Samoa Joe vs. Tony Deppen

[5.0] "I was expecting a lot more from this fight, but I was a bit disappointed, however I hope Tony Deppen shows up more. Hopefully."

[4.0] "A match that did not really feel like much. If you did not know going into the match that Tony Deppen was a former TV champion, the show did little to make you realize that and the crowd barely felt invested in him. It felt like just a filler defense for Joe that had its moments here and there. Should have been more."

[7.0] "Samoa Joe is both Shinya Hashimoto & Genichiro Tenryu rolled into one. He is still one of the most badass offensive wrestlers in the world. Tony Deppen was made to look like he was fighting his own Final Boss. This match was also a callback to Samoa Joe's famous X-Division days. Similar to Joe's recent matches with Darby Allin."

[5.0] "This match could have been a blast, booked and executed this way was just a mere house show performance."

[6.0] "I loved this. Samoa Joe and Tony Deppen threw haymakers for five-and-a-half minutes. I initially thought the corner maneuver was a botch, but it honestly looked even better than it could have without the attempt at the Uranage. It looked like Joe was countering and Deppen broke his defense to land his Running Knee perfectly to the temple. Outside of that, really enjoyed seeing Joe return to the point of arrogant indifference. He is so unthreatened by those who challenge him that he does not even flinch when they think they are building momentum. It is the mark of a great powerhouse, with Deppen needing flurries of offense just to take Joe off of his feet and truly swing momentum. I certainly wish it was longer, but I loved every second of these five minutes and 27 seconds. A rematch would be great. Sign Deppen. 3 stars, 6 out of 10. Joe is thriving since joining AEW and returning to Ring of Honor."

[4.0] "The crowd loved Joe and either didnt know or care about Deppen, and he pretty much was manhandled. A dominant win for Joe over a former champion is a good way to get him back on track, but as far as a self-contained title defense it left something to be desired."

[5.0] "Deppen was game, and this was a nice exhibition for Joe apart from the one cross up towards the end. Meat and potatoes stuff to remind you of Joe's legacy with the promotion."

[5.0] "Fine enough, but way too quick. The other title matches got at least 10 minutes. Not sure if anything was up with Samoa Joe, and it also looked like they were cropping around him holding the AEW TNT Title, which has since had two different holders. Tony Deppen got in what he could."

[5.0] "Even though this match was set-up last week, there's too much wrestling to remember ROH right now. This match was fine but the ending was awkward with the failed urinagi followed by hitting it. Good post match stuff"

[4.0] "It was short. We were shown a snippet of the match rather. Although even in these incomplete 6 minutes, Joe managed to run out of steam. Deppen is a very cool wrestler, but he did not have time to open up. And it all ended too suddenly, as if they really cut it off."

[6.0] "Joe is not the wrestler he was 15 years ago but he still has an aura about him that very few do that carries him a long way. Deppen does his job well here but it is a routine defence before we get the Briscoe challenge post match."