Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay

[10.0] "A phenomenal match in every respect, with incredible pace, physicality, precision, and drama. While it may not have surpassed Kenny's two best matches with Okada, it was compelling to see him in the dominant role, with the added blood and overall brutality giving the match a distinct edge. Although both men delivered outstanding performances, Will's felt particularly transformative--on par with WrestleMania 13--in that, even in defeat, he reached a new level."

[10.0] "I've loved this match since the first time I watched it. This along with their other match at Forbidden Door are already classics and this match is so brutal. I'm hoping for another match between these guys at some point because wow these matches are phenomenal."

[10.0] "Wild how hard people have to convince themselves that Will Ospreay is bad when they could just be enjoying themselves like everyone else. It comes off forced. I like most genres of the sport, lucha, deathmatch, shoot-style, ext. This style of prolonged spots and big moves with kick-outs and frantic momentum shifts is a genre in its own right and Omega and Ospreay are likely the two best at it. There is so much to love about this match. Thirty-five minutes and it never once feels dull or dragging. I thought there were very good moments throughout, like Kenny countering the Spanishfly attempt into the DDT on the turnbuckle and Will gushing blood from there on out. Kenny upped his brutality and Will's selling was great. The guys did a really good job not allowing any of the hug spots to look performative. Even the capture avalanche german suplex came off as organic. Will's hidden blade is such a good move and is a legitimate threat to change the tide of a match, which happened several times here. His come back was on the work of the hidden blade spots and Kenny's desperation spots relied on the V-Trigger. Both moves are devastating and perfect for those roles."

[10.0] "One of the best matches I've ever watched, period. I'd call it an all-time classic. When two of the best wrestlers face each other, it's obvious we're in for something special. No matter what you say about this match, it will never be enough. Pure magic in the ring!"

[10.0] "I enjoyed this even more on a second watch. This match was flawless and in my top ten all time. The storytelling was masterful with Ospreay trying to prove himself as the company ace to the former one. This was paced extremely well, being much slower than a standard Ospreay or Omega match. Despite that fact, it never felt like it dragged at any point. The spots were absolutely brutal and Ospreay's selling was incredible. Omega played the role of bloodthirsty savage to perfection. The final five minutes were just excellent with Ospreay giving us a few hope spots that fall short. The finish was beautiful with the Kamigoye call back to Ibushi and then the One-Winged Angel to finish the match. This was a work of art and one of those matches that I might show to a non-wrestling fan to help explain what makes pro-wrestling great. Absolutely love this match."

[6.0] "It was rather dull and slow. I didn't feel any tension, and there were no explosive moments either. If it had been shortened by 20 minutes, it would have been fine. But as it is, it's just plain boring."

[10.0] "Was honestly surprised Kenny won this, but he's my GOAT so no complaints here. This one really showed off Ospreay's skill at selling and just how brutal Omega's offense can appear. Omega hitting him with the Kamigoye as revenge for Ibushi's injury from years ago was the icing on the cake."

[10.0] "This was more than a wrestling match -- it was a story of pride, pain, and perfection. From the moment the bell rang, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay created an atmosphere that felt larger than life. Omega's entrance alone screamed "final boss, " and Ospreay came in like a man ready to prove he belonged on that level. Every move had weight. The pacing was masterful -- slow, methodical control from Omega early on, breaking down Ospreay piece by piece, followed by Ospreay's explosive, emotional comebacks that made you believe he could pull off the impossible. The table spot, the exposed turnbuckle, the blood, the defiance -- it all built to something real. This wasn't just flips and counters; it was storytelling through violence. Ospreay's selling, the emotion in his face, and Omega's cold precision made this feel like a war for respect, not just a title. The final stretch had me on edge -- every near fall felt like the end. The crowd's energy was electric, and both men fed off it perfectly. By the time it ended, I knew I had just watched something special -- the kind of match you remember years later. It's everything pro wrestling should be: athletic, emotional, brutal, and unforgettable. A flawless performance from two of the best in the world."

