AEW is paying homage to one of ECW’s most iconic figures. This Saturday, during AEW Collision at Philadelphia’s legendary 2300 Arena, Taz will officially be inducted into the venue’s Hardcore Hall of Fame.
The announcement came after this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite went off the air, where the AEW roster surrounded the ring in “Team Taz Dojo” shirts for a surprise tribute. The moment was capped off by AEW President Tony Khan, who praised Taz as one of the building’s all-time greats.
“After a great night here for the first ever AEW show in the 2300 Arena, I can’t think of a more fitting way to end it than to pay respect to the greatest legend in the history of this building,” Khan said, recalling how he wore a Taz shirt as a teenager attending ECW shows.
Taz carved out a legendary career during his six-year run in ECW, capturing the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice, the Television Title twice, and the Tag Titles three times. He also famously introduced the FTW Championship — a belt later revived in AEW in 2020. That legacy continued through his son, HOOK, who became the final FTW Champion before retiring the title in 2024.
According to Taz, the tribute caught him off guard, with his wife and son helping keep the surprise under wraps. On Saturday, his official Hardcore Hall of Fame banner will be raised inside the arena that defined so much of his career.
For a man once known as “The Human Suplex Machine,” the honor is another suplex-sized stamp on his lasting impact in professional wrestling history.
Wrestling News Blog 