– TAZ BREAKS DOWN RAW: Taz gives his informed thoughts and opinions on what went down this past Monday night. WWE is taking Seth Rollins for granted. Kevin Owens needs to pick on someone that isn’t his own size. Erik Rowan returns with very little fanfare and Luke Harper is absent. Is Harper really in hot water over a Twitter picture??
– TAZ TAKES LISTENER PHONE CALLS: Thought-provoking discussions on Shane McMahon, John Cena’s opponent this Sunday, and Erik Rowan.
– THIS DAY IN WRESTLING HISTORY: Mad Dog battles Verne Gagne, The American Dream and Manny Fernandez win tag team gold, and A.J. Styles takes on Bully Ray.
SUBJECTS COVERED (w/Time Stamps)
(00:00-00:36) Show intro.
(00:37) Taz opens the show. Taz is in a bad mood today, but says he will get into it later. Taz welcomes calls discussing Raw, Monday Night Football, MLB Playoffs, or whatever. The Blue Jays got a win so the series with the Royals is a little more competitive. Taz is nervous about the Mets’s chances against the Cubs. (No need to worry now!)
(02:43) Taz takes a call from Ryan in California. Ryan is confused why WWE doesn’t do more to promote their live events. Ryan brings up the ’80s and ’90s when announcers like Jim Ross would mention upcoming live events during a match or entrance. Taz doesn’t think it is a matter of WWE not caring. Ryan went to a live event in Vegas that he only heard about on Jericho’s podcast. On the card, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair appeared. Ryan thinks WWE would promote a card like that. Taz claims that if WWE was concerned about the live events selling out, they would promote them. Taz thinks the live events are drawing decently enough for WWE. Taz says without promotion, it is very difficult to get attention for your product.
(09:36) Taz takes a call from Allen in the Netherlands. Allen has heard that WWE is releasing a Shane McMahon DVD/Special. Allen was always a fan of Shane McMahon. Allen wants to know Taz’s insight on what backstage conversations were like when Shane was wrestling. Taz says Shane is one of the nicest guys he has ever met in the business. Taz said that in all regards, Shane is a great person. Shane has the utmost respect for the wrestlers. Shane started putting up the rings for WWE. Taz said that when Shane was going to wrestle, they all treated him as one of the boys. Vince and even more so, Shane, did not want special treatment. Taz said that Shane would work out with Tom Pritchard before the shows. Taz claims that Shane always took his work very seriously.
Taz tells a story about a PPV when during the earlier part of the day, someone was practicing a big bump for later in the show. Shane came out to b.s. with Taz and Michael Cole. While they are talking, Shane looks down at the floor near the announce table and notices there is no padding and it was bare concrete. Shane asked Taz if it was always like that. Taz told him it was. Shane said there needed to be a pad since someone was going to be taking a big bump that night. Taz said Shane didn’t make a big deal about it, but instead got some crew together and got the padding in place. Taz believes that, to this day, there is a pad underneath the announce table. Shane was always concerned with the safety of the wrestlers. Taz tells another story about working against the Mean Street Posse. Taz slapped Pete Gas in the ring and got him pretty hard. Taz was worried that he was going to get in trouble. Shane came up to him and said it was a good match. Taz told him about the slap and Shane said it was part of the Posse “paying their dues.” Taz thought that was so cool because everyone knew that the Posse was made up of Shane’s real-life friends.
(21:58) Taz takes a call from Hasnen from India. Taz goes through the word friend in various languages with Hasnen. Hasnen wants to know who Taz thinks will be the opponent for John Cena at Hell in a Cell. Taz is unsure. Hasnen wants to know if it will be someone from NXT. Taz is hoping it could be Samoa Joe or James Storm. Hasnen thinks Tyler Breeze. Taz said that if you put a gun to his head, he is picking James Storm. Taz thinks that whoever it is, Cena will drop the title. Taz feels that the U.S. and Intercontinental Titles are just props. Taz would love to see long term programs involving the titles. Seth asks Taz if he thinks Ryback’s run as Intercontinental Champion was genuine or was it just a way to transition to Kevin Owens. Taz feels that it was a legitimate run. Taz doesn’t think that Owens was in their planning when they first put the belt on Ryback. Taz believes that the title can make the wrestler, or the wrestler can make the title. Taz does not see money in a feud between Ryback and Kevin Owens.
