[8.0] "This match is amazing. Takeshita is arguably the best wrestler in the world and Bailey is really good as well. So you knew this match was gonna be a banger. The Chemistry was really good and the match flowed so smoothly. There was some cool sequences and moves hit. It was a very fun hard hitting awesome match. (4.25*)"
[9.0] "Wonderful match. I think it goes on for a little too long, with a few too many kickouts (including one that came after Speedball messed up an Ultima Weapon, so that kickout is less ridiculous than it would otherwise be). That being said, they work a main event level pace and there are so many hard hitting moves. The crowd absolutely loved this match too."
[9.0] "This is a near-perfect match for me, with only a couple of things holding it back. The main thing is the length. They do so much in this match that it just straight up didn't need to be this long. By the time it was ending, I felt as if it had overstayed its welcome just a little to the point of hurting the match. Also, I think there are a tad too many kickouts from Bailey and not enough for Soup. Soup kicks out of an ultimate weapon, but it was botched, so the big kickout of the match for Soup doesn't feel earned, and we never get that kickout. Soup though is amazing, grounding Mike Bailey to the max and really limiting some of the issues that I have with Mike Bailey. Soup kills him with forearms and just over powers him while Bailey is taking insane bump after insane bump. But Soup is bumping too with that narly shooting star leg drop being the clear standout. This is an amazing match with some insane high spots, but goes too long and has a kickout at 1 that doesn't feel really earned. Still a great match and something that you should go out of your way to see. ****3/4 (4.75)"
[10.0] "This was an awesome match. When Scott D'Amore was fired from TNA, more specifically by Anthem rather than any of the wrestling related executives, he restarted Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, an old promotion that hasn't run a show since 1984. This was his first main event and what a main event it was. Konosuke Takeshita and Mike Bailey had wrestled before, most prominently in the finals of PWG's Battle of Los Angeles tournament the year prior. This was an excellent affair between these two. So much happened that I can't do it justice by naming all the spots. All I'll say is it can be argued that both men are each other's greatest rival. The only other wrestler in contention for that spot is Will Ospreay, oddly enough for both men. After a 25 minute classic, Konosuke won with the Raging Fire. Josh Alexander came out after the match, teasing their match on Night 2. Of the two matches on both nights, I thought this match was better than Takeshita vs Alexander. ****3/4"
[6.0] "(3*) Im changing my orginal rating i had on this, this match was not very good. Lets start with some positives. The strikes were good here, great even and thats it. This match reminds me of why im slowly not liking modern wrestling, i like both wrestlers, but oh my this was not good. I hate this match mainly is because of the long taunting and consistent no selling. This was not that good, Bailey had multiple chances to win but instead payed to much attention to this crowd, this wasnt the worst match i have seen, this isnt good either."
[7.0] "I thought this was a pretty good one. The finishing sequence was great, apart from the kickout from the knee. This match may have one too many kickouts, but apart from the previously mentioned one, its nothing egregious. There's tons of fun action here, Konsosuke's offense and Bailey's bumping make for a really fun combination. Konsosuke is great at looking as devastating as possible. My main gripes, and they are big ones are that this match lacks much of any narrative to grasp onto. There's no overall story and there's no attempt to really sell anything. Additionally, both guys, more so Konsosuke, stand, sit, or lay there just waiting for the other guy to lay it in multiple times in this match. Its not purposeful, they'll just sit and wait to get hit with a move. This is pretty constant, until near the end where they ease up on it and start making it look more sensical. Overall, I'd say I liked this one. One of my favorite Bailey performances, but I haven't seen much of them. [***.5]"
[10.0] "What a match especially for a company like MLPW to host. This was such a fun match and the crowd was phenomenal during it. I really hope that MLPW continues to give us some elite booking and getting solid talent to wrestle for them."
[8.0] "This was a good match I don't think it deserved both the five stars Meltzer gave and the rating plus nine we have here in the site. Don't get me wrong, this was good, the chemistry between both guys was very good and Bailey looked like a monster, but only that. Wasn't fully connected emotionally with the action both wrestler who think are incredible performers did, a shame. Sorry."
[5.0] "This was just 25 minutes of forgettable spots and strikes with neither interested in putting their best foot forward. In between the awkwardness and miscommunications, which this match had plenty of, it was marred by the worst tendencies of both men. There was no control work, nothing was ever built up, and the finish started as soon as the bell rang."
[8.0] "I have no idea why this would get a 10 from anyone. It was a good match but nothing special. Both have been better with other opponents. The final sequences didn't feel like it was smooth. The crowd just wasn't there for any of the false finishes."
