[6.0] "Njpw new japan cup 2023, Day1: It was a average show. There were two solid matches. Two new stars got some push. It seems like njpw is now preparing for future. Not a watch worthy show in my opinion. (***)"

[10.0] "Better than the previous event. SHO & Yujiro Takahashi vs Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr: mediocre opening match, wish House Of Torture wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics in every match (*). EVIL & Dick Togo vs Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru: Another sorry excuse of a House Of Torture match, the only good thing is the end (1/2*). Strong Style & Ryusuke Taguchi vs BULLET CLUB: Great even wrestled midcard match that showed how great David Finlay is as a heel as a member of BULLET CLUB and also a great preview for KENTA vs Minoru Suzuki at Impact Multiverse (***). United Empire vs CHAOS & Tomoaki Honma: decent 8 man tag team match, can't wait for Will Ospreay and Mark Davis in the new Japan Cup (***1/4). LIJ vs CHAOS, Tama Tonga & Shota Umino: best tag team match on the card, another thrilling preview of Lio Rush vs Hiromu Takahashi, Shota Umino continues to prove he's on the rise (***3/4). YOSHI-HASHI vs Kyle Fletcher: 2 tag team specialists that slogged it out for just over 20 minutes in an absolute banger of a match, Kyle Fletcher showed he could have a bright solo run (*****). Aaron Henare vs Shingo Takagi: Another brilliant njc match, Henare winning was a shock as he faced a hometown hero in Shingo Takagi (*****)"

[7.0] "The show is good: two absolutelly good tournament matches, and the rest is the usual solid card for this tour. 6.5."

[6.0] "This show had a rough start with the House of Torture matches and the following tags were all pretty run of the mill stuff that we will get all tour. Both of the New Japan Cup matches were good though, the Henare/Takagi match in particular which really elevated Henare as an in-ring worker in my eyes. Definitely a step up from the previous show but not quite as good as night 1&2"

[5.0] "Loved the main event but there was nothing else on the card with any juice. It is slightly interesting how strong they're booking United Empire."

[7.0] "When I seen that we were starting with not one, but TWO HOUSE OF TORTURE MATCHES, I thought this would be a second rough show in a row. However, the two tournament matches delivered way more than anyone expected them to, the United Empire came out looking like a million dollars, and it blows the bracket going into round 2. Also ELP can and will be the next big gaijin babyface."

[7.0] "If you are an United Empire fan this is the show for you. 2 big co-main event cup matches featuring UE plus a UE tag match that helps build UE vs UE later in the tournament. there's only 1 bad match on this show. Plenty of hype is created for later events. Much better than the previous NJPW event"