[8.0] "This was phenomenal match, as Ishii puts on another excellent performance, which was also a step up form his match with Kanemaru the show before, I mean the energy and intensity of Ishii in this match is so different form how he is in his US matches, this is how it always should be. On top of that, this was probably the best singles match of Connors career so far, in part due to an outstanding Ishii but Connors also put in a lot of effort, showing much more fire and fighting spirit than he did during the bosj for example, both guys were really hard-hitting and the exchanges were phenomenal, great action from start to finish."
[6.0] "I thought this was a solid match. Ishii is a great foil to anyone looking for a breakout performance, and Conners shows his potential throughout the match. The problem is Ishii has done this match so many times, so when it's just good, it's a bit disappointing. 3.25 Stars."
[8.0] "Too bad that Ishii got injured after that 'cause he offered two big showcases for Kanemaru and Connors in a two-day span. With the Wild Rhino, the Stone Pitbull went for pure violence and that was pretty enjoying. Connors tried to play smart, countering Ishii's strength on himself, but that just angered a lot his elder opponent. A good old slugfest in where they've showed that pure brawls can be smart sometimes. That just rocked pretty hard for 13 minutes straight."
[8.0] "Tomohiro Ishii is one of the greatest storytellers in professional wrestling history. Despite being one of the most prolific brawlers of all-time, it is the subtle attention to detail that makes him who he is. And this was the epitome of that. The story never stopped evolving here, using one fundamental piece of information to drive the other developments that followed. On the surface, it was a simple matter of LA Dojo graduate and brawling specialist Clark Connors wanting to prove that he could throw bombs with one of the greatest to ever approach wrestling in that way. The longer the match went on, however, the clearer the true baseline story became. Simply put: Ishii had an injured left knee and these two gave a clinic on how to work over a body part without actually working over the body part. Connors relied on misdirection to force Ishii into sudden movements that would disrupt his balance and make him susceptible to strikes he could normally withstand. They paced that story brilliantly, including Ishii eating an insane Lariat sequence and Connors putting him down on the mat with another. Connors wanted to prove that he could do what Ishii does best, at the level he does it. An underdog story, without question. But with Ishii on one healthy leg, the underdog tale turned and The Stone Pitbull became the one relying on desperation tactics like a rising knee to the gut with the very leg that Yoshinobu Kanemaru had injured. And the crowd was as hot as it possibly could be for every twist and turn. Other minor details that I loved included Connors trying to elbow his way out of a Backdrop Suplex, as he likely has so many times, only to find that it will take more than what he is used to in order to overwhelm Ishii. Or Connors with the raw display of determination to eat a boot in the corner and still come in with a Corner Lariat, only for Ishii to teach him exactly what resilience is. The counters in this one were not always the cleanest, but even that fit the story of a match that was, when all else failed, ridiculously physical. That closing sequence had the crowd reacting as though restrictions were not in place and I loved every second of it. One of the best years of Ishii's career continues with another four-star match. 4 stars, 8 out of 10. One hell of a match!"
[7.0] "Good hard-hitting strong style bout. Connors really impressed here and didn't look out of place against one of New Japan's toughest. The outcome never really felt in doubt which took a little away from my rating."
[7.0] "Really good but not quiiiite as high on it as most. Connors definitely fit into this heavyweight match but his move set was a little limited for me. Loved some of the real hard hitting action, but just not quite as amazing as I'd heard ***3/4"
[8.0] "I thought this was a great hard hitting match. Clark Connors showed that he can go with a wrestler of Ishii's caliber. It's hard to tell which was more impressive, the shots that Ishii delt, or the shots that Ishii no-sold. It was a safe bet that Ishii would be NJPW's representative in the All-Atlantic Championship match, but the journey there was great for Ishii. 8/10 match"
[8.0] "Tough and really worthy of any tournament. Clark Connors probably showed his best match and I even want to express my respect to him for the fact that he adapts so well to his opponents. Tomohiro Ishii, in his style, as always, went to ram and demolished everyone on his way, then he naturally went into an important match for the newest title and I would even look at him as a champion. Everything we love about strike wrestling and Hard Japanese Wrestling, everything was here, from head knocks to exchanges of dozens of punches on the head. Vertical Drop Brainbuster has once again decided the fate of this confrontation."
[9.0] "Phenomenal match between Ishii and Connors which was of an intensity rarely seen even though we're a little used to it with the real diamond that is Tomohiro Ishii and I'd say Connors is a different version of him without straying too far from that same style so it's quite a compliment I'm paying him here. Being a regular follower of Connors for the past two years on NJPW Strong it makes me happy to see the spotlight he's been getting lately whether it be in BOSJ, against Hiromu Takahashi and now against Tomohiro Ishii. He deserves it and he put on the performance of his life here, I think he saw this match as the opportunity of a lifetime and he clearly did not disappoint far from it. Some people will discover him in this match and will most certainly be won over because he was on the level of Stone Pitbull, the two beat the shit out of each other in a mad & crazy sprint and it was a pure blast to watch. The outcome was known but that doesn't spoil my appreciation, Ishii making two bangers two days in a row."
[8.0] "Pleasant surprise! Clark impressed greatly here with tremendous fire. Apt pacing, intensity sustained for the most part. Really good match. (***3/4)"
[8.0] "Connors elevates his game against Ishii and delivers his best career match to date. Not to be carried or overshadowed by Ishii, Clark definitely stands on his own here with some big elbows and a second rope spear. Ishii does his usual Ishii things-- he just punches in his timecard and gives dudes the best matches of their careers like it's nothing. Stone Pitbull 141 forever"
[7.0] "Great match between Clark Connors and Tomohiro Ishii. I thought they would follow the Junior Heavyweight vs Heavyweight formula, but from the very beginning, Connors fought like a true Heavyweight, and it remained like that for the rest of this insane bout. Connors has already established himself to the japanese crowd, and this match was a proof that he can play with the big boys. Really good. ****"
[9.0] "That's two great matches in a row for Ishii. Connor looked great at times, but his timing was a bit off on at least three different spots. Ishii was the star here, which shouldn't come as a surprise. ****1/2"
[8.0] "This was a great, hard-hitting, back-and-forth match that felt like it had real stakes behind it as the winner earned a shot in the four-way title match at Double or Nothing. I love Connors being treated as a legitimate threat to Ishii and hope that bodes well for potential heavyweight opportunities for him in the future. (****)"
[8.0] "I am yet to see a bad match by Ishii, and Connors really surprised me, since not even his best bouts at the BOSJ caught my attention. This was a hard-hitting match that suited perfectly the strengths of Connors."
[9.0] "Connors has already had a few breakout performances, but holy hell, this was THE breakout performance. A fast-paced, hard-hitting hoss match against Ishii. What better way to establish yourself? This entire tournament has been surprisingly amazing."
[8.0] "Connors best match to date, and another match to solidify Ishii as one of the best wrestlers of the year so far. Connors fits the NEVER style so well and he seemed a lot more comfortable fighting heavyweights than Jrs."
[8.0] "Wow, Clark Connors made the match of his life here. Great great match, after two great bouts against Tomoaki Honma and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, yesterday. A great showdown for the AEW tournament. Very very good."
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