"watched this randomly on youtube and couldn't have been a better match. the fast pace melded with the raw power of both men is mesmerizing. love they mentioned their history together in ddt and hopefully they'll face each other again in aew"
[9.0] "Incredible and definitely the match of the night with both wrestlers working incredibly well together with lots of incredibly smooth yet exciting moments. One of my favourite matches of 2024!"
[9.0] "Unbelievable match, this was just amazing with fast paste action. I wanted to catch this out cause it got 5 stars and everyone was praising it and after watch, I can see why people loved it."
[7.0] "That was very good, close to being great. Takeshita and bailey have a great chemistry. This match consisted mostly of bombs but the striking here was great as well thanks to bailey. It's a really good watch and it's on youtube so it's not hard to find it. ****"
[9.0] "Awesome match. Great action with some excellent looking striking and creative exchanges. I really love it when Takeshita leans in to his power game, and we got to see a few good examples of that here. There were definitely some moments that raised an eyebrow in terms of selling and things perhaps moving too fast for key moments to fully register (the early DVD on the apron doesn't feel quite right to me, and they probably overdid it a bit by the end instead of wrapping things up as the match was naturally hitting its peak), but the match was just plain fun to the point where I'm happy to still give this a very high rating. If I am nitpicking, I do think Bailey's expressions are a little cheesy at times, but it's not overbearing enough to detract the match, more just something I noticed that didn't really work for me. It may not appeal to everybody's taste, but it's certainly exciting, and considering it's free on YouTube I think it's well worth checking out."
[7.0] "Takeshita and Bailey are both crazy over and have a really solid overall match here. The pacing is great and they really do bring the best out of each other. Only reason this isn't rated higher is outside of one insane sequence there really isn't anything too special here."
[7.0] "Takeshita is a monster, and Speedball is the perfect smaller guy to match him. Many good things are happening here, but the psychology and story behind the moves are missing. Everything feels like it's going from setup to setup and spot to spot instead of being motivated by the wrestler's actions. There's way too much overly choreographed movement and devastating damage that barely earns a 2.5 count. However, this was a fun matchup (even if the execution was a bit off), so I can't wait to see what MLP cooks up next."
[7.0] "Really funny match to watch but people in these days are rating matches based on the wrestlers in the ring not the match itself I mean it was good but nothing special just simple story of strong Takashita vs speed Mike with good sequences nothing more to say about it and it really took longer than what it needed (***/75)"
[9.0] "Very impressed by how well these two work together. Bailey plays a great underdog here and it's not often you get a "Holy Shit" chant out of a kickout at one. Takeshita, meanwhile, is just one of the most impressive specimens wrestling today in terms of how he can use his frame to inflict punishment. A couple minor quibbles with how commentary handled this match in parts that I'm sure took some out of the match but frankly, the work speaks for itself."
[6.0] "Takeshita and Speedball definitely can pull-up some moves, they're very stiff and athletic wrestlers, and this was shown here several times, specially with the taekwondo-esque moves by Bailey, and the powerful way that Takeshita is able to throw his opponents in the ring. The match was frenetic and had a lot of reversals, but in my opinion, despite the great application of the moves, they didn't told a story where I could feel connected at all, it was just spot after reversal after spot after reversal, they weren't even feeling the moves that they were receiving, and of course they followed the exact formula with these matches, with the kickout at 1 and the unreal nearfalls. This had its own portion of fun, but looking at the bigger picture, it's a not a match that fits with my taste at all - {***}"
[10.0] "This was the best match of the card. I was amazed of the action, the great chemistry this two have and all the spots and insane counters. It was the best choice to be the first main event in the new age of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, as a declaration of interest. All the match was built around Bailey's agility, quickness and kicks, against Takeshita's power and strenght. With that formula they did some big spots and did a pretty memorable match. They started with a big sequence of counters, that ended with Bayley hitting a dive that turned into a hurricanrana. And then hit an amazing spingboard moonsault. Takeshita then gained control with a DVD on the apron that hurt Bailey's neck. But that didn't stop Bailey to hit later a standing shooting star press. Then goes for a standing moonsault double knee drop, but Takeshita counter it pushing Bailey with his legs, so he falls on his head. It was a cool spot. And if that wasn't enough, after a big sequence of counters, Bailey hits a standing moonsault double knee drop. Bayley then tries a Canadian Destroyer, but Takeshita counters it into a dead lift into a stiff forearm. Those kind of powermoves really set the tone of the match and cimented Takeshita as a killer, also loved his german suplexes. Another cool spot was Bailey missing the Ultima Weapon (a shooting star press knee drop) and Takeshita hitting an Alley Oop on the turnbuckles. Next big spot was the Canadian Destroyer by Bailey. I loved that Takeshita was able to fall to the outside, so Bailey couldn't pin him. Bailey manages to get him in the ring again, they fight on the top rope and Bailey hits a Frankensteiner and then teases a discus kick, but Takeshita picks him up and hits an insane Blue Thunder Bomb for a great nearfall. The camera then shows Takeshita's face of desaparation, which was awesome. Getting into the final stages of the match, it got even crazyer with Bailey countering a V Trigger into the Green Tea Plunge, into Takeshita rolling through to hit a wheelbarrow suplex into a stiff lariat for a one count. The Ultima Weapon nearfall was weird as it seem it didn't connect right, but it hit Takeshita's neck. Then Bailey goes for the Flamingo Driber, but Takeshita counters it into the Hitodenashi Driver for a two count. Then Takeshita hits a stiff forearm that takes off Bailey's mouth piece protection, hits the Power Drive Knee and then the Raging Fire to take the win on an amazing match. Great chemistry, spots, sequences and intensity. Loved this one."
