[6.0] "This was an ok match but nothing more, I cannot say I expected more out of a match involving SANDA and an aging Tanahashi. Their first matches together in 2016 are to this day still their best encounters in my eyes."
[6.0] "This was pretty much the match I expected this to be, especially since SANADA was involved. It was quite long, which is common with nooj nowadays, but I don't mind that necessarily although it can hurt some matches. Which is the case with SANADA because he always has these overly long bouts and it usually rarely clicks, since he just isn't that interesting in the ring to warrant such lengths. This was reflected once again in this match, for like 25 minutes this was the usual SANADA match, its fine but there isn't a lot of excitement, just purely average. Which is a shame, because both Tanahashi and especially SANADA dialed it up in the last minutes, they were really good, SANADA actually looked fiery and determined to win for once and I am happy for him, since this is his first singles belt in nooj? I hope he can show more of what he did in the end of this match in the future."
[7.0] "There's a monotony to most, (obviously not the Dome street fight which was incredible in how unique this presentation is in NJPW & based on KENTA's injuries probably won't happen again anytime soon, ) Tanahashi singles matches that make many a slog to watch. S is a technical talent whose own reluctance to be explosive would appear to match up well w/ Tana. Yes, there will be an impressive 'Aces High' as there was in this bout, but we also know most of the time will be taken-up by knee work and the subsequent submission attempts. The issue is the absolute certainty of a slow, methodical pace from two handsome men though both past-their-physical prime. And, being in the M Event position, we know it's going to go at-least 25 minutes. To contrast this cynicism is the fact that this match was a vintage fine Cabernet: a well-worked, admirably laid-out contest featuring keen builds & logical momentum turns. There were moments in-which both believably could have won. 3 1/2 Another short reign for Tana; another competitor holding the belt who isn't over in the country he (supposedly) represents."
[6.0] "Quite good but with some standard modern-NJPW issues that held it back. They went for a standard 'big NJPW match' opening that featured a lot of fine but not especially exciting grappling. It was the exact sort of stuff we've seen from both guys so many times before, including with each other previously, so it was definitely quite dull. I actually started to enjoy their work once they began quickly trading various sorts of arm/shoulder locks, since that had a lot more energy and intention. They then returned back to their slower grappling work after Sanada had success driving Tanahashi's arm into the ring post on the outside, but at least they had a more interesting story to work with compared to earlier, given Tanahashi was then heavily on the back foot and prime for Sanada to further beat him down. Tanahashi naturally sold well and showed good fire as he fought back, with his mid-level signature moves looking quite good. Those attacks obviously didn't have the same energy or feature the same mobility that he had a few years ago, but he still executed each of them in ways that looked physical. Tanahashi's work further targeting Sanada's legs all looked really good, and typically emotionless Sanada actually sold the damage quite well in real time. Sanada showed good agility as he made a comeback with all his standard signature offence. While the match was well-worked and had a lot of decent ideas, it was just wayyyy too long at nearly 30 minutes, which feels especially egregious in a clap-crowd environment. About 10 minutes minimum could easily have been cut out while still getting across all the same main ideas, especially since they more or less repeated a few of their bigger spots and exchanges quite a few times as it was. ***1/4"
[8.0] "SANADA finally claims singles gold in NJPW in a really great match against the Ace. Much of the early match consisted of mat-wrestling exchanges. The second half had some fun sequences with Tana applying the Paradise Lock to SANADA and a nasty looking straight jacket German suplex. SANADA finds the victory when Tanahashi goes to the top, something that SANADA had an answer for the entire match (except for the High Fly to the outside)."
[6.0] "Even though this was as long and slow (Fast towrds the end) as a lot of mediocre NJPW main events tend to be, I ended up enjoying this match for a number of reasons. 1) the story of Tanahashi wanting a pure wrestling match which this was. 2) there was more selling here than in other similar main events. 3) the finish made sense in that the victor found an opening and exploited it appropriately using his skill as a wrestler (which is rare for NJPW where they almost always end the match by stringing signature and finishing moves) this was unique in a good way. 4) SANADA F**KING FINALLY WON A SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP. As usual the covid crowd hurt this."
[8.0] "I have no idea why I kept away from this match. Maybe because of the time they went or because I'm not the biggest fan of Sanada or particularly care about his matches. But this was good. The match opened with smooth mat-based wrestling which I really didn? t think felt like it dragged. I will never get why some fans brand this phase of the match to be "absolutely nothing" though. It can feel like it drags in some cases but not here. I liked the sense of desperation SANADA had since he's never held a singles title before so getting a victory even by countout had him salivating but he quickly downplayed it with the Paradise Lock. Tanahashi targeted the knee to the point where SANADA getting them up on a High Fly Flow hurt him almost as much. The favor was returned when Tanahashi got his knees up on a moonsault down the stretch. The closing stretch was appropriately New Japan style with close calls, counters, and great transitions. SANADA rolling through High Fly Flow and hitting moonsaults only for Tanahashi to avoid one made for a great close call. This was a great main event that peaked a few minutes before the bell yet still ended on a high note."
[6.0] "Rather generic NJPW main event for the most part. A bit too long with an over indulgent closing sequence. It was nice seeing SANADA pick up his first singles title, but I probably won't remember how he got there."
[8.0] "Like their mentor Keiji Muto, SANADA and Tanahashi like to make it a bit slow but at least effective. Details are great here. Move by move, you did one wrong and you're fucked. That's how I appreciate a SANADA vs. Tanahashi match. Maybe needed to be a bit shorter but that delivered a lot. Not a fan of the ending though."
[5.0] "They literally did absolutely nothing for the first ten minutes. They just stalled around so they could say they ran 30 minutes. Tana goes to work on the arm but then just switches to the leg and it still contributes nothing to the finish. Most of the match is SANADA's cold skull submission which he is really bad at. Just boring."
[9.0] "This match was amazing and both of these men brought their best. Sanada has been waiting for a win like this for a long time and was finally able to pull it off. The resilience of Sanada and the increasing desperation of Tanahashi really showed and Tanahashi's desperation leading to the pin was a really good yet simple ending. The moves throughout this match told a great story and I strongly recommend anyone to watch this match. ****1/2"
[8.0] "This matched surprised me, SANADA finally put some f effort and have a great match, i suppose he was motivated, also he left the stupid gimmick of Cold Skull behind and remebered how to have facial expresions lol. Tanahashi is great as always."
[8.0] "The long-awaited triumph of Sanada for many. In an absolutely competitive and epic duel, Sanada was able to twist Hiroshi Tanahashi and win a very big victory for himself. By all criteria, a decent fight of the highest level. The intrigue was heated to the maximum. The fans cheered up very much and it was clear from the reaction that they were waiting for Sanada's triumph."
[8.0] "They have been teasing Sanada's ascent for a while, and this was the time to pull the trigger. Great match that was brought to another level by The Ace's commitment to storytelling. The crowd was not there ten minutes in, but the eagerness and confidence of Tanahashi drew them closer. Sanada played his role perfectly, and this had an overall feeling of Flair/Sting from Clash of the Champions, only this time, the young gun got the duke. My only question is this...For 3 years, Tanahashi has been Heavyweight, Tag Team, NEVER, and U.S. Champion in the first quarter of the year, only to come up short on his first or second defense and lose it all. I know his years of back to back main events in the Dome are over, but I seriously think they need to consider having him part of one of the last matches of WK 17. You don't know what you got till it's gone, and seeing Tana walk out onto that stage one more time as World Heavyweight Champion before it's all said and done does not sound too shabby. ****1/2"
[9.0] "It's so good to watch again this level of wrestling, I really missed it. The begin of the match was very technichal, with both wrestlers grappling and pushing each other to the edge of the ring. But with the time they increased the speed and begin to strike and to have High fly moves. Tanahashi stealing some Sanada moves were part of the magic they put today at the ring. It's awesome to see Sanada wins his first single title in New Japan, he deserves it. Has improved a lot since he debuted witd LIJ. Great main event. [****1/2]"
[8.0] "What a story. While the comparisons to Kazuchika Okada are inevitable due to their age and respective athletic ability, Hiroshi Tanahashi and SANADA are the two that share the most similarities. Their relationship with Keiji Mutoh has shaped the way they wrestle, while their subtle explosiveness makes it nearly impossible to predict or prevent their offense. That is exactly what played out here, only with the older Tanahashi showing what experience has taught him. And the younger SANADA being forced to finally cross that elusive boundary of intensity to fight back. There were callbacks to the classic Wrestle Kingdom encounter between Tanahashi and Mutoh. There were callbacks to the clash between SANADA and Tanahashi at G1 Climax 31, when ego proved to be the downfall of the king of coming up short. There were even callbacks to the Wrestle Kingdom match between SANADA and Great-O-Khan. It all contributed to the story to SANADA needing to escape the shadow of the titans by finally figuring out who he is and what makes him different. SANADA had a formula that won him many matches before, but was too rigid to help him deliver in big matches. Tanahashi showed just how important it is to adapt, as he constantly used misdirection to overwhelm SANADA. It was not until SANADA learned to do the same, going outside of his comfort zone and adapting to the situation at hand, that he climbed back into it. By the end, it was as though Tanahashi was metaphorically screaming at SANADA to stop trying to emulate his heroes, but instead figure out who he is himself. And in the end, that is exactly what happened. What a match. What a story. 4.25 stars, 8.5 out of 10."
