[2000-09-15-ECW-TNN] Yoshihiro Tajiri & Mikey Whipwreck vs Julio Dinero & E.Z. Money

[soup23]

We are still in Hammerstein. This is the last semifinal match we haven’t seen. They go straight into the meat of the match which makes sense given its placement. Tajiri has some really good sequences with EZ Money where Money insults him and then Tajiri plays chicken and kicks his face off. Good interference from Hamrick that allows Money to counter the Tarantula to Money in the Bank. Fun finish as Hamrick goes for a dive, gets misted and then takes a flip bump from the apron right to the concrete. Kick to the face of EZ Money with a chair assist and Tajiri/Mikey do their double team brainbuster for the win. Fun. Fun. Fun. *** (6)

[AstroBoy]

Tajiri and Money have great interplay built around a low blow and Tajiri mocking Money by air humping him before kicking him in the face. I never had much of a sense of Dinero but he seemed solid in this, like a bigger and less standout-ish Tony Mamaluke perhaps. The money puns are out of control as all the offense from Hot Commodity is some ridiculous play on words. Tajiri and Whipwreck were just masters together of putting together hot runs of offense that made them such a dynamic and awesome face tag team to get behind. Another strong match from them.

 

***1/4

[GSR]

An overmatched Julio Dinero tags out to his partner to see if he can fare any better against the former tag team champions.  E.Z. looks to be in control of the test of strength until Tajiri bridges back up, breaks the grip and transitions beautifully from a hammerlock to a takedown to a stretch submission, tying Money up like no-one’s business.  Standing moonsault gets him a two.  E.Z. turns the tide by booting Tajiri in the mid-section, lands a standing moonsault of his own before locking in the ‘Pendulum of Pain’ rocking horse submission.  Tajiri floors Money with a thrust kick after the tip up, but then becomes the latest male to be blinded by Elektra’s apparent ‘charms’.  Money with a low blow, some mocking of Tajiri followed by a double team inverted DDT.  ‘Jalapeno Popper’ (which is a variation of the neckbreaker) for a near fall and that is right up there when it comes to daft names.  Tajiri isn’t moving and it looks like he’s done for, however he’s only playing possum, suckering Money in and kicking him in the head when he leans in.  A nice call back to earlier in the match as Tajiri low blows E.Z. and starts mocking him.  Chris Hamrick breaks up the Tarantula and E.Z. hits ‘Money in the Bank’ forcing Mikey to make the save.  Hot tag and Mikey with a ‘Whippersnapper’ on Money as the ‘Unholy Alliance’ then go to work on his partner.  They tie Dinero in the ‘Tree of Woe’ and Tajiri with the baseball slide dropkick.  E.Z. has recovered and positions himself for the ‘Money Clip’ when the Sinister Minister pulls his legs out from under him and he crashes to the floor.  Hamrick gets misted as he tries to interfere again and then takes a hellacious flip bump from the apron onto the concrete after Mikey clubs him in the back.  Double brainbuster on Dinero and the Alliance come out on top.

A really fun TV bout that proves that the ‘Unholy Alliance’ don’t have to be in there with the FBI to have them.  Dinero is noticeably some way behind the other three while Tajiri is just so good in everything.  We’re only half way through September but this is turning into some month for Tajiri and Mikey.