(27:29) Taz takes a call from Noah in Alabama. Noah wants to know about the ECW One Night Stand PPV. Was Taz supposed to wrestle originally or was it a last-minute change? Taz said that he was in catering one day and Vince called him over. Vince asked him what he thought about a match. Vince asked if Taz was up for a full match. Taz said he wasn’t sure about a full match. Vince then came back and had some different ideas. Taz said, at the time, he was having different health issues and didn’t feel up to it.
(30:30-31:36) Taz does a live read for Square Space. Use promo code TAZ for 10 percent off.
(31:52-32:20) Break. As they come back from break, the music plays over top of Taz talking for about a minute.
(33:53) Taz talks about Luke Harper not appearing on Raw. Taz heard that it could be personal, it could be heat. Taz mentioned some heat about a picture online. Seth has been looking but hasn’t been able to find anything. Taz will try to ask Mike Johnson when he is on the show later. Taz said it is easy for rumors to start and spread.
(36:00) Raw started out with Steve Austin cutting a promo. Taz dug the appearance and liked how Austin talked about his roots in Dallas. Austin introduces the Undertaker who comes out and cuts a rare in ring promo.
(37:38) Taz takes a call from James in New York. James wants to give his predictions for the Lesnar-Undertaker match at Hell in a Cell. James thinks Undertaker is going to win because WWE is promoting it as the last match between these guys. Taz thinks its a possibility due to the way the feud has been booked. Taz will give his predictions on Friday’s show.
(39:00) Taz continues his discussion on Raw. Undertaker’s promo was interrupted by Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Heyman cut a good promo. Taz liked the tease of the fight between Lesnar and Undertaker.
(40:50) Taz takes a call from Pork Chop John in Arkansas. John heard that a bunch of guys took pictures of Luke Harper and made t-shirts that said “Yeah Yeah Yeah.” John said the picture included Jericho, Los Matadores, and Cesaro. Taz saw the picture but doubts that would cause heat for Harper.
(42:55) Taz continues his discussion on Raw. Taz thinks WWE was trying to build a strong opening to go against Monday Night Football. Taz doesn’t think the MLB Playoffs draw many fans away from Raw. Toronto and Kansas City aren’t huge WWE markets. Taz thinks the Mets and Cubs game would draw more fans away from Raw.
(44:35) Taz takes a call from Phenom in Alabama. Phenom wants to know why WWE tried to just sneak Erik Rowan back into the Wyatt Family. Phenom thought maybe Bray Wyatt didn’t see Rowan behind him and was going to get attacked. Phenom also didn’t like how the announcers acted like they weren’t sure who was behind the white sheep mask. Seth adds that Jericho deleted the photo from his Twitter feed and that may be the reason think Harper had heat on him.
(47:30) Back to Raw. Taz likes how WWE had big star power at the beginning of the show. The tough part is trying to follow it. The Dudleys and John Cena took on New Day. Taz thinks that is a good match to follow that opening. Taz is digging the booty thing with New Day. Taz was impressed at how physical Devon was in the match. For Devon’s age, he is in great shape.
(50:31) Taz takes a call from Chris in Florida. Chris picks on Taz for misunderstanding a message he sent him on Twitter. Taz acknowledges that he misunderstood what Chris was saying. Taz said that people need to include “LOL” or a smiley face in their texts or tweets. Taz is always defensive and thinks people are being shady. Taz is paranoid and said it is a product of being in professional wrestling.
(53:00) WWE mentions Randy Orton missing a tour and being injured. Taz jokes that maybe Orton also wore a t-shirt and got in trouble. Seth tells Taz that it appears Orton has a shoulder injury. Taz said that guys like Orton, Cena, and A.J. Styles are getting older and their bodies will start breaking down. Taz said that physically, a wrestler’s body ages like a dog with dog years. Taz asks his fans to stop Tweeting him the Luke Harper picture because he has seen it and is familiar with it. Taz said they are blowing up his Twitter. Taz does laugh when a fan sent him a picture where all the guys in the Jericho picture have their shirts covered with the Taz Show logo.
(58:26-59:1:00:03) Taz does a live read for Draft Kings. Use promo code TAZ to play for free.
