Naomichi Marufuji vs. Nigel McGuinness

[9.0] "Excellent wrestling match man. I saw a few minutes ago an Marufuji vs KENTA bout that we also had an limb work action that I ended up not enjoying, because it is not what I expect from them. Right here tho, my feeling completelly change because one of the wrestlers is simply Nigel McGuinness, arguably the best at building an slow pace into a wrestling match. The construction of everything, of each spot was so good that you even start thinking for a moment that Nigel could end up winning the GHC Championship and it wouldn't be a problem, he was one of the best wrestlers ever at that time. The only issue I think is that the match took A LOT to heat up, but the building is so damn good that you end up finding those stuff attractive. The ending strech is awesome, specially each moment they were at the apron."

[9.0] "This was an excellent fight for Marufuji's first GHC Heavyweight Championship defence. I'm not as familiar with his work as Nigel's but it was a great showcase for both guys. Nigel is as usual fantastic, getting a standing ovation from the crowd and respect from Marufuji. 2000's ROH has so much vibe, it can't be compared to anything right now."

[5.0] "Interesting to see how this match and the main event work to give both guys a lot in the interpromotional matches. Bryan and KENTA do it much more seamlessly compared to this one which is much more obvious with it's back and forth spots. Marufuji gets a Shiranui off the apron so Nigel gets a Tower of London on the apron, both guys get control segments on the limb that doesn't mean much and a fair few nearfalls until Marufuji gets the big tope rope Shiranui. It's not a bad match but a bit generic, crowd loved it at least."

[7.0] "While there are definitely good elements to this, I found it disappointing and it did not hold up as well on a rewatch as it did in my memory. The first half has some good limb work, and the second half has some good action. The problem is that the two halves have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Considering how much time is spent working Nigel's leg and Marufuji's arm, you'd think that this would be referred to at some point in the second half, but they are both total non-factors. I also thought Marufuji getting straight up after a Tower of London to immediately hit a Shiranui was stupid. There are some big time spots like a Shiranui off the apron and a Tower of London on to the apron, and some of the strike exchanges towards the end look very good. The atmosphere is strong too. Unfortunately, however, the match just feels dissonant and never really comes together as a whole."

[9.0] "It maybe took a little too long for this match to get into 3rd gear, but when it did...OH BOY. McGuinness' style of wrestling really fits well with Japanese wrestling. Marufuji's at his best here and McGuinness continues to impress greatly. These two just seemed to really click and the last 10 minutes was brilliant."

[8.0] "First time ever the prestigious GHC Heavyweight championship was defended in an ROH ring, and what a great match to have for it. Even though this match was in an ROH ring featuring an ROH wrestler, the match built very similar to a standard Puroesu match with a slow build to a hot climax filled with big bumps. Funny that even though I thought this match was great, it really felt like Nigel and Marufuji hadn't given it their all, ****1/4."

[9.0] "This was awesome. Marufuji defended his newly one GHC Heavyweight Title against Nigel here, and it rocked. They started at a slow pace with Marufuji working Nigel's leg, and Nigel working the shoulder of Marufuji. And though I would've preferred both guys their selling to be better, it was still awesome. And I loved how they worked the ending at a quicker pace. ****"

[9.0] "This rocked! They totally nailed it here in the first ever GHC Title match outside of Japan. Marufuji was looking to make his 1st successful defense against Nigel and that would be no easy task as Nigel but up an amazing fight against the champion. The crowd was red hot and the 1st half of the match was awesome in psychology but the 2nd half was amazing in that it just completely nuts with what they did and I was fine with the no selling of the limbs as it wasn't going to go down that road all match and I figured it would but this match as a whole was fantastic. Highly recommended. (****1/4)"

[7.0] "This match didn't quite live up to how great I thought it would be. The start was really slow and by the time it did get going I was starting to lose interest. The action did pickup but I was never able to get fully back into the match."

[8.0] "I love that Marufuji needed multiple finishers to take him out like Cactus/Triple H or Aries/Joe. Even though the crowd wasn't crazy about it, the psychology in the first half was superb but it didn't play into the finish and was mostly forgotten. Still, very good and best match of the night so far."

[9.0] "OMG this was awesome. I love how ROH made this match seem important, it made the GHC World title look prestigious in America. I also love how the ring announcer introduced Marufuji by his last name then his first like they do for Japanese wrestlers in Japan, it was a sign of respect. The match was great, very technical throughout with some stiff hard hitting action towards the end. Loved the finish too. ****1/4"

[8.0] "For the first time, the GHC Heavyweight Title is defended in American soil. We see two great wrestlers in Marufuji and McGuinness compete for the title. A very well pace match between the two, it's worth a watch for any fans of ROH or Pro Wrestling NOAH."