Career
Yoshihiro Tajiri made his professional wrestling debut in 1994 for the ‘International Wrestling Association of Japan’. He lost his first match with Takashi Okano. Simultaneously, he started working for other promotions like ‘Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL)’.
In 1996, Tajiri left ‘CMLL’ and joined one of Japan’s larger hardcore wrestling promotions, ‘Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW)’. Tajiri won the ‘BJW Tag Team Championship’ on July 23, 1997. He also won the first ‘BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship’ on February 3, 1998.
Tajiri made his unofficial ‘World Wrestling Federation’ (WWF) debut in 1996 as an enhancement talent. ECW owner Paul Heyman offered him a contract in 1998. Yoshihiro Tajiri made his ECW debut in a winning match against Antifaz Del Norte on December 24, 1998.
In 1999, he changed his wrestling gear from trunks to ‘Karate gi’ pants and started spraying his signature green mist on his opponents’ faces. Tajiri won his first major championship, the ‘ECW World Television Championship on April 8, 2000.
He next won the ‘ECW World Tag Team Championship’ on August 25, 2000, as part of ‘The Unholy Alliance’. He stayed with ECW until it went out of business in April 2001.
He was hired by WWF in 2001, and he debuted for Smackdown! on May 24, 2001. He was assigned the role of WWF Commissioner William Regal’s comedic assistant. Tajiri won his first major title, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship on August 6, 2001.
He won the ‘WCW United States Championship’ on September 10, 2001. Yoshihiro Tajiri won the WCW or WWF Cruiserweight Championship on October 22, 2001. He was then drafted to c Smackdown. Tajiri won the title again on April 21, 2002.
He won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Eddie Guerrero on May 18, 2003, before losing it on July 3. He returned to the cruiserweight division in WWE and won the Cruiserweight Championship again on September 23, 2003.
Tajiri reunited with Regal on February 4, 2005, to win the ‘World Tag Team Championship’. In December 2005, he left WWE and received a standing ovation for his final match.
Continue Reading Below
On March 5, 2006, Tajiri started wrestling for ‘Hustle’. He won multiple tag team matches and singles matches before leaving the company in 2010. From 2006 – 2007, he also worked for ‘All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). He would later return to the company in 2011, for a short time.
From 2009 to 2011, Yoshihiro Tajiri was part of New Japan Pro Wrestling. He then became a promoter and wrestler for the Japanese wrestling promotion ‘Smash’ in 2010. He went on to win the ‘FCF Finnish Heavyweight Championship’ on May 29, 2010, and again on November 22, 2010.
He formed the promotion ‘Wrestling New Classic’ on April 5, 2012, after leaving ‘Smash’. After fighting hardcore, brutal, death-matches, he won the ‘WNC Championship’ on August 8, 2013.
WNC went out of business on June 18, 2014, and Tajiri transferred to ‘Wrestle -1’. He won the ‘European Wrestling Promotion (EWP) Intercontinental Championship’ on May 16, 2015. He later won the ‘UWA World Trios Championship’ with Minoru Tanaka on January 31, 2016. He left the company in 2016.
Taijri was involved with ‘TNA or Impact Wrestling’ in 2014. On June 13, 2016, he returned to ‘WWE’ to participate in the ‘Cruiserweight Classic Tournament’. On December 4, 2016, he signed a full-time contract with WWE and debuted for ‘205 Live’ in 2017. He left the company on April 22, 2017.
He has returned to ‘AJPW’ (2017 – present). He won the ‘World Junior Heavyweight Championship’ on July 30, 2017. He has also won the ‘Gaora TV Championship’ on July 15, 2018, and the 2018 ‘Jr. Tag Battle of Glory’ tournament.
Facts About Yoshihiro Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri is known for his unique wrestling style that incorporated martial arts and high-flying maneuvers, earning him the nickname "The Japanese Buzzsaw."
Tajiri is also a skilled musician and has played guitar in a band called "Sonic Love Machine" during his wrestling career.
He is a big fan of video games, especially the classic Nintendo games, and has incorporated gaming references into his wrestling persona.
Tajiri is multilingual and can speak Japanese, English, and some Spanish, which has helped him connect with fans around the world.
In addition to his wrestling career, Tajiri has also dabbled in acting and has appeared in several Japanese TV shows and movies.