(1:00:18-1:00:55) Break. Again, the music plays over top of Taz talking to Seth.
(1:02:36) Taz talks about Dean Ambrose challenging the Wyatt Family. This was followed by Sasha Banks and Naomi taking on Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox. Taz thought this was a really good match. Taz thinks it is obvious WWE is giving the Divas more TV time. Taz says that years ago, the women’s matches were not taken as seriously as the males’s matches. Shawn Michaels then appears. Taz thought it was funny that Michaels ate a kid’s pizza on the way out. Taz thought Michaels got a good pop, but then the crowd died down during his promo. Taz thinks the crowd was just wore out from the star power during the beginning of the show. Seth Rollins comes out and gets in Michaels’s face. Taz really liked the promo from HBK. Taz was thinking the same thing that HBK said when he told Rollins that he shouldn’t want to be the next HBK, but should be his own person. Taz thinks that is common with the current generation of wrestlers. They are all trying to be someone they admire. The promo went into Rollins versus Ryback. Taz thinks WWE needs to be careful about having people cut down Rollins in a promo. HBK joked that Rollins wasn’t over and that is why production wouldn’t play his music. Rollins regularly does the job in promos.
(1:11:44) Taz takes a call from Jacob in Queens. Jacob also mentioned that it was awkward the way WWE reintroduced Erik Rowan. Jacob has been listening and is aware that Taz already discussed this. Taz chalks it up to Raw being three hours long and not everything will be a home run.
(1:13:45) Taz thought the match between Rollins and Ryback was decent. Seth said it wasn’t Ryback’s best match but it was solid. Taz didn’t see Ric Flair appear. Seth explained how Flair introduced Roman Reigns. Seth pointed out that it looked odd how the Wyatt Family came out and it appeared that Flair didn’t know where to go. Taz said there are certain pathways available to get to the backstage area. Taz said that one is on the side of the ramp and the other is a gap in the barrier near the announce table. Taz thinks maybe Flair wasn’t sure which way to go. Taz really liked the six-man of Rusev, Barrett, and Sheamus vs. Ziggler, Cesaro, and Neville. Taz thought Ziggler sold a little too long while waiting for the kick from Rusev. Taz thinks that most fans wouldn’t notice it, but it is something he picked out.
(1:18:15) Taz takes a call from Joe in Florida. Joe can’t wait for the video feed for Taz’s show. Seth clarifies that the show will be available in clips. Joe agrees with Taz’s opinions on Raw. Joe also thought the Dallas crowd was dead. Joe mentions the time when The Shield was going against the Wyatts and the crowd was going nuts. Joe thinks WWE broke apart the groups too early. Taz thinks it is more to do with the length of the WWE shows. Taz thinks the crowd just gets tired.
(1:22:10) Taz again puts over the six-man. Taz would rather see Bad News Barrett instead of King Barrett. Taz thinks WWE is putting Neville out there too much. Taz calls him an attraction that WWE needs to promote as a big deal.
(1:23:35) Taz takes a call from Rob in Staten Island. Rob is a long time ECW fan. Rob and his brother would drive down to Philadelphia once a month to see ECW. Rob mentions the ECW show with Terry Funk where Funk started a fire. The fire caused ECW to stop the show. Rob and his brother ended up getting home an hour-and-a-half early and Rob’s brother caught his wife cheating. Rob’s brother has found a better woman now. Rob thinks Erik Rowan should have joined Reigns and Ambrose because the Wyatt Family is already loaded with monsters. Taz doesn’t think that is a good idea because they are building to Hell in a Cell. Rob disagrees because Hell in a Cell is just one show. The following night, they will still have the Wyatts versus Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Taz said that the announcer in him has to focus on the build for the big event on Sunday.
(1:27:14-1:27:40) Break. More music over top Taz and Seth talking about upcoming guests.
(1:28:33) Charlotte defeated Brie Bella. Taz likes that WWE is starting to put Charlotte in singles matches. Taz was surprised there wasn’t any outside interference. Taz is looking forward to Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte. Paige was then interviewed by Renee Young.