[10.0] "What an absolutely insane match. I was completely hooked onto every single minute of this match knowing the calibre of Speedball and Takeshita, but they absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. This is one of my favorite matches of the year, and definitely the best match Takeshita had since the Ospreay match at Revolution. An absolute classic in my books. I went into this match without any suspense factor of Speedball winning (especially because I watched the match a week after and I knew the result), but in the moment, they made me believe. The nearfalls were absolutely spectacular, Speedball's fighting spirit spot was one of the best of the year. Absolutely spectacular match. ****3/4."
[3.0] "You know what? Maybe I'm a contrarian, but this match didn't make me feel anything. I feel like it just fit into the long list of "checklist epics" where things just happen. I enjoy both wrestlers, but to me, it just felt like one of those matches where you walk onward to the next spot. It didn't help with the fans needlessly chanting as if they were trying to get themselves over for every spot. Bailey's exaggerated bumping at times didn't do much for me, either. Then the match kept going, and going, and going. This'll fit on a bunch of people's MOTY lists, you're never gonna see anything like this near mine. I'm tired, boss."
[9.0] "This was an excellent first main event for MLP ! Takeshita and Bailey have an amazing chemistry together. I really liked the fact that they went really stiff on each other with kicks, knees and forearms. I expected Takeshita to win but Bailey really did an insane job, as usual. Not a MOTY but another banger this year from these two."
[4.0] "The fans really were bringing this thing down busting out every annoying chant in the books. They did a 'this is awesome' chant less than a minute into the match after a quick and competent but not particularly notable opening sequence. Takeshita is an impressive guy but he just doesn't know how to balance his size and athleticism yet. Bailey was giving him everything at lightning speed to start and you could believe he could have the advantage on the big man doing so, but when Takeshita finally took the advantage, things got way too back and forth way too soon instead of Bailey having to work from underneath. Also, Bailey needs a mid-level of facial expressions. He has intense face on offense that looks good, and then possibly-suffered-a-concussion face when selling, but nothing really in between. Again, the crowd would chant stuff for the sake of chanting stuff that didn't really match what was going on in the ring. I think this might be better with the sound off even though you would lose the great Mauro calling it. The most incredible spot of the match, when Takeshita blocks a standing moonsault by redirecting Bailey's head with his feet (in midair mind you) was barely reacted to by the crowd. The second best spot was a giant release German Suplex. By the time Bailey hits a Shooting Star Press Legdrop, I was thinking this was an amazing finish to a pretty good TV main event, brought down to above average due to the crowd. But then the Legdrop gets TWO. And then the match just kept going and going and going from there. When Bailey did a 360 oversell of a huge clothesline and kicked out at ONE, I was like, 'Now I hate this match'. And it still kept going. Bailey missed his finisher to the point Mauro pointed it out yet is still got two. The actual finish was one of those big moves that look way less impressive that at least three of the near falls. They had something here, and then they kept going and lost the plot entirely."
"Takeshita might be one of the greatest wrestlers in the world nowadays, this guy has the total package : charisma as he's an insanely good heel, and he's impressively athletic and powerful, and having him to face once again Speedball Mike Bailey, who is undoubtedly one of the best current era's cruiserweights and a unique performer, to main event the comeback of MLP was such a wonderful idea, adding to that the atmosphere of the crowd and the ridiculously good commentary of Mauro Ranallo and Don Callis, we have here all the ingredients for a MOTY candidate"
[10.0] "Amazing match. Bailey and Takeshita have always been great workers, and when they meet in the ring its like magic happens. I loved this and this was a great main event for the return of MLP."
