Kurt Angle Reveals Why He Thinks WWE Ended Tazz's In-ring Career Early

When Taz made the jump from ECW to WWE in early 2000 there was a massive buzz about the former ECW World Champion’s arrival. Armed with an extra ‘z’ in his name and his arsenal of suplexes, Tazz debuted in Madison Square Garden at the Royal Rumble PPV, and choked out the previously undefeated Kurt Angle. 

However, Tazz’s debut was the highlight of his run, and just two years later his in-ring career was all but over as he made the switch to commentary.

Now, on The Kurt Angle Show podcast, Kurt Angle himself has given his thoughts on Tazz’s WWE run, saying:

“I would have loved to have had a program with Taz. He was an incredible wrestler, especially good on the microphone. He had a lot of talent.

“I think the reason was Vince McMahon had this idea of Taz being a smaller guy and selling for the big guys and never giving up. Taz had in his mind that he wanted to be a dominant wrestler and just beat everybody up dominantly. They didn’t want him to be, he didn’t himself want to be the underdog that was fighting from underneath.

“I think that’s the reason why they kind of ended Taz’s career a little bit early, because he had a different idea than what the creative had for him. Then they made him a commentator. That was pretty much the end of Taz’s career. I don’t think he lasted much longer afterwards.”

H/T: Wrestling Inc.