Taz Talks Shane McMahon, His Reaction To Taz Slapping Pete Gas, Making Changes For The Wrestlers
On a recent episode of The Taz Show: Bodyslams and Beyond, 'the Human Suplex Machine' talked about Shane McMahon. Taz spoke very favorably about McMahon, saying that he was a sweetheart of a guy who did not want any special treatment for himself or his friends in the Mean Street Posse. Also, Taz said that McMahon is the reason WWE installed padding under the announce desk for the safety of the wrestlers.
During the show, Taz called Shane McMahon one of the great people he has met from working in the professional wrestling business. Taz claimed that the wrestlers would not go easy on him in the ring as the boss's son because neither Vince McMahon nor Shane McMahon, more importantly, would have wanted it that way. Taz suggested that McMahon did not want preferential treatment for his friends in the Mean Street Posse either. Taz told a story where he accidentally slapped Pete Gas very hard and, being new to the company at the time, worried about McMahon being upset by it.
"I think it was Pete Gas, I slap him in the ring, we do our match, it was no big deal. I tagged him pretty good. I nailed him and he knew it and his jaw was ringing a little bit or whatever it was. I'm like, 'oh God! I'm going to get some heat.' I go through the curtain. I see some of the boys and they're ribbing me like, 'oh, man! You're going to get some heat, bro. Oh, God! That's Shane's buddy. That's Shane's buddy.' I'm thinking, 'oh, God! I just got here and I've got heat already! I can't believe this!' Just complete slappage, right? And I see Shane and he goes, 'hey, bro! It was a good match, man! That was pretty good!', and I'm like, 'yeah, thanks!' I'm looking at him like, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop!" Taz continued, "so I go, 'oh, I thought there might be a little heat. The slap was a little stiff, man! I'm sorry.' He goes, 'what are you talking about?' Dude, those guys have got to pay their dues, man. They deserve that. No big deal. Just do your thing.' And I'm like, 'wow, there you go.'"
Taz indicated that Shane McMahon is the reason there is padding underneath the announce desk at WWE. According to Taz, while he was still commentating for WWE, McMahon went to the announce desk to chat with him and Michael Cole prior to a pay-per-view in Fresno, California. McMahon looked at the floor and noticed it was bare concrete and knowing that a big announce table bump was planned for the pay-per-view, he gathered the production crew together and told them to make sure that the area was safe for the performers.
"I bet the farm that there is still a pad under those announcers' desk, which makes it a b—h to roll that chair around! So [McMahon] made sure that whole area was padded because it used to be that by the announce desk, it was no padding. Like, where the announcers' chairs would roll, under the desk, behind the desk, that whole area was never padded. Never. And now it is because of Shane. I just thought it was so cool that he understands and cares about the safety and well being of the boys because he has taken big bumps and he understands it's hard enough."
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