Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii

[8.0] "Both Ibushi and Ishii have better matches against each other and in this period too. The biggest highlight here is the blood and Ishii's blown out left eye [****1/4]."

[9.0] "Great match, really brutal whilst maintaining a good pace throughout. The blood was a nice extra touch. Ibushi during this time was so damn good."

[9.0] "Really good match that pours emotion that progresses through the match. Shows both guys are tough as hell and they both keep that image for years to come inside new Japan. One of the most physical matches you'll ever see for a 20 minute stretch it never slows down (****1/2)"

[8.0] "Really really good. Got Ibushi over as one of the toughest in New Japan and even further cemented The Stone Pitbull legacy for Ishii as if he even needed more proof. I wish the ending was after the top rope lariat and the palm strike fight was quite literally hit or miss but still go out of your way to see this."

[9.0] "Crazy doesn't even cut it for this match, this was wild! Two guys, one of them a lot bigger than the other, just going out there and beating the shit out of eachother for 20 minutes, just pure beatings. Kota was the right opponent for Ishii here, their chemistry was amazing and you could really see it. Ishii getting busted open was cool to see, it just summed up the pure brutality this match had and the way these two can put their bodies on the line. The botch from Ishii wasn't a major factor into me not giving this a 10, it was scary but thankfully Ibushi was alright and continued to put on a classic."

[9.0] "[4, 75 Stars] It was the first clash between the 2 and like all their other matches it was a Big Banger. I love Ibushi and Ishii, they sacrifice themselves just for the love of the game. (****, 75)."

[5.0] "Eh. This match was a standard NJPW match. I don't quite get the hype around Ibushi. He does alot of no selling and somehow beats the shit out of Ishii, despite you know Ishii being able to beat his ass. I don't know their just felt like a lack of selling and that really bugged me."

[10.0] "Holy mother fucking fuck! One of the very best matches i've ever seen, just brutal and messy and dangerous in the very best way! Generational classic!"

[10.0] "Unmatched brutality from two of the very best. Ishii sustains a nasty cut from a hard headbutt thrown by Ibushi. Loved this one despite a scary botch where Ibushi landed awkardly from the top rope. These two beat the living hell out of each other. Stiff strikes and slap exchanges."

[10.0] "GOD DAMN! What a crazy-ass match. Kota Ibushi is the right level of insane to go head-to-head against Tomohiro Ishii. Both guys put it all on the line, destroying each other. Though their individual styles were very different, the chemistry was 100% on point. I LOVED this match. The final ten minutes were absolutely insane. Both guys came out of this looking like stars, and the action was awesome. What more can you ask from a wrestling match?"

[10.0] "Absurd. When they got up and Ishii was bloody on half his face my mouth fell agape and I pumped my fist. That shit went crazy. These NEVER matches are absurd and amazing and they keep getting better. Ibushi and Ishii are top notch wrestlers and they prove it here. ****3/4"

[10.0] "What a massacre. The Man of Destruction who will be known as Ibushi has been born, he has been completely refined and ready to swallow the world... I don't know where to start and where to end oh my god what is this...I'm almost in tears from this masterpiece that was built over two years in an unusual way. Thank you Ishii, thank you Gedo, thank you Iboshi, thank you to everyone, you made the event...Five star match."

[10.0] "Tremendous, physical, hard-hitting match that starts to reaffirm my (perhaps controversial) belief that despite being stacked with the likes of Okada, Tanahashi, Nakamura, etc., Ibushi may have been the best worker in NJPW at the time. It started out as a test of physicality (which is kind of what we've come to expect from other epic matches featuring Ishii) where both men dared to hit each-other as hard as possible. Ishii came out on top of this exchange, delivering some nasty chops in the corner. From there Ibushi led a comeback, complete with high-intensity, high-flying moves that I believe he does better than almost anyone else. Both men continued to exchange big moves (german suplexes from both men, along with a couple of brainbusters, a last ride, and a ridiculous lariat from the top rope from Ishii, and a tope-rope bicycle kick from Ibushi). Ibushi also delivered a nasty headbutt that split Ishii open, followed by a huge lariat. This and the absolutely brutal palm-strike exchange that followed it were probably the highlights of the match for me. This match also featured a couple of 'kick-out-at-one" spots that I don't normally love, but I believe Ibushi does them better than just about anyone and the fact that they traded that spot lifts it up in my eyes. What stopped this match from reaching its absolute peak was the finish, where Ishii wins with one final brain-buster. A more climactic, back and forth finish would've probably lifted this match to just about perfect for me. (****3/4)"

[7.0] "I thought this was good but I never got the feeling that it was great, somehow. It was the expected "I dare you to hit me as hard as you can" shtick, which I guess I've just seen too much. It was cool when Ibushi started going after Ishii's injured eye, thought more might come of that."

