Taz replaces Don West: Good or Bad?

[X]

And Taz was over for his wrestling in ECW and what he physically did in the ring. That was what got him over in ECW, more so than his mic skills. However, his mic skills are all he has left nowadays, and that isn't saying much.

I never asked your opinion on Taz's mic skills.

LOL. Then don't respond to my posts, if you don't care. You respond, then I am going to state my opinion. I don't care if you agree with it or not, but I am going to voice it, regardless. I don't post to necessarily please you.

I responded to a single statement you made about Don West. Not about Taz. Don't really care about your opinion on Taz. For that matter I don't really care about your opinion on Don West. I was simply pointing out the similarities between Mark Madden and Don West.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Well that was intriguing. Lol. Sorry Sidious, I am with X here. Your generalization of TNA and Carter is making you come off a bit smarky. Namely the monkey see monkey do thing. Why wouldn't Carter wanna sign Hollywood writers? Did you see how badly Russo butchered that PPV? What, 2 clean finishes? Yeah, Russo is really in touch with the wrestling audience. Russo averages what? A 1.1? Those Hollywood writers average what? 3.3, 3.4? Well if I know anything about which number is bigger than the other.... You don't like Taz at the booth, that's fine. But you are in the minority. You think the casual fan really wants to hear that turd Don West? Besides, you are aware that Taz is a heel right? I don't really see any reason to think they are switching their format toward the WWE's way of broadcasting. I'm well aware of your hatred of Vince's broadcasting preferences, but there isn't any reason to get all pissy just because they're making a change. A much needed change at that, Don West should be a car salesman.

 

[jmt225]

I think it's good.

I'm a big time Taz mark from his ECW days, so you might want to take this opinion with a grain of salt, but I've always dug his commentating. In fact, the only time I've ever found Michael Cole tolerable was when Taz was sitting next to him. So, yeah... that's one reason I don't mind seeing Taz replace West, but another reason is because I think Don West sucks.

Now, West has improved somewhat since his heel turn and I admit, the dude gets a chuckle out of me here and there with his ******ation, but I think someone like that would be best served being some sort of comedic character backstage. There are some good skits you could pull off with someone as goofy looking, and awkward as Don West is.

 

[Low_Ki]

Don West has always been a tad intolerable for me. His voice, it used to grate on me. And after the interesting video of him and Mike Tenay looking down at their script and screaming without actually being able to see what was going on backstage, I kinda lost a lot of respect for both men.

I'm not a massive TNA watcher, I like the product, its something different, but even the Don West heel turn really didn't have the impact it should have had. It kinda just came out of nowhere. They could have at least worked it into a storyline or something.

Taz will be a good addition to the commentary table. He wasn't massively great as a heel commentator during the WWE's infamous 'Invasion' angle, but I think he has the experience to bring something new to the product, here's hoping anyway.

 

[gd]

I thought that TNA was going to replace West with Taz eventually, but I didn't think it was going to be so soon. I think that it is a bad thing for a couple of reasons.

First of all, I loved Don West on commentary. He was really starting to perfect his hell persona and the commentary was quickly become one of the more entertaining parts of the broadcast. I just loved listenting West talk about how he was making breakfast for Velvet Sky or his undying support for the Main Event Mafia. West on commentary was great because it was something different from the typical, bland face/face announce team we see nowadays. I know that Taz will likely come in as a heel as well, but I don't think he'll be as over the top or entertaining as West. Taz is a good announcer, but for some reason I just really loved West.

Another reason that this will be a bad thing is because it could signal the end of the whole Joe/Taz angle. I don't see how Taz will be able to manage a wrestler while being on the announce team. The Joe/Taz angle started with a lot of hype and expectations, but it has failed to live up to those expectations. Joe has really lost his momentum in the last couple of weeks despite winning the X Division Title. However, I think they need more time for the angle to play out. At least give it another month or two. Pulling the plug on it so soon will only damage Joe's character even more.

 

[2TheMax]

Of all the years that Taz has been commentating in the WWE, I've never been a big fan of his in that respect. One of the very few good things about him though is that as a color commentator, one of the most badass wrestlers of the old ECW is calling my show compared to the uninteresting retired wrestlers-turned-commentators. And another thing is that you'll never know when he'll get up and choke somebody out. I mean Jerry "The King" Lawler would occasionally get up and fight in his age.