(1:30:28) Taz takes a call from Talo in Seattle. Talo also wants to discuss John Cena’s opponent at Hell in a Cell. Taz still thinks it will be James Storm. Taz mentions Finn Balor as a possibility. Talo thinks it will be a three-way with Samoa Joe and maybe Randy Orton. Talo also mentions Daniel Bryan or maybe Alberto Del Rio. In the background, you could hear a train horn wherever Talo was at. Taz points it out and tells Talo not to get hit by the train. Taz mentions when Wrestlemania was in Seattle. Taz and Michael Cole were instructed to be mindful of the train going by outside the stadium.
(1:35:08) Kevin Owens beat Mark Henry. Taz gives Henry credit for losing weight and looking great. Taz was impressed that Owens hit the pop up powerbomb on Henry. Ryback comes down and Owens powders. Henry then grabs Owens and chucks him back in the ring. Ryback his Shellshocked on Owens. Taz does not see Ryback winning the Intercontinental Title at Hell in a Cell. Taz feels that if Owens’s character is supposed to be a bully, he needs to be booked against smaller talent. It is hard for Owens to get heat when he is taking on guys the size of Mark Henry and Ryback.
(1:37:23) Taz takes a call from Darren in Canada. Darren is excited for a new Prime Minister and the Blue Jays. Darren mentions how a previous caller thought Erik Rowan should have turned on the Wyatt Family. Darren is looking toward Survivor Series and thinks it would be great to see a strong Wyatt Family team taking on Reigns, Ambrose, and friends. Taz likes that idea. Taz also questions if Rowan could be a star on his own due to a lack of promo ability. Darren thought WWE did a poor job of bringing Rowan back. Taz agrees but thinks it was a last minute change. Taz thinks that Rowan isn’t really a major player and they didn’t need to make it a huge deal.
(1:39:58) Taz continues with his thoughts on the character of Kevin Owens. Taz would like to see him picking on the referees and other talent. Rollins then teamed up with Reigns and Ambrose to take on the Wyatt Family. Taz liked how HBK took a shot at the current generation only wrestling once a night. Taz thought the match was over when Reigns hit the Superman Punch on Rowan. Taz also liked the dive from Reigns to the outside. Taz thought that overall, Raw was a really good show. Taz said it is difficult to book all the legends because you have to deal with egos and be respectful.
(1:47:38) Taz takes a call from Al in Florida. Al wants to know why wrestling companies traditionally only have pay-per-views on Sundays. Taz mentions how boxing usually has their big events on Saturdays. Taz isn’t sure why. Taz thinks WWE does it as a way to lead into Raw.
(1:50:01) This day in wrestling history. Taz busts Seth’s balls about having Brian do the segment while Seth was out. Seth said he would have been fine with it. In 1964, Mad Dog Vachon beat Vern Gagne for the AWA World Title in Minneapolis, ending Gagne’s seventh reign. Taz thinks they wrestled a million times. Taz misses the real old-school, rough guys like Vachon. In 1984, Dusty Rhodes and Manny Fernandez defeat Ivan Koloff and Don Kernoodle for the NWA World Tag Team Title in Greensboro, N.C. Taz loves that early- to-mid-1980s NWA era. Taz puts over the physicality and the blood. Taz points out how NWA influenced Jim Cornette with Smoky Mountain and Paul Heyman with ECW. In 1986, Bam Bam Bigelow (as Crusher Yerkoff) won that WCCW TV Title against Steve Simpson in Ft. Worth, Texas. Taz remembers Simpson. Seth is surprised that Taz remembers him and didn’t have to Google him. Taz’s brain is a Google. In 2013, at TNA Bound for Glory, A.J. Styles beat Bully Ray for his second TNA World Title.
(1:54:26) Taz begins the close of the show. Taz apologizes for Mike Johnson not appearing. Tomorrow we will hear Hump Day Promos.
RATE & REVIEW
5 out of 10. Mike Johnson did not appear for his weekly segment, but that certainly can’t be held against Taz. I have to give a lower rating for the Taz continuing to take listener calls at such random times. The show would flow so much better if Taz would finish one topic before moving on to listener calls. It also doesn’t help when callers ask the same questions over and over. Taz did mention that they have a call screener. but it appears that they don’t clear out callers when certain topics are covered. Its not a major thing but definitely gets old after a while. I believe Mike Johnson not appearing caused Taz to scramble a bit which would explain the frequency of the listener calls. Overall, this was on okay show. If you don’t get a chance to check it out, you will be okay. As always, I welcome all comments and critiques.
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