[9.0] "An all timer show where the semi main (4.75*) and main (5*) delivered in a big way. After a strong WK this was an excellent way to continue to build momentum. 9.5/10"

[7.0] "There was a couple of stinkers on the card, but other than that it was great show. I couldn't watch this all in one sitting, but I'm glad I got through it all. This is the best show I've seen from New Japan in a strong year for the company so far. B grade."

[9.0] "A very good show from top to bottom that felt like a true "NJPW is back" moment. Great energy, strong matches throughout, and a real sense of momentum for the company coming out of Osaka."

[8.0] "The undercard was weaker than what I would normally want to rate something this high, but Goto won the top belt from ZSJ and that moment alone is enough to make me fangirl myself into giving the overall show a higher rating. [MOTN: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Oleg Boltin]"

[9.0] "Really great show, that's NJ when it doesn't fuck with useless matches and go with the meat. Last two matches were both exceptional but overall in both terms of storylines and wrestling there was so much here that I think that the downfall of this event 'll be felt girl the whole year. Truly a New Beginning. ****1/2"

[7.0] "This was a decent show that featured a wide spectrum of qualities throughout ranging from the pretty bad first match (not the kickoff) to pretty great final stretch, the last two matches to be specific. As usual my main problem with this show is its length. The only reason I did not rate this event lower, despite most matches being mid, was the way the show ended which I assume is going to be the emotional highlight of this year in NJPW."

[7.0] "Definitely one of the better shows of the year, with two absolute all timers to cap it off. Everything else was solid save for the Tanahashi/Makabe match, though you can't expect those two to do much given their age and condition. New Japan might be back to its glory!"

[8.0] "This card didn't start with the usual light-hearted undercard tags and as such might be a little exhausting, but I felt like every single match on this card brought something. On top of that, there were several good matches, I think my favourite being Takeshita vs Boltin. That match, for me, overcame the usual no-sell tropes by having each guy look to hold onto his opponent and transition to something else. Both guys looked like they wanted to win and I think that made it feel gritty and raw in ways most no-sell battles don't. If nothing else it was a very effective sprint. Most matches ending around ten minutes or so made this an easy watch for a card with so many matches. Even the top two matches were relatively short, which again helped make them feel like competitive contests. This show flew by considering there were 10 matches including the kick-off. The past few years have made me a little pessimistic when it comes to New Japan gaining momentum, but this card was a strong showing which created intrigue for what comes next."

[10.0] "absolute show of the year so far in wrestling even with the small sample size. new japan may as well be back."

[8.0] "Great show from to bottom. Tanahashi vs Makabe (**.5): Decent enough match that they could perform at that stage of both men's career. Drilla vs Shingo (***.5) good match for Drilla's first heavyweight match. Surprised he won here too. Umino vs O-Khan (***): Nothing much to this one, as the aftermath was the focus of the match. SANADA vs Taichi (*.75): Was hoping this would be as good as their previous bouts, but this sucked. An overbooked mess that had way too many low blows. It also had no pace to it and was messed up. Great to see Yuya back though. TMDK vs Ropongi (***.5): It was good for what it was. When Robbie hit his legs on the rail I think that derailed the match a bit. Hope Robbie's alright though. Takeshita vs Boltin (****.5): This was fucking awesome. Boltin showed out here, Takeshita did amazing. Great match. LIJ vs Young Bucks ( **.75): Not really anything special. Only had 9 minutes and didn't really follow a story and had decent action. Tsuji vs Kidd (****.75): This is what New Japan Pro Wrestling is. Gabe and Tsuji have amazing chemistry and may be the best feud of the next generation. Goto vs Zack (*****) HE FUCKING DID IT! Man this brought me through so much emotions. Zack almost making Goto submit, Goto fighting through and getting near falls and it was just amazing. I'm so fucking happy for Goto here."

[9.0] "This was a show that had a lot of great wrestling, two matches that will absolutely finish in my top 10 by the end of the year in Goto/ZSJ and Kidd/Tsuji, a hot Osaka crowd, and even the worst matches were perfectly passable. You had an angle involving House of Torture that even I, the biggest HOT hater around, thought was good and effective, and you got an emotional, feel good ending with Goto finally winning the title after all these years. A tremendous show that evoked the vibes of the best of New Japan."

