When I saw Taka, I also thinking about Kaz Hayashi too. When he joined WCW they make him as wrestler in a comedic oriented. But when he's back in Japan his look was completely opposite like he can beat anyone no matter who they are. And I also remember many years ago. In UA-cam it's have a clip that Taka have a Deathmatch in Japan (I think it's now gone). Very brutal one, Never seen him doing this before
@@kidwaryodproduction Think that would have been Big Japan? His old running buddy Men's Teioh went there post-WWF. TAKA's return to MPW to confront Sasuke was one of the biggest things in that fed at the time, although in the early-mid 00s it was ailing compared to its heyday.
@@job489 He never won the tag titles (they lost to the Dudley's once when they were tag champs), and he came close to winning the Hardcore title at that Wrestlemania 2000 battle royal clusterf*ck (Funaki held the title for approximately a minute), but he only held the Light Heavyweight Championship. But good guesses. Sadly, he's most remembered in the WWF for the bump at the 2000 Royal Rumble where he broke his face and they replayed it over and over and over again, accompanied with Jerry Lawler's cackles.
That's what Jim Ross and Excalibur refer to it as when people pull the move off in AEW. I've always referred to it as that too. I honestly don't even know what it was called before the michinoku driver or if the move even existed? lol
@@eldiablo3794 Oh I'm not suprised a nerd masked guy who says shit like "TIGER DRIVE 1997" or something would yell specific moves, but I swear I heard Graves call that move on Raw a few years ago, can't remember what match specifically
He was an excellent worker. He would have flourished in WCW working with guys like Jericho and Mysterio. But his size and lack of English would always hold him back with Vince.
Too many people mistakenly apply the word "talent" to good performers, when it's their work and skill development that led to performance, not just talent.
I watched an old Taka Michinoku match the other day against Yoshihiro Tajiri, where Taka countered a German Suplex by tucking, backflipping out of it and landing on his feet. On paper, that doesn't sound all that spectacular, but trust me, it was. Taka had the skills to pay the bills.
@@carter3369 I always liked his tribute to Mick Foley... "The Big Valbowski is a lot like Mick Foley. He's HARD to beat.. Heh Heh Heh... and he NEVER stays down!"
Funaki did kind of eventually learn to do good promos when he was a comedy backstage announcer. They still weren't traditional promos, but he learned to maximize what he had for entertainment value. Their dubbed promo gimmick in 2000 or so also used to crack me up.
His music always reminded me of Japanese anime and was just as awesome as the original power rangers theme song lol. I remember Sonny used to always guess ring announce Takas matches. "Takaaaaaa Michinokuuuuuuu"
I thought it was disgraceful the way WWF treated Taka Michinoku and Funaki. They were two of the best wrestlers in the frigging world and they were treated like a joke.
Taka, yes. But *FUNAKI?!* WWE made him integral to many storylines as Smackdown's #1 announcer, gave him the Cruiserweight strap, and the absolute best reaction in his own country! If it wasn't for the Kung Fu crap, he'd have almost a Gillberg level of legendary jobber run!
Great Sasuke always said in interviews in the early 90s, when he was just becoming a star in Japan, that Smoky Mountain was his favourite American promotion. When they were doing spot shows, Michinoku Pro always featured tons of classic southern comedy spots.
Note: The responses to this vid proves that even though we're avid listeners of Jim, sometimes we differ, and for LOGICAL AND FAIR reasons, and we have minds of our own, unlike what some around the IWC or non-Jim fans have alleged.
I remember taka hitting his face on the floor after getting tossed out of the ring at the royal rumble. Jerry the king Lawler had them keep showing that replay so he could laugh about it.
I started watching at the tail end of the Attitude Era. The only things I ever really remembered about KaiEnTai at the time were "INNNNDEEED" and Undertaker and Kane doing 5 last rides to them.
Taka was great in the ring. Would have been a star in todays wrestling. Once he turned heel and joined kaientai, he sadly became a comedy jobber. That injury during the 2000 royal rumble was insane.