[9.0] "Had no idea how well this would hold up on rewatch but this is still pretty phenomenal. Probably my favourite Will Ospreay match ever, and that's mainly down to Kenny controlling the pace here. This is a lot slower than most big Ospreay singles matches and that definitely works in its favour here. Kenny controls most of this, brutalising Ospreay's back and managing to bust him open with a brutal DDT on the top turnbuckle. Ospreay actually does a great job selling here and doesn't just pop up and not register anything which is a problem I usually have with his matches. This makes his eventual comeback even better and he brings a lot of fire and energy during it too. Ospreay also makes all of Kenny's offence look super brutal which is something I think he's always been really good at. While this isn't one of the greatest matches ever for me personally, it's still an incredible bout nonetheless. Both guys put in excellent performances here, especially Ospreay who put in a career best, and managed to tell an extremely gripping story over the course of a pretty breezy 34 minutes. If Will always wrestled like this I'd probably enjoy his work a lot more. ****1/2"

[9.0] "Doesn't get a 10 out of me, but that doesn't really matter. It's a hell of a match, one of Will Ospreay's best. I still think Omega works better with guys like Danielson, ZSJ."

[9.0] "[4.5*] On rewatch it is even funnier how much this one just slaps their Forbidden Door rematch. The second one indeed had more flashy-spots, faster pacing and is prettier to a casual, my girlfriend would have liked it a lot more. However, this one had much more antecipation, storytelling, drama, brutality it was so more deep and had much more meaning. They even did the Tana/Okada holding hands spot with the camera zooming in, and Ospreay spitting on Kennys body before the One Winged Angel was pure cinema. At this moment he knew he has failed his biggest challenge ever. The match was very brutal, stiff and the pacing was excellent. This was the best selling job I have ever seen Will do."

[6.0] "I don't get this style of wrestling. Let me be clearer: I don't particularly like what NJPW's main event style has become as a whole, but I have specific gripes about this match that make me rate it lower than most. I'd say it has to do mostly with Ospreay. Not with the guy, he seems like a normal fella. I have a problem with Ospreay's comebacks. He's eating shit most of the match. Omega gets vicious and works a more grounded style than usual, which is to the benefit of the bout. He uses the environment to his advantage, he's mean with it. Then Ospreay comes back. He's back is suposed to be in the gutter, he's grabbing it like he's really hurting. But he does a perfect tornillo backflip from the top rope to the floor. I get the point of being battered and choosing to go for a high risk move. But why the flip? Wasn't his back hurting? He is still grabbing it, he's still "selling", but he can pull off the tornillo without a hitch. It really throws the whole psychology of the match off. It's not a modern lucha type of ignoring the worked over part of the body to make your comeback. He sells it, he grabs it; but he doesn't show the effects of it on his offense. I don't want to be harsh, it's just not for me."

[9.0] "I liked this match, but for literally none of the reasons this match wanted me to enjoy it for. Even with English commentary off, the performances and structure of this shows what the intended effect is. Will Ospreay puts in a valiant babyface performance but runs into the wall of a returning veteran violently knocking him down a peg, presumably setting up a future big victory for Ospreay. That's not what I liked this for. I liked it for Kenny Omega coming home, breathing the Japanese air again, and burying an imitator to his throne in the dirt. He is motivated in a way I haven't seen in years, enacting a grotesque amount of violence upon Ospreay. Nothing could have made him a bigger babyface in my eyes. ****1/4"

[6.0] "I found this one to be nowhere near as great as their match at Forbidden Door.(which I think is 5 stars) This one just doesn't do it for me for some reason. I personally wouldn't put this in either guys top 15-20 which I guess is incredibly complimentary to how many great matches both men have had."

[8.0] "Still has the problem of too many V-Triggers but I enjoyed it. Ospreay sold the ass beating he got most of the match and only hulked up in the final minutes, even then he was still out of it half the time. Omega looked like a fucking psycho and I love how dirty it got. It did raise a question though: what constitutes a DQ in NJPW? I'm not as familiar with where the line is drawn on that but all of the table shit and ripping the turnbuckle padding off should have definitely gotten this match thrown out if you ask me. English commentary covered up for it by saying that typically there was more leniency in Omega matches? Commentary overall was dreadful, if I do rewatch this I'm switching to Japanese commentary if possible. 4.25 stars."

