[9.0] "Easily the best match of the show. Desperado gets another awesome title defense under his belt, while Akira gets a great showing in a prominent spot. Really enjoyed the story of Desperado working on Akira's knee and the damage done to it costing Akira in the end. Just great stuff. Desperado's having a great title reign so far, in my opinion."
[9.0] "These two are just excellent together. Akira was masterful as a babyface again and Despy wonderful in the more controlling role. Plenty of drama and hopefully one of many more matches between these two. ****1/2"
[8.0] "Another great Despe/Akira matchup and a great semi-main for the NJPW Anniversary show. This had lots of really snappy action and a solid throughline as Despe targeted the leg of Akira. Despe was excellent, but Akira was the star of the show with a brilliant performance. Despe got the win with Numero Dos locked in on Akira, causing a tap-out. This was well worth a watch, a really fast paced and entertaining matchup."
[8.0] "A very fun Jr. Heavyweight Championship match, and I really hope they return to this feud and do a part two because this was amazing. Akira really got a chance to shine and Desperado got another successful title defense to add to his great title reign. The in-ring action was amazing and the future of NJPW looks very bright. Overall it was a very fun match-up."
[6.0] "Good little match but nothing special. Desperado is someone who I took a while to finally like, but I definitely appreciate his style by this point. Akira, however, is someone I've mostly liked but never to any serious extent. I guess I've always found his 'fiery babyface' energy pretty hollow -- what could fittingly be described as someone 'cosplaying' as a wrestler rather than just naturally having that wrestler energy and charisma. I have no issues with his in-ring work, however, though it's not like I think he's extraordinary in that area either. The match itself was worked at a good pace and featured good chemistry the whole way. Desperado targeted the leg as he often does in his matches, and this led to the usual case we get in wrestling matches with a leg injury, as Akira would sell his leg well in real time as it was targeted, or in those 'down' periods in-between the action, but then the leg would magically heal whenever it was time for him to actually use it to run around and deliver his offence, with the pain and physical limitations conveniently only ever returning once he'd finished delivering said offence. At least his comeback offence itself always looked really good, but a stronger focus on his leg injury definitely would've been more interesting. Akira continued to have some well-executed comebacks as he tried to keep Desperado at bay and then try catch him off-guard, but I always found myself wishing his selling was just a bit more consistent in each of them. They traded those typical modern NJPW 'epic' moves longer than I expected there at the end, but it was nice to see the continuity in Desperado switching back to targeting the leg whenever his big moves weren't getting the job done. It didn't feel like either guy tried to do anything beyond the bare minimum expected of them here, so I can't imagine I'll remember much from this match in a week, but it was enjoyable enough for the time I watched it. ***1/4"
[10.0] "Francesco Akira is one of the best junior heavyweights in the world right now, and El Desperado, no matter how much we praise him, is still not enough, so we should definitely see a very good match from There . Akira tried to tire Desperado from the beginning to the end of the match with his footwork, and Desperado went for his own submission on Akira's legs from the very beginning, and we saw a great comeback and a great pause on the match. Then there was this sequence, and I have to say that Akira was amazing at selling his legs and his attacks were also great. Finally, after a few great nearfalls and an exchange of finishers and submissions, Akira tapped out and El Desperado was able to defend his title."
[6.0] "Perfectly decent match but to me it wasn't anything super special. I can see why it appeals to folks who like one or both of these guys but I don't connect strongly with them and the work just appears fine to me, certainly nothing bad but it's typical NJPW, long match where the selling stops and starts as needed."
[9.0] "This was a great pro wrestling match, where the future of the Junior Division was laid out, but El Desperado's claim to the top spot was solidified. Despy is no longer the transitional champion, he is the man to beat in the Junior's, but the Nova Fireball scratched, clawed and shot himself through a cannon until his body gave up on him. Francesco Akira will one day rule as Junior Heavyweight Champion, but not on this Anniversary show, though his embers are still on the cloak of the bandit."
[6.0] "This was alright. Akira looks to have the advantage early in the match but Desperado soon quells his momentum by targeting his legs. Akira's selling of his legs is probably what prevented me from enjoying this more though. It's very inconsistent to say the least. To give him credit, he does sell it all throughout the match but there's moments when he just completely stops and starts doing moves that involve the use of his legs as if they're completely unaffected. There are a few intense close calls with submissions later in the match which I thought were pretty good but could've been even more dramatic had Akira's leg selling been even the slightest bit more consistent. The match is still fine overall, but I do wish a little more work had gone into the selling aspect of things. ***"
[8.0] "Honestly, I've never heard of Akira before, but I was surprised that he put on such a good match, which was without a doubt the FIGHT OF THE NIGHT in a very mediocre show. The truth is that these two saved this PPV."
