Andre The Giant vs. Antonio Inoki

[7.0] "[7, 50/10, 0] It's a good match. As someone who hasn't seen much of André the Giant beyond a few WWE classics, it's great to see this phase of his career. And Inoki--well, he's arguably one of the greatest legends in global wrestling, and it really shows. I was going to give it an eight, but the ending and the drawn-out post-match sequence do affect the match itself, as the finish is abrupt and confusing; still, it's well worth watching."

[7.0] "The finish is such a confusing mess... At least Andre looks strong in defeat, and I do like his performance here; his size and strength being on full display, and that menacing grin as he walks Inoki down is something else! His work on top is alright, but the match remains rather slow. Andre choking Inoki with the bottom rope is great and that turning point with Andre headbutting the ring post and getting busted up is brilliant. A shame they fumbled it with that weak ass finish. The intriguingly exciting post-match chaos saves it I guess. ***1/2"

[10.0] "The more I watch wrestling, the more I love everything I see from Andre the Giant. Even when he was broken down in his late career he was fun, but peak Andre? That dude is so absolutely insane, not just the size but the way he moves, the physical aura, the charisma, the way he seems even larger than his actual size. The guy actually feels like a wonder of the world. Here he's battling Antoni Inoki, founder of NJPW and one of the most important names in wrestling history. Inoki himself is hit or miss for me but I appreciate his dogged dedication to strong style, you know the actual style and not whatever the heck everyone couldn't shut up about 5-10 years ago. It's Inoki's iron will and expert technique, usually enough to put him in the driver's seat but here faced against the ultimate puzzle of Andre. Some amazing mat wrestling here, and Andre using his size to counter and power out while Inoki tries to find new ways to take him down. It's just an amazing struggle between two legends and I love it, even if they're fighting over a title I never even heard of before. Andre gets bloodied up at the end here and starts swinging so wildly that the referee calls the match after getting battered a few times. Great stuff."

[8.0] "My very first non-western wrestling match. As a frenchman myself I thought i'd start with a Andre match and I must say i'm not disappointed. I really love the way Inoki rolls around the ring monkey style. A lot of technicality but I must say i'm a little thrown off by the ending, I don't understand Japanese and apparently it's the final match of a tournament ? Either way a great first impression!"

[10.0] "Instant favorite. Inoki just knew how to create moments. Love the storytelling. It's so simple, but in the realm of physical combat it's so effective. It's like a movie: trying to defeat a monster. All the physical, kinetic movements and the use of ring geography feel like thrilling action scenes, but with real narrative weight and pure emotions. It's not like modern Bond films, where the action is more about creative choreography, but more like old-school Bond: grounded, gritty, and focused on storytelling, on how Bond is going to defeat the bad guy in the fight. The climax is just amazing, and the ending brawl is absolutr kino. The way Inoki is just asking for a rematch (I guess? ) is so badass. He oozes and fully embodies fighting spirit. But none of this would work even the slightest if it wasn't for the amazing work by the great Andre the Giant. I've only seen two of his matches yet and so far he has done nothing but impressed me. He perfectly takes advantage of his body and looks. And ends up creating these amazing moments. He knows what he is doing. Even the little attention to details. Just brilliant. This is prolly top ten 70s match for me as of now."

[9.0] "wonderful, wonderful match which shows Andre's quickness and skillful at working a match, one hell of a wrestling showdown between two greats (****1/4)"

[10.0] "It's wild to watch pre-WWF Andre the Giant matches, before his gigantism caught up to him. He was so nimble for a guy his size, it seems impossible. It felt like I was watching a movie during this match, it doesn't look real. But it is and it's wonderful."

[7.0] "A wonderful David vs. Goliath type of match. Both men execute their role very well, but I think it would have been a better match if it was a fast 12 minute sprint. 70"

[9.0] "In the wake of Inoki's passing, NJPW made a number of his matches free to watch on their subscription service. I went through all of them and found quite a lot of gems I probably never would've gone out of my way to view beforehand. This match was the best of them all, captivating me at nearly every point of contact between Inoki and the 7-foot-tall Andre. Like if David and Goliath were pitted in a chess match; the underdog having to move with caution, capitalizing on mistakes when made and eventually forcing the giant - stripped of his natural advantages - into taking the game seriously. Every action felt like one with depth and intrigue behind it, all whilst never losing sight on what led them to each moment. A fascinating piece of wrestling from a largely untapped time period. Now is as good a time as any to remedy that."

[6.0] "Vince Sr. shows up for whatever reason which was a neat little jumpscare. Not sure if I like this or their 1979 match more, but they both have some great Andre content so hey why not watch them both."

[8.0] "A David vs Goliath match as Andre works over Inoki with numerous holds and Inoki sells all the way. Great performance from Andre. (***3/4)"

[7.0] "This is the final match of the King of Mixed Martial Arts tournament. It's the second Inoki/Andre match on NJPW World after their December '74 Brazil encounter, which I found a minor but effective iteration of the 70s Inoki singles match. This still isn't the best work they would do, but it is superior to that match. Like before, it's a David vs Goliath story largely worked on the mat in classical NJPW style. The finish drags this down (honestly, a well-executed double countout might have been preferable to what we got), but I've got nothing but praise for Andre's performance, and his presence speaks for itself. ***3/4"