Kota Ibushi vs. Tomoaki Honma

[8.0] "A really good match. Entertaining, with impactful blows, and a very nice connection between sequences and spots. There's not much more to say, really, the match is simply great."

[8.0] "(Grade:B+) Wasn't expecting this match to be that enjoyable and yet it surprised me! Some stiff strike being exchanged and Honma kept missing with those heabutts until eventually hitting it and the crowd popped and he's use of headbutts were pretty cool especially the headbutt to Ibushi that sent him into the corner for example. Ibushi was great here too utilizing his agility and speed to gain the upper hand at times. Wished this match was a little but longer nonetheless still had fun with this one!"

[7.0] "This was easily the best thing on the show by a large margin. I loved the way Ibushi controlled the majority of the match, which fit the theme of being the favorite who was expected to win, and also from the perspective of playing to Honma? s strengths as a worker."

[9.0] "A really underrated match. They made the most of the usual 12-minute match at the start of the show. Many original reverses and high speeds. Funny segment after the match. Rating: ****1/4 (4. 25)"

[8.0] "Really enjoyed it, back and forth action with real hot osaka crowd as always. Honma was good as an underdog and ibushi's offenses looked fantastic, too."

[8.0] "Love this style of match, short, sweet and punchy - Ibushi is great and really got the best out of Honma here (****)."

[9.0] "Really great G1 Climax like sprint here, that I really enjoyed. Ibushi is really having a great year so far, and this is one of his best matches of the year so far. ****"

[8.0] "Really enjoyed this match. Kota's forearm strike and Honma's selling of it near the end was tremendous, and I felt like I was watching two guys fighting in a comic book. Really fun and hard-hitting contest, and what athletic-based pro wrestling is all about. 4. 25/5."

[9.0] "Better than a lot of people think. I have no problems giving this one 9, given the time they had, they put on an incredible match. It's crazy to see Honma now and think back to his position in the company last year. He might be the most popular guy in the company, like seriously you could put him against Tanahashi at this point and the fans would chant for Honma. This guy is a hype machine. Every match he has you want him to win that bit more than last match. And I think really that's what's making me give this a 9, they really made you care about who won. Like I really like Ibushi, it was correct for him to go over and looking at it on paper I would probably want him to win, but when the match starts and Honma gets going, you can't help but get into it like it's the WrestleMania main event. Also I love Honma's missile headbutts, they're insane and that one he did into Ibushi's back was great. ****1/2"

[8.0] "I was beyond hyped for this match, on several different levels. First of all you’ve got two of the best workers in the world, and you have to dig pretty deep to find the last time either of these guys didn’t have a great high profile singles match. But you also had the story of Ibushi working from the position of favorite for the first time as a heavyweight in New Japan. It may be hard to believe, but Ibushi’s last singles win as a New Japan heavyweight was way back in August of 2013 (a G1 win over Karl Anderson). That fact is a bit of a fluke, because Ibushi would have won several matches in the 2014 G1 had he not been forced to pull out, but the overriding theme here remains, which is Ibushi’s slow climb as a heavyweight. The match didn’t disappoint. I loved the way Ibushi controlled the majority of the match, which fit the theme of being the favorite who was expected to win, and also from the perspective of playing to Honma’s strengths as a worker. Usually Ibushi is the one working from the bottom, so this was something I was looking forward to seeing. Honma of course got just enough to get the crowd behind him, especially on his final extended comeback. A decisive victory for Ibushi via the Phoenix Splash, which is exactly what it should have been. ****"