Syuri vs. Utami Hayashishita

[6.0] "I guess the most important thing here is that Hayashishita defeated Syuri in a singles match for the first time? In reality, Syuri's aura of being an unbeatable champion was hurt because of this loss. This was a generic 'your turn / my turn' match that was slowly but surely heading towards a time limit draw, but then Hayashishita hit a bunch of big moves in a row and just won. Syuri's facials expressions after the match were interesting to say the least. Totally forgettable Main Event."

[7.0] "I wish all competitors had Syuri's pre-match intimidating mean-girl staredown. The turning-point in this exhausting slamdown was the top-rope reverse air-raid crash that I would hate-to-take worrying about those cervices. S has always been a superior taker of Utami's best high-impact throwdowns so I really enjoyed this. I also appreciated the verbiage of Utami's post-match though surely it was S the worse-for-wear after this. 3 3/5"

[6.0] "It's not a bad match, but in viewing of their last encounters they did the minimum, and it could be far better. 3, 25*"

[5.0] "This didn't do a lot for me. Apart from a few good high spots in the opening half of the match only the last few minutes really counted for anything. For the most part they were just doing their usual stuff without the sense of urgency that you would want in a tournament match."

[6.0] "Felt barely above auto-pilot, it was good, but nothing special, not really souless, but it was not a worthy sequel to what they've done in the past."

[8.0] "Utami's counterattack after a period of hibernation. It was almost a shutout performance from her as she took Syuri's best head-on and seemingly had answers for everything, along with a few surprises up her sleeve. But Syuri, the absolute champion, refused to go down easily and fought until the very end. ****"

[7.0] "Started slow, which made me worried they'd just go trough the motions, but soon they started with the high impact maneuvers and I was into it. Not one of my favorites of the weekend but still a very aggressive match. Don't know how I feel about Utami beating Syuri this clean however in 14 minutes."

[9.0] "Must have been too long since I watched one of the previous bouts between this pair because i'd clearly forgotten how thoroughly engaged they always make me with their insane chemistry and ability to lay down belter after belter whenever they cross paths. The shortened match is the only thing taxing that last one point because honestly it would be more of a surprise if Syuri and Utami had failed to deliver a worldie even at under 15 minutes! Oh and Utami's quote at the end: "Utami Hayashishita has just been resurrected! " ... ominous words indeed, bring it on!"

[8.0] "A very good match. Obviously with the time limit their shortest but that is fine because it was quick and urgent, and Utami finally beating Syuri and presumably getting a title shot except in reverse now is a good piece of business. ****"

[7.0] "The Okada vs Tanahashi from STARDOM strikes once again! Non-stop fast-paced violent action from the very beginning, as it should be. Both of them did very well here, they obviously can do a better job, but with the limitations of the 5STAR Grand Prix, they did great. The two Air Raid Crash spots were incredible, and the final moments are awesome, the near Time Limit Draw finish really gets you good, even if you already know how the match's going to end. ****"

[8.0] "Good match from Utami Hayashishita and Syuri, but is the weakest match between the two, but still the best match of the night"

[9.0] "Utami gets the win, finally. A good time to do it. Never a bad match between these two and keeping this just under 15 minutes was a nice change of pace for them."

[9.0] "Yet another excellent Syuri vs Utami match, though this time they managed to condense things into a 15 minute match when they really do their best work with double that time."

[9.0] "This was excellent, especially when you consider that these two are best together when given at least 25 minutes, and they had to work with a 15 minute time limit here. ****1/4"

[9.0] "They don't miss. Wether it's 43 minutes, 36 minutes, 20 minutes or 15 minutes. They know each other so well by this point that the reversals and sequences are super crispy and well done. The last 5 minutes reminded me of their first match for the belt, so, so good. Utami finally beating Syuri and Syuri simply losing a match is such a big deal and it felt like it. Awesome stuff, 2nd best match of the tournament behind Giulia vs Hazuki. ****1/4"

[9.0] "They managed to have an epic style match in under 15. Lots of awesome spots. The ending was so shocking, like I thought it'd be a draw."

[8.0] "Unexpectedly good. Actually, one of the best singles matches from Syuri in 2022. The result plays a big role in this, because if the match ended in a draw it would be another match with a solid wrestling, but which does not matter and which everyone will forget. But Utami's victory looked very invigorating. I just hope Stardom doesn't make this match in Ryogoku anymore."

[9.0] "These two just never miss, do they? The first few minutes were okay, but the rest of this match was blazing and full of huge spots. It was stiff, it was wild and it felt like a draw was imminent, only for the shocking finish in the final seconds. The booking of this match was a 10/10."