Kevin Steen vs. Masato Tanaka

[5.0] "I found this one to be interesting. A wild combination of wrestlers, but one that should have worked better. The main issue I have is the no-selling. In matches like Mike Awesome v. Masato Tanaka, their resilience is baked in to be a huge part of the match. The slamming of the chairs and the damage and bumps they partake in, and still getting up, is a huge part of that match. Here, it's more of a nuisance. Kevin takes one of the nastiest apron German Suplexes (Belly to Front/Belly to Back ad they call it) I have ever seen. It's gnarly. Few seconds later, he's back to reversing Masato's moves. It's not a big deal he got up from it, it's just something that happened. Steen targeting Masato's neck so the Package Piledriver is gonna do ample damage was cool. And it is a hard hitting match. Which is why the match is a bit higher for me. Their slaps and forearms are really good, and a lot of this match does really feel like they're messing each other up. But, the psychology just isn't great. There's some baked into their own personalities, but it could have been so much more. I'm glad they didn't try to work a slower match though, the fastness of the match was good (weird pacing though). It also isn't match ruining, but a judge comes out (no clue who this judge is) near the end and distracts Tanaka. Doesn't destroy the match, but it definitely makes it worse. Allegedly, this wasn't the first time either man had wrestled that day, and with it being a WrestleCon show, I believe it. It was like they wrestled on a time crunch though and had to get everything in by a certain time. Very bizarre. [**.5]"

[8.0] "honestly had no idea this match even happened. So happy that i found it though definitely worth the watch. Steen is such an amazing heel while he was on the indys. His wwe heel runs are of course amazing but just something hits different here. Great match steen puts in fantastic work here with tanaka. 4 stars"

[7.0] "Good match between these two. Both had already wrestled on the same day as well so it wasnt quite the all out contest one might expect but it was a good match still."

[8.0] "Very fun one-time encounter, with two big guys throwing their arsenal and giving the convention crowd a superb exhibition of their skills, this match was all steak and no fluff, just good snug moves done by masters of their craft, with an unique combination that felt thrilling. Great fun time, and a great american window on the transformation of Masato Tanaka since his ECW days, who manages to remain a great leader of the second-tier circuit in his home country and a special attraction elsewhere."

[5.0] "An ok match but pretty underwhelming considering the names involved. The no selling was a sore point and they took it to excessive levels here. There was really no need for Steen to kick out of so many of Tanaka's finishers."