Tazz

Infobox Wrestler
name=Tazz


names=Kid Krush
The Tasmanian Devil
The Tazmaniac
Taz
Tazz
height=height|ft=5|in=9
weight=convert|240|lb|kg st|abbr=on|lk=on
birth_date=Birth date and age|1967|10|11
death_date=
birth_place=Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York
death_place=
resides=Massapequa, New York
billed=The Red Hook Section of Brooklyn, New York
trainer=Johnny Rodz
debut=1990
retired=2002

Peter Senerchia (born October 11 1967),cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/tazz.html |title=Tazz bio |accessdate=2007-07-20 |publisher=SLAM! Sports] is an American retired professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, (originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz). He is currently under contract to World Wrestling Entertainment, where he does commentary for the SmackDown brand.

From his wrestling career he is best known from his tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he held the World Heavyweight,cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-h.html |title=ECW World Heavyweight Title |accessdate=2007-07-20 |publisher=Wrestling-Titles] Television,cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-tv.html |title=ECW Television Title |accessdate=2007-07-20 |publisher=Wrestling-Titles] and Tag Team championships,cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-t.html |title=ECW World Tag Team Title |accessdate=2007-07-20 |publisher=Wrestling-Titles] as well as (kayfabe) created the FTW Championship. His World Wrestling Entertainment career came to an early halt in 2002 when mounting injuries forced him to retire from in-ring action and take up his current position as commentator, first for the SmackDown! brand, then ECW and now SmackDown again.citeweb|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/smackdown/tazz/bio/|accessdate=2008-08-23|title=Tazz profile|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment]

Career

Senerchia debuted in professional wrestling in Puerto Rico in 1987 after being trained by Johnny Rodz. He wrestled as Kid Krush before moving on to the name Tasmaniac, which he would use variations on for the rest of his career. In the early 1990s, as The Tasmaniac, he wrestled for International World Class Championship Wrestling and held the IWCCW Light Heavyweight Championship for six months in 1991.cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/newengland/icw/icw-lh.html |title=ICW/IWCCW Light Heavyweight Title |accessdate=2007-07-21 |publisher=Wrestling-Titles]

Extreme Championship Wrestling

In October 1993, he and Jack Chetti debuted in the Philadelphia-based Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW)—just prior to its name change to "Extreme" Championship Wrestling—as the tag team The Tazmaniacs.cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/t/tazz.html |title=Tazz profile |accessdate=2007-07-21 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling] When that team broke up he was put into one with Kevin Sullivan, with whom he won the ECW Tag Team Championship twice; the Tazmaniac becoming a double champion during their second reign when he also held the ECW Television Championship for one night in March 1994. For most of the rest of the year he floated around the tag ranks, teaming with different partners. He held the title once more, this time with Sabu, until Sabu was (legitimately) fired by ECW owner Paul Heyman for no showing an event in favor of appearing at another event in Japan.cite video |year=2004 |date=November 16 |title=Rise and Fall of ECW, The |format=Documentary |medium=DVD |publisher=WWE Home Video]

Tazmanic was put out of action by a (legitimate) injury for much of 1995. During a tag team match 2 Cold Scorpio and Dean Malenko delivered a spike piledriver to him, and though he knew it was coming, he didn't have time to properly protect himself. As he explained on the DVD documentary "The Rise and Fall of ECW", "The impact jacked my neck back and that was it." The neck injury was so bad that, according to Tommy Dreamer, hospital staff couldn't believe he'd walked into the hospital where he sought help after the match. Though he was unable to wrestle, Paul Heyman continued to pay him per their oral agreement, forging a loyalty between the men. [cite video |year=2004 |date=November 16 |title=Rise and Fall of ECW, The |format=Documentary |medium=DVD |publisher=WWE Home Video]

When he returned, he did so with a revamped gimmick and used the shortened name Taz. The new character had him clad in a black and exhibiting a more physically intense in-ring style, focusing his offense on suplexes—which announcer Joey Styles called "Tazplexes"—earning him the nickname "Human Suplex Machine". He also debuted his Tazmission finishing maneuver, causing opponents to tap out to signal their submission as in mixed martial arts instead of nodding their head or vocally saying "yes". This quirk was soon picked up by other companies throughout the country. [cite episode |title=12/17/95 |series=History of ECW |network=WWE 24/7 Classics |airdate=2007-08-14] After feuds with 2 Cold Scorpio, Jason, and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Paul Varelans, Taz and his former partner Sabu were put into a angle stemming from the firing incident years earlier. The two chased each other throughout 1996 and 1997, including having an altercation on "Monday Night Raw", the flagship show of their "competition", during a working agreement between the two companies. The feud was all designed to lead to ECW's first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, where Taz defeated Sabu with his Tazmission, [cite web |url=http://prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1997b.html#041397 |title=Barely Legal 1997 results |accessdate=2007-07-22 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History] only to have his manager, Bill Alfonso, turn on him and join Sabu and his partner Rob Van Dam. Two months later, at Wrestlepalooza, Taz took the Television Championship from Shane Douglas to begin his second reign, starting a feud with Bam Bam Bigelow over it and eventually losing it to him.