[6.0] "Im just not huge on either of these guys tbh? They work well when balanced out by other opponents like Okada or Danielson but together their styles don't feel grounded, it just doesn't hit right for me like their other bouts might. There's not much of a thing as a "bad" match from either and it's still very impressive, but it doesn't strike me as a 9.75"

[10.0] "[10.0] "This wrist is the classroom of professional wrestling. Not because Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay are in it. But for the efforts of those two and their cruelty in this match and feud. The wrist is so attractive that you will not notice the passing of time at all. The one-sided wrist by Omega and Ospreay's attempt to regain control of the wrist was commendable and the techniques performed were very rough, beautiful and professional. Like the final scene of a cinematic masterpiece, the match ended in the best way possible. Even better than their wrist in Forbidden Door.""

[10.0] "FINALLY got around to watching this one, i was truly blown away, it was a brutal and slow-paced dogfight, and i loved every last second of it. The DDT on top of the turnbuckle stuck with me, as well as the many V-Triggers Omega gave to Ospreay. This was a certified classic, end of story."

[10.0] "I heard about this match and I've never been able to watch it.I finally got to watch it and holy shit this was brutal. Again, I'm new to watching NJPW match and I'm not used to some of the slow pacing they do, but once it started to get going, I loved every second of it. That DDT on the turnbuckle was insane. Omega and Ospreay were just beating the shit outta each other"

[10.0] "I was kind of critical/skeptical about this match when I saw it the first time, but after a rewatch I understand it, masterful double turn, perfect execution and a crazy babyface performance by Will, taking the beating of his life, still fighting back, but coming up short to sephiroth himself, unbelieavable stuff, 10.0"

[10.0] "the greatest professional wrestling match to ever happen in my opinion. both omega and ospreay played their roles perfectly in this match. perfect in-ring performances and storytelling from both men. if there is a seven star match in wrestling, it's definitely this."

[10.0] "This is definitely one of the greatest professional matches ever. One of those matches where you just think "I love professional wrestling." Kenny Omega returns to New Japan as the foreign invader heel, taking on his successor in Will Ospreay, whose babyface performance is one of the best I've ever seen."

[10.0] "I don't know if this is the best match ever, but it's certainly my favourite, and one I return to every time I want to reaffirm to myself what wrestling can be. Apart from any of the moves, it's the intense sense of drama, suspense and buildup throughout that make this so incredible. This is as good as wrestling gets."

[10.0] "A very very good match. Will Ospreay bleeding after that enormous spot on the turnbuckle added so muych intensity to the match. Both wrestlers gave their all for the IWGP US title, it was amazing. If anyone ask me why do I love wrestling, I'll show them those kind of match."

[7.0] "A great match for the opening 20 minutes or so but in the second half once Ospreay was cut the match slowed down considerably and dragged. I understand what they were going for and acknowledge my opinion is firmly in the minority on this one, but I felt the match lost its momentum there and never really got it back. I've seen this match a few times now and went into it again hoping I'd feel the same as so many others but I am still left admiring the performances for their objective skill rather than loving the match they created. 3.75 Stars."