Taka and Funaki are actually among my favorite wrestlers list... though as best in the ring I always feel Bret Hart, Mr Perfect, Eddie(did not realize how good he was until I figured out his a technical wrestler and not a high flyer, just his finish would go high and he delivered a technical good old fashioned frog splash), Kurt Angle definitely, but even then Hulk Hogan is a lot better than we give him credit for, its just his burial of too many others and sticking to his gimick a bit too much instead of changing with the times, which he sort of did with the NWO
I remember being in the back before a dark match and Taka learned a new word that the boys' taught him in English it was Fat C word He was so proud of his new word
Just like how, conversely, Tajiri is a smaller Japanese guy as well, but luckily he was always presented well as a solid wrestler, exciting high-flyer who can kick a guy's head into the crowd.
Ah yes, anyone growing up during The Attitude Era could never forget this storyline between Kai'n'Tai and Val Venis lol. Everything was so crazy during that period in wrestling and yet a lot of it worked. Such a great time in wrestling history 😌
I love TAKA now more than ever cause He's got his own fed. but he mainly uses his shows more as training matches for young wrestlers. He still wrestles to this day but at most he'll poke a guy in the eye and roll someone up. He never wins matches he just puts people with new gimmicks over. And it works out
So there we were, at MSG. I was super excited, it was my first show there. My dad was already pissed because he had to drive all the way through NYC then had to pay $30 for parking. Still, I was in a great mood. I saw Jim coming in and everyone started pushing. I went up to ask for an autograph and he back elbowed me in the face! Worst day of my life, F MSG
After he back elbowed you, you screamed,”Jesus Cornette!!”” And Chris Jericho who witnessed the entire thing thought you said Judas effect! Because your nose was busted from the wicked back elbow
There is an ECW show where Taka and some other Japanese dudes are wrestling on PPV, and they strike this awesome pose whilst they have their opponent in a camel clutch and the rest were standing on each other's shoulders(thanks OSW) Wwait for for flash photography and move on. Just cool is al.
ECW did it RIGHT with their cruiserweights. Those guys were treated like gods by the fans and rightfully so. Jim won't admit it but WWF just plain shit the bed on this one. They completely and utterly dropped the ball, fkd up completely on this one. That's it. Nothing else to it.
"choppy choppy your pee pee" was one of the greatest lines in wrestling. The storyline of Val Venis sleeping with his wife and being punished by the Japanese was awesome
Living in New York City all my life Jim is 100% correct events at msg is a mad house because it's easy to get to for everyone not so much with the Barclays center
Taka Michinoku is still wrestling now. He is currently wrestling for NJPW. However he's been jobbing as of late even though he's part of Suzuki-Gun. Whenever he's part of a tag team, trio or 4 on 4 match he's the one who always gets pinned or submitted.
@@natebaxter9551 Even though he's way better in ring than Suzuki and he looks way younger and Taka is way more popular than Suzuki when it comes to mainstream wrestling because more than 800,000 Americans actually know who the fuck he is because at least he worked in the WWF during a high point when millions watched.
@@SpiralPoli Suzuki is more popular in Japan and that's what matters to them. Western expansion is a goal, not a necessity to them, so they're going to push the guy that will draw more for them.
I see his version of the Michinoku Driver performed incorrectly at least 5 times a show whenever I bother tuning in to WWF or All Petite. So there’s that legacy I guess.
Ah, OK, only Bob Clark I knew was the guy who made A Christmas Story, and funny enough, the original Black Christmas and the Porky's movies. Yeah, he was all over the place in his kind of movies. 😉😂🤣
I am curious to see what he thinks about Dean Malenko? Cause it is pretty much the same story but Dean could speak English. If he has talked about this before lemme know please.
Exactly. The fact that I keep seeing cards where the main event is "established guy vs. Someone I've never heard of" and knowing i will now never watch this is a testament to this conversation.
@@arttashfilms9816 I see what you mean. Japan's junior Heavyweights are a massive influence on modern wrestling. It would be good to see him at next years forbidden door but he's basically just the pin eater of suzuki-gun now, so probably not going to happen
It was wwe's fault why Taka didn't have a great wwe career. If you know his English wasn't great, then your suppose to help him with that. Like Mick Foley said if wwe was about talent Taka Michinoku would have been wwe champion. Taka should have won that match against hhh.
