WWE Vault: Best Of Tajiri: Wrestling Needs People Like Him
Best Of Tajiri
Commentators: Joey Styles, Cyrus, Joel Gertner, Michael Cole, Tazz, Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips
This is where this series gets somewhere interesting, as you have another talented star who never got a ton of attention. Tajiri might have been my favorite ECW star as he was the definition of “you know what you’re getting” but he did it really well. There are going to be a lot of kicks around here so let’s get to it.
Opening video.
From Anarchy Rulz 1999.
Tajiri vs. Little Guido vs. Super Crazy
Elimination rules, Big Sal is here with Guido and ECW ran this match roughly 839 times. Tajiri gets taken into the corner to start but kicks his way out, allowing him to send Guido out to the ramp. A headscissors puts Crazy out on the floor but a big dive is cut off. Crazy hits a springboard missile dropkick but Guido is back in with a springboard high crossbody for two. The camel clutch to Crazy lets Tajiri add a basement dropkick so Guido loads it up again, only for Tajiri to dropkick Guido in a smart move.
They head outside where Tajiri hits a great Asai moonsault but goes back inside where Sal gets to wreck people. Back in and Guido stomps away until Tajiri suplexes him for two. Tajiri sends Guido over the barricade but Crazy is right there for the huge springboard moonsault to take them both down. Back in and Sal gets dropkicked off the apron and through a table, leaving Tajiri to grab a Tarantula.
That’s broken up with a hard dropkick and we reset a bit. Crazy surfboards Tajiri and even rolls him around the ring a bit before adding in a dragon sleeper. We go to the double submission on Tajiri with a camel clutch from Crazy and a Boston crab from Guido, which somehow isn’t a submission.
Instead Guido chops away at Crazy and gets two off an Unprettier. Guido gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for a rather nasty dropkick, followed by Crazy’s moonsault for the pin on Guido at 9:20. Tajiri immediately kicks Crazy down but Crazy is right back with kicks of his own. That gives us a standoff until Crazy puts him down for a springboard moonsault.
Tajiri is back up with the handspring elbow for two but Crazy is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two. A tornado DDT drops Crazy, who is right back up with an inverted tornado DDT for a VERY delayed near fall. The first moonsault connects but Tajiri blocks the second and hits a heck of a running dropkick. The brainbuster gives Tajiri the win at 14:41.
Rating: B. These guys could do this match in their sleep and that’s not a bad thing. There is something fun about watching the three of them do their stuff and look awesome doing it, which is what you would always get out of this. Tajiri’s kicks are always painful to see and he stuck with them for the simple reason of they worked. Throw in a nice brainbuster and what else did he really need? Well other than mist but that should be standard equipment for a wrestler.
From ECW On TNN, January 21, 2000.
Tajiri vs. Super Crazy
This is a Mexican Death Match (anything goes) and we’re joined in progress for some reason. Tajiri kicks him into a headlock and we take a break. We come back with Tajiri hitting a baseball slide in the Tree Of Woe, meaning it’s time for the chairs. Three of those chairs are put into Crazy’s face for the baseball slide, which is enough to bust him open.
The table is loaded up inside and Tajiri slides the chairs down said table like a glass on a bar, with Crazy having to duck. The top rope double stomp hits Crazy but the table doesn’t break, so Tajiri does it again with some force for the snap. One heck of a kick to the head rocks Crazy again and he can’t stand up, with Tajiri mocking him in a rather hilarious bit. Crazy is back up with a backbreaker into a top rope moonsault and they head out into the crowd.
Tajiri is laid on a table and of course there’s a moonsault to drive him through. They get back inside so Crazy can hammer away in the corners, naturally with the fans counting in Spanish for a nice touch. The also bleeding Tajiri hits a quick handspring elbow but Crazy gets up first anyway. A spinwheel kick to the back of the head gives Crazy two but Tajiri kicks him low.