[10.0] "....Wow. Such a excellence here that it's even hard to talk about it, you know? I mean...it's hard for everyone to rate the 10 best matches ever, for example. There's a lot of wrestlers to think about, a lot of wrestlers to remember, it's not easy, you need to remember the pro wrestling most famous in the US but also you can't forget the indies, neither the lucha libre in Mexico or even the amazing Puroresu, but come on...I think this is a top 10 best match of all time in every possible list, and I don't have a single doubt about what I'm saying. The thing I love in this match...it's how amazing everything it's executed. We are seeing probably the best wrestlers of all time when it comes to talent, and in just some minutes, they did...this. It's another level of greatness when even Jim Cornette, a huge negative critic of both wrestlers, praised this match and think it was good. The storytelling on this is outstanding, Kenny beating the shit out of Will Ospreay, the heel gaijin of the company after the heel gaijin Kenny Omega leaves it, showing that Ospreay it's still not in his levels, Kenny is just better. Kenny Omega knows it. Ospreay also knows it. When Omega holds his wrists to execute the Kamigoye and them the One Winged Angel, he knew it. He knows that he failed the hardest challenge of his life. He wasn't able to win Kenny Omega. He didn't take the torch, nor took it from him like he said he'll do. This was a Russia vs Ukraine, but Will Ospreay was not the Russia. Will Ospreay have a lot of "hate" on the internet and he'll ALWAYS have, cause it's painful to the people around him to see him in that position. He's a human with mistakes, of course, no one is a perfect wrestler, we need to know that, but people can't understand this, and every "mistake" of his is 30 times more criticized than anyone else. It's painful to see him being the fucking amazing performer he is, a autistic, dyslexic and ADHD guy, performer in that type of level. He's one of the best wrestlers to ever live, and I don't have a single doubt about it, and I'm pretty sure that even his haters know it, cause no matter how much an asshole you is, no matter how much you try, you can't deny talent, you can't ignore greatness, you can't act like he don't exist, you can't see the things he does in the ring and think it's normal, sorry, you can't. He's motherfucker Billy The Goat, and it's a real inspiration for a dyslexic guy like me. If he with even more "conditions" can perform like this and be one of the best ever, why I can't? He's inspirational, unique. He's rarer than a Halley's Comet, I'm pretty sure that we'll need to live more than 100 years to see another wrestler like him, and I'm so fucking proud about it. Sadly, I'm pretty sure people will only know it when he retires. Now, talking about Kenny Omega...what I can say about him? I'll put something I find in his Wikipedia page here:Regarding his life outside of wrestling, he said in 2016 that he had no time to think about relationships because he was completely focused on wrestling. He has such a passion for pro wrestling that he doesn't even focus on his personal life, cause his personal life is wrestling. I can imagine how painful it was for him to recover from that hernia and knee injuries he had before this match even existed. But well, he's the GOAT for a reason, he's the GOD of pro wrestling for a reason. I said that we'll need to live more than 100 years to have another Ospreay? Well, that's kinda good cause...we are not going to be able to see another wrestler and another performer like Tyson Smith, aka Kenny Omega. Never. This was one of the greatest matches I ever saw, and I can only thank Kenny, Billy and NJPW for making that happen. And of course, I'll not forget to say, for me, this is obvious a fucking five stars match, and I don't have a single doubt about it."

[10.0] "Insanely excellent match. Wasn't expecting Kenny to be the heel here since it's his return to New Japan match. So I was expecting a babyface vs babyface encounter. But thanks to this dynamic, we got an even better match and story telling within. The highlight of the match for me was the turnbuckle DDT. The Shining was pretty cool as well. Every time I watch a Kenny Omega matches these days, all I can wonder is whose going to get the privilege to kick out of the One Winged-Angel. I thought Ospreay for sure was going to be the first to do so but thankfully he didn't especially with Kenny being the eventual winner. Easily my top 5 matches of all time this."

[10.0] "This match was perfect, there are no other words to describe it. Matches like this are the ones that remind me why I love wrestling so much, a masterpiece. The only thing to say is watch it, enjoy it because it is a spectacle for the eyes."

[10.0] "This match is almost perfect I preferred there forbidden door match more but that this is bad, it has the spots, the feud, the crowd + it made their 2nd match so much better having Ospreay lose the first time. 9.75/10"

[10.0] "Omega is the guy who got Western Audience to tune in for NJPW and explore Japanese Puroresu. Ospreay was the perfect successor they could find after Omega left for America. This match was in ring classic with two beautiful performers giving you. The best Wrestling match with a very simple storytelling of who's the best while Omega seemingly teaching Ospreay how it's done in a violent and harsh way"

"it is the 2nd best match between these two. i think their forbidden door match is better but it is so damn great aswell. a real 7 star match. emotional, technical and violent"

[10.0] "The rare dream match to fulfill every expectation. Omega destroying Ospreay with the table and turnbuckle DDT, a violent encounter. I look forward to and almost dread what comes next."

[10.0] "[*******] The real seven star match, a fight without mistakes, that brings emotion until the end, technical movements and with a lot of clarity, blows that land, that sometimes even bleed, a fight really worthy of seven stars for me, much better than omega vs okada."

[10.0] "This match was absolutely insane and deserves to be right up there with the Omega/Okada series in terms of quality. This was Kenny Omega's return to NJPW after four years away, while Will Ospreay was looking to defend his IWGP US Championship after kind of stepping in as the "new Omega" during Kenny's absence. The match as a whole ended up feeling incredibly personal with both guys beating the hell out of each other. There was a long stretch of Kenny just brutally destroying Ospreay, including a nasty DDT onto an exposed top turnbuckle, a double stomp through a table, and an especially horrific moment where Will had his had smashed into the table over and over again. Just pure madness. *****"

[10.0] "Perfect match, unreal stuff from both guys but dang Will flipping out of the snap dragon off the top into the flipping kick, then the cutter is a hell of a sequence. His selling was amazing too - he is a generous star like very few. Kenny is truly the best and nobody feels like a bigger deal in big matches in this era. This match had some incredible phases, building to the defiant finish which was fun to see after seeing Omega vs. Kidd last weekend."

