Syuri vs. Tam Nakano

[5.0] "I just don't understand the high ratings for these 10 minute GP matches. Mayu Iwatani is the only girl I've seen able to make something special within such a short range of time. This was an okay match, but I was left feeling cold because there wasn't enough time for drama to develop. The opening grappling exchanges were good, as were all the big moves. Again, nothing special. **1/2"

[7.0] "On the short side for a main-event but still pretty good. It started with some nice grappling exchanges as both wrestlers felt each other out, followed by both then hitting some impressive big kicks and other stiff strikes. The intensity and fast pace they worked with/at was really good, with none of their exchanges looking sloppy or overly weak. Their various split-second counters were always really well-timed and featured strong technique, and I liked the fire they both showed as they intermittently struggled to break free from the other's control. Because the match was so short, they started moving to their 'big' exchanges and spots earlier than would otherwise have felt believable, which made the match feel a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed the energy and physicality they both showed. ***1/4"

[9.0] "An agonizing war of brutal badassery and high-level stiffness. It was wild, ferocious, and hard-hitting. The energy was infectious and captivating and the atmosphere very lively and intense. A head-spinning onslaught of offense from both sides. It started off with a neat and pristine showcasing of technical ability from both competitors. The chemistry was natural and the story-telling was well-explained throughout the match. The belief of risking anything and doing anything in order to rack a victory for the prize of victory was greater. They did not care about their personal well-being and went to every limit to incapacitate the adversary and add 2 more points to their total score. The German by Tam on the apron and Syuri's response with a taste of her own medicine that is the German on the outside. There were a lot of suplexes and over-head kicks but Tam's main weapon was the running knee while Syuri stuck with the over-head kicks. They were stiff and nasty in every way possible. Tam punt-kicking Syuri on the mouth was ruthless. Both struck each other as hard as they could with reckless abandon. After a hard-fought physical battle, Syuri is able to put Tam away with the Ryuen. Tam's GP campaign has been nothing short of amazing despite the fact that she has lost high-profile bouts. Tam showcases her resiliency and I liked her adrenaline rushes and flurry of offense but it was not enough to earn a victory over Syuri. Regardless, it was a banger and nonetheless deserves the ****1/2 rating."

[8.0] "Another great match by Syuri, she's just on fire in this tournament. Both had a good performance, it was hard-hitting and I really liked the ending stretch. At first it seemed like that Tam was about to win, but the control shifted to Syuri and she was able to pick up another strong win."

[8.0] "This was a great back and forth battle. Admittedly, there wasn't much of a "story", just a lot of big attacks being exchanged. But they did it in a flashy, dynamic way, with well-timed pauses to build up the tension between the big moves and sequences, which kept the action engaging all the way through. ***3/4"

[6.0] "Didn't really like this match and I don't understand why a lot of people are giving this fight so high rating. Syuri is not a holy cow, you can rate her matches lower than 8 and 9 and still love her. Okay, I expected much more from this match, but Tam and Syuri didn't do anything interesting. Some cool moves, and that's all. It's funny that I liked not so big moves, but really big ones didn't cause a single emotion. The girls hadn't got chemistry here, and didn't show the story that can catch you. I can rate it only 3 stars."

[5.0] "It's been a long time since I've been so indifferent to a match. Zero points of contact, which is why the exchange of large moves began almost at the beginning. I understand that Syuri is one of the most legitimate performers, but I don't see a single reason why she should beat Nakano. An overrated empty match (**3/4)."

[7.0] "A very good match here. Syuri and Tam Nakano have a good chemistry, and it not so much time they arrived to give us a great match as a main event. Some lethal strikes by these two, it was clearly a decisive match for this block. Also a great finish, Tam truly did her best. ***3/4"

[8.0] "Like everyone else, I wish it went a bit longer, but this is a great sprint match and those two beat the hell out of each other. Very fun match and I hope we see these two in a longer one down the line. Maybe even for a title!"

"Not the best match they can have with each other given time constraints, but all things considered it was certainly a good one. Awesome - albeit fairly quick - match with lots of great striking as is to be expected."

[8.0] "This was rushed, but Nakano and Syuri managed to have a great match for the time they were given. The striking from both wrestlers looked brutal in this one. ****"

[9.0] "What a primal war between two of the top champions in the company. Tam went to a place she hasn't gone to in a long time, if ever in this match. It was a well-structured match, starting off with a stalemate for the first few minutes, before Syuri gained the upper hand, until Tam turned the tide and leveled the match out. That was followed by some treachery on the apron for a few minutes, including a gnarly German on the apron by Tam, which was reciprocated by Syuri on the floor. The second half of the match was also pretty even, with a 19-count for both, a kicking exchange while on their knees in the center of the ring, a forearm exchange and more. Tam had Syuri's kicks scouted perfectly, blocked and dodged them, then leveled her with a ton of them. When Syuri barely kicked out and was able to avoid the match-sealing German, Tam kicked her so hard that the crowd audibly responded. Even that wasn't enough, and then Syuri nearly beat her, but Tam managed to survive for a bit more. The finishing moments, with Tam grasping for survival before Syuri leveled her with a kick and her finisher were wonderful storytelling. This match was very primal teaser to what a potential title match between these two could look like, and they pulled it off in just 12 minutes. It lived up to expectations for me and is definitely one of my favorite matches of not just the tournament, but of the year. What a tour-de-force of storytelling and hard-hitting action this was. ****1/4"