[7.0] "Pretty good match and a HUGE win for Finlay over his former tag team partner, despite the betrayal of Juice I dont really think that either portrayed their hate for the other as much as they could have or at least the hate they should have for each other after such a betrayal by Juice, I wished for more intensity by Finlay specifically. Its not like there was no intensity or hatred, it did show in some moments, for example when they were on the outside and Finaly was throwing Juice into the barricades over and over or in the finish, when Finlay refused to beat Juice just due the irish stick he used to whack Juice over the head. Other than that, I really liked how Finlay worked over Juice's hand for example, since he knows that Juice one broke that hand. On the other side, Juice worked over Finlay's shoulder and the work he did was really good but Finlay's selling was rather inconsistent, I mean like he only couldn't hit one powerbomb due to his hurting shoulder, but other than that he didnt really sell much. The last minutes were great however, like the last 3 or 4, good back and forth and the piledriver on the outside was sick."
[9.0] "[4.25*] OMG, That was an absolute great match from start to finish. Super smart match both mastering the " basics" here, I'm impressed Idk from where to start, I really liked the arm target of both honestly. Juice here just brought a near perfect performance. David Finley the same thing as well. It's just a fascinating match."
[9.0] "Such a pity this gem happened during the pandemic era. You give a red-hot Korakuen and it could have been a 10. Finlay and Robinson put on a passionate fight where they showed all the importance of the art of storytelling and drama. Juice targeted the arms while Finlay went hard on his opponent's palm, the one he uses for his signature strike. They know each other by heart and that was the major story of the bout. Some great counters and sequences (I loved the chain wrestling ones) between them even if it had some minor flaws. The latter were forgotten due to the breathtaking atmosphere of the contest. Robinson would have done anything to destroy his former mate, but Finlay displayed an incredible underdog performance. Somewhat, someway, I imagined this fight during the 80's, it would have caused riots. A pandemic gem who will be sadly under-looked while the these two lads put on one of the best performances."
[5.0] "Unfortunately this match had both good things as well as bad things about it hence the score. The Good: 1) Great intensity between former partners. 2) Finlay is good as the babyface and Juice is (finally) good as a heel. 3) Working on body parts related to their history. The Bad: 1) Very inconsistent selling 2) A goofy amount of time spent outside without being counted out 3) Piledriver on the outside was stupid"
[9.0] "This match was beautiful. It was everything I expected it to be. Got me so emotional from all the history FinJuice have had. It was like they literally wanted to kill each other. In my opinion, the best match of the tournament so far."
[10.0] "3rd favorite match of the g1 climax 2022, only beaten by ospreay/takagi and okada/ospreay. loved the storytelling and drama in this match, and friendship betrayal storylines are always good, especially when their blowoff matches carry drama and redemption like this."
[9.0] "This is truly the hidden gem of this year's G1. The story these two told was fantastic. Already having heat with each other, David and Juice started the match with burning passion, wanting to prove something to one another. Juice targeted David's shoulder the entire match and David answered by injuring Juice's palm. Both have wonderfully sold their damage and it had a great effect on the match. David not able to have Juice on his shoulders and Juice has to switch hands for his strikes. In this time, we had amazing spots like David flying into a steel post with terrific impact and Juice planting David with a piledriver on the exposed floor. By the end, it looked like a win for Juice, yet after a shocking kick out from Finlay, he managed to get the match in his favour, getting a win over a former friend. And now, the US title storyline continues on, David looks like a star and Juice is still doing amazing work as a big douchebag"
[9.0] "Most of this match success was due to the great story these two wrestlers showed during the battle. The work over the hands, referre's distractions, the intend of the finishers. Finlay as the underdog and Juice as the dominatior, great characterization. The end was pure gold, really nice. Good match. [****1/2]"
[8.0] "Solid match between Juice Robinson and David Finlay. Some great chain wrestling sequences in the beginning with some classic Juice Robinson sass. It felt like there was so much power and intensity all the way through. Beautiful Irish Curse closer to the middle. There were a very scary series of ringside sequences involving the wooden floor which was very entertaining. Definitely do not miss this one."