But other than that, Taz kind of has the reputation to commentate a match and then change the subject to something that completely has nothing to do with what's going on. Don West though, was starting to get very entertaining for me since he turned heel. At times, he would speak the truth about anybody like when Jeff Jarrett did that "shocking documentary" and Don West would say "Another one?". Guy was entertaining...but we'll see what happens with Taz.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Well that was intriguing. Lol. Sorry Sidious, I am with X here. Your generalization of TNA and Carter is making you come off a bit smarky.

Nothing worse on a forum than someone who kisses up to a Mod in their post in an attempt to get themselves over.

(BTW, as far as my policy on Rep, you weren't given a Red Rep for your argument. You were given a Red Rep for kissing up to a Mod and being blatant about it in your post. If you have an opinion, state your own opinion instead of looking to Mods and pointing to them to make you look as though you have a stronger argument simply because of that factor, alone.)

That was not a generalization of TNA or Carter. I made a statement and I pointed out how I came to that conclusion. You want to talk about smarky .... well then welcome to the IWC. However, I guarantee you that I look at the wrestling business more so from the point of a Casual Fan more so than any other smarky fan on here. That should be fairly obvious in the things that I emphasize in my writings such as Entertainment and interesting storylines and characters over the quality of wrestling, that most smarks seem to advocate.

Namely the monkey see monkey do thing. Why wouldn't Carter wanna sign Hollywood writers? Did you see how badly Russo butchered that PPV? What, 2 clean finishes? Yeah, Russo is really in touch with the wrestling audience.

Can't say that I saw the PPV, as I was out that night. However, let's go through the posted results.


1) Steel Asylum. Winner- Daniels by escaping out the top of the cage.
2) Abyss vs Holiday. Winner- Abyss by pinfall
3) Hernandez vs Big Rob. Winner- Hernandez by pinfall
4) British Invasion vs Beer Money- Winner-British Invasion by pinfall (rollup) after distraction from Eric Young
5) Beautiful People vs ODB and Deaner. Winners- ODB and Deaner by pinfall after botched interference from Madison Rayne
6) Homicide vs Samoa Joe. Winner- Samoa Joe by submission with the rear naked choke
7) Booker T and Scott Steiner vs Team 3-D. Winners- Scott Steiner and Booker T via pinfall after both refs view the replay.
8) Mick Foley vs Nash. Winner- Nash by pinfall after Foley is knocked into Traci Brooks
9) Angle vs Morgan vs Sting. Winner- Angle by pinfall after a chairshot to Morgan.


The only thing I have a low tolerance for is the amount of Countouts or Disqualifications on PPV's. None of them happened on this show. We had a good variety of match finishes on the show. We had 5 completely clean finishes -- 6 if we count Foley vs Nash since all Foley did was run into Traci Brooks on the apron.

We had 1 match where a Foreign Object was used in order to pin an opponent in the finish.

We had 1 finish where botched interference resulted in a pinfall.

We had 1 finish where a distraction was used to gain a rollup pinfall.


Hardly the scenario you described.

Russo averages what? A 1.1? Those Hollywood writers average what? 3.3, 3.4? Well if I know anything about which number is bigger than the other....

What a lame argument.

Russo takes over (we assume) for 2-3 weeks and you put the entire blame on him for everything the company has done (and failed to do) since it's existence? You mean to tell me that one can go from a 1.2 ratings average (as they fluctuate between a 1.1 and a 1.3 weekly) one week, and shoot up to 2 ratings points in 2 weeks or so? What an asinine allegation.

TNA's problems, as I have always stated, don't lay so much in the booking, as much as it does in Advertising and Marketing. That is out of Creative's control and this is where Dixie Carter herself needs to step up to the plate and make decisions. Hopefully, someone who has experience working for WWE in Vince's inner circle can try to make her realize this.

You don't like Taz at the booth, that's fine. But you are in the minority.

Show me some evidence that backs up that assertion, as that is a pretty bold assertion to make without any evidence to back it up.

You think the casual fan really wants to hear that turd Don West?

