THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #15
NOVEMBER 26, 2001
The Insane Luchador vs The Japanese Buzzsaw
Super Crazy and Yoshihiro Tajiri had one of the most memorable in-ring feuds in ECW history. Despite Crazy being a luchador and Tajiri specializing in the juniors puroresu style, each man was adept enough at the other�s specialty that they had strong chemistry against each other practically from their first match against each other. While some would argue that their one on one matches were too many in ECW, I would argue that a match between these two was one of the few guarantees of an outstanding match ECW had, at least on occasion. For this article, I have chosen to review eight of their matches that aired on TV or PPV.
1/10/99: Guilty As Charged PPV
Tajiri did all kinds of great work on the mat and gained an early near fall. Crazy scored with a rollup of his own for a near fall. Crazy gave Tajiri a great mid-air tornado DDT but Tajiri fought back with a ton of his brutal kicks. They exchanged chops but Tajiri then dropkicked Crazy�s knees twice. Tajiri did a somersault into a leglock submission. He bounced off the ropes with his handspring elbow and hit an Asai moonsault on Crazy at ringside. Tajiri scored with a sick sounding kick to Crazy�s head and briefly gave him the tarantula. Crazy blocked a kick and gave Tajiri a springboard dropkick and a great tope con hilo. Crazy moonsaulted Tajiri off the barricade to the floor. He applied a Romero special on Tajiri, then flipped Tajiri around while maintaining the hold before bending him backwards with a reverse headlock in a great sequence. Tajiri countered a tilt a whirl slam with an armdrag and dropkicked Crazy�s knee again. Tajiri hit a plancha on Crazy and scored with another loud kick. Tajiri hit a spin kick for a near fall. Crazy gained a near fall with la magistral. He attempted that move again but Tajiri countered with one of his own for a near fall. Crazy fought back in the corner and hit a moonsault bodyblock for a near fall. Crazy dropkicked Tajiri to the floor and hit a somersault tope. Crazy hit a top rope dropkick and a tornado DDT. Crazy gave Tajiri an enzu-lariat and an inverted tornado DDT for a near fall. Tajiri countered a powerbomb with a DDT in a flawlessly executed spot. Crazy recovered but missed a twisting splash. Tajiri hit a low dropkick to Crazy�s head and gained a near fall with a top rope sunset flip. Tajiri hit a top rope huracanrana but Crazy rolled through upon impact for a near fall. Crazy gained a near fall with a powerbomb. Tajiri countered a second powerbomb and hit one of his own, then transferred flawlessly into a rolling legscissors of sorts for a near fall. Tajiri gave Crazy an airplane spin with Crazy behind his back instead of on his shoulders, then a dragon suplex for the pin at 11:37. A scary lack of heat, but their greatness could not be denied. ***3/4
1/16/99: ECW Arena TV
Crazy missed a dropkick and Tajiri hit his handspring elbow bouncing off the ropes. Tajiri then hit a great somersault plancha towards the corner. Tajiri kicked the crap out of Tajiri as he got up on the apron and applied the tarantula. Tajiri gave Crazy a tilt a whirl backbreaker and a standing moonsault for an early near fall. Tajiri missed a top rope moonsault and Crazy gave him a springboard dropkick that sent him out of the ring. Crazy dumped Tajiri into the front row and hit an amazing superquebrada for a big pop. Crazy crotched Tajiri on the top rope and hit a springboard spin kick that knocked Tajiri to the canvas. Crazy hit a springboard top rope moonsault for a near fall. Crazy missed a top rope twisting moonsault and Tajiri punted his head in brutal fashion twice, then dropkicked Crazy in the head. Tajiri gained a near fall and then German suplexed Crazy for another near fall. Crazy countered a dragon suplex with a low mule kick. Crazy gave Tajiri a moonsault bodyblock and applied a Romero special. Crazy maintained the hold and flipped Tajiri twice, then locked on a rear chinlock that bent Tajiri backwards. Crazy missed a tope and Tajiri threw him into the front row. Tajiri then hit an Asai moonsault over the barricade. Crazy recovered and hit a twisting tope for a pop. Tajiri gained a near fall with a sharply executed huracanrana. He countered a Crazy powerbomb with a DDT and hit a top rope spin kick for a near fall. Tajiri gained a near fall with a suplex but Crazy then sidestepped a top rope dropkick. Crazy powerbombed Tajiri and pinned him at 7:47 after an inverted tornado DDT. For the most part a fast-paced spot-a-thon, but the spots and execution were super. ****
1/23/99: Detroit, MI TV
Crazy blocked a spin kick and took down Tajiri. Both men looked sharp on the mat. Tajiri countered an armbar with a huracanrana in a really neat spot. Tajiri gave Crazy a cross armbreaker and rolled with the hold several times in another great spot. Tajiri dropkicked Crazy�s knee and again gave him a rolling jujigatame but this time Crazy countered with a weird hold that bent Tajiri in a half crab position. Crazy then gave Tajiri his rolling Romero special into a rear chinlock that bent Tajiri backwards. Tajiri armdragged Crazy but Crazy fought back with a weird armdrag of his own. Tajiri scored with another armdrag of his own and fans gave both men a standing ovation. Tajiri monkey flipped Crazy over the top rope and Crazy took a spectacular bump to the floor. Tajiri hit an Asai moonsault for a big pop and scored with a loud kick as Crazy got back up on the apron. He then applied the tarantula on Crazy and gave him another stiff kick. Crazy hit a great running top rope dropkick and hit a second rope moonsault for a near fall. Crazy gave Tajiri a high angle powerbomb for another near fall. Crazy attempted a second powerbomb but Tajiri countered with a tornado DDT for a great near fall. Tajiri German suplexed Crazy for a near fall and scored with another loud kick to Crazy�s head. Tajiri gave Crazy a huracanrana and pinned him at 8:31. The best match yet between these two men. The spots were every bit as great as their previous match, but they paced this match better and sold each other�s moves more effectively. ****1/4
2/6/99: Concord, NC TV
Crazy scored first with a single leg takedown and exchanged matwork with Tajiri early on. Crazy gave Tajiri la magistral for an early near fall. Tajiri gained a near fall on Crazy with a huracanrana. They had a great exchange of offense ending with them exchanging armdrags. Tajiri went for a second rope moonsault bodyblock, Crazy countered and attempted a German suplex, Tajiri landed on his feet but Crazy took him down and applied his rolling Romero special into a rear chinlock. Tajiri bounced off the ropes with his great version of a handspring elbow and armdragged Crazy off the ropes. Tajiri hit a huracanrana and caught a charging Crazy and sent him head first out of the ring to the floor. Tajiri gave Crazy an Asai moonsault and punted his head with a stiff kick on the apron. Tajiri briefly locked Crazy in the ropes with his tarantula. Tajiri whipped Crazy into the side of the ring apron. He charged but Crazy lifted him like a backdrop, but Tajiri came down with a great headscissors takedown on the floor. Crazy fought back with a tilt a whirl backbreaker on the floor followed by a somersault plancha in which Crazy jumped over the ref. Crazy hit a second rope moonsault for a near fall and hit a great top rope moonsault. Tajiri caught him on the top rope and hung him upside down in the corner. Tajiri then gave Crazy a sick sliding kick to his face followed by two additional loud punts. Crazy attempted a powerbomb but Tajiri countered with a DDT for a near fall. Crazy countered a huracanrana with a powerbomb and pinned Tajiri at 8:18. Another excellent match, similar to their ECW arena match. ****
2/12/99: Queens, NY TV
