AEW News: Former WWE Superstar To Provide Commentary On Next Week’s ‘Dark’
Next week’s AEW Dynamite will take place in Philadelphia, but before the show airs live on TNT, the company will tape some matches for its Dark YouTube series. Furthermore, to mark the occasion, a popular name among the city’s wrestling fans will provide some guest commentary on the episode.
Earlier today, AEW executive vice president Cody Rhodes took to Twitter to announce that Taz will call the action on the show. While the former WWE and Impact Wrestling announcer has a storied history as a color commentator, he’s celebrated in Philadelphia first and foremost as a legendary wrestler, having been an important part of Extreme Championship Wrestling back in the day.
As documented by Wrestling Inc., the former ECW World Champion has been itching to get back into commentary. He sat down with the outlet’s podcast and revealed just how much he’s missed calling matches since he stepped away from the announcer’s table.
“It’s been several years since I’ve done commentary in pro wrestling and over time it’s something I’ve missed. Anybody who listens to my podcast, they’re not super-shocked as I talked about this in one of my shows about a month ago that I missed commentary. Then it just blew up and truth be told, it was a part of my career that I loved.”
Joining us as a guest broadcaster for #AEW DARK in Philadelphia…@OfficialTAZ
@AEWrestling pic.twitter.com/ApiXZBv2PP
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) October 12, 2019
The AEW brand is built on providing fast-paced, athletic action in the ring. The company keeps promotion itself as a sports-centric alternative to the soap opera elements of WWE, and since its formation, the roster has grown to boast some of the best competitors on the planet.
AEW’s style should complement Taz’s announcing, as he’s a fan of athletic competitors. During his Wrestling Inc. interview, he also discussed what he looks for in competitors when he’s calling a match, and it was along the same lines as to what AEW looks for in their wrestlers.
“The [number one] thing is credibility in the ring. To me, there needs to be talent. When I say credibility, I don’t mean star talent. I mean guys and girls that can go in the ring.”
Taz and AEW appear to be on the same page in many ways, so it will be interesting to see if this is a one-off role or if he’ll be brought into the company on a permanent basis afterward.
Taz has a lot of experience in the industry as a commentator and as a commentator, so he could be an asset to AEW in some capacity should they decide to hire him full-time.