[7.0] "An enjoyable show elevated by two very strong matches in Gabe Kidd/Yota Tsuji and Zack Sabre Jr./Hirooki Goto. Takeshita/Boltin was very good and Drilla/Shingo was enjoyable as well. The remainder of the show was pretty solid and consistent but those matches particularly elevated the show for me."

[9.0] "This show had no bad matches, however the majority of the under-card was super short and very disappointing. The last 5 matches were really good, The tag title matches were both really fun, Boltin vs Takeshita 2 was super underrated and lost in the rest of the card, but still very good, Tsuji vs Kidd went to a draw and was another banger from the future and present of the company, and finally, Goto vs ZSJ was not only my MOTN but also my MOTY so far. Banger show overall."

[8.0] "I really enjoyed this event. Great sold out crowd and atmosphere and three really great matches in Tsuji v Kidd, ZSJ v Goto and Takeshita v Boltin. Great start to the year after WK for NJPW and I am looking forward to the NJ Cup."

"Excellent first chapter in the coming year's storylines, strong focus on building the next generation and three terrific singles matches in Take/Oleg, Yota/Gabe and the main event."

[9.0] "You can't be too harsh on NJPW for a slightly underwhelming undercard leading into a crescendo of brilliance, because that's just how NJPW operates; the openers are there to ease you in and warm you up. That said, maybe some of the scheduling was out of whack. Tana's retirement run is opening these shows because he knows, instinctively, he can't go like he used to, but people will still pop for him. I just wish Naito would realise the same, because he's also starting to drop off a cliff. If the match was swapped in the order with the junior tag match, then I'd have less complaints, but as it is, it was a regrettable, but still minor, drag on an insane ending stretch with two early MOTYC candidates."

[8.0] "Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Togi Makabe: They were not obviously gonna tear the house down like they could have previously, they did what they were capable this late into their careers, Tanahashi getting another win on his road to retirement [**1/2]. Drilla Moloney vs Shingo Takagi: Drilla getting the win here was surprising but good to see against a former IWGP world champion, gaining some momentum heading into the New Japan Cup 2025, the action was great for the 10 minutes they had [***1/4]. Great O-Khan vs Shota Umino: A largely okay match with a couple of good moments thrown in for good measure, not as good as it could have been mainly due to the limited time [**1/2]. SANADA vs Taichi: Not a good match at all, there was a low blow fest, the match was boring and to be honest not worth wasting your time watching it [*1/2]. Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles vs Rocky Romero & YOH: This was a solid junior heavyweight tag team match, they had some clean exchanges thoroughout the contest, Fujita continues to impress with another win here, some decent tag team work here as well [***1/4]. Konosuke Takeshita vs Boltin Oleg: A slugfest that was quite well competitive, Oleg gave up a good fight against Takeshita, they had a solid back and forth hard hitting physical match [****]. Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito vs Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson: A fine worked match, with YB losing their titles which does make sense to be honest, the action was what it was for the time given here [**3/4]. Yota Tsuji vs Gabe Kidd: What a physical match between these two, hard hitting chops, they went for it for over 20 minutes which ended in a draw with the double knockout as they could not answer the 10 count, Tsuji nearly stayed on his feet but fell back down just at the 10 count [*****]. Hirooki Goto vs Zack Sabre Jr: GotoMania begins here with one of the most surprising wins of 2025 so far with Goto winning the title for the first time ever, this match was incredible from start to finish, the match was worked quite well, and the finish was so emotional, the crowd was on it from the start with their reactions, a great main event to round off The New Beginning In Osaka [*****]"

[7.0] "The double main-event felt huge, especially with the main event winner, but Zack Sabre Jr's bell-to-bell performance was oddly lacking. Outside of that, this was an excellent preview of the New Japan Cup, with heavyweight performers going all out from beginning to end. Shouts to Drilla, Boltin and Tsuji, but Gabe Kidd captured the moment in this show."

