The following are highlights from a new interview with TNA Impact Wrestling commentator Taz:
What the evolution of the Team Taz Dojo this year has meant to him personally & professionally: “It’s been awesome. It’s been awesome to deal with young, hungry, dedicated wrestlers. I’m flattered to have the honor to train with these guys and help these guys & ladies. Several of the fellas has gotten the opportunities with iMPACT Wrestling. As of yet, no one has gotten a position or a full-time opportunity with iMPACT Wrestling, but I’m proud of the guys that came out and made the most of the opportunity. I think they see a different respect when you get that look from the ‘big time’ from iMPACT Wrestling, or the WWE, or Ring of Honor. If I feel like you have the goods when you’re training in my dojo, and if I could pass the word and say ‘Take a look at this guy’ or ‘Look at that girl,’ once you walk into that building and through that curtain, it’s out of my hands…it’s on you.”
The meaning & significance for him to return to Philadelphia, the birthplace of ECW, for TNA’s Bound for Glory Pay-Per-View: “Anytime I get the opportunity to go back and work in Philadelphia, back in the day as a wrestler and as a broadcaster, it’s kind of like a proud moment for me, because I feel like that’s my roots. I’m a New Yorker through and through, but at the end of the day I always felt like my ‘second home’ was Philadelphia. There are a different generation of fans out there who aren’t too familiar with the history of ECW, and South Philly, and all that jazz, but for the true hardcore fan that understands it and appreciates my history back in the day/in that town, I’m extremely proud & honored to just work in that city.”
Why he’s looking forward to calling the TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match between Kurt Angle & Bobby Roode at Bound for Glory & why this match for Roode could quite possibly be “his time”: “I sink my teeth into every match. I just have to. I wanna sink my teeth. I have to be honest, I am extremely looking forward to seeing Kurt Angle & Bobby Roode. There has not been a guy any more on fire right now in the company than Bobby Roode, and this could quite possibly be his time. Kurt Angle: Enough said. He’s Kurt Angle, and he’s a freakin’ machine. That stands to be an insane match-up from an athletic standpoint. High impact, cardiovascularly both those men can go who knows how long. If both those guys go out there for 30-40 minutes, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Check out the complete interview online at MondayNightMayhem.com.
