Taz

[9.0] "Rating strictly on his commentary career in AEW: a wrestling intellectual - maybe not an intellectual in general, but an intellectual about wrestling. Very charismatic, has great chemistry with the face commentary team and the heel guests, and has a great voice, whole package."

[6.0] "Great in ECW, was quickly buried in the WWF but at least he was able to salvage his career by transitioning into quite the accomplished color commentator role on SmackDown! They gave him a good jump start on his debut with the WWF when he beat the undefeated Kurt Angle, but things quickly went downhill once HHH went over on him."

[9.0] "One of the true great talents on the ECW roster, added a ton of real credibility as a sincerely hard-hitting heavyweight. One of the best promos, and a guy who it still feels never got to peak, as great as he was. Plenty of classics under his belt, supplemented by a stellar career at the commentary desk and as an on-tv personality. A true legend."

[5.0] "While much is often said about his height holding back his career, he was well decorated in ECW and was treated well in WWF despite the stacked roster at the time. His career ultimately came to an end aged 34 due to injuries. Definitely overrated for what he was and the brevity. He is good on commentary but his in ring skill seems exaggerated and likely stood out due to fellow ECW wrestlers often having poor ring skills."

[6.0] "I think Taz is a lil overrated. He had some good matches and moments in ecw. But i think he benefited more from good booking rather than him being a stand out wrestler. Still decent and he is also good on commentary."

[7.0] "really good worker in ECW with some brilliant matches, buried in WWE, not a very good commentator in WWE or TNA."

[9.0] "As a wrestler he's easily a 7 or an 8. ECW was mostly garbage but there were some legit wrestlers there like Taz. He was a throwback to when pro wrestlers were feared. A lot was made about his height but Kurt Angle's real height is closer to 5'9" or 10 and he was rightfully feared. As a commentator Taz can be really funny and entertaining but also provides some good insight into what's happening during a match."

[7.0] "Perhaps I haven't seen enough of his early ECW stuff -- I fully admit my first introduction to him was his WWF debut, and I've only seen the highlights of his ECW run. But I've never been a major fan of his in-ring work. He never really elevated a match beyond his opponent's skill. And, while bashing his height is cliche, I get it, it ~is~ awkward to see him standing nose-to-nipple with the average worker, and it never felt like he elevated himself past that visual problem. Add +1 for his commentary career."

[10.0] "Fuck man, if Taz were six inches taller he'd have been a multiple-time world champion in every promotion he chose to compete in. Except for his below-average height, what else could you ask for in a wrestler? A unique and effective look, amazing promos, badass entrance, unmatched intensity (his biggest asset imo), high proficiency inside the ring, and great physical conditioning. He has also absolutely excelled as a manager and a color commentator throughout his career. Taz behind the desk just feels natural, effortless, like he was born to play this snarky lovable Brooklyn asshole, because, to put it bluntly, that's what he really is lol. Peter Senerchia the man does seem to have some pretty thin skin but rather than let it affect his work, he's able to harness it and portray it through his on-screen persona. That's damn impressive and professional, despite his abrasive personality. Taz is also legitimately one of the funniest people I've ever heard speak, and that includes outside of wrestling too. He's just so fucking funny, like I can't possibly praise his quick wit and perfect timing enough. And his banter with Excalibur alone made Dark worth watching once it became the squash show during Covid. If those two started Podcast Jones with a rotating guest every week I would subscribe to it twice."

[9.0] "Taz has a badass entrance, suplexes dudes all over the place, chokes them out and leaves. It doesn't get better than that. The only way I'd f*ck with him more is if he was over 6 feet, but you can't help that."

[8.0] "Tazz is great at pro wrestling and has proven to be a good commentator outside of a terrible TNA run. Tazz had a great run in ECW and then had a hot start in WWE but fell off and injuries destroyed his career. His style showed him as one of the best grappler and submission experts of his era. His WWE commentary was solid before going to TNA where he was just annoying especially in the Aces & Eights storyline. In AEW Team Taz was great and he and Excalibur have great chemistry for commentary."

[9.0] "Don't even like bald weirdo Heyman but it's an early sign of his genius that he booked Taz as an absolute machine. Bit like ECW's Goldberg but 20 times the talent, you barely even noticed that he was about the same height as a wheelie bin. Legit vicious in the ring, think he hardway busted Sabu open every match. WWE highlight was squashing Angle on debut and it's a joke that within a couple years he's doing stupid shit with JR and jars of sweets at ringside. What a waste. ECW Taz was a menacing Swiss Army Knife of offence, a master of tens of suplexes and submissions and their greatest ever champion."