[9.0] "What a glorious New Japan show this was! Hirooki Goto finally did it, this main event showed why you should never give up in life, there's always hope, for wrestlers it proved that hard work pays off, even if you gotta wait many years, for fans it means you're favs can do it if you're always cheering for them, never stop believing! That match wasn't just about the emotion and storytelling, it was an excellent bout, Zack Sabre Jr. serious in ring and submission style specialist made him the dream killer in this match, Goto delivered, and it wasn't unnecessary long like a lot of NJPW main events, 20 minutes was perfect! The whole show was about presenting the new stars of tomorrow while still showing respect to the veterans, even though it was hard to witness the Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Togi Makabe opener... Tanahashi is absolutely washed, but we have to respect his last year even if it's rough sometimes. Shota Umino still doesn't work at all, but maybe the loss of that match and the hair shaving might be... A New Beginning. Young Bucks are generational carry job specialists, it was good enough of a match against LIJ, but Naito is beyond cooked and I don't think this tag title reigns is gonna deliver. Rocky Romero & YOH don't really work for me, bring back Roppongi 3K, but the match with TMDK was cool and Kosei Fujita presented well. Taichi vs SANADA was fun, and the rest of the show very good to great, especially Takeshita vs Boltin Oleg which was a great showcase of the strong style formula, the draw between Gabe Kidd vs Yota Tsuji was fantastic, what a hard hitting match! This show gave me so much hope for the future of New Japan, a lot of young blood showing their hunger, Drilla Moloney, Yuya Uemura's return, Kosei Fujita after that epic IWGP Junior match against Desperado last week and winning tonight, Boltin Oleg, Ryohei Oiwa challenging Takeshita, Gabe Kidd and Yota Tsuji proving they're main event worthy. I'd highly recommend this show to any WWE fans only if they're looking to expand their wrestling knowledge as it's a digestible show (while still long) and it's a good showcase of the fighting spirit/strong style wrestling. My glorious Nooj might be back!"

[7.0] "An awesome NJPW event. The undercard could have been better and there were some dumb winning decision but still a good job. Detailled match ratings in the guides. 1. UNITED EMPIRE vs. Murashima/Desperado: ***1/4 2. Tanahashi vs. Makabe: *** 3. Takagi vs. Moloney: ***1/2 4. Umino vs. O-Khan: ***1/2 5. Taichi vs. SANADA: ***1/4 6. Ichiban Sweet Boys(C) vs. Roppongi Re-Vice - IWGP Jr. Tag title match: ***1/2 7. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA(C) vs. Oleg Boltin - NEVER title match: **** 8. Young Bucks(C) vs. LIJ - IWGP Tag title match: ***1/4 9. Tsuji(C) vs. Kidd - IWGP GLOBAL title match: ***** [5 STARS] 10. Sabre Jr.(C) vs. Goto - IWGP World title match: ****"

[7.0] "(Sorry english is not my first language) A whole show was godd but man... first matches was terrible"

[9.0] "This was an incredible event! Despite Drilla Moloney Vs. Shingo Takagi being the best out of the four special single matches (Tanahashi vs. Makabe definitely being the worst no question about it) the Championship matches were top-tier performances from everybody involved some of my favorites were Never Openweight Title Match, IWGP Global Heavyweight Title Match, & IWGP World Heavyweight Title with the highlight being Goto finally achieved the world title and setting up NJPW for an amazing year headed of them."

[9.0] "heading into last years G1 NJPW was in a real crisis situation, its biggest draw was falling apart pysichly, all the other big names were either out of the company or past their prime but new japan persevered new blood came to the forefront and took the chance and rolled with it Tsuji, Kidd Fujita Oleg and the now back Uemura made the once depressing landscape into what in my opinion is the best product any company is producing right now, the storm isnt over and it isnt perfect (nothing really is) but the lion has steadied the ship (8.8)"

[10.0] "The New Beginning in Osaka 2025 was a great event. Unpredictable results, two great matches, and the rest of the matches were also very good. The singles performances were great and great storylines were created or continued."

[9.0] "This show felt like a show from the Golden Era of the mid 10's. At least 3 straight up great matches, a big plot-twist, a big return, and a main event that had the crowd in tears."

[10.0] "Complete polar opposite of last year's New Beginning shows. Every match resulted in either the correct outcome or an intriguing direction. 6 matches I went 8 or 9 on. Very arguably the best New Japan show since pre-pandemic."

