Replacements for Undertaker, Kurt Angle announced for Starrcast II
By Paul Bradley
In a last-minute bid to appease the high-paying Starrcast II attendees after the loss of The Undertaker and Kurt Angle, Japanese legend Kenta Kobashi and, former ECW Champion, Taz have been announced as attractions for the wrestling convention.
It seemed too good to be true for fans to have a chance to have a sit down with the most secretive wrestler in history, The Undertaker. And it was too good to be true, as WWE has pulled ‘Taker from his scheduled appearance at Starrcast II, the pro wrestling fan convention taking place in Las Vegas around AEW’s Double or Nothing in May.
The Undertaker has been branching out and doing public appearances more frequently, with a hefty price tag attached. The Undertaker was also scheduled to appear in the UK for a Q-and-A event with Inside The Ropes, a touring wrestling event company, but he was pulled from that portion of the event. It seems that this decision came at the request of WWE and not “The Dead Man” himself.
The Undertaker wasn’t the only attraction pulled from Starrcast II, as WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle was also pulled from the event, seemingly under the same direction of WWE. Starrcast organizer Conrad Thompson then went in search of big-name replacements for Angle and ‘Taker. It seems that Thompson was successful in his search.
#Starrcast II is proud to welcome @OfficialTaz making an extremely rare appearance in #LasVegas Memorial Day Weekend!!
— #StarrcastVI (@StarrcastEvents) April 23, 2019
Meet & Greets on sale this Friday https://t.co/VShyAsTu00 pic.twitter.com/fR7F5fKKxx
The first name announced as a replacement was former ECW Champion and WWE commentator Taz. Taz is known to be very selective with what he does and rarely makes public appearances so this is a big get for Starrcast. Most fans have kept up with Taz over the years by listening to his morning radio show, “Taz and The Moose,” on CBS Sports Radio and his podcast, “The Taz Show”.
This Superstarr is one of the greatest in-ring talents of all time. He’s an icon of Japanese wrestling, he’s held titles in NOAH & All Japan.#Starrcast II is proud to welcome @FortuneKK0327 to Las Vegas, Memorial Day Weekend!
— #StarrcastVI (@StarrcastEvents) April 24, 2019
Gold bracelets on sale now: https://t.co/VShyAsTu00 pic.twitter.com/Oob2APC20S
The second name announced is an even bigger get as Kenta Kobashi has been announced for an appearance. Kobashi is a legend in Japan as he was an original roster member of Pro Wrestling NOAH and put on dozens of five-star matches over his long career.
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Kobashi has not been in the United States in many years and has never appeared in a live Q-and-A format in English before. Kobashi seems to be the big replacement to appease the fans this year and hardcore Japanese wrestling fans will most likely be satisfied with this offering. Starrcast II takes place on May 23 through 26 at Cesars Palace.