[10.0] "These two just went out there and delivered an incredible match. Great story, Omega's return to New Japan and an amazing in-ring performance from both guys. The bumps Ospreay took from the exposed top turnbuckle made me wince."

[10.0] "Kenny's return to Japan after 4 years away against the man that New Japan tried to replace him with, and Kenny reminded us all that he can never be replaced. Everything about this match is perfect, Ospreay put over Kenny big time and sold big time for him. Kenny came in with a big time entrance and was back in the iconic blue canvas ring like he never left. It's impossible for these two to have a bad match, especially in the Tokyo Dome. 5 stars"

[10.0] "One of my favourite recent matches and an easy contender for MOTY. Loved the final boss aura that Omega gave off and I was legit worried about their health at a couple of spots. I'm really looking forward to whatever rematch they can pull off."

[10.0] "Omega really deserved to win. He worked great on Ospreay head and didn't lose momentum at all. He officially destroyed Ospreay head with his heavy spears and set him up nicely to finish the job with a finisher. Ospreay selling was also very, very good. Ospreay also made a comeback and did some great moves and in that short comeback period, he made very good sequences and completed the process of the match."

[10.0] "Other matches have more psychology or more physicality, but no match I've seen has more skill and talent on display than this match. It's a match filled with incredible, breathtaking spots, and yet it doesn't feel like a spotfest because Omega and Ospreay have the experience to know how to put those spots together to build a compelling story. The image of Kenny repeatedly slamming Ospreay's head through the table is one of the most captivating images from a match in recent memory."

[10.0] "This is by far one of the greatest matches I have ever seen even no matter how many times I watch it I love it even more. The Story, the physicality, the aggression, and the ring work is all top tier and sets up for an equally amazing story of Ospreays road back to the title."

[10.0] "An absolute masterpiece of a match. Kenny coming home to NJPW to face one of their top guys who was meant to fill in Kenny's shoes since his departure from the company. Ospreay is easily one of the best in the world with one of the biggest match catalog and pairing hi with a wrestling legend like Kenny Omega worked out perfectly."

[10.0] "[6.5 Stars] This match is just amazing, it's my second favorite match of all time. A battle between two of the greatest wrestlers in history in the greatest arena. Everything was perfect: the incredible in-ring, the crazy suspense, the charisma, the aura, everything. Omega's return to New Japan was more than a success. A must-see match! [******.5]"

[10.0] "This match is still a go to for me, from bell to bell, move to move, spot to spot. It answers the question to anybody who has never watched Pro Wrestling. what i mean is this match right here... THIS IS PRO WRESTLING. If I had to make my top 10 match of all time this is Top 3 for sure."

[10.0] "This is a PERFECT wrestling match. Its one of a few matches EVER that IMO are legitimate and acceptable answers for "what is the greatest pro wrestling match of all time? " This, Hart/Austin WM13, Omega/Okada WK11, HBK/Taker WM25, Misawa/Kawada SPS1994, and Kobashi/Misawa NFE2003...in no specific order....are the 6 matches that i believe are all in that conversation. And after those 6 there's a slight drop until you get to the next "tier"(which includes the rematch between Omega/Ospreay at FB2023) IMO. The best way for me to describe why this match is "perfect"....is that its a spotfest that doesn't actually feel like a spotfest because of how perfectly everything flows together. This is so, SOOOOO hard to pull off. As there are many great spotfests but only a very select few that are booked so flawlessly that nothing feels forced/unnatural. This is one of those. Its an honor to watch it. Its like watching poetry in motion. The 2 men pull off so many incredible spots and the structure is so unique. You have the first half of the match which is even/back-and-forth, with Ospreay showing off his amazing abilities and keeping up with Omega at just about every turn. Then, a twist, as Omega delivers a NASTY DDT on the top turnbuckle....and from there the pace slows rather brilliantly as Omega starts to take his time brutalizing the now bloodied and seemingly helpless Ospreay, which in turn gradually starts to make the viewer feel bad for Ospreay, adding to the drama as it agonizingly goes on and on we want more and more as an audience to see Will somehow battle his way out of this. Eventually he succumbs to the legendary OWA. But not before a final burst where he ALMOST pulls off a crazy comeback victory. Its during this closing sequence that we witness JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT of near falls/finishers/finisher attempts without overdoing it. Another master stroke in the booking process of the entire match as a whole. Omega holds on for the win, and Ospreay earns respect despite suffering a massive beating. Its a relatively one-sided match in the end(especially after the top rope DDT), but not TOO one-sided to where it loses its perfection. A classic of the highest order that will forever go down as a candidate for best pro wrestling match EVER. EDIT: Looking back and reading through the rest of the comments....its extremely telling, if you want a good measuring stick, just how many comments/different fans there are that use the word "perfect" or "perfection" when describing this match(including myself before i even realized i was basically copying what everyone has already said). I mean its in the opening statement of just about every other comment it seems. The masses agree. Its definitely worthy of the praise it receives."

