[10.0] "Unbelievably blown away from this. This match felt like everything puro. The time limit draw didn't even bother me as everyone kept things going at an even pace. I have to give a nod particularly to Taichi and Akiyama here as both men sparked what felt like harsh intensity towards one another and it played out so damn well. Akiyama also taking a Dangerous Backdrop full on at the age of 55 is fucking nuts. This is a must-watch and extremely underrated for what it currently at."
[10.0] "That's the best tribute to '90 AJPW I have ever seen. All the rivalries got together like in the those time where in a main-event there were lots of different stories put together and the way Taichi used all Kawada's signatures moves on Akiyama, including his tag finisher, was purely phenomal. Add lots of strikes, some Pilerdriver and head bumps and you got a King's road Classic in 2025. *****"
[10.0] "So here's a bit of an interesting match, a freelance show with ties to NJPW but in his match we get one outside, none other than Jun Akiyama, sometimes called the Fifth Pillar for his work in the later days of the original Four Pillars peak. At 55 years old he's still going amazingly strong, thankfully having avoided some of the worst wear and tear of King's Road style. He currently works with DDT but I'm pleased to see him pop up in other places as well. So here he's up with Sabre, who of course is a big favorite of mine and having a very good year, up against Sabre's former tag partner Taichi and the always rugged Stone Pitbull, Tomohiro Ishii. Modern New Japan big match style is hit or miss for me, but based on the names involved and having a bit of distance from the house style I thought I might like this one, and I was very much correct! Sabre is a joy to watch in any situation, and Ishii remains fun when he isn't cracking his skull into things (he was amazingly restrained in that regard, for once). What was especially interesting was to see Taichi, who is known to use adapted tactics known from the Four Pillars, fighting with Akiyama who battled the originals in their heyday. It added extra fire to their interactions in particular, as Taichi aimed both to prove himself and get under the skin of Akiyama, and Akiyama fought back with extra fire and at least a bit of disdain. In the end it went to a 30 minute draw, but in this case neither the length nor the non-finish bothered me, both felt well earned and I ended up liking this a great deal. In my top 50 for the year."
[8.0] "These four gave themselves plenty of time to have fun with the first half and get serious along the dramatic home stretch. It's a shame one of them couldn't swallow some pride and agree to deliver a proper finish. Match was hard hitting with some cool callbacks to better days. The fact that this show only drew 800 has to be a major worry for puro promoters across the board ***3/4"
[9.0] "High end draw. Taichi and Ishii have quickly formed a terrific tag team and Sabre / Akiyama matched up well with them. The end result grew increasingly clear but the work was so good that Taichi got me to bite on that Ogawa cradle near fall."
[7.0] "Good tag match with some fun energy and an all-star cast. The aspect of the time limit draw put me off a bit and this never really climbed to the next level for me but I still found it enjoyable. Was really cool to see Kawada on commentary, just a really quirky experience altogether."
[9.0] "The moment I saw this match-up, I knew I HAD to watch this match. First things first: It will always amaze me how Uncle Jun keeps himself adapted to his age and bodly condition. He ALWAYS looks and performs in great manner in spite of any circumstance. Seeing Taichi using Kawada, Taue and Baba's moves to piss Akiyama off was awesome, especially when he and Ishii hit the Kawada/Taue combination, that was just incredible! Both teams have great chemistry, ZSJ and Jun both hitting an Exploder Suplex on their opponents simultaneously was cool as fuck. My favorite spot has gotta be Taichi hitting Akiyama with an Ogawa flashback, that was absolutely priceless. All in all, a great tag team match. ****1/2"
[6.0] "Maybe It's because I'm not a Jun Akiyama guy but I didn't get into this match a whole lot. I've been loving Taichi and Tomohiro Ishii as a unit but like their match against Los Ingobernables De Japon, their opposition held this back for me. Now despite his age Akiyama still didnt feel as washed as Naito did and he was still able to have some great moments with both Taichi and Ishii but overall I thought it was just an alright performance. Nothing really stood out to me besides the funny interactions between the ref and Taichi, I don't think I've ever seen a ref cheer on on of the competitors because the other other participant was bending the rules. A perfectly serviceable match in my opinion but I feel this isn't a match targeted for me and my limited knowledge of the rivalries involved"
[9.0] "[4, 75 Stars] I love the Ishii Taichi combination, but I love the one between ZSJ and Akiyama even more. It was so cool, I didn't expect to see such a good match. Akiyama's performance for his age is insane, dropping a Banger at 55, you can't help but applaud. (****, 75)."
[10.0] "I never knew I needed this match, but I'm so happy I've seen it. Taichi is my all time fav, so watching him making his childhood self proud is such a joy. Tomo and Zack did great, especially against each other, their pair just clicks in a perfect stiff way. But it was really all about Taichi living his All Japan dream - fighting with Akiyama until knock out with Wada as a ref and Kawada on comms. Taichi vs. DOUKI from TAKATaichiMania 3 is still my favourite wrestling match and now this one is gonna be one to make me happy anytime I got to rewatch it. Can't wait for Taichi vs. Akiyama. ****3/4"
[8.0] "30 hard-hitting minutes masterfully handled. It's clearly a tag built to go long, and you can tell but it never drags. Tons of high-speed sequences, especially a beautiful one from Ishii and ZSJ, also Akiyama knows exactly when to slow things down without killing the momentum. Great structure, well-paced, and everyone gets their time to shine. A lot of callbacks and shared history between these four, which adds so much to the match. Really made me wonder what Akiyama and ZSJ could've done with a proper tag run. Just a glimpse of their chemistry here, and it was already phenomenal despite Jun being 55."
[8.0] "A good and very enjoyable tag team match. Often such 30-minute draws have a problem with structure and nothing happens for a long time, but not here, the action is carried on the whole time. Very good pace especially looking at the age of the people in the ring. Taichi in very good condition this year."
[8.0] "Another very good and fun match. Taich v Sabre is always great and even though ive never seen Akiyama wrestle before he was fun to watch and had me interested in him"
[9.0] "Absolute banger tag team match. This had everything, including a sequence between ZSJ and Ishii where Ishii might have moved faster than I've ever seen him. This was four awesome wrestlers putting on a 30 minute banger."
10x
29x
32x
7x
1x
0x
0x
0x
0x
0x
0x