Remember when spike Dudley took wwf champion Steve austin to the limit during the hight of the invasion angle…. It was a scenario that worked and made spike look a million dollars
A few months ago I was watching the "Choppy choppy" angle and my fiance, who HATES wrestling as is, was like "what the fuck are you watching?" And when I explained the angle, she goes "and this is why I find wrestling beyond stupid"
Taka Michinoku started out as a parody wrestler, of the great Sasuke's previous gimmick before Mexico and the mask, so it might have been kharma, WWF turning Taka into a joke jobber. Still, if Taka could have cut those promos on his own, without being dubbed, he would have been incredible. He did start his own dojo in Puerto Rico, which became his own promotion back in Japan separate from Michinoku pro wrestling(Sasuke's fed). Sadly, Taka's yet another man in pro wrestling who lost his own company due to an extra marital affair. Seriously men, smarten up!
Taka may have been the best purely in-ring performer during the Attitude Era, he was small and couldn't talk but was incredibly spectacular in the ring, they just put him at a certain level.
I lived in northern Japan when I was in the Air Force and watched Michinoku Pro Wrestling live. My favorite wrestling promotion ever. Kaientai (or Kaientai DX as they were known as) was comprised of Dick Togo, Men’s Teioh, Shoichi Funaki, TAKA and Shiryu (who we knew in the US as Kaz Hayashi).
"If it were only about talent, Taka Michinoku would be the WWF Champion."
- Mick Foley
Love him. Also love to use him in WWE Smackdown 2 : Know Your Role. His moveset was very great.
When I saw Taka, I also thinking about Kaz Hayashi too. When he joined WCW they make him as wrestler in a comedic oriented. But when he's back in Japan his look was completely opposite like he can beat anyone no matter who they are.
And I also remember many years ago. In UA-cam it's have a clip that Taka have a Deathmatch in Japan (I think it's now gone). Very brutal one, Never seen him doing this before
@@kidwaryodproduction Think that would have been Big Japan? His old running buddy Men's Teioh went there post-WWF. TAKA's return to MPW to confront Sasuke was one of the biggest things in that fed at the time, although in the early-mid 00s it was ailing compared to its heyday.
I think only titles Taka held (Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong) were the Lightheavyweight title and I think 1/2 of the tag team titles.
@@job489 He never won the tag titles (they lost to the Dudley's once when they were tag champs), and he came close to winning the Hardcore title at that Wrestlemania 2000 battle royal clusterf*ck (Funaki held the title for approximately a minute), but he only held the Light Heavyweight Championship. But good guesses.
Sadly, he's most remembered in the WWF for the bump at the 2000 Royal Rumble where he broke his face and they replayed it over and over and over again, accompanied with Jerry Lawler's cackles.
It's rare, but sometimes in WWE they still call it the "Michinoku Driver"... that's how you know he made it in wrestling
They say "Okada Roll" PLENTY in WWE and IDK of any Okada's besides Kazuchika.
P.S. Kazuchika Okada versus Randy Orton would be a DREAM match, IMO.
@@bradpaton3927 It's the O'Connor Roll. Not Okada Roll.
The Okada Roll is not a thing.
Can I get an Okada Roll with Wasabi?
That's what Jim Ross and Excalibur refer to it as when people pull the move off in AEW. I've always referred to it as that too. I honestly don't even know what it was called before the michinoku driver or if the move even existed? lol
@@eldiablo3794 Oh I'm not suprised a nerd masked guy who says shit like "TIGER DRIVE 1997" or something would yell specific moves, but I swear I heard Graves call that move on Raw a few years ago, can't remember what match specifically
For whatever its worth Mick Foley said that if it was based purely on in ring talent in wrestling that TAKA would have been WWE Champion
He was an excellent worker. He would have flourished in WCW working with guys like Jericho and Mysterio. But his size and lack of English would always hold him back with Vince.
@@daleharris3809 You also just described Hakushi.
I didn't really see it myself, and what does Mick know about in ring talent?
@@mcwhorter141mcwhorter8 considering he had a hugely successful career I’d say quite a lot. Certainly more than you,
Too many people mistakenly apply the word "talent" to good performers, when it's their work and skill development that led to performance, not just talent.
I watched an old Taka Michinoku match the other day against Yoshihiro Tajiri, where Taka countered a German Suplex by tucking, backflipping out of it and landing on his feet. On paper, that doesn't sound all that spectacular, but trust me, it was. Taka had the skills to pay the bills.
The way Taka would run ,jump onto the tope rope and cross body to the outside was incredible. Also sickest finisher on the roster.
His finisher was legit and looked devastating
Absolutely love the Michinoku driver!
Taka Michinoku had one of the best entrance music.....indeed.