[10.0] "Second singles match for these guys, first since Wills entered his prime. Just an aggressive lockup. Shoulder tackle by Omega is reversed by a kip up by Ospreay. Ospreay reverses a head scissors with a cartwheel, a head scissors of his own sends Omega out, then a crossbody from the ring to the outside, Ospreay sends Kenny into the guardrail and Kenny just FLIES into it. Ospreay goes for a springboard, Kenny stops him, then pushes him hard off the apron and Ospreay goes flying back into the guardrail himself. These guys are going nice and slow in the beginning, despite the big moves, for these guys its basically a snails pace just building. No escape hit by Kenny, very early. Match picks up a bit more when Omega goes under the ring and brings out a table, slams it onto Wills spine. Kenny already kicks the table while its on Wills back and breaks through it, so its probably a gimmicked table, then Kenny does the double stomp and just puts a hole right through it. Over and over the damage just keeps going to Wills spine. Will fights back and throws Kenny into the guardrail, fires up, hits Kenny with punch after punch, then drops him with a vertical suplex on the underside of the table. Ospreay gets up on the top rope and then hits a corkscrew moonsault on Kenny who is standing on the ground beneath. Ospreay sends Omega back into the ring, hits a forearm to the back of Kennys neck while hes sitting on the mat, goes for an Oscutter, Omega stops it, hits a v-trigger after sending him off the rope then a reverse Rana, and a northern lights neckbreaker, pin attempt on Ospreay and then a kickout. Omega looking for a snap dragon suplex now, cant get it so he hits Will with a forearm to the lower back, gets him up on the turnbuckle while still working that lower back and the neck, goes for a dragon off the top rope, hooks it in but Ospreay lands on his feet, hits the Robinson special, hits the Oscutter, Kenny kicks out just before three. Theres a nice spot where Kennys tied up in the top turnbuckle and Ospreay keeps trying to kick his face, Kenny has his hands up at first before Ospreay is able to get him flush. Then after some back and forth theres a crazy move where Will gets DDTd onto the exposed top turnbuckle. Wills cut open and theres just a puddle of blood on the mat. As Will gets to his feet, Omega hits him with a dropkick through the ropes, then hits his tope con hilo. Ospreays blood is all over Omega at this point, then Kenny drives Wills head through the table. He had previously and is now kinda set up. Back in the ring Kenny hits a sit out piledriver and goes for the pin but Will somehow gets his shoulder up. Omega just revels in it, Red shoes is trying to get him to stop so Ospreay shoves him out of the way, then Omega hits a dragon sleeper suplex, then another. Ospreay is totally out of it now, so Kenny taunts him to set up the v-trigger but Ospreay grabs his leg so he cant go, Kenny just beats him silly, then hits him with another piledriver, pin attempt but Ospreay gets his foot on the rope. Omega hits a V-trigger on Ospreay while hes in the ropes that just melts Ospreay onto the ground beneath the apron. Ospreay is back in the ring while Omega gets up the top rope and he stumbles to the rope and Omega spills onto that exposed turnbuckle. Ospreay is trying to get on the ropes but cant find his footing, slaps himself to regain his composure, gets up on the top rope to attack Kenny, and Kenny just drags him down so that Ospreays face hits the exposed turnbuckle, Kenny goes into the opposite corner and then hits a gigantic v-trigger while ospreays face is next to the exposed middle turnbuckle. Kenny gets him on his head and teases the one winged angel, instead does a clutch German from the top rope. He pinned Ospreay but pulls him up before the three himself to rotate him over for a v-trigger, pin attempt kick out by Ospreay. Omega just hits Ospreay with v-trigger after v-trigger, on the third Ospreay holds the boot, Kenny beats him with punches, Ospreay powers up from it as Kenny mocks him, then chops and Ospreay hits Kawada kicks, eats a V-trigger, then takes the momentum from a big lariat and flips out of it, liger bomb on Omega but he kicks out. Forearm to the back of the head by Ospreay, goes for a hidden blade but doesnt hit all of it so he hits it from the front. Big Oscutter by Ospreay, Omega kicks out of the pin. Ospreay goes for a stormbreaker, Omega gets out, goes for a One winged angel, roll up pin by Ospreay, he stops it himself to hit the Styles Clash. Hidden blade that isnt so hidden as Omega just faces it. Stormbreaker attempt by Ospreay, Omega gets out and hits a ripcord V-trigger, Kenny maintains wrist control and Ospreay hits a hidden blade with his other arm. They are still locked by Kenny holding the wrist so they trade forearms with each other while still linked. Ospreay comes out on top on this, but then Kenny ducks and hits a straight jacket German Suplex, turns Ospreay around, Ospreay spits in his face as Omega hits a Kamagoye, hits the one winged angel, and pins Will Ospreay for 3. Extraordinary match. Just an epic chapter in an incredible rivalry, the right man won seeing as Kenny is the veteran here. If Im nitpicking, there were too many pin attempts in the first half of this match that didnt mean enough, as they didnt amount to false finishes. I think just erasing those five or so superfluous pins would have cleaned up the match just a little bit more. I loved the psychology of the match and they told a great story. Obviously a 10, but just a few things here that I think keep it from being best of all time level, since the match is SO good that it deserves that splitting of hairs."

