Team Taz
| Team Taz | |
|---|---|
 Team Taz logo | |
| Stable | |
| Members | See below |
| Name(s) | Team Taz Team FTW |
| Debut | July 23, 2020 |
| Disbanded | August 3, 2022 |
| Years active | 2020–2022 |
Team Taz,alternately calledTeam FTW,was an American professional wrestling stable signed toAll Elite Wrestling(AEW). They were named afterTaz,the leader and manager of the group.
History
[edit]On the July 21, 2020 episode ofAEW Dark,Ricky Starksaligned himself withBrian Cage,who was accompanied by Taz, by attackingDarby Allin.[1]They officially formed a team which was known as "Team Taz". Team Taz started to feud with Allin andCody Rhodes.On the November 18 episode ofDynamite,Allin and Rhodes were being attacked by Team Taz, whenWill Hobbscame to the ring with a chair and it looked like Hobbs was about to attack Team Taz. However, Hobbs attacked Rhodes and aligned himself with Team Taz.[2]On the November 26 episode of Dynamite, Will Hobbs' name was changed to Powerhouse Hobbs.[3]On the December 16 episode of Dynamite,Hook(Taz's real life son Tyler Senerchia) was introduced as the newest member of Team Taz after it had been revealed Hook had been training to be a wrestler with Rhodes. On the same episode, Team Taz also started to feud withSting,who came out to aid Rhodes and Allin. On the December 24 episode ofDynamite,Team Taz confronted Sting and were about to attack him, then the lights went off and Allin appeared in the ring along with Sting. On theBrodie Lee Celebration of Lifeepisode ofDynamiteon December 30, Starks, Hobbs, and Cage lost their match to Rhodes,Orange Cassidyand Preston "10" Vance. When the match was over, Team Taz attacked Cody, Cassidy, and Vance. Then lights went off and Allin looked at Team Taz, the lights again went off for the second time but this time Sting appeared with Allin.
A month later on the January 21, 2021 episode of Dynamite, it was announced that Ricky Starks and Brian Cage would face Darby Allin and Sting in a street fight atRevolution.[4]At the event, Team Taz lost to Sting and Darby.[5]10 days later at St. Patrick's Day Slam, Team Taz came out and confronted Sting and Allin, only for Cage to take a microphone from Taz. He teased a face turn by saying that he respected Sting and that Sting was still "The Icon", much to the dismay of Team Taz. Over the next few months, tension was teased in the group between Ricky Starks and Brian Cage. During this, Powerhouse Hobbs also started a feud with the debutingChristian Cageafter the group attempted to recruit Cage. On the April 21 episode of Dynamite, Starks failed to beat the number one ranked wrestler in AEW,"Hangman" Adam Page.During the match, Starks suffered a neck fracture after a botched reversal to a German suplex.[6]Afterwards, the rest of Team Taz attacked Page. Also in the same night, Hobbs lost to Christian Cage. The following week, Brian Cage defeated Adam Page. On July 14 at Night 1 ofFyter Fest,Cage lost theFTW World ChampionshiptoRicky Starksafter being hit in the head with the title by Hobbs, effectively being kicked out of Team Taz.[7]
On November 24,Dante Martinjoined the group after Taz offered him a spot. However, on December 8, Martin eliminatedRicky Starksfrom the Dynamite Diamond Dozen Battle Royal which effectively removed Martin from the group. It was revealed that Dante joined the group as part of a scheme he created withLio Rush,his tag team partner at the time.[8][9]
Throughout the first half of 2022, Starks and Hobbs would continue to team together and chase theAEW World Tag Team Championship,while Hook would break out as a singles wrestler and eventually turn face. On the July 20 episode ofDynamite,Starks issued an open challenger for the FTW Championship, which was answered byDanhausen.AtFight for the Fallenon July 27, Starks issued an open challenge immediately after defeating Danhausen, which was answered by Hook, who defeated Starks for the title. After a post-match promo by Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs attacked him, turning Starks face, and leaving the future of the group in doubt. The following week on the August 3 episode of Dynamite, Taz announced that he was officially disbanding Team Taz.
Members
[edit]
| Member | Joined | Left | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taz | L* | July 23, 2020 | August 3, 2022 |
| Brian Cage | * | July 23, 2020 | July 14, 2021 |
| Ricky Starks | * | July 23, 2020 | August 3, 2022 |
| Powerhouse Hobbs | November 19, 2020 | July 27, 2022 | |
| Hook | December 16, 2020 | August 3, 2022 | |
| Dante Martin | November 24, 2021 | December 8, 2021 | |
Timeline
[edit]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- All Elite Wrestling
- FTW Championship(3 times) – Cage (1),[10]Starks (1),[11]Hook (1)
- Casino Ladder Match(2020) – Cage[12]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Non-Wrestler(2020) – Taz[13]
References
[edit]- ^Gallagher, Marilee (July 22, 2020)."Ricky Starks Aligns with Brian Cage and Taz on AEW DARK".Last Word on Pro Wrestling.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^"Will Hobbs Turns Heel, Joins Team Taz".Wrestling Inc.November 18, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^"WATCH: Taz Chokes Out Cody Rhodes After a Heated Segment on AEW Dynamite".EssentiallySports.November 26, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 1,2021.
- ^"Sting Set To Compete At AEW Revolution, Teams With Darby Allin Against Team Taz | Fightful News".fightful.RetrievedJuly 15,2021.
- ^"411MANIA".Sting & Darby Allin Beat Team Taz at AEW Revolution (Highlights).RetrievedJuly 15,2021.
- ^"AEW: Ricky Starks suffers neck injury".Daily DDT.May 11, 2021.RetrievedJuly 15,2021.
- ^Colin Tessier (July 14, 2021)."Team Taz Betrays Brian Cage, Ricky Starks Wins FTW Championship At AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest Night 1".WrestleZone.RetrievedJuly 14,2021.
- ^Wilkins, Rob (November 24, 2021)."AEW Dynamite Results For 11/24/21 Bryan Danielson vs. Colt Cabana, CM Punk vs. QT Marshall, and more".Fightful.RetrievedAugust 4,2022.
- ^Wilkins, Rob (December 8, 2021)."AEW Dynamite Results For 12/8/21 The Young Bucks vs. Orange Cassidy and Rocky Romero and much more".Fightful.RetrievedAugust 4,2022.
- ^Defelice, Robert (July 8, 2020)."AEW Fyter Fest 2020 Night 2 (7/8/20) Results".Mandatory.RetrievedJuly 8,2020.
- ^Barnett, Jake (July 14, 2021)."7/14 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Fyter Fest Night One with Ethan Page vs. Darby Allin in a Coffin Match, Jon Moxley vs. Karl Anderson for the IWGP U.S. Title, Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks for the FTW Title, Matt Hardy vs. Christian".Pro Wrestling Dot Net.RetrievedJuly 15,2021.
- ^"AEW Double or Nothing 2020".Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database.RetrievedMay 24,2020.
- ^Meltzer, Dave(February 26, 2021)."March 1, 2021, Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2020 awards issue, Elimination Chamber".Figure Four Online.Wrestling Observer Newsletter.RetrievedFebruary 26,2021.
External links
[edit]- Team Taz's profile atCagematch.net
