Speaker 1: A day that, back in the the era was happening.
Speaker 1: Was unheard of to see a WWF superstar battle, a
Speaker 1: w CW superstar for ECW's Championship show, an ECW show,
Speaker 1: It's Mike Awesome.
Speaker 2: First test, and wasn't it a house show?
Speaker 1: Yes?
Speaker 3: Yes, which was beyond comprehension, Like we blew everybody's minds
Speaker 3: that night, Like the fans in attendance went ape shit.
Speaker 2: When this happened.
Speaker 3: I remember, uh from being in the back. I remember
Speaker 3: a tremendous amount of heat on Mike Awesome, the boys,
Speaker 3: like everybody was mad at him. And I always got
Speaker 3: along with Mike, Like I know a lot of people
Speaker 3: didn't like him, some did, some didn't whatever. I hung
Speaker 3: out with Mike outside of work too, him and his wife,
Speaker 3: and he was always a complete gentleman, very very nice
Speaker 3: guy to me. But I do remember like this night
Speaker 3: he waited in the car, like I remember him being
Speaker 3: outside right and not coming in, and like Taz was
Speaker 3: in there, and like I don't remember seeing Mike.
Speaker 2: I think they took Mike in just when his music
Speaker 2: was playing.
Speaker 3: I could be wrong about that, but they don't remember
Speaker 3: him being in the back because I just remember there
Speaker 3: was this buzz like there was so much heat. Right
Speaker 3: he when he left, he left with the belt, correct?
Speaker 1: Correct? There he shows up on Nitro out of the
Speaker 1: he comes out of the crowd. He beats up Kevin Nash.
Speaker 1: So right off the bat, he's putting a big spot
Speaker 1: in WCW because he's already because they say he's the
Speaker 1: ECW champion. What's he doing here?
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, so there was heat.
Speaker 3: I don't remember, like I wasn't preppy to the fact
Speaker 3: if Paul knew, you know, he was doing that. Like,
Speaker 3: I don't know the backstory. I just remember that night.
Speaker 3: Jeff Jones like was kind of like, was Jeff there?
Speaker 1: I want to say, yeah, well he was with Mike,
Speaker 1: so yeah, right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So Jeff I think was like running to the car,
Speaker 3: trying to because he wouldn't come in the back because
Speaker 3: he I think he I don't know if Mike thought
Speaker 3: that he had heat or if he had legit heat
Speaker 3: for taking the bell and the boys were pissed at him.
Speaker 2: I don't know. But all I know is when those
Speaker 2: two came out.
Speaker 3: The place went nuts because, like you said, we have
Speaker 3: a WWF guy the WCW and you're at an ECW house.
Speaker 2: You're at a house show.
Speaker 1: So I just can't remember. I don't believe Taz will announced.
Speaker 2: No, I don't. I think it was a surprise.
Speaker 1: Yes, I believe Taz is as a surprise. So Taz
Speaker 1: leave's technically in September of previous year. He debuts for
Speaker 1: the w W in January. After all, the big hula
Speaker 1: that dated build him up. So when Taz is now
Speaker 1: coming in in April, this is a much much tanner
Speaker 1: and much more orange colored Taz in his WF shirt
Speaker 1: coming out to this ECW show is now a WWF superstar.
Speaker 1: So you not only do you have this awkward situation
Speaker 1: with Mike Austen, but now you've got this guy left
Speaker 1: in a very emotional way, is now back to reclaim
Speaker 1: the belt. So what do you remember about Taz being
Speaker 1: at this this show?
Speaker 3: Just I think he was like doing us the favor
Speaker 3: of coming in and uh, you know, but where's Tommy Dreamer?
Speaker 1: Get I come? Uh, Spike Dudley can't roll up Mike
Speaker 1: Assam and have the belt for a night, you know,
Speaker 1: like because we.
Speaker 2: Wanted to drop the crowd.
Speaker 3: Okay, it was one of those things I think, like
Speaker 3: picture this, like, you know, the big deal this week
Speaker 3: was sting coming back to aw ai w's working with impact,
Speaker 3: Like things are going crazy. Everybody's ganging up on Vince,
Speaker 3: which I think is brilliant. I love I love the joining.
Speaker 3: If this were you know, uh what year was it, I.
Speaker 2: Don't even know, nineteen, This was two thousand, Okay, so
Speaker 2: the year two thousand.
Speaker 3: If we had Twitter, this would have been like the
Speaker 3: news story.
Speaker 1: Of oh ECW would have been trending.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like it would have been.
Speaker 3: A big, big deal having somebody that was already in
Speaker 3: the company do it.
