CIMA vs. Kazuchika Okada

[7.0] "Really interesting match-up, which I was really looking foward to, of course the outcome was pretty clear cuz in no world would Okada get cooked by an outsider. This was a typical Okada-style main event, so it was logically pretty good, I liked the clash of styles here. Also, cute how Okada showed CIMA the respect he deserves after the fight."

[8.0] "Pretty nice fight here, the final result was pretty obvious, but both men tried to bring a good show. The intensity was on the peak from the beggining, with an Okada that more that once looked like the World champion, and a CIMA that sometimes looked as the underdog, trying to get a win from the rainmaker. Good match. [****]"

[7.0] "A good story was told here with both men targeting the neck of the other. A contrast of styles makes the match unique, but it never hit the gear it needed to really shine."

[7.0] "Two living legends who have traveled remarkably similar paths. CIMA playing a massive role in the changes in the way wrestlers wrestle by helping lead the charge of Dragon Gate during the 2000s. Kazuchika Okada doing the same with New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 2010s. That context made this all the more enjoyable, as CIMA and Okada wrestled each other? s styles and both worked over the neck in their own ways. That includes trading DDTs outside of the ring and the Meteora that changed the trajectory of the match. This absolutely deserved to be a main event encounter and delivered in a memorable manner. 3.5 stars, 7 out of 10."

[7.0] "Okada worked a CIMA bout. Strange feeling, for sure, maybe a pay of respect by Kazu. Nevertheless, that stills a good one. CIMA targeted the neck as Okada sold it pretty well. Took some stiff Meteoras. Once this climbed up to Okada style, intensity went up easily. They kept it simple as that was effective. Maybe too much hype, also."

[6.0] "CIMA targeted the neck of Okada. Meteora from the ring apron was a nice spot. This was a pretty good match."

[7.0] "Oh. CIMA tried until the last to defeat the main rival of his life. Kazuchika Okada really got a decent resistance and couldn't just walk away with his head held high. In an equal battle, of course, Okada has no equal, he always wins cleanly. And here any style will be outplayed by the Okada style. CIMA treated his head and back well, but in the end he could not protect his head himself."

[6.0] "This felt like a pretty basic match by the end of it. Not only was the result too predictable but Okada had this stern expression on his face for about 90% of the match which made it look like CIMA's offence did very little to him. It made this feel one-sided, almost like an extended squash but not quite to that degree."

[7.0] "CIMA was his lively self, bigging up his presence and moveset even though he was seriously outgunned. Okada did what he does best, managing to pull out a great closing sequence even though he was the vast favourite."

[6.0] "CIMA knew this was a big match for him, and he gave a stronger effort than in his quarter final match against Hirooki Goto. At 44, CIMA is not the worker he once was though. It is nice to see him get so far in the tournament, especially considering he is the main representative of the GLEAT promotion. Kazuchika Okada was his usual uninspired self."

[9.0] "I actually really enjoyed this match. I liked that Cima went for the win without his knee guards and just paid the price. Also, the handshake at the end was fun to see and shows the respect these two men have for each other. Again both men know how to make their opponents look so good, I see no value lost for either of them after the match and believe that it truly was a hard fought match. ****1/2"

[8.0] "If CIMA wasn't 44 and quite broken down by this point, this match would've probably been amazing but this was still pretty good in my opinion. Meteora on the floor was a great spot. ***3/4"

[7.0] "A dream match for sure, but it felt like they held back just a little bit. Still, it was a pretty good match and very fast-paced once they picked the momentum up. I wanted to see CIMA winning and advancing to face Tetsuya Naito, but it makes sense to have him losing to Kazuchika Okada. ****"

[7.0] "I can't say it was bad because it wasn't, but this was as basic an Okada main event as you'll ever see. Totally formulaic and unfortunately he just didn't look like he wanted to lay in his moves, I imagine because it was against the politicking genius that is CIMA. Just a bit lacklustre, CIMA hasn't impressed me this tournament. ***1/2"

[7.0] "The best match against juniors for Okada in this tournament is against Despy. But this one is pretty cool too."

"Like the previous match, this one had a ton of potential but just didn't capitalize on it. It had a slow start, but it picked up throughout the matchup. CIMA killed it, and Okada was Okada. I liked the finish and the last few minutes, and the post-match stuff with CIMA bowing to Okada and the Okada promo. Really hope CIMA comes back for more matches, because he kills it every match. 7/10/*** 1/2"

[8.0] "Really good, CIMA's psychology with the Meteora, attempting and sometimes succeeding at hitting it from different angles, and his selling of the knees was great. Okada was as good as he always is in singles Main Events, but it did feel like he was holding back a little. CIMA fighting at every step of the way during the usual Okada ending stretches was cool, but wasn't enough to stop Okada from eventually hitting his signature moves and winning with a final Rainmaker. Better than an 8 but not quite a 9, consider this rating an 8.5 out of 10."

[7.0] "Good match between Okada and CIMA there's no doubt about it as we don't live in a world where these two guys would be able to offer us bad content together, that said it was far from the classic that these two could have offered us at the peak of their careers. Okada/CIMA on paper sounds like one of the biggest dream matches in Japanese wrestling but the reality is that the match didn't live up to expectations in my opinion, if you come in expecting to see something legendary then you'll end up disappointed. However, if you are able to keep it in perspective, I think you'll enjoy it because it was still twenty minutes of very solid action. Okada is a mixed bag in this New Japan Cup for me, I loved his match against El Desperado but not at all those against Master Wato and Taichi. Fortunately here he performed well, and CIMA was on fire too. Again it wasn't the classic they could have given us a few years ago but it was still pretty cool."

[7.0] "It was a good match. Both men gave a good performance but I kind of expected more. The match went a bit long so I was expecting a more competitive and exciting finishing stretch but it was quite underwhelming. It was a good match but a bit disappointing for me. ***1/2"

[7.0] "Fine match, but a disappointment of the two names involved in this match, nothing to see here sadly and a shame"

[9.0] "Great matchup between Cima and Okada here, The finishing sequence with Okada catching and spinning Cima in Midair before dropping him on his head and then following up with the finishing rainmaker, Fantastic ending sequence, Great match as well, Cima convinced the crowd he could get the upset win on multiple occasions, Lets say ****1/4"