After losing the TV championship, Taz was elevated into the World Heavyweight Championship picture. In May 1998, with Shane Douglas injured and unable to wrestle, Taz was given an old Television Championship belt painted orange—his trademark color—and began cutting promos declaring himself the FTW Heavyweight Champion of the World. Though the championship was unsanctioned in kayfabe, it was defended at ECW shows until Douglas was healthy, [cite web |url=http://prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1998c.html#080298 |title=Heat Wave 1998 results |accessdate=2007-07-22 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History] at which time Taz defeated him for the ECW World Heavyweight title. [cite web |url=http://prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1999a.html#011099 |title=Guilty as Charged 1999 results |accessdate=2007-07-22 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History] Just before winning the World title, Taz "gave" the FTW title to long time foe Sabu in a match where he physically pulled Sabu on top of him to allow him to get the pin.cite web |url=http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/ftwecw.html |title=Fuck The World title history |accessdate=2007-07-22 |publisher=Solie's Title Histories] Taz held the ECW World Championship for nine months before he signed with the World Wrestling Federation, losing the title as the first man eliminated in a three way dance at Anarchy Rulz. [cite web |url=http://prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1999c.html#091999 |title=Anarchy Rulz 1999 results |accessdate=2007-07-22 |publisher= Pro Wrestling History] As he walked out of the ring, a large portion of the ECW locker room joined him on the entrance ramp to give him an emotional sendoff. After being off of ECW television for most of the fall, he wrestled one final match as an ECW performer at November to Remember, losing to Rob Van Dam via pinfall. [cite web |url=http://prowrestlinghistory.com/ecw/results/1999d.html#110799 |title=November to Remember 1999 results |accessdate=2007-07-22 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History]

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

Wrestling

After being contacted by the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in 1999, [cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCO/is_3_2/ai_65858907/pg_2?tag=artBody;col1|title=Defection Inspection|last=Anderson|first=Steve|accessdate=2008-07-17|date=October 2000|publisher=Wrestling Digest] Taz debuted for the WWF—with the slightly modified ring name Tazz—at the January 2000 Royal Rumble in a win over the previously undefeated Kurt Angle. [cite web |url=http://prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#00 |title=Royal Rumble 2000 results |accessdate=2007-07-23 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History ] Just a few months after Tazz arrived in the WWF, Mike Awesome, the man he'd dropped the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to, signed with World Championship Wrestling. Legal wrangling by Paul Heyman prevented Awesome from taking the title belt with him, and in a piece of bizarre wrestling history, ECW and WWF officials agreed to have Tazz, a WWF wrestler, make a surprise appearance at an ECW show to defeat Awesome, a WCW wrestler, for the ECW Championship. [cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/02/19/3645984.html |title=Mike Awesome found dead |last=Oliver |first=Greg |accessdate=2007-07-23 |publisher=Slam! Sports] Tazz held the belt for ten days before losing it to Tommy Dreamer, during which time he wore it on various WWF shows, including an episode of "SmackDown!" where he lost to the WWF Champion Triple H [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/2000.html |title=SmackDown! results - 2000 |accessdate=2007-07-23 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |quote=April 20, 2000 [...] WWF World Champion, Triple H, b ECW World Champion, Tazz] —a booking decision Vince McMahon later expressed some regret about.cite video |year=2004 |date=November 16 |title=Rise and Fall of ECW, The |format=Documentary |medium=DVD |publisher=WWE Home Video]

After losing the ECW title, Tazz was placed into the WWF Intercontinental Championship picture, but never won the title. In the summer, after taking time off for an arm injury, he was turned heel and placed into a feud with color commentator Jerry "the King" Lawler. The feud included matches at SummerSlam [cite web |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/summer.html#2000 |title=SummerSlam 2000 results |accessdate=2007-07-24 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History] and Unforgiven pay-per-views, which they split. [cite web |url= http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/unforgiven.html#2000|title=Unforgiven 2000 results |accessdate=2007-07-24 |publisher=Pro Wrestling History] Tazz was only able to pick up the Unforgiven win when he received help from a debuting Raven, however, and afterwards the duo formed a tag team that lasted until November.

