Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji

"This started out really strong with Tsuji being worked over to the point where he couldn't stand, then became some 4 babyface movefest with no psychology or tags. I liked watching this, but did not think this was a good match as it just kept going..."

[8.0] "An amazing tag match that serves as a preview of future matches. All 4 wrestlers are amazing and they perform so well in this match. Great structuring that creates narrative fighting that involves all 4 wrestlers and creatively building sequences, which are amazingly executed. Great pacing, as this is a preview tag they are able to build off of that. All parts of this match are great but the best part is the ending part(s) as the crowd is so invested and the wrestlers give amazing performances that makes the crowd go crazy, the finish sequence included."

[6.0] "I didn't feel as strongly about this match as other seem to have, but I did enjoy this well enough. Some nice preview action ahead of ZSJ's title defense."

[7.0] "There were so many interesting dynamics that made this match worth watching, with it primarily being used as a vehicle to drive forward the interactions between Shingo Takagi and Zack Sabre Jr. ahead of their title match at Power Struggle, but then you also had Ryohei Oiwa and Takagi continuing their fight from the previous month for the NEVER title, as well as Tsuji attempting to gain a bit of revenge against ZSJ for costing him the G1 Final. There were so many smooth interactions as well as some extremely stiff shots, with even some technical exchanges between Sabre and Shingo. I really thought Oiwa looked impressive once again, hanging in there with three of the top guys on the roster right after returning from excursion. I left the match thinking two things: I am hyped for the title match between Sabre and Takagi and the young talent that has been continually growing within New Japan will definitely set them up for success in the future, the match did everything that it was intended for. (***1/2)"

[7.0] "A perfectly executed preview that builds to the power struggle main event. Sabre and Takagi have a great chemistry that was highlighted win complex reversal sequences and clever spots. Tsuji and Oiwa pair off in this is another nice stretch at the finish that has me looking forward to them in the future. Without either side having an obvious pin eater, there was more excitement and Tsuji pinning Oiwa clean feels like an important decision that will be referenced in a possible rivalry. ***1/2"

[8.0] "What a great match to set up the ending of Takagi/ZSJ's 2024 trilogy and to set the seed for Tsuji vs Oiwa. It's probably better than any tournament match so far other than one and I would reccomend everyone to see this bout if they are gonna follow Power Struggle, great stuff. ****1/4"

[9.0] "This was so so so good. I need new japan pro wrestling to provide more of these type of contests because this was just phenomenal. Oiwa star making performance (though i think hes already been there for a long time) and The other 3 are always great so it was spectacular."

[8.0] "This was a tonne of fun, particularly in the closing stretch, and a great glimpse into a potentially huge rivalry for the company in Oiwa vs Tsuji. THIS is what the company needs to focus on to bring back the good times, less of the cheap heat nonsense of HoT etc. Absolutely loved the finish of the grip into the gene blast. ****"

[8.0] "Match of the night for sure and it definitely solidified that New Japan's future is bright and in good hands with Tsuji and Oiwa. Shingo and Zack built up for their match, but the best parts for me were with Tsuji and Oiwa. Man I did not expect Tsuji and Oiwa to have such great chemistry in the ring and I loved it. The finishing stretch however was great and would be the main reason I would give it a 9. Oiwa looked like a beast and Tsuji killed him with that spear. I kinda hope Tsuji vs Oiwa is sneaked into any show on the road to WrestleKingdom because after this I want more."

[6.0] "Solid build-up tag. Oiwa vs Tsuji is particularly exciting and I can't wait to see them rumble in singles action. Just a very solid and good tag team match overall, all four guys get to shine and look good. Being in K-Hall also helps as its one of the all-time greatest wrestling atmospheres."

[8.0] "Fabulous, simple match! Everybody looked so great in it - immaculate movement, wrestling, timing, precision... Oiwa absolutely hung with the other three, and if anything looked the best of the lot. It was fast-paced, made sense, looked brilliant and got me hyped for upcoming matches. Perfect!"

[7.0] "What an absolute treat to get on a card like this, a tag match between two amazing veterans and two stars of the future. This was a really enjoyable bout with some great action and even though the stakes were low everyone put in a lot of effort, leading to this being one of the best NJPW undercard tags I have seen in a long time. The crowd were absolutely electric for Oiwa, especially in his exchange with Tsuji. Eventually Tsuji managed to hit a Gene Blast on Oiwa for the win but this was incredible, an absolute delicacy to get this mid tour."

[8.0] "A truly electric match in the Koruaken with great action and big names to promote the Power Struggle main event, it was a blast to watch. Quite classic in its content, but classic with such talent, it's still above average. Ryohei Oiwa is so damn good."