Block 1:

A listener calls into the show and mentions that he was excited to see A.J. Styles defeat Jinder Mahal to claim the WWE Title on Smackdown Live this week, but at the same time, he hopes Mahal doesn’t fall back down into a mid-card role now. Taz says he really doubts that’s going to happen because WWE has invested too much television time and money into Mahal to let him slip back into a mid-card role.

Taz points out that James Storm has reportedly left Impact Wrestling, and he thinks there’s definitely a possibility that we could see Storm back in WWE. He’s not sure what happened during Storm’s recent, short run in NXT, but he thinks there’s a chance that Storm could have another opportunity in WWE.

As for the rumours that Storm should team up with Bobby Roode and re-form Beer Money, Taz doesn’t think that’s going to happen. He says that Roode has had a great singles run since signing in NXT and then transitioning to the main roster. Roode has a great singles gimmick right now, and there’s simply no need to team these guys back up.

Block 2:

A listener calls into the show and asks Taz about the old WWE shows, Jacked and Metal. Taz says those shows were secondary shows similar to Sunday Night Heat. Heat was another step up from the two previously mentioned programs but was still under RAW and Smackdown.

Taz says he had a lot of creative control on those shows because they weren’t as heavily produced as RAW and Smackdown. He wrestled on those shows a couple of times, and when he was doing commentary for them a lot of the work was done after the fact in a sound booth at WWE Headquarters.

Taz welcomes former TNA Knockout Madison Rayne to the show.

After a very successful career in TNA which included multiple Knockouts Title wins, Rayne is now a free agent and she says that’s very exciting but also quite alarming. She had a WWE tryout and she mentions that other than having her baby, that was the hardest thing she has ever done.

She knows how to work and she can bump all day, but it was almost as if WWE’s tryout was focused around blowing up the performers as much as possible to see how they react when they’re that exhausted physically. She struggled to catch her breath from time to time, but she was able to get through it by helping some of the women around her who were having much more trouble with the workout than she was.

Block 3:

Rayne says she really enjoyed her time in TNA and she’s very thankful for the incredible talent in the Knockouts division during her entire run there. Girls like Gail Kim were very inspirational to work with and led by example every single day.

Rayne is currently dating TNA Commentator Josh Matthews, and she says she loves to pick Matthews’ brain about wrestling because every time they talk about wrestling she learns something new. He has a great mind for the business and he can still work in the ring if he’s required to. Taz agrees saying Matthews has an underrated mind for he business.

She mentions that all the negative press about Impact lately makes her sad. Taz agrees and says a lot of this negative press surrounded the company back when he was working there as well, and it upset him a lot because everyone there worked so hard and that’s still the same today.

Block 4:

A listener calls into the show and asks Taz if he thinks WWE will drastically change the War Games cage setup for the upcoming NXT Takeover event, compared to the setup we saw in WCW many years ago. Taz says he doesn’t think they’ll change it, and he really hopes they keep the original look and feel from years past. He points out that if WWE wants to copy this event, steal the name and the match, they should show it respect and do it just as it has been done in the past.

Another listener calls into the show and asks Taz if he thinks social media is vital for current Superstars who are trying to get over. Taz doesn’t think social media is necessary to get over, and he’s fairly certain that Vince McMahon could care less about his wrestlers using social media. On the contrary, Taz believes that certain performers like Braun Strowman shouldn’t be on social media at all.

That sums up today’s episode of The Taz Show. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya tomorrow for another recap!