When the Invasion angle began Tazz acted as "the voice of the WCW/ECW Alliance", sticking up for them and speaking on their behalf whenever possible. He eventually left the stable after the leader Stone Cold Steve Austin criticized his decision to stay on commentary rather than help ECW owner Stephanie McMahon. [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/011108.html |title=SmackDown! results - November 8, 2001 |accessdate=2007-07-23 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling]

Lawler returned to the company on November 19 2001 and resumed his place as commentator, with Tazz becoming both a wrestler and a commentator. [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/011122.html |title=SmackDown! results - November 22, 2001 |accessdate=2007-07-24 |publisher=Online World of Wresting ] In January he and Spike Dudley won the World Tag Team Championship, [cite news | author = Michael McAvennie | title = WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition | publisher = Pocket Books | date = 2003 | pages = 13-16 | language = English] holding it for over a month before losing it to Billy and Chuck.cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwf/wwf-t.html |title=WWWF / WWF / WWE World Tag Team Title |accessdate=2007-07-24 |publisher=Wrestling-Titles ]

Commentating

His injuries mounting, [cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/articles/5950276/tazzshoots |title=Tazz shoots again |accessdate=2008-01-11 |author=Tazz |publisher=WWE |date=January 20 2008 ] Tazz began performing part time commentary on "Sunday Night Heat" in October 2000. He joined the "SmackDown!" team in February 2001 after Jerry "the King" Lawler quit the company, as well as becoming one of the trainers for the joint WWF/MTV produced reality series "Tough Enough".cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingBiosT/tazz_01aug-can.html |title=Tazz talks: ECW, Tough Enough, WWF |last=Kapur |first=Bob |accessdate=2007-07-24 |publisher=Slam! Wrestling]

When World Wrestling Entertainment split into two brands, Tazz was put on SmackDown!, where he again became color commentator. [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/020404.html |title=SmackDown! results - April 4, 2002 |accessdate=2007-07-24 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling ] Not long after he retired from the ring, he became a full time broadcaster. [cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/05/30/1063493.html |title=Tuning into Tazzvision |last=Zerr |first=Scott |accessdate=2007-07-24 |publisher=SLAM! Wrestling] He co-hosted "SmackDown!" for World Wrestling Entertainment until a third brand, ECW, was introduced, at which point he became the color commentator for that show. He is also co-host, with Joey Styles, of "History of Extreme Championship Wrestling" on WWE 24/7 Classics, a show that re-airs archived episodes of the original ECW's weekly television programs. Before and during episodes he and Styles provide insight into the storylines, inner workings, and general ambiance of ECW at the time—as they remember it.

In February 2006, Tazz and his "SmackDown!" broadcasting partner, Michael Cole, hosted a week long trial run of a show on Howard 101 on Sirius Satellite Radio, but the show was not picked up. He also hosted a talk show on 92.3 Free FM at sporadic intervals between late summer 2006 and early 2007, but it was not picked up and the station changed formats, replacing all post morning programming with music.

During the recording of the April 29 2008 episode of "ECW", Tazz's broadcast partner Mike Adamle abruptly walked off set prior to the main event. Moments later, after reading the promo for the upcoming pay-per-view, Tazz walked out as well, leaving the main event with no commentators. [cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2008/04/30/5428941.html |title=ECW: Announcing follies overshadow decent show |first=Matt |last=Bishop |accessdate=2008-04-30 |publisher=SLAM! Sports]

In August 2008, Tazz filled in for Mick Foley as a color commentator on the SmackDown brand, while Raw wrestler Matt Striker filled in for Tazz on the ECW brand. Since Foley will not be returning to the company, Tazz is now the permanent color commentator for the SmackDown brand. As a result, Tazz's profile was moved to the SmackDown roster on WWE.com.