[10.0] "An absolute classic that helped make Kota Ibushi as a heavyweight wrestler. Ibushi, during a legendary four-defense reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, against Tomohiro Ishii, in one of his record-setting reigns as NEVER Openweight Champion. Ishii, the heavy-handed king of striking duels on his ascension of the heavyweight ranks. Ibushi, whose piercing strikes have devastated Junior Heavyweights. The question was simple: Can Ibushi trade bombs with a man who has thrown with the best of them? And that? s exactly the story that this match told. Ibushi landing strike after strike with perfecf precision, but being unable to even rock The Stone Pitbull. Ishii being ruthless in his punishment of the Junior Heavyweight. All leading to the mid-match adjustments that helped Ibushi finally pierce the seemingly impenetrable armor of Ishii and his fighting spirit. Simply incredible. The perfect Heavyweight vs. Junior Heavyweight matchup with all the little details that make for a truly great match. And that starts immediately, with Ishii slowly and confidently walking into the initial collar and elbow lockup, while Ibushi shows visible signs of both trepidation and determination. And Ishii immediately trying to punk the Junior Heavyweight, only for Ibushi to throw an attempted knockout blow in return. And then immediately back away from his stronger opponent. Even Ibushi not leaping back up after a Shoulder Tackle. Fantastic. And when Ishii gets one of the nastiest cuts I have ever seen, Ibushi goes right at it during one of the best striking sequences of either career. Even the misfire was turned into a High Angle Powerbomb mid-move, which is how Ishii typically applies it anyways. Almost unwatchable brutality. I spent too much of this match with my hand over my mouth to go any lower. 5 stars, 10 out of 10."

[9.0] "Ishii/Ibushi is always fantastic, and apart from a few awkward top rope sequences, I really enjoyed this ****1/2."

[10.0] "Absolutely incredible match. One of the best of both men's careers and it might not even be their best match together. When Ibushi was a Junior Heavyweight he had so many outstanding matches against Heavyweight's like Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada and this war against the Stone Pitbull was no exception. This match starts with an underdog approach as Ishii just bullies Ibushi with vicious chops to the throat and forearms. Once Ibushi begins firing back with his high flying offense and strikes of his own this becomes a smackfest and it's almost difficult to watch at times. This was oh so brutal in the most compelling way possible. There's some real nasty bumps here like when Ibushi tried for an Avalanche Frankensteiner but was botched almost looked like a Piledriver with Ishii also landing awkwardly on his neck. Ibushi also busts Ishii's upper eye open with a headbutt which leads to some amazing drama. Ibushi kicking Ishii in the bloody eye and hitting some nasty palm strikes was just insanity. These mistakes only added to the match because of how great it was already, with so many impressive sequences and counters. Ishii hitting Ibushi with a lariat off the top rope in the closing stretch was my spot of the match. This was a war. *****"

[9.0] "The battle between Ibushi (Junior Heavyweight champion) and Heavyweights continues. And this is yet another awesome match for him. All the usual Ishii strike exchanges, with Ibushi firing back on the bloody Ishii with some nasty palm strikes. An excellent fast past that they went, with tons of big, damaging moves and a hot finishing stretch. Great match. ****1/4"

[10.0] "Even 'back' in 2014, Ishii and Ibushi were the perfect opponents for each other, and they produced the kind of intense and hard hitting match that Ishii was starting to become famous for."

[9.0] "9. 0/10 : Kota Ibushi is amazing. HE JUST IS. I love watching him and this match is the reason why. A master of every style, he delivers a mouth-dropping strong style bout against Ishii over here. I LOVED IT."

[10.0] "Ibushi and Ishii just kill each other here. Seriously, it gets a little hard to watch. The match has a similar story to the Nakamura matches of a heavyweight pushing Ibushi to adopt more of a strong style approach, and Ibushi just gets vicious as it goes on. *****"

[10.0] "It's hard for me to give this a 10 for two reasons: 1) the just brutal botched move from the top-rope that could have easily killed either man, and 2) the work here is so stiff that it is borderline unwatchable for someone like me. These guys nearly fucking murder each other. That being said, the pacing, sequencing, and general wrestling work on display is just top-notch. If you're queasy, avoid. But if you're not, this is a non-stop thrill ride that will leave you gasping with your hand over your mouth. And that ending! *****."

