Masato Tanaka Addresses Stevie Richards' Criticism Of ECW One Night Stand Match With Mike Awesome

Masato Tanaka has responded to criticism of his 2005 ECW One Night Stand match against Mike Awesome.

In a video review on his YouTube channel, former ECW and WWE star Stevie Richards offered some strong criticism of the bout, calling out what he perceived as a lack of ring psychology while questioning whether the series of matches between Tanaka and Awesome created any memorable standalone moments.

"This is where for everything Mike Awesome could do, athletically and physically, he had zero psychology. His psychology sucked. This is like eating your ice cream first before the main course. It makes no sense, and that's what makes me feel bad because they made their mark here, but what memorable moments did Mike Awesome and Tanaka ever create?" Richards said.

In a post on X, Tanaka credited the match with helping him get continued work in the United States, writing:

"I don't care what anyone thinks. The match with Mike was hard, but it was fun. Because of that, I can still step into the USA ring. bwo I love it".

Tanaka will return to the scene of his last match with Awesome, the Hammerstein Ballroom, for GCW on January 19.

H/T Fightful

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