To be frank, I don't know if the Casual Fans will even care about this move or not. As far as smarky fans, I have seen them rave about West's commentary ever since he turned Heel. Of course, there were people that liked him when he was a Face, however I certainly didn't. Once the format changed, I was completely in favor of it and did find him entertaining.

My opinion is that more fans who care about Commentary will actually find West more entertaining on the mic than Taz. Taz was not a very popular commentator amongst the IWC during his WWE days.

Besides, you are aware that Taz is a heel right?

That I am. As of right now. However, you are aware that Don West and Mike Tenay were both Faces at one point, right?

The Face/Heel broadcast concept was something that Jeff Jarrett was reportedly responsible for pushing and bringing back. With his power in the company reduced, I am hoping that Carter doesn't abandon this concept just to flex her muscles as it is more entertaining to the fans. Taz was a Heel and Matt Striker was a Heel in the ring as well, before being turned "Analyst" by Vince. Given the situation especially with Jarrett, it does give some cause for concern that she may abandon that and gradually turn Taz into a Tweener.

I don't really see any reason to think they are switching their format toward the WWE's way of broadcasting. I'm well aware of your hatred of Vince's broadcasting preferences, but there isn't any reason to get all pissy just because they're making a change. A much needed change at that, Don West should be a car salesman.

I get "pissy" over the things I want to get "pissy" over. Is that clear? That is why this is an Opinion forum. You don't like to read my opinions, then put me on Ignore.

Yes, I do despise Vince's current commentary style that he mandates. Clearly, a lot of people do besides me. Taz was a shitty commentator before he became an Analyst and he will be in TNA, as well, regardless if they keep him as a Color Commentator or turn him into an Analyst and follow suit like WWE.

 

[psykohurricane]

Who didn'T see this coming a mile away, Jarrett is out of the picture, Angle is in Dixie ear not telling her what to do and she's doing his dirty work for him plain and simple. Let's face it, the Jeff Jarrett era of TNA is slowly coming to a end and everybody that was friend with Jarrett will get release one by one. First it was Dutch Mantel and Savio vega who only had job in TNA because of Jarrett. Now it's Don West who been relocated to another division within TNA until they decide to release him or his contract run out.

I love Tazz, i think he was great as a color analyst in the WWE with Michael Cole but i can help it, it thing splitting up Don west and Mike Tenay is just stupid. They've been the voice of TNA for 7 years and Don was really starting to get into his heel personna and was making TNA watchable every week. Now we got to guy that got the same personality trying to make you care about the product, give me a break. Mike Tenay is one of the most boring guy in wrestling as for as color commentator goes and Taz is going to have a lot of work to do to make the broadcast interesting.

The only thing that scares me in all of this is with all the Jeff Jarrett allies being taking out one by one, how long will it take before Dixie released the wrestlers that are allied of Jeff Jarrett?

 

[Nate DaMac]

Ok, first off, and I thought I already cleared this up, I wasn't even aware X was a mod. I really don't pay attention to that stuff. I like X because, like me, he is a South Park mark and a stoner. However, we don't usually agree on much. I was merely mentioning him in passing. I argue with Mods, Vets, and Noobs alike. I respect them too. I have shown nothing but respect to you, and decided I wanted in on this debate. If you wanna debate, I'm up for it. If you wanna insult me, to hell with it. Maybe Russo hasn't been in charge, but it doesn't change my general point. Those Hollywood writers get 3x the ratings TNA does. It couldn't hurt to try. Me saying you were in the minority was based on this thread and nothing more homie. I am of the belief that the casual fan would like a familar face in Taz as opposed to a loud and obnoxious tard who they never heard of. Not as if it would be the answer, but how many people do you think West irritates? I see your point on the possible face/face announce team.

 

[Nate DaMac]

(Please don't infract me! I post on a phone and I reached my limit on characters) I hadn't thought of it that way, but I believe with Taz still being in the MEM, chances are he will still be a heel. When I said clean finish, I basically mean non bullshit finish. Stiener Booker v. 3D was a bullshit finish. Abyss v. Holiday had weapons and interference. I would've been pissed if I ordered a PPV with that many bullshit endings. Apparently you couldn't sense me joking in your rep, but I had no intentions in setting you off. If you wanna debate I am up for it, but I wont deal with the temper tantrum. I suggest we bury this. Truce? Lol.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm pretty pleased with this because I simply did not enjoy Don West as a commentator. I never found him even remotely entertaining. While Taz isn't the best, he's pretty good and a definite step up from West.