Crazy dropkicked Tajiri at the bell but Tajiri fought back with a superkick. Tajiri whipped Crazy into the ringpost and suplexed him over the barricade into the front row. He then hit an Asai moonsault over the barricade onto Crazy. As Crazy got onto the ring apron Tajiri met him with one of his sick sounding kicks. Tajiri applied the tarantula, this time with himself outside the ring. Crazy fought back and powerbombed Tajiri for an early near fall. Crazy then applied his rolling Romero special and bent Tajiri backwards with a rear chinlock. Crazy kicked Tajiri out of the ring and dumped him into the crowd. Crazy pushed the barricade towards the ring and hit an incredible superquebrada for a pop. Crazy hit a second rope moonsault back in the ring for a near fall. Crazy hit a springboard top rope moonsault on Tajiri for another near fall. Tajiri caught him on the top rope and hung him upside down in the corner. Tajiri then hit Crazy with a brutal sliding kick to his face. Tajiri punted Crazy�s head twice and gave him a stiff dropkick to the face for a pop. Tajiri German suplexed Crazy for a near fall. He attempted a dragon suplex but Crazy countered with a low mule kick. Crazy charged Tajiri in the corner but Tajiri moved and Crazy took a psychotic bump over the top rope to the floor. Tajiri then hit a somersault plancha. He gave Crazy another stiff kick to his head but Crazy fought back with a spectacular mid-air tornado DDT for a near fall. Tajiri countered a powerbomb with a tornado DDT on Crazy for a near fall. Crazy fought back and gave Tajiri two springboard top rope dropkicks and a third one to the back of Tajiri�s head. Crazy then hit a springboard frog splash and pinned Tajiri at 7:16. Another frenetic, breathtaking gem with great moves and execution. This was as good a spot-a-thon as their 1/16/99 match but the selling here was weaker as they recovered too quickly from certain moves. Still a red hot match. ***3/4
3/21/99: Living Dangerously PPV
They began the match with a solid exchange of offense. Tajiri scored with a huracanrana. They had another offensive exchange that ended with both men trading armdrags. Tajiri bounced off the ropes with his handspring elbow and hit a spinning headscissors takedown. Tajiri monkey flipped Crazy over the top rope to the entrance ramp. Tajiri followed up with a somersault plancha for a pop. Tajiri landed a stiff kick and an Asai moonsault on Crazy right next to the ramp. Crazy sunset flipped Tajiri on the ramp and hit a couple stiff kicks of his own. Crazy followed with a springboard superquebrada on the ramp. Tajiri fought back and dropped Crazy off the top rope to the ramp with what could best be described as a handstand huracanrana. Crazy clotheslined Tajiri back into the ring. Crazy then hit his three moonsaults from each of the three turnbuckles on Tajiri for a near fall. Crazy kicked Tajiri and hung him upside down in the corner, then gave him a dropkick in the corner. Crazy scored a near fall with a second rope moonsault but Tajiri gained a near fall of his own with a sunset flip. Crazy went for a second rope moonsault but crashed onto Tajiri�s knees. Tajiri hung Crazy upside down in the corner and gave him a sliding kick to the face for a near fall. Tajiri landed two more stiff kicks and dropkicked Crazy after he messed up a flip in the corner. Tajiri gained a near fall but Crazy gave him a sunset flip in the corner for a near fall. Crazy went for a springboard dropkick but slipped on the rope and fell to the canvas. Tajiri German suplexed Crazy for a near fall and attempted a dragon suplex but Crazy mule kicked him low. Crazy powerbombed Tajiri for a near fall. It appeared that Tajiri went to counter a second powerbomb with a huracanrana but they botched that spot as well. Tajiri recovered and gave Crazy a huracanrana but Crazy rolled through and pinned Tajiri at 9:58. A �good� match, but very disappointing given the setting. They lacked the spot to spot momentum characteristic of their previous matches and the two botched spots late in the match hurt things badly. By far their worst TV match against each other yet. **1/2
12/23/99: White Plains, NY TV
