Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kevin Knight

[9.0] "Love Claudio and Knight is definitely the kind of guy he works well with. I'm not as high on Knight as AEW seems to be but he does a lot of things well and I thought this was a real damn fun TV match."

[5.0] "***1/4 A normal match, somewhat functional but rather simplistic and just a showcase of Knight's skills. The chemistry was average, with a couple of odd moments where they had to adjust their timing, but they managed to make the match work. Some interesting sequences, simple intensity, normal pacing, and a mediocre ending. This was Knight's first title defense of his reign, and hopefully, he'll at least get a spot at Double or Nothing to defend his title"

[6.0] "A good first title defense for Kevin Knight. He looked genuinely impressive here, super confident, like he's been the champ for months. Flowers for Claudio Castagnoli as well as his feats of strength here were insane and he continues to blow my mind whenever he decides to make something happen. I think the match unfortunately suffers from its biggest spot not going very well. Setting up for a Avalanche Neutralizer fake out, the two lost their balance which Claudio did save with his impressive strength as mentioned before but then this moved into a Headscissor counter into a Pop Up European Uppercut which would've looked amazing if the timing was good. Unfortunately either Knight launched too far away or Claudio was slow to the Uppercut. This isn't one of those "botches" that leaves a stain of wrestlers reputation, they just tried to pull off something incredible and it didn't quite work. The rest of the match was really good but the clear peak of the match kinda crashed and burned"

[8.0] "A good title defense for Kevin Knight, one of many for sure. One thing that sticks out to me was that corner spot where Knight goes for the Frankensteiner, but he and Claudio slip, but Claudio manages to tease an Avalanche Neutralizer before being counter. The whole sequence is amazing because they managed to fix a mistake while you can see Claudio exhaust his strength (evident during the jumping euro). Overall good title defense, Knight's a great wrestler."

[7.0] "Two very talented performers with very different styles working well together to provide an exciting match. I like wrestling!"

[7.0] "A good first defense. Kevin showed that he wasn't champion just by a stroke of luck. He was opportunistic at the beginning and wanted to win quickly. I really liked his attempt to neutralize Castagnoli."

[6.0] "[3.0*] Good first title defense from Kevin Knight. They almost botched near the finish but Claudio showed insane strength once again. I love how Kevin's putting more attention to detail nowadays, I love the struggle before the Slam. I'd love a more anticipated rematch with more ring time."

[7.0] "Successful 1st Title Defense against Claudio Castagnoli. Kevin Knight had a very solid match against Claudio Castagnoli of the Death Riders. Kevin Knight, I expect, will have a very good run. It's already starting great, and he's hungrier as he is targeting the AEW World Title and even said he maybe could be holding two belts. Loving how AEW is making Kevin Knight feel big-time."

[5.0] "The attempted avalanche Neutraliser into the diving uppercut, the countered springboard into backbreaker, and the UFO splash provided three highlights in an otherwise sub-par contest. We didn't get to see too much from Kevin here, which is a shame for his first outing as champion, but hopefully the only way is up from here. Solid as always from Claudio, but overall this was no more than 'pretty decent'."

[9.0] "I rated it an 8.5, Claudio Castagnoli walked into a mixed reaction that leaned slightly positive, while Kevin Knight didn't get a huge entrance pop for his first TNT Title defense but quickly won the crowd over once the action started. The fans stayed behind Knight throughout, rallying with chants like "Let's go Jet" and "This is Awesome" whenever Claudio's power and control threatened to take over. My favorite moment was a jaw-dropping burst of athleticism, with Knight leaping from the floor to the apron and immediately springing off into a flying clothesline that wiped Claudio out in one fluid motion. The story was classic speed versus power--Knight brought explosive offense in flashes, but Claudio dominated long stretches with brutal strikes, technical control, and moments of outright nastiness. In the end, after surviving the Giant Swing and a barrage of punishment, Knight flipped the momentum with a slick counter into a clothesline and sealed it with a UFO splash to retain in a hard-fought, high-energy finish."

[7.0] "Kevin Knight is fucking fantastic isn't he? This was a very good first defence for him and he looked great here. Super crisp offence and some tremendous work from underneath as well. Claudio is great here too, and he does some cool shit here but he mostly just lets Kevin do his thing. Very good match overall, and im very excited for what's to come from this reign. ***3/4"

[8.0] "A very good first title defence for Kevin against a formidable opponent. Aspects of the match were messy, but in a way that actually added to the action and made things feel more pure and real. Kevin looks to be building to become a serious star here, props."

