Rey Mysterio vs. Tajiri

[7.0] "Always a gem seeing these two wrestle! This match takes a unique but appreciated stance with these two men looking for limb work instead of going full gear from the start. Of course the time for trading big moves does come later in this match and it is breathless and very enjoyable. I didn't hate the run-in finish but it did feel a bit deflating after the 10 minutes of fun action. Very fun opener. (***3/4)."

[7.0] "Now we're talking, solid match just a lame finish with Akio and Sakota running in without even bothering to explain it. Just making it seem like fans ran in was lame."

[7.0] "Two of the most dynamic offensive wrestlers of...ever kick off a PPV with something slightly different, meeting for a limb work match. Granted, the expected fireworks still do emerge, they are just built to with something more cerebral and deliberate, as Tajiri targets an arm while Mysterio chops away at the champion's leg. It doesn't have the room to become something truly substantial, but provides a different flavour nonetheless, equally armed with razor sharp work throughout. Speaking of such, once they go through the gears, this is sparkling - some of the most effortless exchanges you could ever hope to see, walking a tight rope between explosive and smooth. ***1/2"

[7.0] "Really fun and exciting opening match with great high flying and striking. Both took lots of damage and it was well paced without going too fast and letting you breathe. The ending really sucked which is a shame and it knocks off a grade as Tajiri didn't sell Rey's finish enough and just sprung up to win. Rest of the match was good though."

"The run in was dumb but this was a really good match between two guys who are simply good at what they do. Very good chemistry and pacing, fun stuff"

[9.0] "Even with the sort of goofy run-in finish, I thought this was fantastic! And it's so funny to look at this show, a Smackdown PPV, kick off with a great match while the Raw PPVs have been starting with literal garbage. It's like night and day. But the entire final 8 minutes or so of this were incredible. Didn't love the 'fan' run-in but as a whole the match was so sick."

[6.0] "God damn it, a very good match with a stain of a rotten finish. Both guys were fantastic workers and they knew how to have a fast and exciting match without doing any stupid and unrealistic stuff. Mysterio looked phenomenal, Tajiri's kicks were great, but then for the finish the fan enters the ring and it's not even followed on. Shame, because the bout itself was really fun."

[5.0] "I'd have easily given this match 6 points if the finish wasn't absolute trash. This match is between two master's of their craft, and it's a perfect balance between hard hitting and acrobatic. The unfortunate thing is, the match is very typical, and has no truly interesting moments for about the first half. It's all very typical stuff, and feels like they're both holding back. The second half picks up immensely with some fantastic near falls and both of them doing what they're great at to try and beat the other, but both coming up short. Then two plants they call fans run in for the distraction, then Tajiri picks up the win. What a boring and unsatisfying ending to a match that was really starting to get going. I think this match should have been better, and if it had the action it showcased during the second half throughout, it'd have been a classic. Even still, I'd have called it an underrated match if not for the finish which significantly hampers it."

[8.0] "*ahem* the challenger should ALWAYS come out first. I don't care the year, title or participants - champion comes out last. While I liked their other encounters more so, this is still very good. These two had chemistry and never failed. The majority of the match sees Tajiri working on the arm but in my estimation, much more could have been done on Mysterio's part. Still very watchable stuff though, especially that powerbomb 619 counter! Finish wasn't all that, 8.25"

[8.0] "Another excellent Cruiserweight title contest here, although the ending is a little bit flat with the fan run-in costing Mysterio the match. I thought it was a great pace and looked very crisp. Tajiri reversing the West Coast Pop into a powerbomb looked fantastic. They had to book around Tajiri not being able to use the mist to win, but the finish looked awful in an otherwise outstanding match."

[8.0] "This was great as you would expect from these two. Both men wanted to neutralize a body part here with Rey targeting Tajiri's legs, and Tajiri targeting Reys arm with some awesome selling to boot from both men. They had some really great counters in this down the stretch, and the only down to the match was that awful finish, surely you could've done something better than that? ****"

[6.0] "Although not a bad match, I'd say both wrestlers are capable of mych more, especially in the early 00s and had definitely seen better days. It was a bit too slow at times and the moves and sequences looked really generic."

[8.0] "Great way to open a show. Mysterio and Tajiri had a past-paced match with great chemistry and psychology, with Tajiri targeting Rey's arms and legs in an attempt to slow him down. The ending was disappointing though, as they faked a fan interfering that cost Rey the match. Still a very solid match though, they worked incredibly well together. ***3/4"

[7.0] "Good match to kick off the show. Good strategy from Tajiri to attack the ar and legs of Mysterio, attempting to slow Rey down. Rey still did his aerial stuff but he toned it down here and Tajiri's selling of the legs (from Rey? s leg work) was also good. ***1/2"

[7.0] "Very fast paced match with tons of great counters, especially Rey's reversal into a 619 and the west coast pop into a powerbomb, great sequence. Ending ruins this one though with the fake fan interference. ***1/2"

[9.0] "Now this is how you open a PPV! What a great match between Rey & Tajiri. It was worked at a fast pace, as you would expect, and had a nice psychology with Tajiri targeting Rey's arm, and Rey sold it well. This was great. ****"

[10.0] "Fantastic cruiserweight style match, good psychology with Mysterio attacking the leg and Tajiri really going after the arm, combined with innovative sequences, cool flying, and great strikes, especially from Tajiri. The only thing which could have been better was the finish, but even that did not knock it down very far. Two masters of their game in a highly underrated match, in a highly underrated period."