#241: The Hurricane & Billy Kidman vs. Tajiri & Chavo Guerrero, WWE Smackdown (5/28/2002).
This is a request brought to me from one of my buddies I work with. He only wanted me to watch this match because of one spot.
He’s also the kind of person who took it deadly serious when I said “hey, you should give me some random matches to review.” It also says a lot about his enjoyment of wrestling that he requested this particular match, which comes on the same episode of Smackdown where Edge and Kurt Angle wrestled a bloody Steel Cage Match, which ended up being one of the best WWE matches of the year.
Hurricane is the reigning WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Michael Cole and Tazz talk about how Hurricane has been left some weird notes as of late, and I’m pretty sure that ends up being how Jamie Noble debuts.
The bell rings, and we start out with Hurricane and Tajiri. Hurricane takes Tajiri down, and he kicks the champion hard in the head. Hurricane catches a kick, and traps him in a rocking horse maneuver, smacking his head off the bottom turnbuckle. That right there is why my friend wanted me to watch this match. Hurricane with a kick to the head, and Chavo breaks up the pinfall. Hurricane with a suplex, and Kidman tags in with a springboard leg drop from the apron for a 2 count.
Tajiri takes control of the arm, and tags in Chavo. Kidman hits the Lo Down on Chavo for a nearfall. Tajiri with a kick to the spine of Kidman, and he locks in the Tarantula. Chavo helps out with a dropkick to the head. He gets a nearfall off of that. Tajiri tags back in, and goes for a powerbomb, but Kidman reverses it into an X Factor. Hurricane tags in, and clotheslines Tajiri. He takes Chavo out, and comes off the middle rope with a neckbreaker. He gets a 2 count off of it, as Chavo breaks up the pin.
Neckbreaker to Chavo next, and Tajiri blocks his offense with a Tarantula attempt. Hurricane counters it, and sends him to the floor. Senton to the outside by Hurricane, and Chavo hits a baseball slide to Hurricane. Kidman flies off the top rope with a Shooting Star Press onto Chavo and Tajiri! Hurricane brings Tajiri back into the ring, and he gears up for the Chokeslam, but then his music plays out of nowhere. On the tron, a message appears, saying that the mystery will end next week.
Tajiri takes advantage of the distraction with a Buzzsaw Kick to the head, which is enough for the win. Oh, now I remember – the reveal is Nidia, which leads to Jamie Noble showing up. The match wasn’t super long, but it was nonstop action, which the Cruiserweights excelled at in 2002. They maximized their time, and gave everyone a fun, entertaining bout. The rocking horse spot in the beginning is the only reason I was asked to review this match, and it was fine. My friend thinks it’s hilarious, so it’s all good. Solid match though.