Career Yoshihiro Tajiri

1 career

1.1 career (1994–1998)
1.2 extreme championship wrestling

1.2.1 years (1998–2000)
1.2.2 world television champion (2000)
1.2.3 unholy alliance (2000–2001)


1.3 independent circuit (2000–2001)
1.4 world wrestling federation/entertainment

1.4.1 light heavyweight champion (2001)
1.4.2 cruiserweight champion (2001–2004)
1.4.3 various storylines , departure (2004–2005)
1.4.4 sporadic appearances (2006–2008)


1.5 hustle (2006–2010)
1.6 japan pro wrestling (2006–2007, 2011)
1.7 new japan pro-wrestling (2009–2011)
1.8 smash (2010–2012)
1.9 wrestling new classic (2012–2014)
1.10 wrestle-1 (2014–2016)
1.11 total nonstop action wrestling (2014)
1.12 return wwe (2016–2017)
1.13 return ajpw (2017–present)

career
early career (1994–1998)

tajiri wanted become kickboxer , began training in sport. however, after watching countless wrestling matches mexico, entered animal hamaguchi wrestling gym , won test match tournament. tajiri debuted professionally in 1994 michinoku pro wrestling beating akihiro yonekawa. wrestled wrestle association-r. on october 16, 1994, tajiri made debut international wrestling association of japan (iwa japan) under real name. in 1996, joined consejo mundial de lucha libre (cmll).

in 1996, tajiri left cmll join hardcore wrestling promotion big japan pro wrestling (bjw) in tokyo. debuted bjw under name aquarius , defeated unicorn in first match. on july 19, 1996, beat dr. wagner jr. cmll world light heavyweight championship lost him on july 27. on july 23, 1997, tajiri team ryuji yamakawa win vacant bjw tag team championship. lost gedo , jado on december 22. team regain titles eleven days later , lose shadow winger , shadow wx. tajiri beat gedo become first bjw junior heavyweight champion. later stripped of title when left company.

that same year, tajiri competed new japan pro-wrestling (njpw), participating in promotion s best of super juniors iv tournament guest bjw. won 3 matches lost three. earned him 3 points , therefore prevented him advancing.

in 1996 , 1997, tajiri made several appearances world wrestling federation (wwf) under name yoshihiro tajiri. in first appearance, teamed ken paterson unsuccessfully against godwinns. on episode of monday night raw in july 1997, went against taka michinoku, whom wwf pushing rising star in light heavyweight division @ time, in losing effort. tajiri s final appearance tag match brian christopher against scott taylor , michinoku.

also in 1997, tajiri rejoin cmll before leaving promotion in 1999 when signed extreme championship wrestling (ecw).

extreme championship wrestling
early years (1998–2000)


tajiri in ecw in 1999

while wrestling in mexico in late 1998, tajiri spotted ecw owner paul heyman, invited him wrestle ecw in united states. made televised debut in ecw on december 24, 1998 episode of hardcore tv, clad in traditional blue , white trunks insignia of japan s rising sun, , picked victory on antifaz del norte. match received fans in attendance @ ecw arena, gave many standing ovations during match. placed in company s evolving cruiserweight division, began notable rivalry super crazy. duo traded wins throughout 1999. other notable single feuds included little guido, tommy dreamer, taz, , jerry lynn.

in 1999, tajiri began emulate great muta, 1 of tajiri s wrestling heroes growing up. wrestling trunks replaced baggy ninja pants, , began spraying green mist face of opponents. aligned himself manager steve corino, promised teach him american way , him integrate himself united states culture. tajiri s notoriety increasing, received ecw world heavyweight championship title shot against taz @ heat wave , on episode on ecw on tnn failed capture title on both occasions. in 2000, earned shot @ championship against justin credible lost once again.

world television champion (2000)

tajiri s bond corino blossomed relationship cyrus , network. during time, tajiri went against super crazy ecw world television championship in japanese death match. lost gained title in three-way dance involving super crazy , little guido. shortly after becoming champion, tajiri asked cyrus relinquish belt network award title rhino. tajiri refused turn belt on , turned on network, becoming babyface in process. first defense of title ended in no contest tommy dreamer. tajiri lost title rhino on april 22. rematch came on may 6, unable regain title.

