Koji Kanemoto vs. Kota Ibushi

[9.0] "An underrated gem from a pretty underrated era of New Japan, at least junior heavyweight wise. This was a fantastic match from start to finish with Ibushi really taking the fight to Kanemoto even at times overwhelming the veteran. I loved the storytelling of Ibushi not being able to go toe to toe with Kanemoto in a striking battle, so he relied on his awesome athleticism to get the job done. Unfortunately for Ibushi, that athleticism backfired giving Kanemoto the chance to lock in his ankle lock for the win, ****1/2."

[8.0] "Well damn, this was incredible. These two had flawless chemistry and perfect timing, leading to some amazing sequences. The crowd was going crazy for the action too. Amongst all the great spots these two performed there were lots of great strikes traded as well. Both had very stiff kicks and Kanemoto may have even been busted open by one. Ibushi was a mad man, pulling off some amazing aerial spots. His rope-to-rope moonsault onto Kanemoto in the crowd was absolutey insane. I had to pause and rewatch that at least 5 times before I continued watching the match. Kanemoto himself was no push over, as he had perfect timing to avoid Ibushi's big moves and occassionally counter them into some really threatening submission holds. The story of the match was just pure endurance and determination. In that regard is wasn't too distinct from any other upper-mid card match in NJPW, but Ibushi and Kanemoto's technique was so flawless that they brought such a basic concept to life in such a fantastic way. There was a bit of a story with Kanemoto intermittently working over Ibushi's ankle, which eventually played into the finish, but it never received excessive focus because Ibushi didn't sell it consistently and Kanemoto didn't devote large enough periods of time to working it over. Because of that it made Ibushi's tap-out appear quite random, though that's not to say it was bad. This was still an awesome match with a killer pace and lots of memorable moments. ****1/4"

[9.0] "This was a really good main event. The young high flyer Kota Ibushi goes up against the brilliant veteran technical wrestler Koji Kanemoto in front of an electric crowd. The match starts a little slowly at first but the action is really good as it gets going. Ibushi's high spots (including an insane springboard moonsault that takes him over the barricade) help carry the match to a great finish, when Kanemoto's technical skills become too much for Ibushi and he ends up with the submission."