"I CHOPPY CHOPPY YOUR PEE-PEE! HA! HA! HA!" Still to this day one of the funniest comedy... ahem, "bits" in the WWF/WWE.
@@carter3369 I always liked his tribute to Mick Foley...
"The Big Valbowski is a lot like Mick Foley. He's HARD to beat.. Heh Heh Heh... and he NEVER stays down!"
This started as a Taka question & went all over the place lol
Funaki did kind of eventually learn to do good promos when he was a comedy backstage announcer. They still weren't traditional promos, but he learned to maximize what he had for entertainment value. Their dubbed promo gimmick in 2000 or so also used to crack me up.
Indeed!
Smackdowns! #1 announcer
@@malcolmcox18iconic
Funaki beating up Booker T. Backstage 😂😊😊😊😊
Taka was fuckin awesome back in the day. Severely underrated and his theme would make anyone break out into a fight scene.
His music always reminded me of Japanese anime and was just as awesome as the original power rangers theme song lol. I remember Sonny used to always guess ring announce Takas matches. "Takaaaaaa Michinokuuuuuuu"
@@eldiablo3794 i wouldn't say old power rangers but i could say super samurai cyber squad
I thought it was disgraceful the way WWF treated Taka Michinoku and Funaki. They were two of the best wrestlers in the frigging world and they were treated like a joke.
Taka, yes. But *FUNAKI?!* WWE made him integral to many storylines as Smackdown's #1 announcer, gave him the Cruiserweight strap, and the absolute best reaction in his own country! If it wasn't for the Kung Fu crap, he'd have almost a Gillberg level of legendary jobber run!
He's right about MSG fans...they tried to turn over the ambulance carrying Pat Lafontaine to the hospital after an NHL game
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LA-FONTAINE!
(Sorry, I channeled my inner Rick Jeanneret for a moment there.)
@@ithinkaboutthings9052 have you ever been to Florida. NY is enlightened compared that hole.
@@ithinkaboutthings9052 Exactly.
I couldn't believe as a kid he then later would go play for New York after that had happened
See my Rangers fan friend tries to tell me that Nassau Coliseum was worse. I doubt it greatly.
Remember when Jim referenced Adam Page celebrating with the dork order to Steve Austin celebrating with kaientai...gold lol
Great Sasuke always said in interviews in the early 90s, when he was just becoming a star in Japan, that Smoky Mountain was his favourite American promotion. When they were doing spot shows, Michinoku Pro always featured tons of classic southern comedy spots.
May have something to do with Asian's intrigued for Western society nd the Cowboy culture ...
Remember Vince had "Jimmy Wang Yang"
@@stephenkinq5425OR, Japanese loving Stan Hansen and Terry Funky
Funaki’s “indeed” was more over than ninety percent of the AEW roster.
Indeed 😀
Facts.
@@donutpredator4945 I see what you did there.
@@donutpredator4945 He was definitely more over than Roman reigns.
That doesn't make any sense
The match he had with HHH in 2000 is still one of the best matches on RAW I’ve ever seen.
I was going to say this exactly! Saw the march on TV with my buddy and we were seriously marking out for TAKA! Such good times.
April 10, 2000 for anyone else looking to find this match.
I just started this episode of RAW. Kinda sad to hear how good JR still sounded back then 😔
@@Pogo113 He had Hunter on the ropes a few times.
Damn good match.HHH had good competitive matches around this time with Hardcore Holly, Shelton Benjamin and The Brooklyn Brawler.
@@marywilliams1243 prime triple H in my opinion
Vince always needed one token Japanese comedy cruiserweight. First it was Taka, then Tajiri, then Funaki.
I liked taka. His music was cool and I liked the way he signal for his finisher
Guy had one of the greatest theme tunes ever. Bad ass. Loved Taka. Plus that Royal Rumble '00 bump!
The artwork haaaa!! I recall that segment in the late 90s.
Did Yamaguchi catch Corny in the hot tub with his wife?
TAKA was always a favorite of mine back in the late 90's & 2000's the Evil gimmick with Funaki was hilarious stuff
Indeed
Especially when they set up “Right To Censor” with the same voice over treatment just before their Kaientai match… 😂
Note:
The responses to this vid proves that even though we're avid listeners of Jim, sometimes we differ, and for LOGICAL AND FAIR reasons, and we have minds of our own, unlike what some around the IWC or non-Jim fans have alleged.