[7.0] "FUCKING FINALLY! Dear God, I thought I'd never see SANADA winning Singles Gold in NJPW. Now, talking about this great match: The leg work from Hiroshi Tanahashi was excellent, SANADA's selling was on point, and their chemistry was on point here. SANADA reversing every Tanahashi move was so good to watch, and seeing him sacrificing his own leg to counter the High Fly Flow was beautiful as fuck. The closing stretch was the best part, with Tana nearly knocking SANADA out, but the Cold Skull get his momentum back and is able to capture the W and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. Fucking finally, my guy. ****"
[9.0] "For me this was one of the best Sanada singles matches I've seen in a long while, at least excluding his ZSJ matches. I especially liked the dynamic of each guy trying to hit his top rope move and thought that the misses and counters were pretty well timed. I'm not high on Sanada these days but this match went some way to making him feel worthy of a big spot. It was nice to see him show some fire in this when he needed to. I went from not really caring about seeing Sanada in a main event to rooting for him to win it."
[9.0] "Excellent match. Tanahashi just continues to be masterful despite his age and SANADA really stepped up to the plate, showing fire and fight from start to finish. SANADA breakthrough matches (like with the win against Okada) feel like the turning point but hopefully this isn't another false dawn, I really hope this is the start of big time SANADA but I've been wrong before. Not a high tempo match by any means, more old school and calculated, but excellent nonetheless. ****1/2"
[6.0] "The match is good, the final part is even better. Tanahashi US reigns are lol I have to say. Let's find out what will do SANADA with this belt."
[4.0] "Long-ass main event between Tanahashi and SANADA here which is the perfect representation of the big problem that New Japan Pro Wrestling has always had in that they love to drag out matches that don't need it at all just to give them a supposedly epic feel when it's so damn unnecessary. This match would have been of good quality if it had lasted fifteen or twenty minutes at the most, but sorry I'm a big Tanahashi fan but I'm just not able to watch such long matches from him anymore because it's so poorly paced and you're really bored the whole time. It can still be okay when he has the right opponent in front of him but here he was facing what is surely the most overrated wrestler of the company, I hate SANADA and I've never understood the hype around him because he's so uninteresting. He's basic in the ring and has no personality, it really bothers me to see him dethrone Tana as he won't make a good champion that's obvious. The match itself wasn't bad of course but it was way too long for what it was, it lasted thirty minutes and they told absolutely NOTHING together, some soporific body-work from both of them on each other and a lack of selling at many moments. Cool if some people found their happiness in this match but you really have to explain to me what was special about it, it was a complete waste of time in my opinion."
[8.0] "This was a great match with really good structure. SANADA tries for the moonsault multiple times but Tanahashi always counters, and Tanahashi tries for the high fly flow but SANADA counters in the same way. Tanahashi works SANADA's leg, and his selling is pretty decent. SANADA gets the pin after rolling away from the high fly flow, which is cool because his moonsault was countered earlier with Tanahashi rolling away from it."
[7.0] "SANADA winning is a big thing for me. Despite him not being my type of wrestler at all, I? ve always liked him and now he finally wins a title. The US title but a title. The crowd didn? t even need to be told to put their phone torches on. They knew and that says it all about the connection between SANADA and the fans. This wasn? t his best match against Tanahashi. I thought they spent a little too long trying to prove they can work wrestling holds without actually doing anything meaningful. The closing stretch had a little too many counters which diluted them a tad and some really poor striking but the effort and heart was there. And despite the criticisms, this had some really good wrestling. The counter to the dropkick by Tanahashi to capture the Texas Cloverleaf was genius and the storytelling was done well enough to put SANADA over as the deserved winner of the match. Despite the flash finish pin, there was no doubt that SANADA had earned the win. ***1/4"
[10.0] "What a wonderful bout this was! Whenever Tanahashi and Sanada face each other, they go long and start off at a methodical pace. However, with the exception of last year's G1, they always pace everything perfectly, and nothing ever drags. This was the case here. Tanahashi is obviously the greatest wrestler of all time when it comes to psychology, as he built the emotion and stakes gradually throughout the match. Sanada's leg selling was great (for the most part). The storytelling based around the paradise lock was really entertaining, and the flurry of exchanges in the last five minutes was brilliant. The immediate pinning victory after a missed move from the top was an old school finish, but it worked perfectly and set the stage for a possible rematch. Marvelous. ****3/4"
[9.0] "This was pretty awesome. I'm not as big of a SANADA fan as some, I think he's good, very solid midcarder, I struggle to see him as more than that most of the time but I thought this was definitely his best performance and match in a long time. Tanahashi is still so good at this age, truly one of the best to ever do it. Finishing stretch was great as was the finish itself. Cool moment for SANADA winning his first singles title. ****1/4"
[8.0] "Tanahashi and SANADA went hold for hold in a thrilling technical wrestling showcase, with SANADA earning his first singles championship in NJPW."
[10.0] "A combination of all the matches they've had before and this was great. Great leg work from both, Tana finally locking on the Paradise Lock, great smooth counters from both as they repeatedly got out of the other's signatures and finishers. They had a 29 minute war of familiarity. SANADA wins his first NJPW singles championship and got his moment. including the longest promo he has ever cut AND a promo backstage! Great main event to cap off a great show."
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