[10.0] "The dream match delivered. Going into the match, I was expecting it to be a one-off match for Omega to pass the torch to Ospreay as the top gaijin in the company. I never expected this to become an actual feud with a rematch down the line. I rank this match higher than the rematch due to the lack of interference and NJPW production making this feel like a major sporting event."

[10.0] "What a great match, this was an instant classic. They developed through the match a deadly hatred between them, with so many brutal and punishing moves, especially by Omega. Kenny in Japan is a completely different beast, it's his best version by far, he was flawless here, he did an all-timer heel work. I was feeling pity for Ospreay here, he was getting the beat of his life, his expressions were incredible, it felt so damn real. This whole experience is truly cinematic and captivating, and the progression is perfect - {*****}"

[10.0] "This match was one of the few one would dare to consider perfect. This doesn't mean, however, that I believe it is the greatest wrestling bout ever, but rather that, given the ---excellent--- wrestlers and the circumstances the contest took place in, they couldn't have made anything better than what they produced. While it could have very easily become a storytelling-less spotfest, they crafted the match so ideally that the mere thought of it would seem ridiculous when talking about the actual thing. It begins with Ospreay very aggressive off the gate, going after Omega, who has barely wrestled two singles matches in the previous year. Then, the 'Cleaner' slowly starts to get a hold of the champion, making for an exquisite wrestling contest. When it seems that the challenger has, indeed, taken over the bout, the heavy hitting begins, with the 'Kingpin' desperately trying to prove to everyone he is the actual best gaijin to have wrestled in New Japan. It is perhaps that recklessness which allows the Canadian to completely demolish Ospreay, with a clever use of bleeding to further reinforce that feeling. When, alas, it looks as if the 'Aerial Assassin' might be coming back, Kenny steps in to put out the fire and ends it with a somewhat anticlimactic finish (because he hits two finishing maneuvers back to back: his best friend's, Kota Ibushi's kamigoye; and then his own One Winged Angel), which I dare say perfectly fits the overall shock the match produced, seeing Ospreay so badly beaten. In summary, an extraordinary fight with a perfectly told story by two of the best to have ever stepped into the squared circle. I would say it deserves *****1/2."

[10.0] "Woke up at 3 am to specifically see this match and it did not disappoint. Seeing two wrestlers become wrestling soulmates right in front of your eyes is special. Just great stuff all around. Loved the pacing of this match, the character work, Kenny playing the heel here was great, Ospreay actually took the time to sell, it was all good. [*****1/4]"