Speaker 2: What's the big deal to that?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 3: Who cares if no offense? But who cares if one
Speaker 3: of our guys who are already with us in the
Speaker 3: locker room rolls up my gossom and takes this.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but you know you send out Chili Willy to
Speaker 1: roll him up. And then this guy who's gonna be
Speaker 1: on WCWTV just lost to Chili Willie for the world title.
Speaker 1: You know, that's the kind of logic I would use.
Speaker 2: Don't don't underestimate Chili Willly.
Speaker 1: I just saw he was on the card. That's why
Speaker 1: I love Chili Willy.
Speaker 2: He's got some balls. All of like tough.
Speaker 1: But I mean, I don't know what anybody who's that
Speaker 1: big and can move and dance like him can do
Speaker 1: whatever the hell he wants.
Speaker 3: To do what he wants. He's a tough mother trucker.
Speaker 3: But no, I just feel like, you know, it was
Speaker 3: a pop, It was a surprise. We'd like to surprise people.
Speaker 3: It was a house show. It got people talking. You know,
Speaker 3: I don't think it would have had as much impact
Speaker 3: if if we just used some rando, as you call.
Speaker 2: It, the word you always use love rando.
Speaker 3: I think having Taz there was a great move. Nobody
Speaker 3: expected it.
Speaker 1: Yes, April thirteen, two thousand, Indianapolis, Indiana. So not necessarily
Speaker 1: you know, ECW home territory. So it's really you guys
Speaker 1: are just on the you're you're literally just taking the
Speaker 1: belt off of him. The footage ends up being played
Speaker 1: on I think smeckdown because this ends up leading to
Speaker 1: ECW World Champion Taz facing WWF champion Triple h H
Speaker 1: squashs him, you know, five minutes to include a run
Speaker 1: in by a still ECW Tommy Dreamer. Also, so a
Speaker 1: lot of cross pollination going on at this point, you
Speaker 1: know where a year later, everybody would be gone except
Speaker 1: for WWF. But this one moment April two thousand, every.
Speaker 2: World together collide.
Speaker 1: So we'll pick up.
Speaker 2: And I haven't seen this since that night, so it's
Speaker 2: been there.
Speaker 1: We go. So this is actually the WWE website, uh
Speaker 1: footage of it, so it's a little bit better quality
Speaker 1: than what is on Like yeah, okay, ye, so this
Speaker 1: is where they just announced that Tazz is WWF music hits,
Speaker 1: not a ECW music is WWF music hits. And like
Speaker 1: I said, he's a little tanner, his shirt is very
Speaker 1: orangey and look at the crowd.
Speaker 2: They're going crazy.
Speaker 3: This was a great surprise, right yeah, gone, We never
Speaker 3: think we're gonna see him again, and here he comes
Speaker 3: on a house show.
Speaker 2: Mind you.
Speaker 3: That's why I loved Healse shows. You never knew what
Speaker 3: was going to happen. Belts could change, people can leave,
Speaker 3: come back.
Speaker 2: It's great.
Speaker 1: And look at the places going nuts. I mean it's
Speaker 1: a smaller it's a smaller place. You know, you could
Speaker 1: feel every bit of that. I'm sure. Now do you
Speaker 1: remember watching this on a monitor in the back or
Speaker 1: you just kind of.
Speaker 3: I don't even know. If we had a monitor, we
Speaker 3: might have been all watching it through the curtains. House shows,
Speaker 3: I don't I don't know if we had monitors at
Speaker 3: the house shows, I can't remember, but we were definitely
Speaker 3: all watching through the curtain for sure.
Speaker 1: And they go right, they go right to the outside.
Speaker 1: So this is a brawl.
Speaker 3: Yeah, But you know, you got to respect Mike too,
Speaker 3: because he did the right thing here.
Speaker 2: He came back and he dropped He dropped it clean,
Speaker 2: and he left.
Speaker 3: So say what you want about him leaving, but at
Speaker 3: least you know he came back and did what he
Speaker 3: was supposed to do.
Speaker 1: Now, what do you think about kind of the after
Speaker 1: effects some people felt towards Mike, aussays, if you remember
Speaker 1: just As kills him on commentary during One night Stand,
Speaker 1: call him a Judas and calling him this and really
Speaker 1: derogatory stuff, kind of like carrying that, you know, almost
Speaker 1: six years later, still.
Speaker 2: You know, I think it's the way he went about it.
Speaker 3: If he would have, you know, stayed, dropped the belt
Speaker 3: and then left, he wouldn't have had all that heat
Speaker 3: on him because he would have went out the right way. Again,
Speaker 3: I don't blame anyone for leaving for a better future,
Speaker 3: for more money to take care of their family. But
Speaker 3: it's the way that you leave. And I think that's
Speaker 3: why people were bitter at Mike.
Speaker 2: Right, okay, for the way that he left.
Speaker 1: Now, do you think Taz talked a little trash in
Speaker 1: his ear? Right there? His head was moving a little bit.