Can't say I'm surprised by this as TNA is basically giving the ol' heave-ho to anybody close to Jeff Jarrett or they're burying them in some obscure section of the company.

As for the whole Taz/Joe angle, I'm kind of hoping that TNA just drops it overall. The pairing just hasn't drawn me in or gotten me even remotely interested in Samoa Joe. The guy works solid matches, but there's just nothing there. In fact, any slight charisma he may have had is now pretty much gone since the thing with Taz has him as a one dimensional virtually mute thug.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I'm open minded to Taz coming in as a color commentator. I may be the minority of fans who enjoyed Don West's heel commentary but who cares. Taz may be more talented in and out of the ring but it doesn't change the fans minds who have been watching TNA since it started. As long as Taz is able to be himself he will be a great commodity to the announce table. I'm a fan of Taz but I was never really a fan of his commentary on the announce booth with Michael Cole. Such Statements as look at them tomatoes Cole!

But to be honest, Don West was pretty shitty starting out. I'm not saying he is a great announcer, but he is fun to listen to now especially since his heel turn. I'm just of the opinion no one has to bash someone for liking Taz or Don West. I prefer West but will tune in to Impact to see Taz's new role. Taz has impressed me so far on the mic. They just haven't given Taz too much exposure since joining him with Joe.

I think this could be the best thing for him in general. He can't wrestle, and Samoa Joe's character has just been weaker with him as mentor IMO. I think this move is better for TNA and the MEM in the long run. Don West is being promoted so I cant really feel sorry for him. Still, I will miss his funny anecdotes with Mike Tenay. They weren't Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler but a similar TNA version of the two.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

I can't even believe we are arguing this, but it seems pretty split here. I absolutely HATE Don West as a commentator. To me he doesn't sell anything, his heel turn wasn't interesting to me at all, he yells for no reason - it doesn't hype me up. I just can't see why people like him in that role. Sure, he's loud and excited and it's intended to get you excited...but it doesn't, at least not for more. All it does is annoy me. He's a great guy but I just don't think he's a commentator.

As for Taz. Was he a great commentator...no. Will he be better than West...probably. Does it matter...not really. Neither Taz or West is a great commentator but Taz has the upside. First off he's a name. Younger fans know him as a commentator on WWE and older fans know him as an ECW wrestler. His voice will give a familiar sounds to casual fans and WWE loyalists. Second, he was a wrestler, so he has experience in the ring to speak of, which I always think is a bonus when your calling a match.

I can't see any negatives of moving Taz into this position. I doubt anyone will stop watching TNA because West isn't calling matches, and I doubt people will start watching because Taz is. At least with Taz we have the qualities I mentioned above.

 

[Macca]

lmao did someone say they'd take Mark Madden as a commentator over Don West? Wow is that one disturbed mind lol

Anyway, I'm shocked by this, I too thought Don was annoying as fuck when he was face. And then he turned heel, and I've grown to love him. The one-liners he pulled off were priceless and put Tenay to shame e.g. His love for the Beautiful People (Velvet Sky in particular) "Well me and Velvet were discussing the game plan last night" and the classic "Making Velvet Breakfast" line (I have a feeling we'll never hear the end of that, I'm just dissapointed that we'll never get the chance to see Velvet come on commentary and give West a kiss and a hug like B.F.Fs, completely owning Tenay in the process lol).

Oh, and remember when Don was proclaiming to the world that Daniels was Suicide, and when they had that PPV match for the X title and Suicide won, West rebounds with "... SUICIDE JUST TURNED ON DANIELS!!!" lol classic stuff.

I feel that the one thing that separates Taz and West is emotion. I mean, let's be honest, as much as I love Taz, do you really wanna listen to two men almost completely devoid of emotion like Taz and (gasp) MIKE TENAY?

