Bret Hart was "very high" on former WWE tag champ, Jim Ross says
Legendary commentator Jim Ross recently recalled how Bret Hart was a "leading PR guy" for Japanese wrestlers, including former WWE Tag Team Champion Tajiri.
Tajiri appeared in WWE in 1996 and 1997 before working for the company as a full-time wrestler between 2001 and 2006. One of his compatriots, Hakushi, feuded with Hart on television and at several live events in 1995.
Ross worked as an announcer and talent relations executive at WWE. On his Grilling JR podcast, the Hall of Famer recently revealed that Hart had positive things to say about Tajiri as an in-ring performer and went as far as to say that Hart was "very high on him," while praising the Japanese.
"I loved watching him [Tajiri] work. He's a great storyteller. And I know Bret Hart was very high on him. For some reason, Bret gravitated to guys like Hakushi. Guys like that got noticed, and Bret Hart was one of their leading PR guys.... I remember the same thing happened with Pierre of The Quebecers. Bret wanted to work with him, and that got Pierre back on the radar, shall we say," said Ross. [55:37 – 56:15]
Hart is widely viewed as one of the most respected and talented wrestlers of all time. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as an individual in 2006 and as part of The Hart Foundation in 2019.
Jim Ross explains what held Tajiri back
Although he never became a main-eventer, Tajiri was considered one of WWE's most entertaining superstars. He won several championships, including the tag team titles with Eddie Guerrero and William Regal.
Jim Ross believes Tajiri would have achieved more success in the Stamford-based promotion had it not been for his size and language difficulties, among other impediments.
"A damn handsome man. Look at him. That's a Japanese babyface right there. Hey, this guy was a hell of a hand, I'm telling you. He was a sleeper in my estimation. I had no idea that he could become as good as he did, and if he had been a little bit different size, speak English a little bit better, if if if, he'd have had a lot better run," declared Ross. [55:12 – 55:36]
Tajiri still competes full-time at the age of 53. The legendary wrestler briefly returned to WWE in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic. However, an injury prevented him from becoming a permanent roster member after the tournament.
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Please credit Grilling JR and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use any quotes from this article.