[8.0] "Despite the lack of ppv match quality on some of the few beginning matches, this still was an eventful show. A lot of emotional moments that felt like a shift in the company moving forward. The new faces got to shine one way or the other and the old faces made their presence felt too, one way or the other. Hopefully this isn't a one off and continues with this momentum. p.s. Clark the goat at everything he does. p.p.s. International. Wrestling. Goto. Prix."

[9.0] "Great show with an inspiring title win from Goto. New Japan may be back to old form with the decisions made on this show. Oleg Bolten is a future star for them with his freakish strength and movement. Takeshita is top 5 in the word right now to pull that match out of a very green Oleg. Gabe Kidd and Tsuji brought down the house with their emotional back and fourth match. I was not a fan of the finish or the post match HOT beatdown but it still left me wanting the rematch whenever that's possible. NJPW Goodt Hiroki Goto champion...forever."

[9.0] "This really felt like a New Japan show of the golden era (2014-2019), everything just flew by, and next thing I knew it was over just like that. Nothing on this show dragged one bit, actually maybe that SANADA vs Taichi match, but nonetheless everything was really great. It's Osaka so you already knew the crowd was going to be hot as all hell and they were and the latter 5 matches really picked it up and had the crowd rumbling the building. To me MOTN was Tsuji vs Gabe Kidd, and the main event is a good feel good moment, but as a match it was good, felt too quick for a big IWGP title match. But this was a 9/10 show, and super super fun to watch and felt like the good old days of watching NJPW in the middle of the night. Miles better than WK19. Thank you Osaka for that awesome crowd."

"Finally Goto is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion! Loved him since day one and this is one of the best wrestling moment i was waiting for and think never happening at some point. This is the crown jewel in a career full of championship and tournaments for Goto but with much disappointment either. Really a graceful victory and moments with his fans and children."

[9.0] "A solid show for any promotion in the world that is elevated by three matches: Boltin x Takeshita, Kidd x Tsuji, and Goto x ZSJ. Gedo did his absolute best to ruin the vibes leading in to the main event by reintroducing the HoT, and signaling that we are going to have to endure an extended period of boring, lazy, pointless garbage before we get a conclusion to teh Kidd x Tsuji feud, but then they put the G back in IWGP and I didn't care anymore. I will still keep this promotion at an arms reach with the booking as poor as it has been over the last year, but their is finally some life in the top half of the card. RIP the tag heavyweight division though."

[9.0] "I'm probably Overrating this one a lot, especially considering my own scale, but I adore this show. You see, New Japan were at a very tough spot last year in the same event. Ospreay and Okada were on the verge of leaving and their world champion was a Cooked Tetsuya Naito. 1 year later and they deliver one of the best shows they've had since the Pandemic. Their pushing their younger guys who are getting better and better and the crowd is warming up to them. And they finally pulled the trigger on Hirooki Goto. This is a phenomenal show from a booking stand point. From a workrate stand point, The never title match, The Semi-Main and especially the Main Event are all excellent While Molony VS Takagi is very good.The rest of the matches I didn't really enjoy which is why I'm deducting a point Ryohei Oiva Vs Takeshita was teased, Evil returned and Yuya Uemura came back and cut a phenomenal babyface promo. New Japan's best show since the Pandemic, and to me a top 10 show of theirs."

[10.0] "Goto's is just enough for me to give this rating.I was in tears when the match ended, finally this man take what he deserves.These are the moments why i love pro wrestling and New Japan and Goto thank you for this great moment.The G in IWGP stands for Goto and also the G on Never Give Up stands for Goto.Tsuji vs Kidd was also awesome as maybe the two that stands out the most from the new generation had a great fight.Let's be honest there was no way Evil would left New Japan.I think this New Beginning will remain in the history especially for Goto's victory, but overall the event was very good at least for me."