[8.0] "Despite having quite a short stint as a professional wrestling (12 years active in-ring) Taz is one of the most memorable wrestlers of his generation, especially ECW. He's very solid in ring and can cut one hell of a promo. Started off really hot in the then WWF but his career fizzled out pretty quickly. Should've been given more of an opportunity, because he looked like a legitimate threat and was capable of having some very good matches. His commentary was good back in the day, whenever I hear him now, it's just not the same."

"I'm currently watching ECW from mid '99 for the first time. ECW on TNN was my intro to them, so I largely missed Taz's run. This dude can promo, looks great in the ring and has presence. Sure, he looked like a homunculus in WWF, but that doesn't take away from his appeal for me. He comes across as a legit top guy and badass during this '99 run, so much that one of TNN's requests for airing ECW was retaining Taz. Paulie promised it and then he left for WWF (more power to him, probably had some missed paydays). Taz was an across-the-board player that was a little short for WWF, but had the perfect "yourself dialed to 11" pitbull character. 8.4 rounded down for a career that I wish had run longer. 8/10"

[9.0] "Taz excelled as both a wrestler back in the day and as a commentator in more recent times, he's a true legend of professional wrestling and will go down in history as one of the best contributors to the art. As a wrestler he was an impressive powerhouse for his lack of size."

[8.0] "He was incredible in ECW when Heyman was at the reigns and booked him like a complete bad-ass. His WWF run was hampered by his lack of size but he still had a few notable successes which included a fun and engaging tag team run with Spike Dudley. They held the title for 43 days and had a good matches and great chemistry as the underdog/oddball tag team that you almost wish could have lasted longer. His work as a commentator, especially in the WWE was especially great. His work alongside Michael Cole brought a sense of credibility and experience to the commentary booth and he played the color commentator role especially well."

[9.0] "A legend inside the squared circle and a legend from the commentary desk - in ECW, he was a king among kings and ran through everyone. Commentary, he and Cole were a great duo and when he's with the right desk in AEW (a certain masked man not included), he's brilliant. I would love to see him and Hook paired together though, as Team Taz was a failed experiment and a father managing his son (both badasses) would be interesting. Overall, it's Taz. Enough said."

[9.0] "This rating is purely based of his run in ECW. His ECW run started as the Tazmaniac and started his feud with Sabu. He would win the ECW tag titles with Kevin Sullivan and Sabu in 1994 and 1995. He broke his neck and returned as just Taz "The Human Suplex Machine". He absolutely destroyed everyone and everything from 1996 to 1998. Winning TV titles and world titles through this run. He was the coolest most badass dude in ECW. His matches with Sabu were highlight reels and I loved him in ECW. We don't talk about his WWF run EVER."

[9.0] "Taz was a killing machine in his prime; looking back, I can kind of understand why he didn't do much in WWE considering he was nearing the end of his in-ring career, but it still feels like he could've been given more. But hey, All-Time Commentator Jones over here."

[10.0] "Best commentator of all time. I'm dead serious. Where can you find someone so knowledgeable, funny, full of things to say and NOT BORING like Taz? You can't. Maybe only Dusty Rhodes is at his level, but Dusty had a tendency to get confused pretty easily. Not that Taz is perfect, but on SmackDown and Dark he's been amazing to hear. I was gutted at 6 yrs old when he wasn't on SD anymore and I had to hear JBL"

[7.0] "Total Rewrite: Paul Heyman knew how to book him but his WWF in ring career pretty much tanked. Why? Because he was too short for the big leagues. There were moments he had trouble hitting the 'F ropes and more than once: the peak of his stature would barely make it to and thusly bounce awkwardly off the top rope, such things are MORTIFYING if you're supposed to be this total badass. ECW stuff, as fun and as engaging as it can be at times - all feels like smoke and mirrors more than most anything else there. Seems like I'm totally dogging on him right? The unlikely championship team with Spike Dudley was kinda fun and... His commentary when on Smackdown in the early 00's is cracking me up and pretty much saved his career for me personally. Heck, his commenting style is so fun it can often be the saving grace of some matches/angles and that takes true talent. 7.25 rounded down."

[10.0] "One of the greatest technician as a wrestler - his knowledge combined with great voice made him a fantastic color commentator. 2005-2007 Smackdown/ECW era and current work in AEW are just brilliant."

[9.0] "A 9 as both a wrestler and a commentator. Consistency Jones over here. The Human Supplex Machine was an absolute killer who is easily the greatest ECW wrestler ever and has been a well-rounded commentator for three different major companies."