[10.0] "Freaking awesome. These 2 just beat the hell out of each other with chops, kicks, suplexes. Full strong style match here. With a hot crowd in yokohama, this was easily the best match on a pretty lackluster show. MOTYC in 2014 for sure."

[9.0] "I felt their styles actually worked well together and this had more of a story going into it than their G1 match from this year. In this match it was the junior trying to beat the big ol' Heavyweight in Ishii. They never did anything ridiculous except for the weird top rope spots with, I guess, a botched frankensteiner and then Ibushi landing on his head. The match had a weird flow to it but the in-ring stuff was great and what a lariat from Ibushi, the blood really added here. Not necessary but it helped. (****1/2)"

[10.0] "(**** 3/4) Wow , amazing match and very intense. I'm not really a fan of this type of match but this one was really well worked. Awesome spots by Ibushi and also great storytelling in the ring between them."

[8.0] "The match starts off with some fun strong style displays via stiff strike exchanges and no-sell spots. It gets slightly dull after a while when both men keep retreading the same ground as Ishii chops Ibushi down over and over again, but Ibushi finally gains some leverage and begins pulling off his impressive high flying moves to liven things up again. Both men take some very terrifyingly brutal bumps. Ibushi seems to smack his head on various landings, and Ishii seems to really mess up his shoulder/neck area following a botched frankensteiner from Ibushi from the top rope, as well as one of Ibushi’s headbutts busting his eye open. This makes the match wince-inducing all throughout, but because it’s layered in with so many great wrestling sequences/spots it actually adds to the match, making it feel like a very physically demanding battle that makes victory even more challenging and valuable. The strong style stuff is much more exciting when it's reintroduced later on, as both wrestlers have better pacing and selling which makes the strike sequences and general trading of moves feel much more impactful and damaging. Ibushi also did some good work over Ishii’s busted eye with his strikes, but could have done more to make this a more interesting plot point for the match story. This ended up being a very exciting match of high flying, strong style, and nasty injuries and bumps. Definitely a great match. I would love to see a rematch. ****1/4"

[9.0] "Two different styles of wrestling clashing can usually go either a bad way or the right way, this match did the great way. I don't think the crowd knew what they were in for but they definitely were hot for both Ishii and Ibushi at different points. I think they were just all amazed at how both men were interacting with eachother with Ibushi trying to take Ishii down with Ishii mocking him and Ibushi eventually able to get him down with his palm thrusts. For a first time encounter they showed off their skills great but a few botches here and there had me concerned, these two definitely need a rematch to go all out in, ****1/2."

[10.0] "This match was absolutely insane. Stuff strikes and a hot crowd. This was action packed from start to finish with perfectly timed and excellent spots. Some really great nearfalls as well. Almost perfect match. Would love to see another between these two ****3/4"

[10.0] "This was all about Kota Ibushi trying to match the brutal, stiff, hard hitting onslaught of the one Stone Pitbull, Tomohiro Ishii. In the beginning Ishii got the advantage, so he talks some smack to Ibushi, only for The Golden Star to get more fired up and start going toe-to-toe with the champ. What started as an underdog match, turned into a total smackfest. Great match. ****1/2"

[9.0] "Excellent match right here The eye was swollen on ishii at the end surprised he could see to finish the match stiff asf this is the only singles match between these two and they pulled off a great one ****3/4"

[10.0] "This match is really great. An awesome mix of styles, between Ishii and Ibushi. And Ibushi adapted to the hardhitting style very well and put on quite an amazing performance. I think I'll go with ****1/2 for this"

[10.0] "This match was just ridicolously good. Phenomenal strong-style war, with great storytelling of Ibushi trying to stand up to Stone Pitbull. Some spots were just out of this world. At one point Ibushi hits a brutal headbutt and busts Ishii open and this just adds drama to the match. You just have to see this. If you do not understand the Ishii's phenomen, just watch this. One of the best matches of 2014. **** 3/4."

[10.0] "Holy Crap was this amazing! The beginning was good but the final like 5 minutes are just nuts. Ibushi plays into Ishii's wheelhouse with the strikes and just stiff brutality. This was just so much fun to watch and I bout lost it when Ishii hit Ibushi with a Lariat coming off the top rope as that was just INSANE! Highly recommend this match. ****1/2"

[10.0] "They had some really dangerous spots. It made for an amazing match, but at times I was saying, “That’s too far. ” That lariat off the top rope AFTER that top rope powerbomb to the side of the head…by gosh. This was an amazing, amazing match. Tomohiro Ishii is killing himself and is having one of the greatest runs of matches that I can ever remember someone having. I was really hoping for a title change here, as I really want to see Ibushi in the heavyweight division. Hopefully he’ll still gain an entry into the G1"