Jim Ross Says He Told Taz To Stand Behind Brian Cage During Promos
During the latest episode of the Grilling JR Podcast, Jim Ross discussed Taz and his time with the WWE in the 2000s.
"Taz drew a short straw there," Ross said. "I thought if we booked Taz like he was utilized in ECW, we had something, that was not the case. I think that was out of defiance in the fact that Taz was a creation of Paul Heyman and ECW and his own work. Sometimes that does not bode well in McMahon land."
Taz was billed as 5'9" and from the start Ross knew that was going to be an issue for him with WWE. Ross talked about how much height played a role in Taz not being pushed.
"Height, god damn seems like it's all we talk about," Ross said. "Unfortunately it's true. Taz punching Rikishi, he has to punch up and McMahon would've noticed things like that."
During the main event of Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite, Brian Cage and Ricky Starks, managed by Taz, faced off against Jon Moxley and Darby Allin. Before the match started, Taz cut a promo where he hyped up his group and mentioned to Cage to step in front of him "so we don't piss some people off." JR said he was the one who Taz was talking about.
"I mentioned that too Taz recently," Ross said. "You know, you need to stand behind Brian Cage because you're so damn thick."
Ross also discussed his interaction with AEW talent and how it has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Ross mentioned how he enjoys giving the talent some positive points when they have great matches. He said that he planned to do so when he sees Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho next.
"When I go to AEW and I see our talents on Wednesdays and you can interact with this virus thing, my goal is always to give these kids something positive to hang their hat on," Ross said. "That match Jericho had recently with Orange Cassidy. When I see them in person again, I am going to make sure [to let them know] you guys had a hell of a night. I really enjoyed calling that match with Tony [Schiavone] and Excalibur."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.