[10.0] "Possibly one of the best matches of the year and by far, both showed off to the best of their ability, each one taking out every last move in their arsenal, at no time did it look as if Bailey was inferior to Takeshita and vice versa, it was a fight as equals, where the lack of interventions also stands out even if Don Callis was there, leaving this to be an incredible fight and above all clean"
[7.0] "I'm not the biggest fan of the modern style of wrestling, and this had some of the stuff I don't like - clearly cooperative moves, dodgy selling, etc. But there was a lot of good here. Was tempted to go 8, but the finish didn't quite peak the match for me and Don Callis' commentary was awful, so it's a 7 for me. (Worst Callis call: right after Mauro explains that Jun Akiyama taught Takeshita the Blue Thunder Bomb that he had just hit on Bailey, Callis talks about how he was a big fan of Jumbo Tsuruta, but he never hit a BTB that well. C'mon man, just listen to what Mauro is telling you.)"
[9.0] "Crazy initial main event for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestlings debut show under Scott DAmore, as one might expect from the two names given. Mike Bailey is maybe the top free agent in the world and Konosuke Takeshita has had an absolutely unbelievable run of form in 2024. Both are affluent in strikes, but their elite athleticism is what really takes this match over the top to become something extraordinary. Through the match, Bailey hit a triangle moonsault to take an initial advantage, before Takeshita hits a gruesome looking Death Valley Driver on the apron. Bailey continuously fails to connect with the Ultimate Weapon, allowing for Takeshita to hit a series of power moves that left my jaw dropped including a crazy German Suplex and a Blue Thunder Bomb that always looks impressive. Bailey finally landed the Ultimate Weapon on the third attempt and set up for the Flamingo Driver, but Takeshita countered with a vicious running knee and the Raging Fire to win. Phenomenally paced match that was equal parts thrilling and devastating. Takeshita has been working great as a heel and is one of the athletically based best big men in the world that gives me vibes of a modern Mike Awesome. Bailey can be hit or miss for me, with some of their matches being a little more style over substance for my taste, but no one can deny their credibility as a performer and ability to entertain. This was the best these two could offer, and I cannot praise this match enough. I expect this one to go down as one of the top matches of the year. (****1/2)"
[6.0] "This match sadly did not click for me. There were some nice moments, good counters and an overall technically profound execution. But most of the match was just a slow exchange of moves. They just never had me hooked in this match because it never told a story. I guess the base of the match was supposed to be a international clash of talents but that never really got across for me. Sucks, because I thought this looked great on paper."
[10.0] "[5 Stars] MAMMA MIAAAA! This match was incredible, it gave me Prime NXT Takeover Vibes thanks to the Goat Mauro Ranallo's perfect commentary! Takeshita and Bailey are 2 of the best wrestlers right now and they proved it once again by giving us a Banger. Please go and see this match, it's worth it! MOTY Contender (*****)."
[9.0] "(Grade:A) I had fun with this match, thought the hyped to it definitely lived up to it with some good striking and shocking near falls that had me baffle! Takeshita is on a great run this year and Bailey is consider a top 5 cruiserweight/x-division star and seeing these two clash again was dope!"
[9.0] "There was no doubt the match would be fantastic, but wow, evem with high expactations - they still jumped over the goal. Takeshita and Bailey are an amazing pairing and have great chemistry. Mike sells Takeshita's moves like no one else and he himself has some great offense. I really hope Bailey advances even higher in Pro Wrestling, as he really deserves it"
[10.0] "I am a fan of both wrestlers and this match satisfied me a lot. The only problem was the camera angles. Sometimes the camera angles changed very suddenly and unnecessarily, which caused some spots to be partially missed. But since the company is active again after many years, this is not that important. Good luck mlp"
[9.0] "I mean, we already knew Takeshita and Bailey worked wonders together and this is no exception. Bailey's one of the most consistently exciting wrestler out there and Takeshita imo has a claim at being the best pro wrestler in the world today in terms of workrate. I also have to mention the amazing work by Don Callis at the color commentary, I thought he was outstanding all night and especially in this match. Doesn't get a 10 just because they never made me believe Bailey could win but aside from the suspense factor, it was truly an excellent match"
[9.0] "Much better than the match against Alexander the next night. Takeshita prolly having the best 10 day stretch of matches out of any wrestler this year"
[10.0] "This was a fantastic match. This might be the best match for Speedball since Will Ospreay showed up in TNA. Konosuke Takeshita just won the international title just one week before this match in a match of the year contender for AEW. Mike Bailey was holding the X-division title for TNA. These two wrestlers have history in DDT pro wrestling, they wrestled each other on the indies. The storytelling was so good. Speedball with some very nice kicks. Takeshita with the power strikes. This was a hard hitting and fast pace match. This match was awesome. 5 star match."