[7.0] "I was afraid for a long time that the fighters would repeat the mistake of the YOH/SHO confrontation and we would see something super weak and in the end everything would end with meanness or overbooking. As a result, we saw a tough and uncompromising fight between two once comrades, which many liked. There was a hard press mixed with American school wrestling. Maybe emotions were not enough. But in any case, it is rather a success. I would like to watch more of this content at the tournament. driver on the bare floor was hard and also hitting the barricades. The match was clearly not deprived of cruelty. There would still be higher speeds and it would be even better. It's good that the match was also a novelty for the viewer."
[7.0] "This was a really good match. It wasn't the best match of the tournament or anything but they delivered a pretty heated bout. Juice targeted Finlay's shoulder fairly aggressively. His work on top did look quite painful such as how he'd drop Finlay shoulder first on a guardrail or the apron. I can't really complain about Finlay's selling TOO much because he never outright no-sold it for an extended period of time. I don't think highly of Finlay as a character. He didn't come across as an engaging sympathetic babyface to me personally, but he succeeded in getting the crowd behind him. He gave a good performance here, and I can't argue otherwise. Juice's character work has grown on me throughout the tournament. He's genuinely an annoying prick. There is definitely an issue because of the language barrier, but he's really compelling with his trash-talk and unstable demeanor. Finlay had good energy in his comebacks and I liked how he targeted Juice's previously broken hand. The closing stretch benefited from the crowd being invested in everything they did. Juice running Finlay's shoulder into the post was GREAT. There was a pretty good pop when Finlay kicked out of Pulp Friction. I thought the best individual moment of the match was Juice punching Finlay out of mid-air and hitting a sweet looking piledriver on the exposed floor. It was an impactful looking spot and I wish it led to the finish. ***3/4"
[8.0] "Evil/Sanada and Sho/Yoh should all take notes from this one. It's the first post-split rival match in New Japan to actually deliver in some time. You could take all of the intense, emotional parts from every Evil vs Sanada match and add them to the intense parts from every Sho vs Yoh match, and this one match would still have more. That's a relatively low bar to clear but I still thought this was entertaining from beginning to end."
[7.0] "Described by Kevin Kelly as an ? emotional bout? which gives me certain expectations but I can be surprised. Finlay? s shoulder is a victim of Juice? s in the early parts. Juice ties it up and pushes him in the post and then gets me to physically wince when he drops Finlay on the apron with the shoulder in a vulnerable position. Finlay? s selling were decent. A large part of his sympathies lies in the real root of his injury. Some language barriers made Juice? s character work on the outside awkward. He would say something menacing and there would be a large pause of silence before someone slowly starts to clap again. A rather amusing moment in what was supposed to be an important moment in the match. Finlay had felt like a passenger until he decided to give Juice Robinson a taste of his own medicine, stomping on his once broken, fragile hand. Juice responding with an ? I? m sorry? was great as well. He came across like such a whiny hypocrite. The closing stretch. The closing stretch was decnet. The crowd made some noise after Finlay kicked out of Pulp Fiction and likewise for Juice surviving Finlay? s moves which don? t look good. Finlay? s cutter is too weak and awkward. I didn? t care for their use of the piledriver on the floor. It served to go to the finish rather than being a big moment of the match. Juice did the move on the exposed floor and then Finlay reversed the next move Juice did. Totally inappropriate. However the shillelagh and the Trash Panda finish WAS good. Another minor criticism was Umino? s counting. It was so inconsistent. He let them wrestle and brawl outside for minutes on end, then deciding to count and then stopped when Juice rolled in the ring while Finlay was on the outside. That? s not how it works. I do blame the wrestlers though as they call the match and the ref has to follow it. It can? t always be considered but try at least. The match ended on a positive note anyway. Flaws were there on show but it was a good main event. Much better from Juice after that poor display against Shingo Takagi. ***1/2"
[8.0] "A heated match with a great and layered story being told. A slow start doesn't derail a really solid second half with some really clean spots and moments (plus some clean selling). A great close and surprising result add to the match a lot. Compared to another recent breakup, this match is way better than the SHO/YOH split up matches we've had since they broke up."