unholy alliance (2000–2001)

tajiri form tag team mikey whipwreck, known unholy alliance, managed sinister minister. entered world tag team tournament , won vacant ecw world tag team championship. team started feuding full blooded italians , lost world tag team championship them day after first won them. failed recapture them @ anarchy rulz , again @ november remember.

shortly after alliance whipwreck, tajiri s amusing antics in ring, stiff contact opponents, , comedic backstage vignettes made him 1 of popular wrestlers in ecw. tajiri remained loyal company until folded in april 2001. participated in ecw s final 2 shows: on january 12, picked victory on super crazy, , january 13, 2001, when lost super crazy.

independent circuit (2000–2001)

with ecw s television deal being cancelled in october 2000, company had make massive cuts. resulted in tajiri wrestling company lower wages , led him wrestling more on american , mexican independent circuits.

in iwa puerto rico, tajiri teamed super crazy against andy anderson & vyzago world tag team championship in losing effort. enter hardcore championship invitational match lost.

during period, tajiri had multiple czw world heavyweight championship matches in combat zone wrestling (czw) promotion. first against justice pain. tajiri lost pain twice later go on beat nick berk become czw world heavyweight champion on february 28, 2001; however, tajiri lost title same night zandig. tajiri shares accolade of shortest reign nick berk , john zandig.

later in 2001, tajiri defeated low ki in impact championship wrestling (icw).

world wrestling federation/entertainment
light heavyweight champion (2001)

soon after closure of ecw, tajiri hired world wrestling federation. tajiri debuted on may 24, 2001 episode of smackdown! face. given gimmick of wwf commissioner william regal s comedic assistant. of regal, tajiri made in-ring debut against crash in king of ring 2001 qualifying match tajiri won. later eliminated rhyno. tajiri win first championship in wwf defeating x-pac wwf light heavyweight championship on episode of raw. x-pac capture wcw cruiserweight championship, , @ summerslam, tajiri lose championship unification match, therefore retiring light heavyweight championship. tajiri bounce began on-screen relationship torrie wilson , defeated chris kanyon wcw united states championship. however, tajiri lose belt rhyno afterwards @ unforgiven in september. after regal turned heel joining alliance, tajiri feuded him throughout late 2001.

cruiserweight champion (2001–2004)

tajiri won first wcw cruiserweight championship on october 22, 2001 on raw. title became wwf cruiserweight championship , replaced wwf light heavyweight championship when wwf defeated alliance @ survivor series 2001 on november 18. wwf renamed world wrestling entertainment, , roster divided 2 brands : raw , smackdown!. tajiri, along torrie wilson, drafted smackdown!, therefore making cruiserweight championship smackdown! exclusive title. tajiri went on lose title billy kidman on episode on smackdown!. go on beat kidman @ backlash once again , won cruiserweight championship again 19 days after losing it. turned heel forcing wilson dress geisha against will. tajiri go on lose cruiserweight championship hurricane in triple threat match between 2 , billy kidman. wilson abandoned him during crusierweight championship match against hurricane; did stripping on top of table during match caused tajiri counted out , later joined forces tajiri s rival, maven. later on, special guest referee, tajiri begin second face run after being betrayed heel jamie noble after noble caught tajiri touching girlfriend, nidia. led several cruiserweight championship matches between 2 including matches @ no mercy , rebellion. participated in first royal rumble match in january 2003.

tajiri leave cruiserweight division , moved tag team division formed various tag teams, many of being comical. these included rey mysterio, funaki , rikishi.

five days prior judgment day, chavo tore biceps, forcing eddie guerrero partner. chose tajiri. won wwe tag team championship, guerrero s second , tajiri s first @ judgment day defeating team angle in ladder match. following week, guerrero , tajiri managed retain title cheating. in addition, defeated roddy piper , protégé sean o haire @ madison square garden. after guerrero , tajiri lost titles team angle on july 3 episode of smackdown!, guerrero turned on tajiri, slamming him through windshield of lowrider truck. on next smackdown!, guerrero explained because, during match, tajiri had accidentally hit lowrider.

tajiri mark return cruiserweight division taking on champion rey mysterio , after losing spat green mist in mysterio s eye, turning him heel once again. on september 23, tajiri beat rey mysterio wwe cruiserweight championship third , last reign. tajiri defend championship in mysterio s rematch @ no mercy after akio , sakoda, later known kyo dai , interfered in match. tajiri lose championship after 93 days mysterio on smackdown!. tajiri kept heel persona going spitting black mist in nidia s eyes , blinding (nidia , noble both faces time.) noble , tajiri started new feud, ended after noble betrayed blind girlfriend , turned heel again. kyo dai separated tajiri , split after tajiri refused wwe writers proposal of kyo dai portraying japanese gangsters, tajiri feared might anger real japanese yakuza if saw gimmick insult. @ wrestlemania xx, tajiri took part in cruiserweight open cruiserweight championship won reigning champion chavo guerrero.

yoshihiro tajiri performs tarantula on robért conway.

in december 2003, tajiri released autobiography, tajiri: japanese buzzsaw, in japan. book chronicles wrestling career, mexican , japanese circuits ecw , wwf/wwe. written entirely in japanese, first book published wwe in non-english language.

various storylines , departure (2004–2005)

in 2004, tajiri had 2 chances earn shot @ wwe championship. first chance in 2004 royal rumble, winner championship match @ wrestlemania xx, eliminated rhyno. second chance in battle royal on smackdown!, in winner face then-champion brock lesnar @ no way out. however, lost once again when eliminated big show.

following wrestlemania xx, tajiri drafted raw, turned face once again , feuded group of eric bischoff, jonathan coachman, , lance cade. later feud evolution stable portion of 2004. year, tajiri formed tag team rhyno. team dissolved quietly after failed attempt @ winning world tag team championship la résistance @ unforgiven. on february 4, 2005, in saitama super arena, tajiri reunited william regal defeat la résistance world tag team championship on episode of raw emanating japan. after several defenses against la résistance, among others, reign ended on may 1 @ backlash, when eliminated tag team turmoil match la résistance.

tajiri lost 3-way dance (that featured little guido) super crazy @ ecw 1 night stand 2005 on june 12. later year, formed short-lived team eugene. in december 2005, tajiri left wwe, stating wanted try become journalist , spend more time wife , family in japan. final televised wwe match loss gregory helms on heat. after match, received standing ovation farewell.

sporadic appearances (2006–2008)

tajiri returned one-night appearance @ wwe s ecw 1 night stand 2006 pay-per-view, teaming super crazy take on full blooded italians (f.b.i.) in losing effort.

on february 12, 2008, tajiri made appearance @ wwe house show in tokyo, accompanied william regal ring match against ric flair, regal lost. tajiri appeared on wrestlemania revenge tour in england.

hustle (2006–2010)

tajiri wrestling in hustle.

tajiri s return japan came @ hustle on 5th march 2006 defeating kohei sato, monster pta & yoji anjo razor ramon hard gay , shinjiro otani. in hustle promotion, aligned babyface hustle army, group defends sport of professional wrestling against monster army (led monster general , monster k, aim destroy sport). however, hypnotised yinling joining monster army. in 2006 tajiri took yujiro kushida under wing , trained him while @ hustle , participated in multiple tag team matches , tag team tournaments, had several matches against 1 another. participated in hustle gp, hustle s tournament, knocked out of tournaments first round wataru sakata. on last appearance hustle tajiri defeated muscle sakai in 2 out of 3 falls match tajiri won 2 one.

all japan pro wrestling (2006–2007, 2011)

tajiri made debut japan pro wrestling in losing attempt great muta; however, in process, gained respect of muta. tajiri , muta team few matches, notable of against kaz hayashi , satoshi kojima when pair used double asian mist achieve victory.

tajiri title contender in japan pro wrestling throughout 2007, including feud triple crown heavyweight champion minoru suzuki. feud started on march 30, 2007 @ final champion carnival 2007 event, following tajiri s victory on suzuki via countout when tajiri tied suzuki s foot guard rail, , went on steal triple crown championship belts following match. because of tajiri s refusal return titles, suzuki created paper belts temporarily represent championship. tajiri opposed suzuki again on april 22, 2007 in tag team match, in tajiri taunted suzuki repeatedly. @ conclusion of match, suzuki (after losing match because of tarantula) chased tajiri around korakuen hall, tajiri jump guard rail , steal paper belts. days later, tajiri returned titles in exchange title match on april 30, 2007, unsuccessful. tajiri teamed great muta defeat kohei suwama , scott steiner.

tajiri returned japan pro wrestling in 2011 team great muta , kenso in loss partisan forces (masakatsu funaki & minoru suzuki) & kai. tajiri bring smash s biggest stars ajpw 1 night event , partners akira , starbuck defeated bushi, keiji muto, , shuji kondo

new japan pro-wrestling (2009–2011)

during summer of 2009, tajiri invaded new japan pro-wrestling (njpw), started feud iwgp heavyweight champion hiroshi tanahashi, attacking , green misting him after title defense against takashi sugiura. tajiri participated in g1 climax 2009 , won first match of tournament , first match of return.

on august 13, tajiri pinned iwgp heavyweight champion in non-title match during g1 climax tournament, after using green mist. tajiri ended tournament 4 points, finishing bottom of block a. hustle folded in october 2009, after tajiri began wrestling njpw full-time. score 2 more pinfall victories on former iwgp heavyweight champion in multiple man tag team matches, in end lost feud, when tanahashi pinned him cleanly in singles match on december 5. afterwards, tajiri set sights on seigigun, led yuji nagata. on january 4, 2010, @ wrestle kingdom iv in tokyo dome tajiri teamed fellow ecw alumnus masato tanaka , defeated seigigun of nagata , akebono, when tajiri pinned nagata after green mist , buzzsaw kick. on february 14 nagata defeated tajiri in singles match in under 5 minutes seemingly end feud , tajiri s run company.

on june 19 @ dominion 6.19, tajiri returned new japan, turning face , saving former rival hiroshi tanahashi toru yano , takashi iizuka. helped tanahashi shave yano s head following hair vs. hair match. on june 28 tajiri, tanahashi , kushida entered j sports crown openweight 6 man tag tournament, made way finals on june 30, before being defeated prince devitt, ryusuke taguchi , hirooki goto. in october , november 2010, tajiri teamed tanahashi in new japan s 2010 g1 tag league. after strong start in tournament, tajiri , tanahashi defeated iwgp tag team champions bad intentions (giant bernard , karl anderson) on november 6, last day of group stages, , slipped third place in block, narrowly missing semifinals of tournament.

smash (2010–2012)

in 2010, tajiri placed in charge of smash, new promotion taking place of hustle. promotion held first show on march 26 saw tajiri wrestle 2 matches in 1 night. first hardcore match released wwe tommy dreamer. tajiro lost dreamer beat mentallo in second contest. later on in same night, tajiri , dreamer saved kushida leatherface. end show, dreamer paid tribute tajiri led him break tears.

during 2010, tajiri, along other smash talent made crossover appearances in finnish promotion fight club finland (fcf). @ smash.3 on may 29, 2010, tajiri defeated valentine win fcf finnish heavyweight championship first time. drop title starbuck on july 24 @ smash.6, before regaining him on november 22, 2010, @ smash.10. on february 25, 2011 tajiri gave kushida blessing leave smash , become full-time member of new japan roster on april 1. @ smash.12 tajiri defend title against super crazy lose title later on in night michael kovac @ smash.13, @ smash.13. on september 8 @ smash.21, tajiri beat akira in semifinals of smash championship tournament. on october 28, tajiri defeated in finals of tournament starbuck. on february 10, 2012, smash announced promotion folding after march 14 event, following disagreement between tajiri , financial backer masakazu sakai. on february 19 @ smash.25, tajiri unsuccessfully challenged dave finlay smash championship. on march 14, tajiri wrestled in smash s final match, , akira defeated hajime ohara , starbuck. following match, tajiri announced intention of starting new promotion.

wrestling new classic (2012–2014)

on april 5, 2012, tajiri announced follow-up promotion smash, wrestling new classic (wnc), hold first event on april 26. on april 26, tajiri defeated akira in main event of wnc s first event. wnc s second event on may 24, tajiri reunited former ecw tag team partner, mikey whipwreck, defeat gedo , jado in hardcore tag team match. 2 days later, tajiri , whipwreck defeated yo-hey , yusuke kodama in hardcore tag team match. on june 22, tajiri s longtime partner akira turned on him and, following month, formed new alliance starbuck , syuri. tajiri, hajime ohara , kana, former partners of three, formed alliance of own battle three, on august 2 defeated in first match between 2 groups. following match, ohara turned on tajiri , wnc, forming new partnership debuting female wrestler nagisa nozaki. on august 30, tajiri teamed kana , returning mikey whipwreck in barbed wire board deathmatch, defeated akira, starbuck , syuri. tajiri, kana , whipwreck defeated in rematch following day in osaka. in second rematch on september 1, whipwreck pinned starbuck win, ending villainous trio s win streak in process. on september 20, tajiri defeated syuri in intergender match @ korakuen hall. on october 26, tajiri entered wnc championship tournament, defeating carlito in first round match. on november 28, tajiri defeated hajime ohara advance finals of tournament. on december 27, tajiri defeated in finals of tournament akira. on august 8, 2013, tajiri defeated osamu nishimura in home prefecture of kumamoto become third wnc champion. after 5 successful title defenses, tajiri lost title starbuck on february 27, 2014.

