AEW Rumors: Company to sign former WWE star and make him an authority figure?

AEW announced earlier this week that former WWE Superstar Taz will appear on the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida.

The two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion has made sporadic appearances as a color commentator at AEW events in recent months, including on the Full Gear pre-show in November, but it has not been revealed whether he has officially signed with the company.

Ahead of his upcoming Dynamite appearance, Wrestle Votes is reporting that AEW is considering adding a Commissioner character to its programming, and Taz is among the people being discussed for the role.

Rare non-WWE drop: I regularly talk to someone in the wrestling business, not directly tied to WWE... AEW is considering adding a commissioner type figure to TV. Name to watch is Tazz, who recently finished up w/ his CBS Radio job. Not sure it happens but interesting nonetheless.

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) December 27, 2019

Taz, who confirmed last week that he has hosted his final show for CBS Radio, is yet to announce what he has planned for the next stage of his career.

For a full recap of the current situation with AEW and NXT, check out this week’s episode of Sportskeeda’s Dropkick DiSKussions podcast with Korey Gunz and Tom Colohue. The show also features a recap of 2019, including WWE Year-End Awards!

Taz’s broadcasting history

Towards the end of his in-ring career, Taz replaced Jerry Lawler on the SmackDown commentary team in early 2001 and he worked as both a wrestler and an announcer for most of the next year.

In 2002, the former ECW star retired from in-ring competition and began working full-time as a commentator on SmackDown alongside Michael Cole. The two men went on to call the action on the blue brand for the next four years, while Taz also commentated on the revamped ECW in 2006.

Following his exit from WWE in 2009, Taz worked as an announcer in Impact Wrestling from 2009-2015, and he made a cameo appearance on WWE programming in 2016 when he discussed the legacy of ECW in a WWE Network special.