[9.0] "First David Finlay match I've ever loved! Excellent way to have an aggressive, personal fight in a wrestling ring without it being silly. They each wanted to prove themselves as the better wrestler, but also get satisfaction from hurting their former friend. The story worked and it built up to plenty of unique spots towards the end - a really fun main event."
[10.0] "Phenomenal match. Told a wonderful story with both guys initially setting out to prove their superiority as wrestlers, before Juice made things personal by targeting Finlay's surgically repaired shoulder. The arm work by Juice felt properly brutal, and Finlay's selling was top notch. He really made me believe he was in agony. Some great moments down the stretch too, with the brutal piledriver on the exposed floor and the great near fall with Juice's foot on the ropes. The story was basically perfect too. I loved how Finlay wasn't afraid to sink to Juice's level by targeting the hand that he broke, but then he stopped short of using the shillelagh to win, and instead hit his finisher to do it the right way. Brilliant babyface performance. I think my one complaint would be that the ref bump felt a little contrived. But other than that, an excellent, excellent match, and one of my favourites of the G1 so far."
[9.0] "These two wrestled their hearts out. There's always a worry with match-ups between former partners that the first match will be a let-down. Juice and Finlay blew those worries out of the water. Great heel work from Juice grounding Finlay down and using everything he can think of to work on Finlay's past injuries. Finlay for his part played the fiery babyface to perfection. Great spots littered throughout the match - Juice begging Finlay to let up while laying on the ground, the sheleighly to the belt shot, the finish. Just fantastic stuff."
[9.0] "I thought that was an excellent main event. Lots of excellent storytelling, with the help of Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton. The working of the shoulder by Juice and the working of the hand by Finlay were both constant factors that felt like serious points in the match. I really liked when Finlay was whaling on Juice on the outside, in which Robinson cowardly asked his former best friend for mercy. I felt that it resembled how strong their friendship once was, and how far it had fallen in such a short time. I was worried that the final blow would be the shillelagh, but fortunately David was able to get one last Trash Panda. Excellent match. I really hope to see a longer story with David Finlay and Juice Robinson. They have the potential to have one of the best rivalries in NJPW. 9/10"
[9.0] "The G1 can be full of surprises, and this match was definitely a pleasant one. Robinson and Finlay have been good workers for years, but they brought out the absolute best in each other here. Even without much build beforehand, the storytelling and psychology turned this from an underwhelming G1 main event on paper to a compelling chapter in a heated feud. Finlay picking up Juice at the end to hit him with his finisher instead of taking the cheating pin was a brilliant way to cement his claim to a US title shot. ****1/2"
[8.0] "Insanely good, as I expected. David Finlay and Juice Robinson did a fantastic character work in here, their psychology was out of this universe, and the arm work from Juice was magnificent and extremely brutal. The storytelling here is top notch, especially towards the end where Finlay hits his former friend with his stick, but instead of defeating him like that, he lifts him up and hits him with the Trash Panda for the three count. Amazing. ****1/4"
[7.0] "After a terrible start the match delivered in the second half. I was scarred that they would do a sort of YOH/SHO feud (totally bad for me, without a proper payoff after the split), but in the end they delivered the goods."