I remember taka hitting his face on the floor after getting tossed out of the ring at the royal rumble. Jerry the king Lawler had them keep showing that replay so he could laugh about it.
@@carter3369 I remember Lawler calling Taka, "Taco".
That was brutal! Think he broke his collar bone, dislocated his shoulder and got a concussion all from that one bump.
I started watching at the tail end of the Attitude Era. The only things I ever really remembered about KaiEnTai at the time were "INNNNDEEED" and Undertaker and Kane doing 5 last rides to them.
It was on HEAT remember it well Undertaker was trying to teach Kane the Last ride 😂
@@craigcaulfield85 Yes! That's what it was lmao
Fast forward a few years, and Funaki was champ with chants of *FUNAKI! FUNAKI! FUNAKI!* in Japan. One of them did ok😊
"CHOPPY CHOPPY YOUR PEE PEE" still gets quoted by my friends/family and I to this day HAHA!!!
Taka was great in the ring. Would have been a star in todays wrestling. Once he turned heel and joined kaientai, he sadly became a comedy jobber.
That injury during the 2000 royal rumble was insane.
Taka was one of the best wrestlers ever! He was great!
Taka was one of the best in the ring. He was super talented.
Still going in NJPW, slowed down a lot but changed his game up with more heel work to extend his career
Taka and Funaki are actually among my favorite wrestlers list... though as best in the ring I always feel Bret Hart, Mr Perfect, Eddie(did not realize how good he was until I figured out his a technical wrestler and not a high flyer, just his finish would go high and he delivered a technical good old fashioned frog splash), Kurt Angle definitely, but even then Hulk Hogan is a lot better than we give him credit for, its just his burial of too many others and sticking to his gimick a bit too much instead of changing with the times, which he sort of did with the NWO
Michinoku driver was/ still is the best finisher I've ever seen
I agree it's an impressive finisher. Also his theme music is great
@@bryrobinson5609 it's still looks good to me. Also rikishi driver is good
I always loved Scott Steiner's "Steiner Screwdriver,"he'd pick them up like a Falcon Arrow and turn it into a sit out Tombstone basically.
Looks great, nice impact and relatively safe. Loved the michinoku driver.
Man I used to love Kaientai
Indeed
INDEED! All time great artwork here from Travis
I remember being in the back before a dark match and Taka learned a new word that the boys' taught him in English it was Fat C word
He was so proud of his new word
He will be eternal for his finisher...
Just like how, conversely, Tajiri is a smaller Japanese guy as well, but luckily he was always presented well as a solid wrestler, exciting high-flyer who can kick a guy's head into the crowd.
Ah yes, anyone growing up during The Attitude Era could never forget this storyline between Kai'n'Tai and Val Venis lol.
Everything was so crazy during that period in wrestling and yet a lot of it worked. Such a great time in wrestling history 😌
I remember being envious of Val, because I would have banged Mrs. Yamaguchi too.
10:32 !! Jim thank you so much for saying what needed be said!
I don't wanna see it and I don't wanna hear it!
Of course 1 2 3 kid also known as Xpac beats Razor and Million Dollar Man and wins gold almost right away and gets over like crazy.
Jim’s tangents are so funny
Taka Michinoku was incredible in the ring. Never truly got the credit he deserves.
Taka vs HHH was textbook 101 how to give shine to a babyface as champ.
taka winning would have made the place explode.
That was insane what Kaientai tried to do to Val Venis in the attitude era
Choppy choppy
I love TAKA now more than ever cause He's got his own fed. but he mainly uses his shows more as training matches for young wrestlers. He still wrestles to this day but at most he'll poke a guy in the eye and roll someone up. He never wins matches he just puts people with new gimmicks over. And it works out
So there we were, at MSG. I was super excited, it was my first show there. My dad was already pissed because he had to drive all the way through NYC then had to pay $30 for parking.
Still, I was in a great mood. I saw Jim coming in and everyone started pushing. I went up to ask for an autograph and he back elbowed me in the face! Worst day of my life, F MSG
You were who jim was talkin about lol. Hesaid hefelt bad too bad he never seen your comment
Don't believe you one bit
Calllll Steeee-ven P Newwwwww.....