I'd really hate to think that Carter is firing/demoting people just for their assiocation with Double J. And I second another poster when asking if this trend will move over to the actual wrestling roster. And remember, that list includes A.J Styles (Who, 7 years later is still perhaps TNA's hottest commodity) and Eric Young (who is finally rightfully coming into this own with this heel World Elite angle). Carter needs to be really careful with how she treats talent or she risks a locker room revolt like Russo's WCW (Oh, and guess who's booking this company as well? wink wink oink oink).

Maybe, the problem with TNA is not with the head of creative, with an extensive history and understanding of the product, or a CEO who has no idea about pro-wresting, with plenty of yes-men in her ears, and who, for some god-awful reason, thinks any WWE has-been is the next thing, and who is apparently now looking for hollywood writing to do creative writing (Something that seems to be a big problem with the E.)

I though this was the new ALTERNATIVE?!

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

While i agree with TNA immitating WWE in fact that they are making sudden deals to get their established stars into movies, attempting to attract hollywood writers and throwing in more established talent into the TNA talent pool, i do see Nates point in this, why not immitate the model that is making millions in this industry, because being the alternative to the WWE obviously is not working for TNA, its not getting them anywhere, they knew they had to establish themselves as a bigger company in hopes to attract more revenue for investors and better names to help the brand establish itself for those who feel that they can not watch the WWE's product and cannot acess ring of honor, so why not allow them to make this move if it does not work then they can easily go back to their previous model as the WWE has many times, most programmes tend to plajorise in order to establish themselves and their brand.

Apple first established themselves as a company that sold technology similar to the PC, once they established their name they branched out into bigger and better media.

Car companies attempt to use brand parts from other makers in order to get people interested in their cars before branching out.

the list goes on....

Taz being moved to anouncing duties Gives the MEM similar to what bischoff did for the nwo or what Heyman did for the aliance, someone in the MEMS corner that doesnt sound like a joke and actually has credentials to pull off the heel commentator position, west had neither and the tandem of him and tenay annoyed the hell out of me, so badly that i muted them, now i will give this team a chance i had no quarrels with taz and believe if pointed in the right direction can do a better job then Don west any day of the week.

West belongs in sales because thats what he did prior to announcing, he had no previous background, they just gave him the job in order to give reason to hiring the guy now the company is alittle bigger he can dedicate himself fulll time to his duties in shop TNA and let Taz actually earn his paypacket.

 

[Mavericks fan]

I have heard that Taz will be joining Tna`s announce table.I don`t get it.He had the same job in wwe,so why did he leave?after reading that he left wwe i thought"he will have the same job"and i was right,but one thing still puzzles me.why did they waste time with such great promos and return when he is just a commentator now?

 

[Shock]

Some people are Taz marks: Taz is great, Taz is an amazing commentator, Taz is a legendary wrestler, etc. Some people are Don West marks: How could Taz do this to TNA?! Don West is a TNA original! Don West is epic. But the thing is, they're thinking about the commentary, not about West's new job. Let's think about Don West's new job in advertising for a moment. Have any of you actually looked at ShopTNA? TNA's sales are DISASTROUS compared to WWE's. Perhaps with Don West taking his rightful place in merchandise, TNA's sales will get greater. Sure, we'll miss him at the announce table, but this might be the best move for TNA as a whole.

 

[GameOver]

Tazz as a heel commentator is a mute point in this situation. how was in the least bit heel on impact?

He sounded just like he was when he left WWE, laughing talking everyone up.
Other than at the initial where he stated he was behind the Mafia but then went on to talk about how good each guy in the matches was.

Sure he's gotta get into the grove. I hope he does and they let him go wild, cause he can be a great addition if that was the case.

Be a damn sight better than his characters imput on Joe and the Mafia, which is almost zilch other than the hints when he wasn't even in TNA. He's talked the mean talk but what has he done? His only imput is to say Joe stuffed up and stand at ringside doing nothing during those few matches even when Joe was losing

TNA is squandering a perfect ECW revival angle. If they are even thinking about it.
and currently they have squandered Tazz the character to a degree too.

He can get angry and get involved in the action without actually having to take bumps

 

[Freddy4190]

I agree in the fact that West being shoved aside doesn't altogether suprise me, but at least he knew the wrestler's names in TNA. Taz called Team 3D the Dudley Boyz on numerous occasions. Plus he just sounds out of place, I know it seems dumb. Something about Taz there just doesn't click with me, maybe i'm so used to him in WWE or whatever. I'll give him a shot though, not like I have much of a choice right?

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

It's a good move. Taz is a step up from West in more than one way.

Most of the guys close to Jarrett as posters above have mentioned are being looked at by Dixie in a serious way. To have a decent experienced commentator on TNA with Tenay should be pretty cool, I just hope they keep Taz a heel and have him continue his angle with the MEM/Joe.

 

[mayhem]

I personally feel that Taz evolved into a really good color commentator in the wwe over that 7 to 8 year period he was their mainly alongside Michael Cole and Jim Ross and is a major coup for TNA as he adds more useful points during his commentary and emotion that Tenay lacks.

Don West was very familiar with the TNA product and had been their since the inception of TNA so it was surprising to hear that they would go with Taz pretty much straight away instead of drafting him into a three man team and letting his knowledge build up. All in all I think Taz will do a good job alongside Tenay and West is still with the company so everyone benefited.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

It's a good move. Taz is a step up from West in more than one way.

Most of the guys close to Jarrett as posters above have mentioned are being looked at by Dixie in a serious way. To have a decent experienced commentator on TNA with Tenay should be pretty cool, I just hope they keep Taz a heel and have him continue his angle with the MEM/Joe.

Did you watch Impact last week? Taz was not a Heel in the slightest. Watch again tonight, and you will see the same thing.

The Face/Heel broadcast teams make the best announce teams, as even Jim Ross admitted in his blog. And that concept has now been ruined with them bringing in Taz, the Analyst.

So you guys got your wish and destroyed a good thing TNA had going.

 

[X]

People would rather listen to Taz than Don West, Sidious. How is this destroying a good thing TNA had going? For years the fans have been complaining about Don West, for years. Now they have a respected veteran doing commentary with Tenay, and from what I've heard most people really enjoy it. Taz in the booth simply makes TNA look more professional. Sorry, it's true. Nevermind their talent on the microphone, the general fan is going to pay much more attention to what Taz has to say than Don West.

Good move for TNA. Really makes their product look more professional.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

People would rather listen to Taz than Don West, Sidious. How is this destroying a good thing TNA had going? For years the fans have been complaining about Don West, for years. Now they have a respected veteran doing commentary with Tenay, and from what I've heard most people really enjoy it. Taz in the booth simply makes TNA look more professional. Sorry, it's true. Nevermind their talent on the microphone, the general fan is going to pay much more attention to what Taz has to say than Don West.

Good move for TNA. Really makes their product look more professional.

This Don West was not the same Babyface Don West. It is the concept of the Face/Heel Broadcast team that is more so at stake.

If Taz would be brought in as a Heel on the mic, where as I would be less receptive to it, I still would have been okay with it.

However, what TNA ruined was the Face/Heel broadcasting concept that has been destroyed for years in wrestling. That was what I was referring to as "destroying a good thing."

I would rather listen to a Heel as a Color Commentator, as opposed to a Faceless Analyst. What people are doing is letting their West hate from his days as a Face announcer cloud their judgment from looking at the concept that is at stake in the announcing booth.

This is not football where we need Analysts. People who want to look at wrestling from a technical standpoint and as a sport will like Taz over West. People who are more so fans of traditional American pro wrestling and its concepts will not be happy with this move.

 

[Kenny Powers]

It is more professional to have Taz provide color commentary but it doesn't fit his character at all. Taz was brought in to be Joe's bad ass mentor. He was the guy taking Joe to the limit, cutting promos for Joe, and now he is pretty much a face analyst. When Kurt Angle came out to do commentary, Taz was arguing with Kurt about how good AJ Styles is. Taz, remember that you're a heel in the MEM. AJ Styles= Punk, Sting= Punk and Matt Morgan= Inexperienced. That is the Mafia's creed.

If Taz was a face it would be fine, how is he in the MEM and cheering for the faces every time? I know Taz's role is probably permanent in the announce booth, so they need to swerve him and Joe back to face mode if he is going to be kissing every face's ass. I enjoyed Don West more as a heel announcer. I'm fine with Taz, I just wish they would bring back the old school heel/ face announce team. I think that concept now is dead and buried though.