following his neck injury, taz made appearances with the steiner brothers, even standing in their corner during matches with the eliminators and getting physical with jason. it was at the november to remember event, when taz turned heel and joined up with referee bill alfonso. working as the special referee for alfonso's match with ecw commissioner tod gordon, taz refused to count to three and assaulted gordon, then making the count for alfonso. in his post-match promo, he claimed that no one was looking after him while he was injured and that no one cared (though heyman was still paying him, the kayfabe story was that he had been forgotten and that alfonso was the one helping him keep food on his family's table). he was also angry that sabu was brought back in that very night.