Entertainment
Ex-WWE star Trevor Murdoch reveals how disagreement with Taz may have cost him TNA Wrestling work
The bruiser spent some time with the promotion after leaving WWE (Photo: NWA)
Trevor Murdoch has revealed how a disagreement with Taz may have cost him work with TNA Wrestling.
The former WWE superstar, who now works for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), spent some time with the company in 2009 when he was largely used to make other wrestlers look good as enhancement talent.
He spent seven months with the promotion – which was being done without a contract and instead on more of a handshake, match-by-match basis – and one of his last bouts was a clash with Rhino when a disagreement seemingly led to his departure.
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I’m pretty sure the reason why TNA stopped using me at the time was I didn’t have a deal and I was wrestling Rhino. Taz had just come in as a producer, it was his first few matches as producer.
‘We’re putting our match together and Taz asks me, “Trevor, what’s your finishing move?” I go, “Well I do a top-rope bulldog”. He goes, “Oh wow! That’s very impressive for a guy your size!” F**k yeah it is, that’s why I used it as a finisher!
‘He goes, “Well, this match tonight, can you hit Rhino with your finisher, cover, he kicks out at two. Then pick him up, shoot him off, ducks your clothesline and gores you, one-two-three”.
‘I’m pretty stubborn and I was like, “Taz, if there’s anything else you want off the top rope – I’ll do a beautiful high crossbody, shit, whatever you want me to do”. But I don’t have a contract here. I said, “Legitimately, that’s one of two moves that when people see me they go, he might do this! And I don’t wanna throw that away, nor do I wanna waste it.” ‘
Trevor said that although Taz seemed fine with the situation, he was quickly called into a meeting with Terry Taylor, who was working in talent relations at the time.
‘Taz is in there with Terry, and I proceed to get my ass chewed by Terry Taylor because I’m not a company guy and I’m being difficult. I just – I dunno, WWE let me go so there really wasn’t much anybody business-wise could scare me or intimidate me with,’ he added.
‘I just laid it out, I said, “Terry, I’m not trying to be rude or disrespectful by any means! But I’ve been here for the last seven weeks and you guys haven’t given me a deal. The only thing that I’ve got is my bulldog, and I don’t see why that’s a big deal for me not to do that”.
‘I said, “I told him that I’d do anything else you wanted, but that”. They proceeded to s**t on me and tell me I wasn’t a team player. I had a few choice words – one of them was “kiss my ass” – and I walked out the door. I went and had the match with Rhino, we did great business, never got a phone call again from them.’
Before TNA, Murdoch won tag team gold in WWE alongside late tag team partner Lance Cade (Photo: WWE)
Although database CageMatch.net does list Murdoch as having a few more matches in TNA after his TV bout with Rhino, they were much less frequent than they had been before that match.
He would go onto spend time working the independent scene, before joining Billy Corgan’s NWA promotion in 2019, where he has become a featured star and has been embroiled in a Worlds Championship feud with Nick Aldis.
Murdoch thinks the company is a perfect fit for him – in terms of the locker room, the on-screen product and the creative freedom he has.
‘There’s nobody pulling me back. Nobody’s saying, “Don’t do this, don’t do that”. As a matter of fact, they’re encouraging me to pish the boundaries a little bit, “Be you!” I’ll be honest with you, I’m so in love with the business right now,’ he beamed.
More: US TV news
‘NWA is what wrestling should be. You can sit down with your friends, your family, kids, everybody. They may not have watched one episode of NWA, but they can sit down and watch an episode as a family and everybody knows what’s going on.’
Another bonus for Trevor in the NWA is the way the performers are allowed to seem like normal people, and he insisted the company isn’t doing anything innovative in that sense – they’re just turning back the clock.
‘We didn’t reinvent the wheel. We’re just doing things that used to be done in the business. A lot of other television companies, “We don’t want you to luck weak, we don’t want you to look back”. In real life, people have good days, they have bad days. Sometimes we make right decisions, sometimes we make wrong decisions – that’s real s**t, that’s real life,’ he noted.
‘I know what it’s like to work hard for something and have someone tell you to f**k off – the fans understand that. Everything we do, the fans understand because they’ve been through it – it’s real life s**t.’
*NWA EmPowerrr and NWA 73 air on Fite TV on August 28 and 29.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : WWE’s Bayley wants dream matches with AEW and NWA star Serena Deeb, legend Lita and more
