[4.0] "To me this just felt more of the same old, same old from both these two, nothing I haven't seen before a couple dozen times and to me not even executed especially well, it's hard to think I'll remember anything from this match a week from now, except maybe that they did some reckless looking headbutts that you'd think would have been stopped after the Shibata thing. But oh well, that's how it goes. It wasn't awful and it definitely popped the crowd so it's just my taste but I wasn't feeling this one very much."
[8.0] "This was the match of the night, it had great athleticism from Ospreay, but the real highlight was how hard both went, Ospreay's viciousness is a great aspect of his, and Ishii is great in that regard as always, it did not have that much of a big match feel, it is understandable, as there was little build, but it prevented the match from going higher in my mind. ****1/2"
[6.0] ". Pretty much the match youd expect here. A very standard 'epic' style of match with a dull buildup to an exciting finish. Alot of chops and strikes through the 20 minutes which they ended up overdoing like always. The finish was stretched too far out but it was exciting nonetheless. But as a final warm-up before Ospreay/Omega, this was a pretty good main event. I love that Ishii has added the codebreaker to his arsenal."
[9.0] "The type of match that you simply need to watch a second time. The crowd, undoubtedly impacted in volume by the train strike, perhaps did not do this bout justice until the end. Nonetheless, Tomohiro Ishii and Will Ospreay managed to sneak in one last instant classic before the end of 2022. And watching their G1 Climax 30 match is essential to appreciating what they did here. Watching the Wrestle Kingdom classic with Kenny Omega that transpired mere weeks after this one is, too. This match was about hubris. And while Ospreay has undeniably evolved, that undying need for approval is just as present in 2022 as it was during the G1 30 battle. Ospreay did not want to defeat Ishii in a tuneup. He wanted to embarrass the former Omega rival by striking him until he could not stand. Unfortunately for Ospreay, he was in the ring with someone who simply will not lose a match because of strikes and strikes alone. Ospreay was downright determined to do so in 2020 and seemed even more driven in 2020. That was proven by his initiation of an Ishii style brawl and his pure obsession with winning via Hidden Blade. That same obsession with proving a point rather than securing a victory was the driving force behind the story against Omega, as well. Ishii has always thrived in this environment. He has defeated everyone under the sun, Omega included, by capitalizing on being underestimated and being up to the task even when he is not. And while Ospreay viewed this as just another potential notch in his belt, Ishii was out to leave scars on the man who betrayed CHAOS just two years ago. What transpired was a brutal fight that saw both men at their striking best, as well as Ishii doing what he does as well as anyone ever has. Pulling out something you never expected to see. The counter to the Super Oscutter was half Omega and half Jericho, and completely vicious. And that moment pushed this from great to classic. The final few minutes were a flawless story of desperation versus determination. Ospreay in disbelief, Ishii too stubborn to stay down. And when you fast forward just a few weeks, that story becomes all the more significant. From start to finish, this was everything I was hoping for and more. Ishii, once again, bringing the best out of an opponent who was prepared to overlook him. Ospreay continuing an all-time calendar year. 4.5 stars, 9 out of 10. Unbelievable."
"These two can't pull out a bad match and even less when they fight each other. Though there's no build up for this match, they have a lot of story together, this is actually their first together after Ospreay betraying CHAOS and Ishii intends to take his payback here. The match is what you expected, this is really hard hitting and full of fighting spirit but also some nice details with Ishii being really angry towards Ospreay leading to the CHAOS member being more agressive than usual and etc. There's a problem in this match and that's the kick out at one of Ishii on Ospreay's Hidden Blade, it's clearly too much but this is (almost) always like that in RevPro and that's why i don't really like this promotion. Otherwise, this is a great match though this is not the MOTYC i read. Rating : ***3/4"
[7.0] "This was a good match but I've seen better from them. There were a few miscommunications and, although they did many big moves, it always seemed they could go an extra gear. Of course, this is comprehensible since this was a minor event with a smaller crowd and they're near Wrestle Kingdom."
