Lord Steven Regal vs. Shinya Hashimoto

[9.0] "Bruising, violent stuff, as Steven Regal clobbers his way to a stature befitting IWGP Heavyweight challenger, winning Japan's respect in defeat. Outside of some glorious outbursts from Hashimoto, this is very much the Regal show as a result, trading in the television antics for a truly venomous edge. ****1/4"

[8.0] "A stiff, cerebral battle between two absolute beasts in Hashimoto and Regal. The physicality was on point, and there was a real sense of two experienced wrestlers trying to outthink and overpower one another. Unfortunately, the match suffered from a rather uneven pace. That slow, almost stop-start rhythm can make it difficult to stay fully invested at times, especially when the action loses momentum. And then there's the finish, which was honestly pretty underwhelming. A shame, because with these two names involved, I was hoping for a much stronger conclusion."

[10.0] "As close as a legitimate sport that professional wrestling has felt within the structure and style of a traditional match. Immaculately worked. Fantastic."

[10.0] "Outstanding clash of styles. Vicious grappler vs. brutal destroyer. Hashimoto's nose starts bleeding, and Regal relentlessly targets it - there's a moment where he uses his forearm like a saw, trying to flatten Hashimoto's nose. Hard-hitting, brutal grappling and striking exchanges, stylistic contrast meeting at a point of sheer violence, and a great post-match. ****1/2"

[8.0] "looking stiff, hashimoto as a pure striker and kicker vs technician regal. abrupt finish i did not like"

[9.0] "Regal can go one on one rough with Hashimoto and have a classic without dying, man deserves applause for that alone, amazing hard hitting match between two fantastic wrestlers (****1/2)"

[9.0] "The catch-as-catch-can wizardry of Regal against the pure, aggressive striking game of Hashimoto has certainly created great sparks. Nevertheless, both lads can go on the other's ground. This could have fit so well in a shoot-style show, because these two would have crushed in this style. These lads are legit. No fucks given, and they went all out, and that gave Hashimoto a busted nose. Regal saw that blood, and became a shark smelling blood, but ultimately took the taste of his own medicine. The way Regal threw some of the nastiest strikes was really cool, while Hashimoto lighted him with some big roundhouses kicks. They both sold like bosses for the other, displaying all their natural chemistry. The finish was a bit abrupt... like how can Regal submit so easily from the Armbar ? (As Regal knows how to escape a submission like an Armbar) I understand the full nature of how it can be destructive, but the arm wasn't worked during the contest, and it was Regal who worked Hashimoto's arm. Anyway, that still a great display of pure and raw energy, either technically or just by busting the living hell of each other. An excellent showcase in Regal's career. The Man's Man would have had quite a great career in Japan. They surely took pleasure doing that shit."

[8.0] "Great stuff right here. Regal countering nearly everything that Hashimoto threw on his way was awesome and told a lot about his character. Every move and strike are very well executed by both men, making you want to watch even more of this absolute banger. ****1/4"

[8.0] "With these two I was expecting an intense, technical showing, and they certainly didn't disappoint. There's a lot of good ol' fashioned grappling to kick this one off. Regal's striking is really well executed here, and foils the champion's imposing stature well. When Hashimoto suffers a busted nose, Regal takes advantage by focusing on the face (with a variety of elbows, punches, kicks and rakes). It's the little things. About halfway through, both men drop all pretense and just start going at it with the strikes. Hashimoto lights him up with the roundhouses and Regal returns fire with more blows to the head. The finish comes after the Hashimoto hits a great implant DDT into an armbar to pick up the win. A really strong performance from both men. ****"

[9.0] "Incredible match. Two greats of the business that are always underrated by the masses. Both men have two completely different styles but they made it work and turned it into a fantastic match. Regal going after the right arm of Hashimoto was just nasty at times (although not the primary focus).  Hashimoto was great as well, there was one moment when he rolled to the outside after being completely outclassed by Regal's ground game. One thing I want to point out is the way Regal going after the injured nose of Hashimoto too. I won't sell Hashimoto short either, he was awesome. He made some fiery comeback and brought a raw energy to the match. Excellent match ****1/2"

[10.0] "An absolutely lovely, hard hitting, gritty war between two of the best ever to do it. Hash gets busted open in like the first minute of the match, and after that, Regal is like a shark smelling blood. He attacks Hashimoto's busted nose brutally w/ stiff strikes to it. Amazing stuff. Regal gives Hash such an amazing beating overall. Hash of course sells it super well & everytime he was on the offense, he absolutely matched Regal's intensity w/ his own, amazing strikes. I think the ending is a little anti-climatic, but I still dig it. The post-match is also absolutely fantastic with them shaking hands, showing each other respect & then Regal blasting Hash w/ an Elbow, only for Hash to return the favor by striking him back was absolutely wonderful. An all-time classic right here. ****3/4"

[10.0] "Fantastic match! The way Regal went after Hashimoto's injured nose was phenomenal. An early amazing performance from Regal and a great showing by Hashimoto."

[9.0] "This was a very technical and physical matchup and I enjoyed it a lot as well. Regal showed that he could hang with Hashimoto and then some. Great crowd as well and loved the post match segment they did as well. (****)"

[9.0] "Great technical match for the IWGP title. Went they went over to striking mode, I really enjoyed the match more, plus the little segment they did after the match was epic lol. ****1/4"