That means a bridging German suplex can give Tajiri two and he baseball slides Crazy out into the crowd. The Asai moonsault connects as well, with Tajiri looking rather insane. Back in and another table is set up but Crazy hits a heck of a springboard missile dropkick. Crazy gets his own table and tries a powerbomb, only to get misted. That’s fine with Crazy, who powerbombs Tajiri through a table for the pin at 12:53 shown.
Rating: B. This was in the Death Match family (thankfully the ECW version) as they beat the fire out of each other. They beat the fire out of each other and Crazy surviving the mist in the end was a good visual. These two, along with Guido, were the ones who could be put together in any combination to fill in a good deal of TV time in a rather successful way.
From Judgment Day 2003.
Chavo Guerrero is injured and Eddie Guerrero needs a new partner, so he picks….well I think you know here.
Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Eddie Guerrero vs. Team Angle
Team Angle is defending in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with Guerrero being sent into a ladder and Tajiri kicking Haas down. Benjamin makes the save and a double elbow puts Tajiri down. Guerrero can’t get very far as Benjamin gorilla presses him onto Haas’ knee. The ladder is loaded up and Guerrero tries to backdrop Tajiri onto the champs…but it really doesn’t work as Tajiri gets caught in the ropes.
Guerrero hits a quick dive to try and save things a bit but Haas and Benjamin are back up for a climb. Tajiri gets smart with a handspring elbow to take the ladder down and it’s a double basement dropkick into the ladder to double crotch Haas in the corner. Haas is sandwiched between some ladders for a slingshot hilo from Guerrero but Benjamin is back in for the save.
Guerrero gets powerslammed into a ladder in the corner and Tajiri is laid on a ladder on the ropes. Benjamin’s big dive off the ladder crushes Tajiri and Haas goes up, only for Guerrero to dropkick it out. Guerrero gets whipped hard into a ladder in the corner, with Tajiri dropkicking the same ladder into Benjamin’s face. Tajiri is back up with some rather hard kicks and some less hard ladder shots.
The Tarantula has Haas in more trouble, with Benjamin making the save with a ladder of his own. Back in and Guerrero gets beaten down in the corner but manages a monkey flip to send Benjamin into another ladder. It’s still too early to get too far up the ladder though as the champs cut Guerrero off again.
Guerrero knocks Benjamin down for a big crash into a frog splash and we need another breather. Haas and Guerrero go up the ladder, with Guerrero snapping off a heck of a sunset bomb. Benjamin tries to make a save but gets misted by Tajiri, allowing Guerrero to pull down the titles for the win at 14:16.
Rating: B+. They weren’t exactly reinventing the match here but what they did was get rather physical rather quickly. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was cool to see the chemistry between Guerrero and Tajiri coming together pretty much out of nowhere. This is a bit of a hidden gem and it’s nice to see a talented guy finally getting a chance to show what he can do, even if it’s due to an injury.
From Smackdown, May 22, 2003.
Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Eddie Guerrero vs. Team Angle
Tajiri/Guerrero are defending without ladders involved this time. Tajiri and Benjamin start things off with the former kicking away at both Teams. Angles? Team Angles? Anyway Guerrero has to save Tajiri from a double suplex before coming in anyway. Some shoulders in the corner don’t do much to Guerrero, who snaps off a middle rope armdrag to take over. It’s back to Tajiri for the big kicks and Guerrero takes them down again. Tajiri hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.
We come back with Benjamin neckbreakering Guerrero into a sunset flip, with Tajiri making a save. Another neckbreaker sets up some cravates, followed by a rather nice suplex from Benjamin. The Haas Of Pain has Guerrero in more trouble but Tajiri is in with the dropkick to the head for the save. Benjamin and Haas take turns putting on abdominal stretches but Guerrero is back up with a top rope wristdrag/headscissors to get out of trouble.
It’s back to Tajiri to fire off the kicks, setting up the handspring elbow. A tornado DDT gets two on Benjamin as everything breaks down. Haas breaks up the Tarantula and Benjamin catches Tajiri with a Dragon Whip. Guerrero grabs a chair and hits the referee before throwing it to Haas. Since Guerrero is smart enough to not blast the referee with the chair (so he can get back up quickly), Haas gets disqualified to retain the titles at 15:54.