After he back elbowed you, you screamed,”Jesus Cornette!!”” And Chris Jericho who witnessed the entire thing thought you said Judas effect! Because your nose was busted from the wicked back elbow
@@Joblin123 😂
The way Jim says Dick To-Go rather than "Toe-Go" lol.
i want Taka and Funaki interference Royal Rumbel 2023
Taka remains my favorite. Just the showmanship and technical ability. I liked his style.
There is an ECW show where Taka and some other Japanese dudes are wrestling on PPV, and they strike this awesome pose whilst they have their opponent in a camel clutch and the rest were standing on each other's shoulders(thanks OSW) Wwait for for flash photography and move on. Just cool is al.
That was Barely Legal, their first PPV. Probably the best part of the show.
That’s one of my most fondly remembered wrestling images.
Dick Togo bicep-posing on Sasuke’s back, and Taka middle finger saluting the crowd.
I remember that!
ECW did it RIGHT with their cruiserweights. Those guys were treated like gods by the fans and rightfully so. Jim won't admit it but WWF just plain shit the bed on this one. They completely and utterly dropped the ball, fkd up completely on this one. That's it. Nothing else to it.
I still remember that match he had with Essa Rios in ECW.. Rios was Papi Chulo I believe
This picture says Attitude Era I already knew the Val Venis reference
I lost it when jim said choppy your pee pee
"choppy choppy your pee pee" was one of the greatest lines in wrestling. The storyline of Val Venis sleeping with his wife and being punished by the Japanese was awesome
Living in New York City all my life Jim is 100% correct events at msg is a mad house because it's easy to get to for everyone not so much with the Barclays center
What is your opinion of njpw style of wrestling ?
CHOPPY CHOPPY 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Taka Michinoku is still wrestling now. He is currently wrestling for NJPW. However he's been jobbing as of late even though he's part of Suzuki-Gun. Whenever he's part of a tag team, trio or 4 on 4 match he's the one who always gets pinned or submitted.
He's the (other) old guy in the crew. So he's gotta take the pins.
@@natebaxter9551 thing is, he looks way younger than late 40s
@@natebaxter9551 Even though he's way better in ring than Suzuki and he looks way younger and Taka is way more popular than Suzuki when it comes to mainstream wrestling because more than 800,000 Americans actually know who the fuck he is because at least he worked in the WWF during a high point when millions watched.
@@SpiralPoli Suzuki is more popular in Japan and that's what matters to them. Western expansion is a goal, not a necessity to them, so they're going to push the guy that will draw more for them.
@@natebaxter9551 A human egg is more popular than one of the best workers right now.
Minoru can't even bump. He's an actual egg.
Watch his Dream Gate match against Mochizuki in 2005. He's a great worker who unfortunately came to prominence at the wrong time.
Brian yelling at his dog cracked me the fuck up. 🤣
I've just been thinking about both Taka AND wrestlers chewing gum. I think someone's been reading my mind.
half of this wasn't about Taka lol
Cornys meds didn't kick in
I see his version of the Michinoku Driver performed incorrectly at least 5 times a show whenever I bother tuning in to WWF or All Petite.
So there’s that legacy I guess.
Taka flew over the top rope NIGHTLY, people didnt care. UNDERTAKER did it ONCE a year, people went apeshit. Less is more.
Oh is that what it is
@@chrischar9428 I liked Taka alot too , but he was never pushed like a star and I saw him on Reys level
Taka could do it every night. Undertaker probably needs 6 months off again after doing it
@@kevindouglas5333 not in his prime in 95 to 2005
Brian had me dead at the beginning 🤣🤣 "SHUT UP!!!"
Taka was born in the wrong period. If Taka was like 28-ish right now, he'd have been huge star on indies and found his way to AEW probably.
Well it turned out to be the guy behind him. And I felt bad for a couple minutes LOL
I remember Jerry calling him Chinese everytime he was on-Screen, Taka isn't a 12 year old girl so Jerry didn't care for him.
Ah, OK, only Bob Clark I knew was the guy who made A Christmas Story, and funny enough, the original Black Christmas and the Porky's movies. Yeah, he was all over the place in his kind of movies. 😉😂🤣
"Choppie choppie your pee-pee!" Wasn't that threat made to Val Venus, because he was after the girl in the group?
That artwork though. I might have just lolled the hardest in a long time! 😂
Just got into NJPW last month and he put on a great showing against The Young lions with Suzuki Gun tonight.