[9.0] "Rating him as a commentator here, not as a wrestler or on-screen talent. His commentary is one of the high points of AEW, especially his insane chemistry with Excalibur. Taz knows when to play it straight and provide excellent technical analysis, and when he can let loose and be sillier. He's a lot of fun to listen to."

[7.0] "Taz was a decent wrestler back in his ECW days but nothing special. His moveset was mainly suplexes which was fine but he wasn't really the great technical wrestler they wanted you to believe/fear. I didn't really care much for his character work either so I didn't expect much when he transitioned to commentary but I was wrong. Wherever he's been he's an asset in the commentary booth and is by far the best regular in AEW."

[10.0] "The only commentator to rival Jim Ross, aside from Heyman who was also great but unfortunately not a commentator for very long at all. Taz had a successful career and was quite the beast in his day, but even more impressive to me is his long commentator career. He never ceases to be entertaining and make me laugh."

[10.0] "Funniest commentator in the business. Taz and Cole are the tag team champions of commentating. Comedy is a hard job. And Taz was a blast to watch as a wrestler too. Lizardman approves."

[8.0] "during his ecw run was an absolute top talent, then wwe ruined him because he wasn't a big beefy man. still an iconic wrestler to me with one of the best catchphrases of all time. also a decent commentator to boot"

[8.0] "My personal 3rd favorite commentator after Mike Tenay and Don West. His days in both TNA and AEW are just such a joy and he can make a shitty show fun just with his goofy commentary style."

[9.0] "Taz was easily the best ECW Champion in its original run. There was pretty much no one else like him in wrestling at the time save maybe Ken Shamrock, a shoot-style submission and technical powerhouse who could dismantle you with suplexes and knock your ass out with the Tazmission. His promos were also of a surprising quality, and his catchphrase of "Beat me if you can. Survive if I let you" was one of a kind, and perfect for the kind of character he was. Unfortunately, his aura outside of ECW couldn't last. A combination of injuries and poor booking resulting in Taz's WWF run being ultimately underwhelming. That being said, it is also where Taz managed to find his second niche as a commentator, a role he occupies to this day to comedic effect in AEW."

[6.0] "Despite being shorter than my West Indian grandmother, Tazz got a glow up like you wouldn't believe and found a way to wrestle to his strengths. But on further examination, he didn't have any really truly great matches where he wasn't in the ring with a much better wrestler."

[9.0] "Taz was my kind of wrestler. He was as stiff as hell. He had a plethora of suplexes and submission moves at his disposal. And he was, and still is, a phenomenal talker."

[8.0] "Most people talk about his matches but the one thing I absolutely loved about Tazz was his work on the mic. He was incredibly compelling."

[8.0] "In ECW, Taz was a 10. But elsewhere, his legacy didn't continue as the absolute top of the pile. Brought that badass MMA feel to wrestling before MMA was mainstream & cool. His legit pissed off attitude really sold you on him & everything he was involved with. His career as a comentator had peaks & valleys, but for the most part, I enjoy the in ring knowledge he brings to the desk."

[6.0] "A perfectly fine and serviceable wrestler but add a sprinkle of Paul Heyman's Magic Booking and people still remember him as an all time great despite being, well, just fine, not great. Pretty annoying but harmless as a color commentator."

[7.0] "Taz almost completely relied on the Heyman booking machine to make him the main event guy that he was: watch before his repackage and you'll find a pretty mediocre tag guy with a terrible gimmick behind him, and to be honest, he didn't improve much after his hiatus either, but Taz was covered up very well and made to be a dominant force in ECW, a relentless wrestling machine that would take you to the mat and suplex your neck to death before choking you out. Despite the aura of menace and the reputation he got, Taz actually was pretty fragile and injury prone, not helped by ECW's lack of mats and him consistently taking flat bumps on concrete, and his fairly early end to his career shows that. However, looking back Taz actually doesn't have that many relatively great matches, a lot of them are kinda sloppy and not put well together, and his ring work in them is, again, not great beyond a few nasty looking suplexes. Bad at promos, but his commentary and later manager work is pretty harmless. That being said, as a wrestler? Not as good as people say he is and his workrate record shows as such: a lot of trash brawls, squash matches, and weak showings."