Speaker 2: He says, move, I'm out of here. Yeah, he leaves.
Speaker 3: We didn't even see him after this, so you know,
Speaker 3: and and that's that, and and the place popped.
Speaker 2: It's a very small building, you know.
Speaker 1: But that's that's Jeff Jones calling right there, Jeff Jones calling.
Speaker 1: Jeff Jones is calling to say, hey, listen, this is
Speaker 1: what happened. I would love to know. I've never heard
Speaker 1: that from Jeff Jones's side of what he's You know,
Speaker 1: I had to go through that night because he used
Speaker 1: to come back to you guys, right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, Mike didn't take him to.
Speaker 2: But then he didn't take.
Speaker 1: But didn't look like so Mike Awesome. You know, obviously
Speaker 1: he went for the guaranteed money. He went for the
Speaker 1: big contract. Blah blah blah. They take him, They turn
Speaker 1: him too, that seventies guy, Mike Awesome. They turned him.
Speaker 1: It was Mike Awesome, the fat chick. Thriller. I mean
Speaker 1: Kim driving around in the Partridge Family bus, which I
Speaker 1: did ask Shane about, and Shane did go check out
Speaker 1: the Partridge Family bus, of course he did. Oh you
Speaker 1: know you never saw that. Oh my god, Oh my god.
Speaker 1: I hold that up now. That is that is unbelievable.
Speaker 1: When he was that Sandies guy. Yeah, he had tie
Speaker 1: he had tie ins right with seventies culture. And I
Speaker 1: believe that has to be Russo era because obviously Russo
Speaker 1: is a little more cut into the ure characters, right
Speaker 1: he wore, Yeah, actually, there's nothing, no goodge. I'll pull
Speaker 1: up a picture, but he Oh my gosh, this is
Speaker 1: you see this picture. That's the full Where is this
Speaker 1: ship here?
Speaker 2: It is.
Speaker 1: There? It is you see that. Look at that picture.
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 1: That's that's seventies guy, Mike Austin, the full blown What
Speaker 1: do you call that polyester?
Speaker 2: I guess right, that's a leisure suit.
Speaker 3: That's a seventies leisure suit. Look I I like I said,
Speaker 3: I liked Mike a lot.
Speaker 1: There's the fact, Chick Thriller, I can't say that anymore.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's unfortunate.
Speaker 3: He had his demons and I'll never forget Sean Stasy
Speaker 3: act telling me he saw him. Uh, because you know,
Speaker 3: he hung himself, so he saw he saw him through
Speaker 3: the window.
Speaker 1: Oh he Sean Stasy is the one that found the body.
Speaker 3: I'm pretty sure Sean and he called somebody. I'm trying
Speaker 3: to remember the way the story went or what or
Speaker 3: somebody saw him through the window. I don't know if
Speaker 3: it was Sean, but they saw that he hung himself.
Speaker 3: So very sad.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it says right here on Wikipedia says February seventeen,
Speaker 1: thousand and seven a group of his friends found him
Speaker 1: dead after he'd hung himself inside his Teppa home. He
Speaker 1: was only forty two.
Speaker 2: Forty two, married, he had children.
Speaker 1: Right, Uh, he was cousin of Hulk Hogan's nephew Michael Blea,
Speaker 1: who known his first Hogan. No relation to Bill Alfonso
Speaker 1: after all. No, that doesn't say if he had.
Speaker 2: Thought he had children. Maybe I'm wrong, but married his
Speaker 2: high school sweetheart.
Speaker 1: I oh, they had two children, two kids.
Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure he had kids, so Hazy and Chrissa.
Speaker 3: She was a very sweet girl. It did just a
Speaker 3: heartbreaking story. But again I think it. You know, it
Speaker 3: wasn't that he left, It was the way that he
Speaker 3: left that got him all the heat.
Speaker 2: So unfortunate.
Speaker 1: And this ties into why this is on my mind
Speaker 1: is because, like you mentioned, Taz in aw Is, you know,
Speaker 1: got it, He's got a team Taz. And how about
Speaker 1: this too. They've referenced Taz and his son, and I
Speaker 1: guess his son is training to get into the business.
Speaker 1: And in the storyline, it's that his son is learning
Speaker 1: to train at Cody Rhodes's school, not learning from his father,
Speaker 1: and that's where the conflict arose between the Roads camp
Speaker 1: and Taz Camp.
Speaker 2: So they're taking a page from Cobra Kai.
Speaker 1: Yeah, a little bit, that's what they're doing right there.
Speaker 3: Okay, see, I don't watch it, so I didn't know
Speaker 3: the backstory, but that sounds a lot like Cobra Kai
Speaker 3: to me.
Speaker 2: But hey, use it, go for it makes sense.