[8.0] "Excellent match, insane moveset by both of them, Speedball is absolutely phenomenal as always. I would have give 9 to the match, although I have to lower the grade a little for this unique reason : too many kick outs that weren't believable AT ALL and not well made. Got me out of the match in the end sadly..."
[8.0] "A workrate heavy match that falls into the trappings I do get kind of annoyed by in modern big matches, but I still greatly enjoyed this and found it a whole lot of fun, even if I wish it was a little better constructed."
[7.0] "[3.5*] This match was just so damn fun. It definitely earned a place on my Indication List. It is actually impressive, they wrestled for 25 minutes and the match NEVER felt boring or dragged down, it was just almost half an hour of great moves in a very easy-watch. I completely understand the high rating because they really did a lot of crazy spots, high-flying, athleticism, both move-sets are very creative and innovative and yeah, this is the kind of match that you watch and be like: Holy shit, how are they doing it? This is undeniable. However, a couple of things bothered me a little bit. I really thought the Alexander match was way better, but in both matches we had an abusive amount of thigh slaps. The difference is: Takeshita and Josh actually tried to hide it. Speedball seems like he just does not give a fuck lmao, a very PWG-esque mentality. It seems that for him it is like, I will do this crazy stuff without caring for details because people will pop anyways. The match also has a lot of moments where one guy is just waiting for the other one to attack him without even hiding it a little bit. There is a spot where Takeshita is on the corner and Bailey is on the middle of the ring with his back facing Take. He just stood there for a LONG time waiting for him, like, a LONG time, he looked like a statue, just standing there. In my opinion this is a pretty amateur behavior, specially for a wrestler capable of doing every single dive or 630 Senton or something. So yeah, I had a ton of fun watching this match, the choreographed sequences were perfectly executed and in some spots I was legitimately in awe like on the Blue Thunder Bomb or the Steenalizer look-alike Takeshita did, but I was really bothered by the lack of naturality in between the spots. I liked it a lot, just did not think it was a MOTYC or anything like that."
[9.0] "Weird feeling on this match. It's a GREAT match and yet still a bit overrated I feel? It's beautifully executed but the kickouts got a bit too over the top for me to go the full 10. Yet, like I said, this is very obviously a great match."
[8.0] "****3/4 a very great match, among the best of the year without a doubt, an excellent combination between both, very great sequences, very good chemistry, very great striking, both had very great resistance, which I see as logical due to be a champion vs champion, although Bailey's finish half-botched and hitting Takeshita's head with his knee looked very brutal"
[9.0] "Konosuke Takeshita vs Speedball Mike Bailey was phenomenal. The pacing was nonstop with high impact in-ring action. Both men delivered hard hitting intensity that kept the fans on the edge of their seats throughout. The closing stretch was fantastic. Absolutely sensational match (****3/4)"
[10.0] "This shit was just crazy. It was the perfect blend of brutality, drama and counters/reverseals; like the epitome of tte modern wrestling main-event. Takeshita's Elbow Strikes were absolutely disgusting and Bailey was just as athletical as always and he perfectly matched Konosuke's heavyweight style. The last kick-out by Bailey was among the best of the last year, that's a must watch if you like over the top action with a bit of everything. *****"
[9.0] "That's how you make a statement on your first show by showcasing two must see talents in a potential MOTYC. AEW International Champion vs TNA X-Division Champion. Both Konosuke Takeshita and Speedball Mike Bailey have been my favorite wrestlers to watch at the moment so I was very excited when this match was both announced and received as the masterclass it is. These two have such great chemistry that you don't even need a narrative besides these are two incredibly talented wrestlers who are gonna go out there and tear the roof off. Speedball is insanely creative with his move set and I've yet to see him have a dud match and Takeshita has been one of the most consistently entertaining wrestlers on the AEW roster so when you get a back and forth of Speedball's flashy kicks and flips and Takeshita's devastating knees and lariats and insane release suplexs, it's magic. Move of the match though was that alley oop bomb into the turnbuckle which looked absolutely disgusting. Watching who I think should be two of the next big stars in the industry going at it while Mauro Ranallo screams his heart out, made me feel like I was watching NXT black and gold again. Loved this match"
[10.0] "Incredible! MLP just gave us a MOTYC in their first show, I love the matches between Takeshita and some high flyer (Ospreay, ELP and now Bailey). the contrast in style matches perfectly and even though the match stretches out a bit with some forced nearfalls, the development is so sensational that it doesn't make the slightest difference (*****)"
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