[2001-01-13-ECW-Pine Bluff, AR] Yoshihiro Tajiri vs Super Crazy

[Migs]

So, this is the last ECW show, sadly. Somewhat oddly, ECW ends in the south, far away from Philly. Maybe a metaphor for how far away from things the company had gotten by the end. They're using an odd looking red ring, too. The crowd is big and hot, though. They pop like crazy for the opening sequence. There's a brawling up the aisle sequence that's basically all walking and feels pretty unnecessary. Crazy busts out a pretty nice surfboard into a full nelson. The crowd chants for tables, and the guys go to look for one but can't find it. After that, they go straight to the finish. Match is mostly interesting for the historical circumstances - otherwise, you've seen Crazy v. Tajiri before.

 

 

[GSR]

There’s a graphic on screen stating that this is the final ever meeting between these two in ECW. No hurry from either man to get this one started though as both prefer to chat to Gabe Sapolsky who’s on video duties for RF video. When things do get underway it’s the usual slick exchanges you’ve come to expect from them. Tajiri sends Crazy over the top to the outside and then nails him with a baseball slide. They go on a prolonged ECW style walk around ringside, doing very little bar a couple of whips into the guardrail. Back inside, and Crazy with a springboard moonsault off the middle for a two count. After the ten punch spot in the corner where the crowd counts along in Spanish, Crazy whips Tajiri to the opposite one, however gets caught in the tarantula when he rushes in after him. Tajiri makes a complete hash of applying the hold though, the first time I ever remember seeing him struggle with it. Drop toe hold by Crazy and he slaps on a rolling surfboard, from where he transitions to a Dragon sleeper and then a seated full nelson. The crowd start a “tables, tables” and both exit the ring to look for one. Tajiri is funny here as he checks under the ring and insinuates that there isn’t one there. He does find one under another side of the ring, but leaves it laying on the floor. Handspring elbow and it must be catching as they botch a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker (first time I recall them screwing that one up too). No improvising or covering for it, just an immediate repeat of the spot, getting it right this time. Tajiri with a huracanrana, but Crazy hooks his arms and rolls through turning it into a sunset flip for the three, a finish that caught everyone off guard.

 

And so ECW breaths its last breathe in of all places, Pine Bluff, AR. I know the wrestlers have the big goodbye in the ring at the end of the show so they must have been fully aware (or at least had a strong inkling) that this was the end for the company. Sadly it shows in the match; all that chattering with Gabe Sapolsky at the start, the lack of intensity that was so evident in their encounters last year, the botching of the tarantula and backbreaker, an unexpected finish that took everyone by surprise (I thought we may get the Guerrero/Malenko double pin) and there was not a chance they were taking a bump through a table like the crowd wanted. It was two guys going through the motions giving us a truncated ‘greatest hits’. Knowing what we know now it’s, in a way understandable, but hardly the fitting epitaph for their ECW careers.

[soup23]

ECW proper ends with a whimper. They still have a hot crowd and a pretty decent lighting rig at this show but it such a weird antidote that PIne Bluff Arkansas is the final resting place. These two in general can't have a bad match per say but we are a long way removed from their outstanding matches they had at the beginning of 2000. Here, they go through the motions with a ton of crowd pleasing spots. It is good but very inconsequential and that sums up the waning days of ECW in a nutshell. *** (5.8) 

[AstroBoy]

Super Crazy keeps talking to Gabe who is apparently filming this.  Nothing super notable here aside from them teasing a table stop and not delivering which kind of bums out the crowd.  It's mostly two good opponents doing some of their greatest hits so it's hard to go wrong, but it doesn't really rise past being just good.