[8.0] "Taz/Tazz was obviously very good in the ring. His best days were in ECW, but unfortunately, he failed to make a mark as wrestler in the WWF. The writers completely failed to capitalize on the impact he made on his first appearance. They could have given him proper feuds with guys like Angle (before he was in the title picture), Jericho and Benoit, but they decided to make him feud with JR and Lawler instead, which probably ended any chance of anyone taking him seriously again. By 2001 he was pretty much a jobber. Luckily for him he was great as a color commentator. I don't know how good or not he was in TNA, but during the early days of Smackdown, he was great, and I enjoyed him a lot more than Lawler. His chemistry with Cole was especially excellent (and he was probably the only person who made Cole tolerable). Tazz actually seemed like he cared about what was going on in the ring, knew his stuff, could be appropriately funny, and he didn't seem as outdated as some of the other commentators."

[5.0] "He was always an average wrestler who could have some good matches if he was working with someone better who can carry him throughout the match."

[8.0] "Taz was a great tough as nails wrestler who undoubtedly never reached peak success due to his size as well as his major ego backstage. Following his time as a wreslter, he became a commentator which he was great at. Nowadays, he hosts The Taz Show which is one of the best podcasts out there right now."

[7.0] "Taz was a good wrestler, but never as good as people will tell you. He nailed the look and style of a mean guy just looking to mess people up but aside from the whole suplex thing, he didn't do all that much great stuff in the ring."

[5.0] "Taz had the miserable bastard personality down pat, mostly because he really was a miserable bastard. As a wrestler, Taz was OK, but he really needed a superior worker to have a great match. And his commentary was hit-and-miss."

[6.0] "Taz is tough to rate. He had a great gimmick in ECW and was technically sound. That never translated to WWE, likely due to his size. He is very hit or miss on the commentary table as well. Good on Smackdown, bad in TNA. Very middle of the pack overall."

[5.0] "Paul Heyman's greatest creative accomplishment is getting people to be buy into and believe that 5'6 Taz was a killer among killers. Ridiculous. He was good, but he's very overrated."

[7.0] "Taz as a wrestler was very overrated but that's what happens when you have an amazing gimmick to fall-back on. How a guy his size got as famous as he did in the time he did is alone remarkable. At the same time as soon as he made it to the Fed, his body fell apart and his career seemed to be ruined until he made a mark as a commentator. He was good on SmackDown but in TNA he was trash. But if he popped up again on commentary for an NXT taping or something, I'm sure he'd be perfectly fine."

[8.0] "Of all the ECW guys that made their name in that company, Taz (or Tazz) was my favorite. Sure, watching Mike Awesome fly around for his size was good fun and sure RVD was the high flying equal but Taz was just such an interesting character. He was pretty small, but he prided himself on his small stature. It didn't stop him from slamming around guys like Bam Bam. He had a very savage style, as if he were a badger. It sucks that his career was cut short but he left behind a large library of classics in ECW, many must watch matches that expand past the matchguide for his page (a notable omittion imo being his Living Dangerously match with Bam Bam, which I feel was better then their Heat Wave encounter (A great match in its own right but this ones much more memorable for me))."

[9.0] "In his time, Taz was a force to be reckoned with - an excellent technical wrestler known for stiff suplexes and submission holds. He as also one of the most intense promos in the business in the late '90s. He had some fantastic matches against the likes of Sabu, Bam Bam Bigelow, Chris Jericho and many others as ECW built him as a killing machine, and was also a major part of the ECW "invasion" of the WWF. Unfortunately injuries had taken their toll on him by the time he got to WWE full-time, and many newer fans may know him better for his color commentary role in WWE and TNA than his in-ring work - and over the years, his largely comedic commentary style and one-liners got a bit tired. That still doesn't take away from what he once was."

[10.0] "Great wrestler and I would say actually underrated as a commentator, he was often goofy in the booth but still entertaining, and could turn on the serious when he wanted to. As a suplexing machine in ECW he was elite, the presentation was great and he projected a real toughness to back up the idea."

[4.0] "While not known for putting on matches in the ring, that didn't exactly lit the world on fire, Tazz did pretty good himself at the commentary table. The "LET THE PIGEONS LOOSE! " jargon created by Tazz is pretty funny."

[8.0] "Taz had probably the nastiest, most vicious suplexes in the business. He also had decent mic skills. Not incredible but definitely akin to those of Jerry Lawler. If you only saw him in the WWE/WWF, there's this thing called Youtube. Judging him by the end of his hard-hitting, injury riddled career is judging Marilyn Monroe's sex appeal by digging up her corpse."

[8.0] "During his wrestling days, he was badass and highly skilled. After retiring, he became an entertaining commentator. Two impressive careers for one man."