Claudio Castagnoli vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

[6.0] "Was hoping for a little more from this, but I still liked what we got. Hobbs is a solid wrestler, but I really wish he would step up his game a bit. I feel as though he's had a few cool matches, but not really much that make him stand out, unfortunately."

[6.0] "Hobbs coming from the crowd was so beast, my God. I liked their strikes exchange in the beginning, it was a good one and these things are rare nowadays. Other than that, it felt like they were just completing a checklist of moves and spots. It's still mad fun tho, just not that engaging emotionally speaking, something you might get with the addition of Taz and Bryan doing commentary, two people who have a connection with the participants in this match and had very interesting things to say along the match."

[5.0] "Decent, I guess. Both guys really did not took that match so serious, and I can't blame them, the most interesting part of the match was the post angle."

[8.0] "Two of my favorite AEW guys, facing off 1 on 1 for the first time? Nice! It was a match of power vs. power, likely two of the strongest guys in wrestling right now and they certainly wasted no time smashing into each other. The result was an excellent TV match, not one that will necessarily rank among the best matches of the year when all is said and done but a satisfying match that plays off the continuing battle between the Death Riders and the Opps, which never seems to entirely go away. I think these two have a better match in them and I hope they get another shot, but I thought this was quite enjoyable and another mark of quality towards two very talented wrestlers on different ends of their careers. Hobbs continues to show how good he has gotten and I hope to see only bigger things in the years to come."

[7.0] "Solid as nails babyface vs heel dynamic without underminding any of the competitors size. Take as an example the initial exchange. Claudio wins the strikefest (because any of these hosses could win it in any given day), but Hobbs comes back with multiple body slams to show he is even stronger in a very satisfying babyface shine. Of course the only way for Claudio to change the tides is throwing the powerhouse into the ring steps, as well as the only way for for the Swissman to win is via Pac distraction. Very sensible storytelling, mechanically on point and hard hitting. A perfect kind of TV match."

[7.0] "Yeah as you would expect this was a great Hoss battle with lots of high intensity and hard hitting spots that will make you wince like those two backdrops a the barricade. I thought for a first time ever singles match the two had great chemistry and both brought out the best in each other. I thought both men delivered and were just chopping and striking 7 bells of shit out of each other. Hobbs looks so great in longer singles match and deserves to be in more if you ask me. Once again Claudio showed out with great striking and big power moves. The finish was great with Hobbs hitting the slam thinking he almost had it won before Pac goes for the distraction and allows Claudio to hit the uppercut and win with a roll up. Overall a really great match with some great hoss wrestling and meat smacking Meat throughout. (***1/2)"

[4.0] "This match could have been an e-mail, felt like a complete waste of 12 minute time. Nothing particularly interesting or impressive happening, just felt like a boring exhibition match did nothing other than keep this dreadful Opps vs deathriders feud going. Lame."

[5.0] "Nothing particularly noteworthy, but I liked the idea of giving some solo time to two wrestlers who have been competing in tag teams for several months. The match could have been better, but it's decent for a midcard contender. It's a shame it didn't really fit into a storyline to spice things up a bit. In-ring quality: 1.25/4. Stakes: 0.5/2. Justification: 0.5/1. Place on the card: 1/1. Suspense: 0.5/1. Bonuses/penalties: none. Total: 4.75/10. Match seen on Triller TV."

[8.0] "I really liked this match, Hobbs has really grown as a wrestler and knows how to project himself in the ring now. It's just really nice seeing two physically imposing dudes wrestle each other, great back and forth action that benefited both guys imo."

[6.0] "***. A solid TV match between two powerhouses that didn't do anything creatively to take it to the next level. This could have been more of a "meat" match with both guys trading high impact moves, but it never got into that gear. It would be nice for the Opps and Death Riders to move on from each other real soon."

[7.0] "A really nice hoss fight between these two, good back and forth striking and tossing each other around. I like that Hobbs is making scoop slam spam a signature of his, it's a fun addition to his work. PAC showing up to cost Hobbs the match via cradle is a bit of an anti-climax but that seems to be the point to give more heat to the Opps/Death Riders feud again. ***1/4"

[6.0] "On the positive side, it was a very physical duel, exactly what one would expect from two fighters of such strength. Hobbs came across as a true tank, with an imposing presence, while Claudio showed off his ability to combine technique and power. However, at times it felt a bit sluggish, as if they were struggling to maintain the pace in certain sections. It wasn't boring, but I did get the impression that they could have pushed the physical intensity a bit more between the two. And the ending with PAC's interference, far from adding excitement, ended up feeling anticlimactic: it broke the natural flow of the fight and left the victory feeling less convincing than it could have been. In short, it was a solid fight with good power clashes, but it fell short due to the uneven pace and an outcome that didn't live up to expectations. 6/10."

[6.0] "A solid big man match. Hard hitting powerhouse action as these two beat the crud out of each other with strikes and moves. I liked Hobbs' strategy of continously targeting the back of Claudio with body slams while Claudio used hard-hitting strikes to respond. PAC interrupts and costs Hobbs the match. [***.25]"