Rating: B-. This was a very different kind of match than the one with the title change (obviously) and it wound up being a completely fine enough showdown. I’m not sure about going with the cute finish over having Guerrero and Tajiri get a pin in their first title defense but Guerrero can make anything work. Good TV match here, but the ending was a bit of a stretch.
From Smackdown, July 31, 2003.
New US Champion Eddie Guerrero comes out in his low rider but the hydraulics aren’t working. He goes to check some things…and Tajiri is in the trunk with the mist to blind him. Guerrero insists that he can’t wrestle, but the referee says compete or forfeit the title (geez that’s kind of ridiculous when Tajiri jumped him).
US Title: Tajiri vs. Eddie Guerrero
Tajiri is challenging and we’re joined in progress with Tajiri kicking away. This lets commentary recap their feud, as Guerrero turned on Tajiri after they lost the titles and put him through a windshield. Tajiri strikes away and they go outside, where Guerrero gets in a quick shot of his own to take over. Back in and Tajiri kicks away, only to get elbowed in the face.
The slingshot hilo gets two and the fans approve as the villain takes over. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Guerrero goes up. That earns him a big kick and a superplex back down for the nasty crash. One heck of a monkey flip sends Guerrero flying again and he rolls outside, with Tajiri sending him into the steps. Tajiri sends him into the announcers’ table and fires off a rather hard kick to take him back inside.
The handspring elbow and a tornado DDT drop Guerrero again but Tajiri can’t follow up. The rather delayed cover gets two so Tajiri is back to the kicks. Guerrero grabs the yet to be named Three Amigos with the third being reversed into the Tarantula. With that broken up, Guerrero distracts the referee and gets in a low blow. Back up and the mist hits the referee by mistake, meaning the Buzzsaw Kick doesn’t even get a cover. That means Guerrero can get in a belt shot and then steal Tazz’s water to wash the referee’s eyes. The frog splash retains the title at 12:17.
Rating: B. Again, you could kind of guess how well this one was going to go as they’re too talented to have it be bad. Tajiri was getting a rare chance to show what he could do on his own and he hung in there with Guerrero. At the end though, Guerrero’s cheating was too much for even the mist to overcome and Guerrero gets to retain. Solid match.
From Smackdown, September 25, 2003.
Cruiserweight Title: Tajiri vs. Rey Mysterio
Tajiri is challenging. They fight over wrist control to start until Mysterio snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana. La majistral gives Tajiri two and he sends Mysterio hard into the corner. The Tarantula has Mysterio in more trouble but he gets in a kick to break up the mist (which is running down Tajiri’s mouth). Mysterio sends him outside for a heck of a springboard dive and we take a break.
We come back with Tajiri kicking him out of the air and going after the ribs. Tajiri kicks him down for two more and it’s off to a bodyscissors to work on the ribs some more. Back up and a gutbuster gives Tajiri two and the bodyscissors go on again. This one doesn’t last long and it’s Tajiri kicking away at the ribs even more. Mysterio finally comes back with a sitout bulldog for two, plus a top rope moonsault press for the same. A wheelbarrow suplex gives Tajiri two of his own and he nails a running dropkick in the corner.
The Michinoku Driver gets two more as Mysterio is in big trouble. Back up and the referee almost gets bumped, with Tajiri’s kick to the head knocking said referee silly. Mysterio comes back with the 619 but Tajiri is back with a nasty superkick. Another referee comes in to count two before going to check on the first referee. That’s enough for Tajiri to get in the mist and a Buzzsaw Kick for the title at 15:06.
Rating: B. This was more about Tajiri getting to take Mysterio apart and eventually win the title through some shenanigans. There is something rather fun about watching Tajiri getting to rip someone apart piece by piece, which slowed Mysterio up enough. Then it was thrown out the window for the sake of mist to the face and a kick to the head, which fits in well after Tajiri’s recent heel turn. Good stuff here, again.