[9.0] "Basically, a rematch from their G1 Climax 30 match, but just slightly better. Will Ospreay and Tomohiro Ishii were going all out here, delivering an amazing performance which made the fans scream at every spot and sequence. This is one of those matches that you know it won't be a MOTYC in a year like 2022, but you still want to watch just 'cause you know how fun is going to be. Ishii putting Ospreay in his place was cool to watch, and Ospreay striking back and showing how much he's grown since their last encounter was even cooler! That Flying Hidden Blade at the end was gorgeous, and I think it should've ended the match instead of the usual Storm Breaker. Great battle. ****1/2"
[7.0] "Pretty good but wholly uninspired. It was a very interesting match-up on paper, given both guys are known for working differing levels of formulaic matches, where they often copy-and-paste a lot of the same moves. I'm far more lenient with Ospreay just because of how spectacular and widely varied his copy-and-pasted spots and sequences are, whereas Ishii literally just spams the same few strikes, power moves, and character spots in every single singles match he has, which is far more aggravating. Ultimately, this was the exact match I expected these 2 to have, which is to say that it was good but it was mostly just both guys each going through phases of working their own generic style/structure, sadly never managing to combine their styles together in any especially creative ways. I zoned out during most of Ishii's control work, since it's all just the same 'strong style' strikefest stuff and 'fighting spirit' spots he's been doing for years, and he doesn't even really try to put his full impact behind each attack like he used to. Ospreay's real-time selling of Ishii's work was really good, and his own strikes were actually far harder hitting and more intense than Ishii's, which I appreciated although it also then made Ishii look worse by contrast. Ospreay's athletic signature moves all looked flawless as expected, and Ishii's real-time selling was really good. Their various trades and counters were good, featuring strong technique and impact, though again, it was nothing I didn't fully expect from them, which is to say it was mostly just the two of them taking turns hitting their generic signature moves and never doing anything else (i.e. no real story or psychology to get invested in, plus creative uses of their attacks/chemistry). Ospreay wrestled this as an 'Ospreay match', while Ishii wrestled this as an 'Ishii match', and nothing of real value was produced as a result. Their rapid trading/teasing of their big signature moves and finishers towards the end was pretty fun and athletically quite impressive, even if it was pretty mindless, especially with all the constant kick-outs and quick recoveries as well. If you're a massive fan of either guy, or especially of both guys, then you'll either love this match because it's everything you expect these guys to do... OR you'll find this pretty average because you won't see them do very much at all that you haven't seen them do a million times before. Side note: RevPro, c'mon. It's 2022. You have GOT to sort out your awful audio. Why must my ears suffer every time I want to watch one of your shows? ***1/4"
[9.0] "Another amazing Will Ospreay match this year, to the surprise of no one. Ishii also deserves all the praise, he's 47 and he's still so incredible, I hope NJPW wait longer and don't start fizzling him out of the G1 and of title matches, because he still has so much to offer, those last few minutes were fantastic. Little side note, RevPro commentary is already not good as it is, pair that with the fact they are shouting into what it seems to be a PS3 microphone and it's unbearable. They need to invest in commentary. ****1/2"
[10.0] "Predictably, this was outstanding. Ospreay and Ishii did pretty much all of their usual stuff, although both added in some new moves, like Ishii's codebreaker or Ospreay's hidden blade while running the ropes. It probably isn't fair to say that a match this great is par for the course, but it is when you put these two together. ****3/4"
[9.0] "Phenomenal match between Ospreay and Ishii for the surprise of absolutely nobody I think since we expect no less from two wrestlers as exceptional as them, the surprising thing being especially that it was only their second confrontation in a one-on-one setting, their first one dating from two years ago in the G1 Climax. And even though I don't think this match was as good as their NJPW one, I still think it was fantastic so I think that already says a lot about the level of their first encounter. They're made to match too, even more with the exceptional level Ospreay took this year and I think the Wrestler Of The Year couldn't end his 2022 year better than with this absolute banger. I liked the way the intensity was built up, starting on a rather calm pace and building up crescendo in the rounds until those last minutes and that totally crazy final sprint. Big Ospreay match, big Ishii match, watch this."
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