Ex-WWE star was lazy and sandbagged opponents, Stevie Richards says

Stevie Richards worked for WWE from 1999 to 2008 after making his name in ECW and WCW in the 1990s. In a recent video, the 53-year-old explained why Tajiri was a difficult opponent to face.

Tajiri had three spells with WWE between 1996 and 2017. The Japanese wrestler is best remembered for his appearances during the Ruthless Aggression era in the early-to-mid-2000s. He played a comedic character and won tag titles with high-profile stars Eddie Guerrero and William Regal.

On The Stevie Richards Show, Richards agreed with host James Romero that Tajiri was the hardest-hitting wrestler on the roster. He also accused his former in-ring rival of sandbagging, a term used when someone fails to cooperate while receiving an opponent's move.

"It sure felt like it when I worked him on Heat," Richards said, referencing Tajiri being the hardest-hitting guy in WWE. "It sure felt like it, and he would sandbag any time you picked him up. He would not jump. He would not do anything. He definitely felt like a lazy wrestler." [0:08 – 0:21]

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The two men faced each other three times on Sunday Night Heat between November 2004 and January 2005. Tajiri secured the victory on all three occasions.

Stevie Richards questions Tajiri's communication skills

Although he was born in Japan, Tajiri has spent many years of his wrestling career in America. Outside of WWE, he has also appeared in ECW, MLW, TNA, and several other organizations.

Richards believes his former opponent's understanding of the English language was better than he made out:

"He's full of motion when he's doing his moves. When he's taking your stuff sometimes, he's not quite there for you. Trust me. Never really talked to him. He acted like he couldn't speak English, but he understood, 'Oh, I win?'" [0:28 – 0:49]

Tajiri still wrestles regularly in Japan. In his final televised WWE match, the 54-year-old defeated Sean Maluta on the January 3, 2017, episode of 205 Live.

Please credit The Stevie Richards Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart