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WADE KELLER'S BBL (BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE) TAKE
TORCH NEWSLETTER #1082
COVER-DATED APRIL 27, 2009
By Wade Keller, Torch editor

How would Taz be most useful to TNA? TNA already has an announcing duo in Mike Tenay and Don West. (They recently turned Don West heel when he accused Mike Tenay of betraying their friendship by selling him out at production meeting. Mike has yet to deny he did this, and yet somehow West is the bad guy simply because he couldn't hold in his hurt feelings anymore. I'm still scratching my head about this turn, but it makes as much sense as MVP's, I suppose.) I don't think they need to add Taz as a third person in the booth. Maybe he'd be newly inspired in TNA, but his recent work in WWE was just sort of there. It doesn't inspire one to do their best when you're constantly beat down by Vince McMahon over the headsets at any venture into individuality, but that's another story.

I'd vote against Taz being a color commentator. But what options does that leave him? He's not going to get back into the ring. Unlike Mick Foley, I believe Taz when he says that. That leaves two options for roles for him: manager or commissioner. (I'm leaving out interviewer, and I hope that's safe to do.)

TNA already has three commissioner-type roles: Jeff Jarrett (TNA Founder, in case you hadn't heard), Mick Foley (financial investor who happened to become no. 1 contender to the World Title despite being practically crippled and a candidate for "Biggest Loser" and no singles victories in years - suspicious if you ask me), and Jim Cornette (who has no title, but did make a reference to "Green Acres," which made Jerry Lawler happy for moving him to the no. 2 slot this week as the most disconnected from his show's target audience). Simply put, TNA doesn't need a fourth on-air authority figure.

I like the idea of him being a manager. He could be a key force in giving the X Division the star power that TNA management looks for before giving significant TV time to a feud - someone who's been a star in WWE or a star in the 1990s. Tazz fits both criteria. Tazz is the perfect ex-WWE and ECW megastar to associate on air with X Division wrestlers because he won't tower over them (and they won't tower over him).

He could represent a faction of X Division wrestlers in a "coach/manager" type role. He could cut strong promos and react to whatever storyline his wrestlers were engaged in. MMA has familiarized fight fans with training camps and teams; it's shown wrestling promoters (assuming any have paid attention, that is) how to incorporate that into their storytelling. "Team Taz" could be considered a prestigious camp to get into. There'd be four or five wrestlers in the camp, and they'd each know their place as either a champion, title contender, or gatekeeper to test up and coming challengers. He could also have a tag team (made up of X Division wrestlers not currently in the X Title hunt) in his camp to give him another reason to be on air cutting promos or working ringside.

A wrestler in his camp who has grown frustrated with being a gatekeeper could break free and challenge the champ in "Team Taz" to a title match. It could work with Taz as a babyface moral force standing up to brash young punk X Division wrestlers who don't show proper respect to the business. Or he could play a more old-school cocky heel himself leading other cocky wrestlers to tainted victories. Either way, it'd play to Taz's strengths which is cutting strong promos and giving a sports-like feel to his on-air approach. He was the first wrestler to catch on to the UFC phenom in the mid-90s and incorporate a shoot-style approach inspired by MMA into his ECW act.

Other factions or camps could be formed, led by another retired wrestler, or just be made up of brash young punks who think the "sage-like" Taz is too old school and stodgy. If Taz were a heel, the other camp could be a number of athletic, good-natured, likable X Division wrestlers trying to knock his ego down a peg. There's a lot of ways to go with this, and I think Taz would be about perfect for it.

Taz could not only be re-inspired if utilized in this fashion, but also his usefulness could be maximized, playing perfectly to his strengths as a performer retired from the ring. He has credibility in how he presents himself. He also would give TNA that dose of star power it believes it needs to give TV time to an underutilized niche advantage it could have over WWE - the athletic X Division.

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