From the Cruiserweight Classic.
Second Round: Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik
Metalik grabs a headlock to start but has to flip out of a headscissors for a standoff. They trade armdrags and sweep the leg for two each and that’s another stalemate. Another headscissors has Tajiri down but he bridges up into a leglock and Bryan is rather impressed on commentary. That’s reversed into an ankle lock on Tajiri, which is reversed into a rollup for two more.
Metalik sends him outside and hits a heck of a superkick, only for Tajiri to get in an even harder kick. A neckbreaker gives Tajiri two and he grabs the chinlock. Metalik fights up but gets kicked into the corner. That’s reversed into a springboard missile dropkick to send Tajiri outside, setting up a heck of a rope walk dive (Bryan approves again).
Back up and another Tajiri kick is countered into a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Metalik works on the leg but Tajiri is back up with a heck of a kick to the head. The baseball slide in the corner gives Tajiri two and he counters a middle rope hurricanrana into a powerbomb for two more. The reverse Rings Of Saturn has Metalik in more trouble but he escapes again. This time he’s back up with the Metalik Driver for the pin at 10:43.
Rating: B. This is why you bring Tajiri back in, as he puts over a star like Metalik on his way out of the tournament. He’s an established name and the kind of person who can make someone else look good. The fans might not know much about Metalik, but they know he can beat Tajiri so he has some status to him. That’s the point, and it came after a hard fought match.
From NXT, December 28, 2016.
Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Akira Tozawa vs. DIY
DIY is defending and we’re in Japan. Gargano and Tozawa start things off and head to the mat, with Tozawa easily slipping out of a headscissors. They trade armdrags until Tozawa ducks a low superkick for a standoff. That means it’s off to Tajiri vs. Ciampa to fight over wrist control, with Tajiri slipping away for a clean break. Tajiri takes him down for an armbar and a technical off goes to another stalemate.
Tozawa comes back in and tries a slam but gets driven into the corner for a running knee. Ciampa is back on the arm but gives him a clean break of his own. Tozawa manages to get over for a tag and Tajiri grabs some rapid rollups for a bunch of near falls as we take a break. We come back with Tozawa kicking at Ciampa, who reverses one of them into a backbreaker out of the corner for two. It’s back to Gargano for the seated abdominal stretch but he dives into a gutbuster.
That’s not enough for Tajiri to come back in though as Ciampa cuts it off like a good champion should do. Tozawa kicks his way to freedom though and now it’s back to Tajiri to clean house. Everything breaks down and the champs are kicked to the floor for Tozawa’s big dive. It works so well that he does it again, followed by a suplex for two on Ciampa back inside. Gargano comes back in with the slingshot spear for two of his own but gets caught in the Tarantula.
Back up and Gargano’s rolling kick to the head gets two more and it’s back to Tozawa for the trading of forearms. Ciampa gets toll the German suplexes and everything breaks down, meaning it’s a string of German suplexes to leave everyone down. A discus lariat puts Tozawa down and Project Ciampa gets two with Tajiri making the save. Meet In The Middle finishes Tozawa to retain at 20:56.
Rating: B+. Here you had a fine example of a match where the result wasn’t in doubt, as DIY wasn’t about to lose the titles to a makeshift team, but the fans had a good time. The match wound up working well and Tajiri and Tozawa worked nicely together. If nothing else, it was nice to see the serious version of Tozawa, who is a lot better than the comedy version that he would wind up being for such a long time.
Overall Rating: B. There’s a reason I’ve always liked stars such as Tajiri. He was never going to be the top star in a major promotion, or even a top star almost anywhere outside of maybe a smaller place. What he was going to be was a dependable hand who could be slotted into just about any midcard spot. He’s a hard hitting, technically sound star who could hang with talented stars. I love seeing unheralded stars getting this kind of a spotlight and it showed just how good Tajiri could be (even with zero mention of William Regal and Torrie Wilson).
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