"First huge show following the post wrestle-kingdom season. Several title matches with diversified teams. Three stories have catch my interest. First, Hiroshi Tanahashi's final tour , where he fights one more time Togi Makabe, one of his first opponents. Yota Tsuji vs Gabe Kid fighting for the future of NJPW. And the greatest story from this show is obviously the journey of Hirooki Goto for the main title. What a stacked card. What load of emotions. Congratulation to the great Hirooki Goto who fullfills his destiny by winning the only title he had yet to obtain .Congratulation too to ZSJ who had a great run and was a great opponent to make this momet brighter. What a great year starting from NJPW"

[10.0] "An event that I really enjoyed, it was without a doubt fantastic. The matches were almost all good. Yota Tsuji vs Gabe Kidd and Zack Sabre Jr. vs Hirooki Goto were absolutely the best, with the second one being the best in my opinion, and then I'm very happy for Goto's title victory, he deserved it for years. The match between Konosuke Takeshita and Oleg Boltin was also very good, inferior to the other two but still a great match. A truly incredible event, with few weak points (almost none), and many strong points, for now the best NJPW event of the year, taking nothing away from the others."

[10.0] "This show had me asking many questions, pulling my hair out, and tears in my eyes. First off I'm glad that Tanahashi got a W in one of his final matches in that building over a long time friend in Makabe, was not surprised by the Tag title match outcomes in either weight class the Heavyweight one less so due to it being like a hostage situation with the Young Bucks in possession of the gold, but what frustrates me are two things; 1. why do they continue to knock Umino down and this has to be the lowest he's ever been after having to shave his own head, a stipulation I wasn't made aware of until after.I watched it, and 2. WHY THE FUCK IS EVIL BACK? ! This is the reason I kept begging Jay White and now Daivd FIinlay to cut the cancer that is the House of Torture not just out of Bullet Club but out of NJPW as a whole. Finally the main event saw me shed tears as Goto FINALLY got the title win he was long overdue in my opinion now the question is how long can he hold on to it?"

[9.0] "The best New Japan show in quite some time and oh how deserved it was. To think last years New Beginning show saw the final matches for both Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay. The year that would follow saw New Japan on rocky ground. After The Elite left to form AEW, COVID and then Okada and Ospreay leaving, it was clear that New Japan had been ravaged from the last couple of years. What followed was a year of older guys like Naito carrying the company on their weakened knees and crooked backs while the younger guys were forced to push themselves to carry the New Japan banner far sooner than anyone would have expected. It was a bumpy road but here we are. This event, only a year removed, is proof that New Japan is healthy and the next few years look bright. Huge reactions for Yuya and Ryohei. Great showings from younger guys like Drilla, Oleg, Yota, Konosuke and Gabe. Older guys like Tana, Togi, Shingo and Hirooki showed that they still have the fire in them and the crowd were red hot. What a show."

[9.0] "It is probably going to be the best NJPW Pay-per-view this year. Every match was at least interesting and a lot and I mean a lot of those matches were unpredictable. The first match was really fine with just 9 minutes Hiroshi and Togi turned up the crowd. Later Drilla and Shingo gave everything they can and this was the first surprise of the evening. Moloney defeated Takagi by himself, fair and square. It really was a great match. Later Great-O-Khan beat Shooter in a shocking fashion especially after Umino cut his hair. There also were 2 shocking returns of Uemura and EVIL. But the main event is something we all have to talk about. Hirooki Goto stole the show. Despite the fact 3 other matches on those card were absolutely banger. Tana vs. Makabe 5.5/10 Moloney vs. Takagi 7.5/10 O-Khan vs. Umino 5.5/10 SANADA vs. Taichi 6/10 Junior Tag 7.75/10 Oleg vs. Takeshita 8/10 L.I.J. vs. The Bucks 7.25/10 Tsuji vs. Kidd 8.5/10 Main Event 8.5/10"

[10.0] "A nice show and a nice matches and great moments. The match between Tsuji and Kidd is one of the best direct confrontations in the modern era, the best match in the history of the Global Heavyweight Championship. Finally Yuya is back, the boy of the future in this era should be built excellently and I am very anticipating what is coming for Yuya, his performance is very excellent, I liked it in G1, along with Yuta Tsuji and David Finley, Yuya is one of the men of the future . After years of doubt, it's time to believe in Hirooki Goto. Finally, the ( G ) in IW(G)P Belongs to Goto. Years have passed and we have watched NJPW and seen that Hirooki Goto, one of the best wrestlers in the world, has not yet won the title. After years of hope and anticipation, here is the dream come true. Hirooki Goto is the champion tonight."