Taz (wrestler)

Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a color commentator for Dynamite and manager.

He is known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, a two-time World Television Champion, a three-time World Tag Team Champion, a two-time (and the inaugural) FTW Heavyweight Champion, and the fourth ECW Triple Crown Champion.

Senerchia began wrestling in World Wrestling Council (WWC) and made his professional wrestling debut on June 3, 1987 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after being trained by Johnny Rodz.

He wrestled as Kid Krush before moving on to the name The Tazmaniac, of which he would use variations for the rest of his career.

In the early 1990s as The Tazmaniac, he wrestled for International World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW) and held its Light Heavyweight Championship for six months in 1991.

He would follow Tony Rumble in leaving IWCCW to join the newly established Century Wrestling Alliance (CWA).

He would also tour in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).

Senerchia had his first World Wrestling Federation (WWF) match on August 19, 1991 as The Tazmaniac, when he was defeated by Ray Odyssey.

He then made his only appearance ever in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) when he defeated Joey Maggs in a dark match at a Saturday Night taping in Atlanta, Georgia on February 8, 1993.

He would then make his second appearance in the WWF on May 5, 1993.

Wrestling in a dark match at a Wrestling Challenge taping in Portland, ME, Tazmaniac would beat Scott Taylor.

He would go on to make two additional appearances on house shows in New Jersey on June 29 and June 30, losing to Jim Powers on each occasion.

Wrestling as "The Tazmaniac", Senerchia debuted in the Philadelphia-based promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) in October 1993 at NWA Bloodfest.

He formed a tag team with Joe Chetti (brother of Chris Chetti) called The Tazmaniacs.

When that team broke up, he was put into another team with Kevin Sullivan, with whom he won the Tag Team Championship twice.

During his second reign as Tag Team Champion with Sullivan, The Tazmaniac became a double champion when he also won the 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 touring Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

In August 1994, The Tazmaniac competed in a one-night eight-man tournament for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship, losing to Shane Douglas in the quarter-finals.

The Tazmaniac was put out of action by a legit injury for much of 1995.

On July 20, during a tag team match 2 Cold Scorpio and Dean Malenko delivered a spike piledriver to him, and though he knew it was about to be performed, he did not have time to properly protect himself.

As he explained on the DVD documentary The Rise and Fall of ECW, "I landed right on my forehead and just jacked my whole 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.

Following his neck injury, Taz made appearances with The Steiner Brothers, even standing in their corner during matches with The Eliminators and getting physical with Jason.

It was at the November to Remember event, when Taz turned heel and joined up with referee Bill Alfonso.

Working as the special referee for Alfonso's match with ECW commissioner Tod Gordon, Taz refused to count to three and assaulted Gordon, then making the count for Alfonso.

In his post-match promo, he claimed that no one was looking after him while he was injured and that no one cared (though Heyman was still paying him, the kayfabe story was that he had been forgotten and that Alfonso was the one helping him keep food on his family's table).

He was also angry that Sabu was brought back in that very night.

Taz returned to the ring on December 19, 1995 at Holiday Hell with a new look and wrestling style.

The new character had him clad in a black and orange singlet and exhibiting a more physically intense in-ring style, focusing his offense on mat wrestling and suplexes (inspired by working with The Steiner Brothers), which announcer Joey Styles dubbed Taz-Plexes, earning him the nickname "The Human Suplex Machine".

He also debuted his Tazmission/Katahajime 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.

Heading into the summer, Taz began feuding with Tommy Dreamer, joining up with Brian Lee to face Dreamer and Terry Gordy and later Dreamer and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams.

Taz also developed a friendship with The Eliminators, based on mutual respect, and they occasionally involved themselves in his matches.

Perry Saturn and Taz were both trainers at ECW's House of Hardcore wrestling school.

For a while, some of the students, including Mako and Chris Chetti, would accompany Taz and Alfonso to the ring as a faction known as Team Taz.

At November to Remember, things seemed to come full circle, as Taz stormed to the ring and interrupted Styles and "stole Paul E.'s thunder" by announcing that there would be a "big show in the first quarter of the new year", basically telling the fans in attendance that ECW's first pay-per-view was on the horizon.

His World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) career as an in-ring performer came to an early end in 2002 and subsequently saw him transition into a color-commentary role, which he continued to do until his contract with WWE expired in April 2009.

Two months later, Senerchia debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) at their Victory Road pay-per-view under his previous Taz ring name and eventually reprised his role as a color commentator for TNA's broadcasts, replacing Don West.