[9.0] "Man this match was fucking awesome. The way Akira sold his legs and his will to do anything but let Despy hook both his arms into the Numero Dos was incredible and him not being able to hit his Knee Strikes twice multiple times was top-tier drama. Unfortunately I thought the match ended at his peak. ****1/2"
[8.0] "They told a great story of the underdog challenger fighting through an increasingly debilitating injury, but it only ever felt like Akira was prolonging the agony and there was never any real threat of him pulling off the upset ***3/4"
[7.0] "The match started typical, but well with Francesco Akira proving himself to be a true challenger, quickly stepping up to the established El Desperado and getting control. He moves around well and has some neat moves. El Desperado attacked the knee of Akira to gain the better of him, which was a key component of the match going forward. It does take a whole before Despy begins to get aggressive with it, but he does smash Akira's knee into the canvas several times, which is pretty cool. The drama of the match stemmed from Despy's Numero Dos submission hold primarily. Akira's selling was decent. I personally didn't really get invested in that dynamic but the crowd had enough sympathies for him to be the clear underdog favourite. Also I thought he was a fun offence guy. He's still pretty bland for me as an overall performer, but he's way more seasoned now in the ring and he showed more promise. Desperado to me was the glue of the match and kept it grounded in ways that I prefer. ***1/2"
[9.0] "Another great el desperado title match whats new, but seriously akira was the star here, clear development from their last meeting where depse clearly is playing the senpai role beating akira to a pulp, now akira is a new man, hes grown up and the match is far closer to 50/50 then the last meeting. Akiras selling of the knee in this match is phenomenal and hes a super underrated verbal seller, his screams combined with his physical reactions to his knee make this match and his comeback so compelling. A phenomenal performance from the italian, him, fujita, wato, I am super excited for bosj this year."
[9.0] "What a great match and what a performance from my fellow countryman Francesco Akira. Probably one of his best bouts, and not by chance the second against Despe, with whom he had already gone the distance previously. Absolutely recommended and the true show-stealer of the evening."
[8.0] "Damn, Akira sure brought everything he had here, when his entire family and county were watching. That in itself is pretty cool story to tell then came the match. I was expecting them to bring a solid match but both absolutely stole the show. Sure a weak show anyways still there was zero doubt that this had all the potential be the best match on the card. Love how well Akira sold his knee. Dude, in one match might have got to the top and honestly we need a fresh face for the title anyways so why not Akira."
[7.0] "7.5 - Akira did a good job selling the importance of this opportunity. He really made it feel like a step up in competition for him. Despy likewise played the experienced champion well. The submission selling down the stretch was very good from both guys."
[9.0] "It was very good and it was about to go fantastic till they decided to go longer than they needed, the last minutes of it was my only problem with it but it still good (****. 25)"
[8.0] "I was very invested in this match. Akira comes out to a remix of his theme, new clothes and new nickname. Awesome presentation! I don't like him...but I can't deny that he is one of the best juniors we have. And I wouldn't even had minded given him the belt. Awesome storytelling with the match from 2 years ago in the back of the mind. Good match length and good structure. Akira sells good. ****"
[9.0] "More emotion in this match then their first encounter and I loved this. Akira showed that he's improved since they last met and almost won this match multiple times. The finish was great but I would've had Akira pass out or have a ref stoppage instead of him tapping but it was still an amazing match."
[8.0] "(Grade:B/****) A very entertaining match that really showed how driven & the potential that Akira is willing to go to become the face of the Junior Heavyweight Division. Given Akira & Desperado rivalry starting back in BOSJ and seeing them go one on one now shows their growth and determination in terms of Desperado continuing to go after Akira's Knee which looked gnarly when he would lock in that Stretch Muffler also really like that Stretch Muffler bomb he did, alongside Akira countering the SM with a canadian destroyer was sick!"
[7.0] "I think this was close to real good but the second half of the match really doesn't do it for me. Desperado puts all this effort into Akira's leg and then when Francesco finally escapes the hold he hits a running Meteora like nothing happened. You might find this perspective silly, and I can't blame you if you do, but I thought all the effort put into Akira's leg was kind of wasted by the decisions that he takes with his comeback moves. Overall, a fun above average match but they just fell short of captivating me in the finishing stretch."
