Giant Bernard vs. Yuji Nagata

[9.0] "Giant Bernard is one of the great rehabilitations in the history of professional wrestling. This is his first classic in New Japan, and he would have many more. Nagata shows out again as the MVP of the early 2000s era of New Japan."

[7.0] "Bernard dominates the first third or so of the match, and it's decent work but nothing too compelling. Nagata eventually fights back with some stiff strikes and an attack on Bernard's arm. This limb work pays off in a satisfying way during the final stretch, which is refreshing to see. The final few minutes are pretty exciting and keeps you guessing as to who might pull out the victory. The rest of the match is good, but a little slow paced."

[8.0] "Good fight. Very good pace for a big guy like Matt bloom, definitely one of the best matches of his entire wrestling career. The audience reacted very loudly, which is justified. I would rate this match 4 stars."

[7.0] "Giant Bernard -vs- Yuji Nagata - (New Japan Cup '06 - Final) [*** 1/4] So we've come to the New Japan Cup '06 final with the winner getting a shot at Brock Lesnar's IWGP Title. Nagata has wins over Ishii, Makabe and Tanahashi with Bernard going through Yano, Choshu and Nakanishi to get to this final. The early stages wasn't really interesting enough to keep my full attention, but the main thing was Nagata making some damage to Bernard's left arm to limit his ability to deliver his heavyweight impact offense. The last five minutes was very good though, with deadly finishers going both ways."

[9.0] "Wow, this match really had everything- moves, a master-class in ring psychology and even limb-work that mattered in the end. Giant Bernard plays his role of dominant big man very well, and Nagata delivers a great performance as the likeable (and smart! ) underdog. The match probably deserves a rating around **** 1/2"