[7.0] "Pretty good match with a good structure, though my limited opinions towards both wrestlers meant that I wasn't able to think much higher of it. There was meaningful history here, considering they used to be tag partners until Juice joined Bullet Club, though he interestingly never actually 'turned' on Finlay in terms of attacking him, so this was their first meeting with Juice as a heel. Juice's work targeting Finlay's shoulder was decently aggressive and made up of a good variety of attacks, and Finlay's selling of the shoulder was good in both real time and in the long term too, as he sold it all the way from the start of Juice's targeting up until the end of the match. I've never connected with Finlay's babyface performances on any especially compelling level, and I still didn't find him especially sympathetic or compelling here either, but I can at least acknowledge that he still essentially checked off all the points on the theoretical checklist of requirements for competent babyface-selling, which allowed his performance to still be good despite me not finding it strictly engaging. He hit some nicely energetic and intense attacks in his comeback, showing good aggression to pay Juice back for his own aggressive attacks earlier on. I also liked how he then began working over Juice's own left arm, targeting his hand/forearm instead of the shoulder, though, which Juice likewise sold quite well. Finlay then got some fun hope spots throughout the 2nd half as he put Juice down with some impactful and well-executed moves one after ehe other, and Juice likewise hit Finlay with some impressive attacks of his own. All their spots and exchanges there were very well-timed, making up for any that had slightly underwhelming technique (which wasn't many). Their evasions and counters of each other's big moves were also quite good, and I actually really liked the booking with Finlay putting Juice down with the shillelagh but breaking up his own pin in order to put Juice away 'cleanly' with the Trash Panda (given this was already a personal match coming in, and then Juice aggravated him further by going after his shoulder). While it's not like I think Finlay looked like a future top star here or anything, he at the very least definitely looked like a competent wrestler who belongs in the NJPW midcard. Juice was good here too, though I'm still not sure if his wrestling style completely works as a heel. Basically, both had good in-ring work but lesser character work which unfortunately didn't match. Regardless, they still had a good level of intensity and produced some cool interactions here. ***1/4"
[8.0] "I expected nothing from this one and it turned out to be a great surprise. I'm not familiar with their story as a tag team, but even I could feel how much they knew each other and how the emotions escalated inside the ring."
[7.0] "Tricky one to rate for me. For 3/4 this was totally dull in my opinion, with Juice working over Finlay's shoulder and Finlay really eliciting very little babyface spirit. The near falls and floor tombstone were definitely cool though and the guys told a good story in totality. ***1/2"
[6.0] "A very normal and basic match between Robinson and Finlay, a long match doesn't mean is a good match, the pace of this was very average and normal, Robinson and Finlay didn't have the talent of making a long match, good"
[9.0] "If you wanted, you can segue this into making David Finlay a legit star in the Heavyweight Division. Amazingly over babyface work by Finlay and Juice was so despicable as a heel. Every time Juice hit his left hand and swung the momentum in his favor I got really worried, but Finlay would find a way to fight back and I popped every time he did. The crowd bit on every fall and David getting a win that he needed. Awesome match"
[9.0] "Incredible babyface performance by David Finlay matched with Juice Robinson's just as fantastic heel work. A well paced main event which made every move mean that much more with how emotions were being presented. The targeting of injured limbs by both men, emphasis on trying to destroy one another on the outside, to a climax as exciting and tense as you can get. David Finlay won in very convincing fashion, he has cemented himself well in D Block after a match like that. I'm a little more sold on both guys after this."
[9.0] "The match started off slower than you'd expect due to their intense promos leading to this match but Juice's arm and body work were really good and set the stage for a great clash with David's comeback. Both men gave everything they had to leave the winner, big moves, big counters, big kickouts and rope breaks. The crowd was fully behind David and he looked like a proper main event babyface with this one."
[8.0] "This was really good. Borderline great. I'm not really a fan of either guy but they managed to get the crowd really engaged with the story they told throughout so props to them. I really liked the last 5-7 minutes. ***3/4 or ****"
[8.0] "Well executed match with the classic Marty/Shawn storytelling throughout. The stakes and built-in history of Juice and Finlay really made this match what is was. You just want to see Finlay overcome his former partner but every blow feels like it's the end for him. A lot of great moments and well-executed false finishes. A match that legitimizes Finlay in the G1 and builds excitement for a potential title feud in the future."
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