Rey vs taku in 1998 would have been the match of a lifetime. Eddie vs taku in that year too. juvy vs taku. etc
Absolutely loved taka
*"Choppy Choppy Your Pee-Pee!"*
🤣Yes I had to type it. *😂LMAO!*
The Samurai Bris angle was a surprise to many.
The garden is a pain in the ass. The traffic. The parking……. Jim is right 💯. I live in nyc. It’s ridiculous
Travis Heckel has done it again.
I love how back then, when someone didn’t like someone, they just got beat up
"it's like Swarmy barking in the background...SHADDDUP!!!"
“Choppy choppy your Pee-Pee!!” is still one of the great moments in professional wrestling history
TAKA MICHINOKU in 1998 has a BETTER body than ADAM COLE in 2022 😂
Choppy,choppy. Your pee,pee. LMAO 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
Jim's a very lucky man with all the encounters he has been in. No wonder he won't come out of his house anymore.Just like Stern...
Lol
I am curious to see what he thinks about Dean Malenko? Cause it is pretty much the same story but Dean could speak English. If he has talked about this before lemme know please.
Taka Michinoku? Legend.
New Japan fans will get the reference.
Gong is still published here in Japan… wonder if Wally still does photos for them. Wouldn’t be surprised…
It’s a hilarious when Brian yells at swami lmao 😂
That thumbnail 😅🤣 Gonna take Jim's egg roll!
Exactly. The fact that I keep seeing cards where the main event is "established guy vs. Someone I've never heard of" and knowing i will now never watch this is a testament to this conversation.
If Taka was around today aew would be pushing for him to be a top name
He is still active in Japan.
He still wrestles in Japan. He returned to New Japan late last year
@@sadboi88 I meant like if he was in his prime today. I mean he's pretty much no different from the rest of the roster
@@arttashfilms9816 I see what you mean. Japan's junior Heavyweights are a massive influence on modern wrestling. It would be good to see him at next years forbidden door but he's basically just the pin eater of suzuki-gun now, so probably not going to happen
It was wwe's fault why Taka didn't have a great wwe career. If you know his English wasn't great, then your suppose to help him with that. Like Mick Foley said if wwe was about talent Taka Michinoku would have been wwe champion. Taka should have won that match against hhh.
Inserting much love from the UK
Westminster nice quiet place.
I still remember Taka hitting his head during a rumble run in.
Remember when spike Dudley took wwf champion Steve austin to the limit during the hight of the invasion angle…. It was a scenario that worked and made spike look a million dollars
Pleas explain this to Tony Kahn.
Choppy choppy your peepee was one of the best lines ever spoken in the history of Raw
A few months ago I was watching the "Choppy choppy" angle and my fiance, who HATES wrestling as is, was like "what the fuck are you watching?" And when I explained the angle, she goes "and this is why I find wrestling beyond stupid"
Call it off !!!!
Dump her.
anyone who doesnt like that segment needs to find a sense of humor
I always loved watching taka wrestle INDEED!!!!!!!!
Taka Michinoku started out as a parody wrestler, of the great Sasuke's previous gimmick before Mexico and the mask, so it might have been kharma, WWF turning Taka into a joke jobber. Still, if Taka could have cut those promos on his own, without being dubbed, he would have been incredible. He did start his own dojo in Puerto Rico, which became his own promotion back in Japan separate from Michinoku pro wrestling(Sasuke's fed). Sadly, Taka's yet another man in pro wrestling who lost his own company due to an extra marital affair. Seriously men, smarten up!
Taka may have been the best purely in-ring performer during the Attitude Era, he was small and couldn't talk but was incredibly spectacular in the ring, they just put him at a certain level.
Benoit was better
@@taylorsmith9629 I've never seen Benoit do a corkscrew moonsualt and land on his feet.
@@dolandarkxgrandayy6953 Ive never seen Taka make a match with a big slow 7'00 look good.
@@taylorsmith9629 that's fair, I've never seen Benoit have a great singles match with Triple H, Taka can say that.
I lived in northern Japan when I was in the Air Force and watched Michinoku Pro Wrestling live. My favorite wrestling promotion ever.
Kaientai (or Kaientai DX as they were known as) was comprised of Dick Togo, Men’s Teioh, Shoichi Funaki, TAKA and Shiryu (who we knew in the US as Kaz Hayashi).
Best background ever 🤣
I remember taka getting eliminated from the royal rumble one year and landing face first on the mat outside the ring.