[8.0] "When New Japan hits it is my favorite promotion by far. I am admittedly a huge Desperado mark so they got me a few times here. I'm loving this run and really enjoyed this match. I hope Akira gets his run someday but was glad it wasn't today. ****1/4"
[9.0] "This was great! Not quite as good as their classic from two years prior, but the work here was fantastic and the emotion behind Akira's challenge made it very easy to root for him. I genuinely bit a couple of times and thought he might just pull off an upset! I'm loving Despe's reign so far, with all these young first-time challengers who can bring dynamism and speed to the matches, while Despe brings his aggression and technical prowess... it was a really nice blend of styles here in particular. Despe's reign feels like a deliberate counterpoint to the main event scene (which fuckin rules too don't get me wrong); I really like that vibe and hope he holds the title for a little longer!"
[9.0] "i was expecting a pretty good match but i have to say they really exceeded my expectations this match is all about Despe Putting on the Stretch Muffler on Akira to nullify those double knees to the back of the head that the italian uses as a finisher, the selling wasnt Terry funk or Kawada but is probably some of the best selling i remember in modern wrestling, really enjoyed the story point of akira doing the knees to the back but getting more and more damage on the leg until he just isnt able to, awesome match (8.7)"
[10.0] "An amazing match with a masterful in-ring storytelling. El Desperado established himself as one of the best wrestler in the world, Francesco proved here that he can do the same thing. Bravo."
[10.0] "A great match. A very emotional match for me as an Italian and as I live near where Francesco is from. In addition to the pride of having a fellow countryman fighting for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight, it was a match, even at a wrestling level, of a very high level. The two gave it their all and did not hold back. There was not a moment of pause and the ending was heart-stopping. I believed in Francesco's victory until the end and I'm sad that he lost, but I'm sure that in the future he will be able to win the title and bring it to Italy."
[9.0] "An incredible battle, a great match to remember because shows all maturity reached by Francesco Akira. Last time in the BOSJ was a very good match, but Akira was more frenetic, too much desire to beat Desperado. The champion here provokes him, acts a bit like a superstar, but Akira is calm, focused on the IWGP crown and the match. During the battle Francesco's speed and athleticism did not give Desperado any respite, who had to continually aim for Francesco's weak leg. The first failed attempt by Numero Dos was beautiful, Francesco uses up a lot of energy but touches the ropes and resists the move other times. The Canadian destroyer with which Akira counters another Numero Dos is also beautiful. It was funny to hear the commentary says "Italian destroyer" to give a temporary name to Francesco's counterattack. Desperado fails the Pince Loco at the first time, Akira uses the Nova Fireball, when he tries again he collapses one step away from Desperado's head and that's the moment when the champion arrives to definitively overturn the match. Truly an incredible battle, great pathos and tension and a second chapter to remember. It was too beautiful and too fairytale-like that Francesco won the IWGP title at the first attempt, but he absolutely demonstrated that he has the fire inside, to be able to conquer it in the future. Match of the night. Crown fire!"
[9.0] "I feel like the Junior Heavyweight division has not been the same for quite some time now. A pretty slim roster and I think a general change around that style of wrestling has meant that the division has kinda floundered. Akira, to me, has been a fresh, new Jr. Heavyweight that truly deserves to be a leader for the next generation. This match, tough unconventional, was a terrific showcase of not only these two men but of the division they represent as a whole. Rather than a fast-paced, high flying, crazy match (though it certainly was all of these things throughout) we got a technical, story based match-up that is all the better for it. I really thought this might have been Akira's moment. Poor guy. His time will come."
[8.0] "A tremendous junior heavyweight title match. Akira gets his first shot at the title and wastes no time proving he's capable of thriving at this level. Desperado looked great here too, taking everything Akira could muster and still coming out on top. Akira looks great in defeat though on falling short because his knee was relentlessly attacked throughout this one to the point he couldn't go on. My match of the night. Desperado seems determined to take challenges from new people who haven't had an opportunity at the belt yet. Between this one and the Fujita last month that path seems to produce fantastic matches and could build a huge star in the division should one of these new challengers beat him. 4 stars."
[7.0] "Finally breaking into the real matches of the night, this one had an excellent story with El Desperado working the knees of Akira and the whole match was based around building to the moment that El Desperado finally got to fully lock in Numero Dos. Akira put up a great fight, and had some beautiful looking sequences in this match. I really thought this might be the night Francesco Akira gets it done but I was wrong, he ended up tapping out to El Desperado. Very good match, made sitting through that undercard feel like it wasn't a total waste of time."
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