Tajiri landed a stiff roundhouse kick near Crazy�s ear to start. Crazy fought back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but Tajiri responded by bouncing off the ropes with his handspring elbow. Tajiri hit a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but Crazy then gave him a tilt-a-whirl armdrag. They traded armdrags and got a standing ovation. They traded chops and Crazy dropkicked Tajiri out of the ring. Crazy hit an Orihara moonsault for a pop. Crazy gave Tajiri a couple kicks but Tajiri caught him and landed a couple sick sounding kicks of his own. Tajiri gave Crazy a roundhouse kick that sounded like a small bomb explosion but Crazy recovered and hit a springboard dropkick. Crazy hit a second rope moonsault for a near fall. Tajiri fought back with a brutal superkick off the second rope to Crazy�s jaw and followed that with a somersault plancha for a pop. Tajiri whipped Crazy into the barricade at ringside and taunted the crowd. As Crazy got up, Tajiri gave him yet another sick sounding kick to the head. Tajiri backflipped over Crazy and gave him an airplane spin with Crazy behind his back instead of on his shoulders for a pop. Tajiri attempted a suplex but Crazy countered and hit a spinning powerbomb for a near fall. Crazy hit moonsaults off the bottom two turnbuckles but Tajiri crotched him on the top rope on his third attempt. Tajiri hung Crazy upside down in the corner and scored with his sliding kick to Crazy�s face for a near fall. Crazy hit a huracanrana but Tajiri escaped his pin attempt. Tajiri hit a stiff kick and gave Crazy a brainbuster for the pin at 7:46. Another awesome match for these guys. This was about as great a match as a match of this length could get. ****
1/15/00 ECW Arena TV; Mexican Death Match
Tajiri opened with a stiff kick. Tajiri got the better of Crazy and threw several chairs into the ring. He hung Crazy upside down in the corner and placed three chairs on his face. Tajiri then scored with his sliding kick to Crazy for a pop and Crazy was busted open. Tajiri set up a table in the ring and hit a brutal kick. Tajiri placed Crazy on the table and gave him a top rope foot stomp, but the table did not break. He hit another top rope foot stomp and broke the table. Tajiri gave Crazy another stiff kick and mocked his pain. Crazy fought back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and hit a springboard top rope moonsault. Crazy threw Tajiri over the barricade into the crowd and hit him with a chair. Both men fought through the crowd and towards the stage, where there were more tables. Crazy jumped off the top of the bleachers and moonsaulted Tajiri through a table for a pop. Crazy continued to dominate Tajiri as the fight returned to the ring. Crazy gave Tajiri some kicks of his own and 10-punched him in the corner with the fans counting in Spanish. He did the same thing in the opposite corner as well. Tajiri bounced off the ropes with his handspring elbow but Crazy responded with a lariat. Crazy placed Tajiri crotch-first on the top rope and gave him a springboard spin kick for a near fall. Crazy landed a couple chops but Tajiri somehow caught him and applied the tarantula for a pop. Tajiri German suplexed Crazy for a near fall. Crazy attempted a German suplex but Tajiri landed on his feet and dropkicked Crazy for a loop. Tajiri knocked Crazy into the crowd with a baseball slide kick and hit an Asai moonsault onto Crazy in the first few rows. Tajiri placed a table in the corner on the second rope. Crazy have Tajiri a top rope dropkick and then brought a table into the ring as well. Tajiri superkicked Cray and rearranged his dental work with what looked like a pipe or a crowbar. Crazy attempted to powerbomb Tajiri through one table but Tajiri blew green mist in his eyes. Tajiri attempted a huracanrana off the table but Crazy caught him and powerbombed him through the other table for the pin. The match went about 15 minutes, of which 12:49 aired. A refreshing break from their previous matches that added a new dimension to their feud. Not their best match in terms of hot moves and frenetic pacing, but they did pace the match more cohesively than usual. ****
NEXT ISSUE: 1-Hour Matches: Best of the Best
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