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves
**"Tazmission" (ECW) / "Tazzmission" (WWF/E) (Half nelson choke with bodyscissors)
**Multiple suplex variations referred to as "Taz–Plexes" by play-by-play announcer Joey Styles
***"Tazmission " ["ECW World Champion Taz pinned Shane Douglas at around the 14-minute mark following a Tazmission Plex through a table laid against the corner; Douglas wore a cast on his right arm for the match (ECW House Party 99 - 1/16/99; ECW Arena)" from [http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/dvd.htm angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/dvd.htm] ] (Half nelson choke) - Innovated
***"Hardway" (Modified side head and arm, sometimes from the top rope)
***"T–Bone" (Release exploder)
***Overhead head and arm, sometimes from the top rope
***Capture
***Release German
***Release full nelson
***Release tiger
***Release northern lights
***Release wheelbarrow
***Pumphandle
**"Concrete Crash" (Double leg slam)
**"Angry Man's Clothesline" (Knock–out clothesline)
**"Brooklyn Boot" (Running big boot)
**Kneebar
**Cross armbar

*Managers
**Bill Alfonso
**Woman
**Paul Heyman

*Nicknames
**The Human Suplex / Wrecking Machine
**The One Man Crime Spree
**The Path of Rage
**The Most Miserable Man / Son of a Bitch on the Planet

*Entrance themes
**"Keep It in the Family" by Anthrax
**"Breed" by Nirvana (ECW)
**"War Machine" by KISS (ECW)
**"Path of Rage" by Harry Slash & The Slashtones
**"Survive! (If I Let You)" by Harry Slash & The Slashtonescite web |url=http://www.slashtones.com/slashland/ecwmusic/000.html |title=ECW Music Tracks & Musicians Credit |accessdate=2007-09-25 |publisher=Slashtones.com] (ECW / WWE)
**"If You Dare" by Jim Johnston (WWE)
**"Just Another Victim" by Cypress Hill (WWE)

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

*Empire States Heavyweight Champion [Noted by Joey Styles during the 1997 November to Remember broadcast]

Professional wrestling

*Century Wrestling Alliance
**CWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*Eastern Championship Wrestling | Extreme Championship Wrestling
**ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship (2 times) (First)
**ECW Tag Team Championshipref|tt|† (3 times) - with Kevin Sullivan (2)ref|ks|‡ and Sabu (1)
**ECW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
**ECW World Television Championship (2 times)

*International World Class Championship Wrestling
**IWCCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

*Pro Wrestling Illustrated
**PWI ranked him # 10 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999. [citeweb|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi50099.htm |title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1999 |accessdate=2007-07-25 |publisher=Wrestling Information Archive]

*World Wrestling Federation
**WWF Hardcore Championship (3 times)cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwf/wwf-hc.html |title=WWF Hardcore Title |accessdate=2007-07-25 |publisher=Wrestling-Titles ]
**WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Spike Dudley

:small|The ECW Tag Team Championship reigns were prior to the companies withdrawal from the National Wrestling Alliance and subsequent name change. They also occurred before ECW declared the tag team championship a "World" championship.:Only one of these reigns is recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment.

Personal life

Senerchia currently resides in Massapequa, New York with his wife Theresa Smith and son, Tyler. [cite web |url=http://www.jrsbarbq.com/2008/02/01/lesnar%e2%80%a6-buckethead-radio-show%e2%80%a6-austin-dvd%e2%80%a6-super-bowl%e2%80%a6-las-vegas%e2%80%a6-mamajuana-energy%e2%80%a6-rumors%e2%80%a6-random-thoughts/ |last=Ross |first=Jim |authorlink=Jim Ross |accessdate=2008-02-02 |publisher=JR's Bar B Q |work=JR's blog |title=Lesnar… Buckethead Radio Show… Austin DVD… Super Bowl… Las Vegas… Mamajuana Energy… Rumors… Random Thoughts] He is the cousin of wrestler Chris Chetti, [cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/WrestlingStarBios/chrischetti.html |title=Chris Chetti Bio |accessdate=2007-11-03 |publisher=Slam! Sports] whom he helped to train when he was the lead trainer at ECW's House of Hardcore.

Senerchia was trained in Judo and holds a 3rd dan black belt. He attended C.W. Post on Long Island for four years and played on the football team. He started his wrestling career when he was in college.

He has a tattoo of the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil on his upper left biceps accompanied by the legend TAZ. His action figure produced by Jakks Pacific does not include the character, but does include the name. He also has a self designed tattoo on his left lower biceps.

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/superstars/smackdown/tazz/ Tazz at WWE.com]
* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/t/tazz.html Tazz at Online World of Wrestling]
*tv.com person|id=111861|name=Tazz
*imdb name|id=0784204|name=Tazz (Peter Senerchia)

Persondata
NAME = Senerchia, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Kid Krush, Tazmaniac, Taz, Tazz
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Professional wrestler and wrestling color commentator
DATE OF BIRTH = October 11, 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH = Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =