Psicosis vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri

[8.0] "The fans were excited to see Psicosis return to ECW after years in WCW and he lived up to their expectations. Tajiri was on fire during this period too, so this made for a great match."

[8.0] "This match delivers a sharp, engaging fusion of lucha libre and Japanese junior-heavyweight wrestling, built on crisp counter-chain exchanges that immediately pop the crowd. Tajiri slips effortlessly between stylistic gears, just as fluid here as he was in his classic bouts against Super Crazy and Antifaz Del Norte, making him an ideal base for Psicosis' athletic chaos. Psicosis, often overshadowed in his second ECW run, shows he's far more than a placeholder for Super Crazy. His dives and bumps bring real danger, highlighted by a wild crowd-dive where he nearly spikes himself in a moment reminiscent of Lita vs. Trish's infamous dive spot. Fortunately unhurt, he keeps pace with Tajiri in a lively, back-and-forth rhythm that the crowd eats up. Inside the ring, Tajiri's precision becomes the story. Psicosis takes a spectacular inside-out bump on a handspring elbow, narrowly steals the match with a series of tight roll-ups, and forces Tajiri into repeated desperation kick-outs. Tajiri even pulls out a Whippersnapper as a nod to Mikey Whipwreck. Ultimately, a barrage of stiff, pinpoint kicks finally puts Psicosis down for three. A vibrant, highly entertaining clash that showcases both men at their best. ****"

[6.0] "I'm using the translation function, so it might be hard to understand. It was a great match, but it just didn't click with me. I think it was a good match, though. I've never thought that Sikoczys' matches were good."

[8.0] "A fucking sick match between these two godly performers. Tajiri and Psicosis deliver in an all out match. ****"

[8.0] "(Grade:B) I remember seeing a Tiktok edit of this match and now seeing it in full, it was quite enjoyable! Tajiri was over with the crowd and This being Psicosis return match to ECW the crowd was happy to see him back and they both put in a solid affair in terms of offense and back & forth. I did like F you both wrestlers said to one another and the crowd eating it up. Psicosis dive to the outside had me worried because from the angle they showed it didn't look pretty and after that the match felt like it lower the pace but still put in a solid performance especially with those series of kicks Tajiri threw to end the match."

[9.0] "A personal favorite of mine. I'd describe this as a comfort food match. The arena crowd is all-in here. Clearly hoping for a workrate classic similar to the old day's of ECW. Tajiri delivers a fantastic effort. Psicosis is game. As he tries to reclaim his former glory in this arena. For me, this is a sleeper candidate for best ECW match ever."

[8.0] "Fast paced action from two of the greatest Cruiserweights of all time. I especially loved Tajiri here as I always found him wildly underrated and he deserved so much more. He makes a perfect foil to Psicosis more acrobatic style by interrupting them with extreme stiff kicks. Its a shame the mist wasnt used but it probably didnt need it because this match was still just fun. Good grappling in there as well. Probably one of the better Tajiri matches out there."

[8.0] "Very good match. Probably Tajiri's match to show to those who don't know him. Super fast sequences. (4*)"

[9.0] "This match is fucking awesome. A match way ahead of its time in 2000 you were not seeing this style of match in any company except ecw at least in North America. These two had fantastic chemistry Both of these guys are fucking great. Go out of your way to watch this one its nonstop action for 15 minutes or so. 4.25/5"

[8.0] "Didn't expect much from this match but was pleasantly surprised. They wrestled at one hell of a pace with both having answers for each others moves in the early stages. Tajiri was an under-rated in ring performer and his kicks and chops were unique and lethal."

[6.0] "Psicosis is back in ECW sans mask. He looks cool and cocky and it made you wonder why they even put him under the hood in the first place when his face just radiates smug asshole energy. The opening chain wrestling sequences are good, even if they do feel a touch masturbatory. Both men seem to take their sweet time soaking in the cheers after they would pull off a lightning-quick sequence and I found it took me out of the match a tad. Tensions begin to flair up and they get more aggressive with each other. I found that this match took a downturn in quality after Psicosis nearly breaks his own neck after he got way too much momentum when attempting a dive to the outside. Tajiri's kicks are downright lethal and even some of the more hardened ECW regulars in the crowd seem shocked by how brutal those strikes were. This was a fun match, even if I'm not as high on it as others are."

[8.0] "I guess Tajiri plus a luchador will just always give you a good match. Good grappling at the start, fast paced action. ***3/4"

[8.0] "My first exposure to Tajiri. Fantastic and fun match. Really special match with a lot of action and feeling. Go out ofnyour way to watch it."

[8.0] "What a match, what a crowd, what an experience! This is what made ECW great, even more so than the legendary Hardcore matches and moments. Two great wrestlers hitting the ring and showing American fans that there is a world of possibility between the ropes that, at that point in time, they were not consistently experiencing. The crowd is red hot from the very beginning and maintains that energy level throughout. The wrestling itself was excellent, including some impressive chain wrestling, submission trading, and general counter offense. There was a misfire at one point, but even that contributed to the overall story of the match. I think Dave Meltzer either got this right or went 1/4 too low. The match itself was 4. 25 for me, but the crowd was straight five stars. For now I'll go 4. 25 stars, 8. 5 out of 10, but I'm going to revisit this in the future."

[9.0] "A forgotten ECW classic. Everyone talks about the Psicosis-Rey matches, and Tajiri is most famous for his feud with Super Crazy, but I never hear anyone talk about this hidden gem. A shame because this could possibly be one of the finest ECW matches of all-time. Right from the start, the crowd is molten hot and going nuts for everything these two guys do. There's lots of excellent chain wrestling, slick reversals, impressive spots, and exciting near-falls. Pretty much everything you could ask for in a match like this. Impressively, these two had fantastic chemistry with one another despite the fact that they really hadn't worked each other before (Cagematch shows that these two had one house show match prior to this one), and Psicosis showed he hadn't missed a beat after spending the past few years in WCW."

[6.0] "The crowd was *really* into this but it never fully clicked with me personally. It had a decent level of physicality but the pace was kind of deliberate and it never really kicked into that 3rd gear you'd expect from a great match."

[7.0] "A really good match, but it very likely would have been better had Psicosis come into the match still having the confidence in himself that he had prior to joining WCW and being treated like a jobber."

[10.0] "Well deserving of a high rating, this was Psicosis returning to ECW after a run in WCW that never maximized his potential. He clearly came to perform as he does a great job here, and Tajiri is on another level during this time. Fantastic bout!"