Speaker 1: You know what, just from you know the Taz character
Speaker 1: and what he was in the nineties, and you know,
Speaker 1: obviously we got to see him be a little more
Speaker 1: comedic and show his personality. You would think that, like
Speaker 1: the nineties, Taz wouldn't want his kid even becoming arrest.
Speaker 3: All I know is, when you know, when I first
Speaker 3: joined Twitter, Taz was one of the first people to
Speaker 3: reach out to me and asked me to be on
Speaker 3: his podcast.
Speaker 2: Or his radio show show.
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, and we you know, we talked a little
Speaker 3: bit about the locker room and he pretty much kind
Speaker 3: of apologized and said.
Speaker 2: I'm not that person anymore.
Speaker 3: Wow, you know, and I and I just said, oh,
Speaker 3: I always got along with you.
Speaker 2: He goes, oh, I was a dick, and he said,
Speaker 2: but I'm not that person anymore.
Speaker 3: And I said, well, it's good that you could admit
Speaker 3: that you've you've grown, you know, and he goes, yeah,
Speaker 3: he goes, I don't take it that seriously anymore and
Speaker 3: just making light of it.
Speaker 2: But you know, also saying.
Speaker 3: He basically said he lived a gimmick, you know, and
Speaker 3: he now really eyes that there's more life than just
Speaker 3: the gimmick.
Speaker 2: Brother. Yeah, you know, it was refreshing. It was nice.
Speaker 3: And but I I never had a problem with Taz,
Speaker 3: so I always pretty much got along with him.
Speaker 2: And except for that one time when Shane and I
Speaker 2: came to the rig and he told me, don't stand
Speaker 2: near me because my heels.
Speaker 3: I was like six five and heels because don't stand neary.
Speaker 2: I stood right behind him, and you can see, Like
Speaker 2: my head was he can't.
Speaker 1: He carried himself. Well, you would have thought he was
Speaker 1: the way he walked around, but then you see him
Speaker 1: next to the Atlas guy's walking down the aisle. You're like,
Speaker 1: you know, maybe he needs the boots, you know, maybe
Speaker 1: he shouldn't wrestle in his street clothes.
Speaker 3: Listen, if you believe it, they'll believe it. I said
Speaker 3: it in the you know, to Baby Doll earlier. If
Speaker 3: you believe it, everybody will believe it. He he was
Speaker 3: perfect with his character.
Speaker 2: So I was a task fan and.
Speaker 3: I didn't wear and if I wore orange, Oh, brother,
Speaker 3: I would hear it.
Speaker 2: Oh, I.
Speaker 1: Love that. That's so cool. Is awesome, big big tak fans,
Speaker 1: so great.
Speaker 2: We're very happy for his success in a W, so
Speaker 2: I hope it continues.
Speaker 1: Yes, we will be coming to a W soon. Francine
Speaker 1: and I. We're gonna be a hot mixed gender tag team.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it's gonna be You're gonna yeah, it's gonna
Speaker 1: be the experience and the you know, the the young
Speaker 1: up start myself, you know, on my.
Speaker 2: Way, I thought I was the young help start.
Speaker 1: No, no, you're gonna teach me everything. You know you
Speaker 1: know all the dirty tricks.
Speaker 2: Got you got you look for that soon people.
Speaker 1: Well we're coming to come on Tony CON's and E
Speaker 1: c W. Mark you can tell him I'm Hackmeyer's son.
Speaker 1: All right, Well we'll say goodbye for this week. Another
Speaker 1: E c W moment to discuss. Uh another day we'll
Speaker 1: we'll find something cool and uh we will catch you
Speaker 1: next week. So for the Queen of Extreme Francine, this
Speaker 1: is the chat, sir, and we'll catch you on the
Speaker 1: flip side.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Oh, Francine Francine Queen Extreme Extreme. Odds up here
Speaker 4: head head the Queen Extreme Podcast. Odds up here, Hey head,
Speaker 4: it's the Queen Extreme Podcast.
Speaker 1: It's the Queen of Extreme.
Speaker 4: Bring in the legendcy is the Woman of the Dreams
Speaker 4: Legend On the scene. Francine Podcast.
Speaker 2: What you mean? What your tram?
Speaker 1: Places to show you what you need?
Speaker 4: You find the stand of Queens from the Beginning of Time.
Speaker 4: Odds here our heart radio, shine only a head and
Speaker 4: tell you a story from the wind the Legend odds
Speaker 4: up here, The Queen Nobody's like Frans scene IDEs up
Speaker 4: here here here The Queen Extreme Podcast odes up here
Speaker 4: here Head the Queen Extreme Podcast pzes up here here here,
Speaker 4: The Queen Extreme Podcasts pzes up here here, The Queen
Speaker 4: Extreme podcast podcast