[7.0] "I thought this was actually a pretty good match but god i wish they either gave this more time on the night or saved it for a defence in a week or two. As it could be a really special match if you ask me. Kevin got some nice offence especially at the start where he came out at 100 miles an hour which was cool. I just wish he got more offence in his first match at champ but it was still a good showing. Very odd booking of Claudio in this match he didn't really feel like a threat for most of the match other than when he tried to hit the neutraliser off the top rope. The finish with the UFO splash was pretty nice just wish the match went longer. I liked Kevin's promo after the match please turn him him heel and let him face speedball in the opener at all in. Overall a really fun solid first defence for the Jet but it could of been so good. (***3/4)"

[6.0] "Giving Kevin a bit of mic time after this was essential to this match not just feeling like bland maintenance booking. Solid first defense, as long as we're moving towards a bigger moment like a big match with Speedball or something I won't complain."

[7.0] "A solid first title defense for Kevin Knight, who's also facing the great Claudio Castagnoli, now of the Death Riders. Knight wins, but honestly, that's how it should be, he's the new champion. Let's see how he fares during his reign as TNT Champion."

[5.0] "A barely satisfactory match that made Castagnoli seem like a very limited threat. The allotted time didn't help showcase the strengths of either wrestler, who delivered a rather standard match. In-ring quality: 1/4. Stakes: 1.5/2. Justification: 0.25/1. Card placement: 0.75/1. Suspense: 0.25/1. Bonus/penalty: None. Total: 4.75/10. Match viewed on MyAEW."

[7.0] "This was such a good choice for Knight's first defense as champion, Claudio is just incredible in there. 3.5 stars"

[7.0] "Too bad about the limited match time, but it was right to give Kevin Knight a chance to cut a promo. Great first title defense; I'm curious to see who the opponent for DoN will be, even though I really think it'll be Bailey hopefully without a turn. Anyway, it's nice to finally see Kevin Knight in a singles match instead of a tag."

[5.0] "5.5 - Definitely crowd-pleasing, as Kevin Knight is really ironing out his in-ring package. There were moments when they tried to show their respective power and speed unnecessarily. Claudio deciding not to abandon the turnbuckle spot was a decision."

"Claudio can work with anybody, what a wonderfull wrestler. The equilibrium and streght he has its unmatch. Kevin can really be somebody special if he can find he's footing in the ring. It felt a little like Claudio was carring him, but good match by the two."

[7.0] "A very exciting match in which Kevin had to defend the TNT Championship for the first time against industry veteran Claudio Castagnoli. Great in-ring chemistry, Kevin is once again a joy to watch both in the ring and on the mic. I'm really looking forward to his heelturn, which was hinted at, and his program with Mike Bailey for the title."

[6.0] "Perfectly good match, and a nice breezy little ten minute TNT title defence. Knight and Claudio are obviously both good workers, so they both put in a good showing here. My favourite part of the match was the elaborate struggle on the top rope, with Claudio's freakish strength coming into play and both men countering each other so you had no idea who would get the upper hand and hit a top rope move."

[7.0] "Pretty much the same as the Ciampa/Xavier match in that it's a meat-and-potatoes power heel vs. flying face affair, just with the face winning instead of the heel. Indeed, even the winner's "I want the Big Plat" promo was the same; god, the Owen is going to be stacked this year. Not something that's gonna make MOTY lists, but I wouldn't skip this one either if you're watching on replay."

[5.0] "I think it was a very standart first title defense, Claudio doesn't really have that much credibility as a singles wrestlers when it comes to wins because he doesn't get many of them and that hurts the matches whenever he's called upon to put someone over. The in ring work was fine but there wasn't any heat, excitement or expectations for this match. Just a bog standart title defense that was nothing more than a filler."

[7.0] "Good match, Claudio worked great here as he usually has and Kevin Knight hit some insane stuff here like the pop up clothesline and an insane tope con hilo. Had a few hiccups near the end with the spot of the second turnbuckle, but it turned out okay in the end. Good first defense"

[6.0] "This match was very solid. This sadly had two very noticeable botches, this would've got a better rating if those moments didn't happen. This started very fast with Claudio trying to uppercut Knight, but Knighr tried to pin Claudio. Kevin tried to hit a move, but he sadly botched, however, Claudio Castagnoli managed to counter it and save Knight from injury. Then he just turned it into a freaking high uppercut from the second rope. Claudio through Knight into the turnbuckle, but Knight turned it into a clothesline."

[9.0] "If you're booking a title match with essentially no build for a TV Title, this is the ideal match you have. Just two freak athletes with points in different stats going crazy on each other. Knight & Claudio are both kings of either making their actually-effortless offense look like a struggle or saving slip-ups so that they look like the former, and that sequence with Claudio just hoisting Knight up in the corner and teasing multiple super-finishes before going with the hardest-to-imagine one just because was so sick. Definitely MOTN by a small margin, I could see these two work together for ages. ****+"

[8.0] "Successful first defense for Kevin Knight, and it comes in a very good match that showcases exactly what he's gonna do as champion. His athleticism mixed with his babyface abilities creates a perfect opponent for Claudio. Claudio's best match in quite some time."