on june 18, 2014, tajiri announced wnc going inactive following june 26. effective july 1, 6 former wnc wrestlers, tajiri included, transferred on wrestle-1 promotion.

wrestle-1 (2014–2016)

tajiri wrestled first match under wrestle-1 contract on july 6, 2014, teaming yusuke kodama in tag team match, defeated total nonstop action wrestling (tna) team of ethan carter iii , rockstar spud. on september 22, tajiri entered wrestle-1 championship tournament, defeated in first round match masakatsu funaki. tajiri entered storyline, began helping funaki train semifinal match in tournament. however, on october 8, tajiri turned on funaki, costing him semifinal match against masayuki kono. post-match, tajiri announced newest member of kono s villainous desperado stable. in november, tajiri , masayuki kono took part in first tag league greatest tournament, set determine inaugural wrestle-1 tag team champions, won block clean record of 4 wins , 0 losses, advancing semifinals. on november 30, tajiri , kono eliminated tournament in semifinals akira , manabu soya. on may 16, 2015, tajiri defeated minoru tanaka @ wrestle-1 event capture european wrestling promotion (ewp) intercontinental championship. week later, tajiri unsuccessfully challenged tanaka wrestle-1 cruiser division championship. on may 30, tajiri lost ewp intercontinental championship tanaka in title vs. title match contested wrestle-1 cruiser division championship. following match, desperado turned on tajiri , kicked him out of stable. on june 19, wrestle-1 announced new contractual status tajiri, see him work sporadic wrestle-1 events july onwards due looking new career acupuncturist abroad. on january 31, 2016, tajiri, kaz hayashi , minoru tanaka won vacant uwa world trios championship.

on june 28, 2016, tajiri announced leaving wrestle-1 due contract company expiring. on july 29, tajiri, hayashi , tanaka lost uwa world trios championship andy wu, daiki inaba , seiki yoshioka in fifth defense.

total nonstop action wrestling (2014)

tajiri debuted @ august impact wrestling tapings in new york city, defeating robbie e on august 5 (aired september 24), , working matches on august tapings; tajiri , austin aries lost james storm , sanada , on september 24 episode of impact wrestling, competed in nyc gold rush final fatal 5 way match included abyss, mr. anderson , mvp , austin aries anderson winning match. final appearance promotion @ october 12, bound glory pay-per-view event in tokyo, teaming great muta in tag team main event, defeated james storm , great sanada.

return wwe (2016–2017)

on june 13, 2016, tajiri announced participant in wwe s cruiserweight classic tournament. tournament kicked off on june 23 tajiri defeating damian slater in first round match. on july 14, tajiri eliminated tournament gran metalik.

on december 3, @ nxt special @ osaka, japan, tajiri teamed akira tozawa, in losing effort nxt tag team champions diy (tommaso ciampa , johnny gargano). on december 4, 2016, tajiri announced signed full-time contract wwe, , make return in 2017. on december 13 episode of 205 live, vignettes tajiri s return began airing. on january 3, 2017, tajiri debuted on 205 live defeating sean maluta. following match, brian kendrick tried welcome him wwe, tajiri spit green mist onto face. in january, tajiri suffered knee injury @ nxt taping. after weeks of recovery, tajiri returned @ 205 live taping in february, following match between lince dorado , brian kendrick.

on april 22, tajiri announced departure wwe. according him, had been cleared return knee injury, wwe decided not use him due age.

return ajpw (2017–present)

following departure wwe, tajiri returned japan, japan announcing first post-wwe booking june 11. on july 30, tajiri defeated hikaru sato win promotion s world junior heavyweight championship. lost title Último dragón on august 27, before regaining on october 21.