Kaito Ishida vs. T-Hawk

[9.0] "A bit of a slow start, and a match that's very similar to many puro main event epics. But this one does it right. Everything breathes, the sequences are quick and memorable, and there's no random limb work in the middle of the match. This is two cocky bastards kicking and chopping the shit out of each other, and it rules. 4.5 Stars."

[9.0] "A fantastic match, Ishida's reign ends somewhat sooner than expected but what a set of matches he left behind him. The matches with Lindaman and KAZMA were both excellent. A very hard hitting match oozing with emotion - the kicks and chops layed in especially. A typically gripping G-Rex Championship finishing stretch caps off another brilliant GLEAT main event. One of the finest the company has ever put on without a doubt."

[8.0] "A stiff and very hard hitting title match. An awkward pacing prevents it from being the terrific must see match the previous SAKAMOTO defense was. This is still worth a watch, excellent strikes from both."

[9.0] "2023 - Really great match, loved the intensity the best I have seen from Ishida so far. T-Hawk is absolutely brilliant. His chops are fierce! There was something special about this match and the crowd were really behind T-Hawk. ****1/2"

[10.0] "I figured I would like this coming in since I like both guys, especially T-Hawk (no Street Fighter), but this really lived up to the maximum hype. All I can say is one word, STIFF. These guys were taking hits like their souls were leaving their bodies at times, just blasting each other as snugly as humanly possible and I was loving it. Nothing but praise for these two, they left it all out in the ring for sure."

[7.0] "They spent 15 minutes drying paint, then unleashed one of those godawful fighting spirit flurries that ends in double-ko tease. From there it suddenly turned into a banger with wicked strike exchanges & heart-stopping near falls ***1/2"

[8.0] "This match takes a bit to warm up but once it's warmed up it's a full on fight until the end. Definitely Ishida's best match in GLEAT. Recommended."

[9.0] "This ended up being great by the end, but I am not exaggerating when I say that the first 60 percent of this match was mostly empty. Until the 15 minute mark, the following happened: Kaito Ishida would hit a strike, and T-Hawk would fall over dead, selling for 30 seconds, while Ishida just stood there. Then T-Hawk would get up, hit a strike of his own, and it would be Ishida's turn to sell like he was knocked silly for 30 seconds while his opponent just stood there. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes, both would lie on the mat for up to a minute before getting up. They were selling like they were 45 minutes into a war, yet both had barely taken any damage. It ended up not being a complete waste of time, as it did help build to the faster striking exchange at the end, and the expressions of disdain that Ishida and T-Hawk showed for each other were great. The final 10 minutes of back-and-forth and T-Hawk's insane chops were breathtaking, so just skip to that if you're short on time. ****1/4"

[8.0] "Good match, maybe the best match in GLEAT history (along with Lindaman/Irie), good action and pace between the two"

[10.0] "I knew this was going to be good but godammn that was by far the best Gleat match (better than Linda/Ishida 1 and Linda/Irie) and my moty so far I literally can't describe how close to perfect this match was go watch please it will certainly make you a Gleat fan......9.5/10"

[9.0] "Awesome main event, I am happy to see T-Hawk become more of a top guy, for a while they seemed to underappriciate him. The match was intense and gripping, there were many times were I thought one guy was going to win over the other. There striking, in particular the kicks of Ishida and the chops of T-Hawk."

[10.0] "I had only heard of GLEAT from clips, but this match was way more than that. Talk about beating the crap out of each other. Very stiff from the start, and they kept it up the whole way. Amazing match."

[9.0] "Wonderful title match between Ishida and T-Hawk right here which didn't surprise me at all because I know the talent of these two great performers and I was aware of the match they were capable of doing, in such a context on top of that, but which still managed to dazzle me. Ishida had some great matches this year already against Lindaman and then SAKAMOTO, yet this match was even better. A lot of passion, of heart in the performance of these two, they put a lot of energy in it and it was a blast to watch with a tremendous execution. Those last minutes were of an intensity & suspense rarely seen in GLEAT, what a match."

[10.0] "Amazing match. Right before this bout T-Hawk lost two of his Champion Carnival matches to Yuma Aoyagi and Yoshitatsu, yet here he actually did everything to make me believe in his strength. Starting with first five minutes being just about Hawk beating the living thing out of Ishida, which I was totally not expecting. From start to finish this was hard hitting, emotional and trully captivating. Finishing stretch is perfect, with the hot crowd this was one of the most emotional finishes I've seen in a while. This could've been proper main event of Kobe World in Dragon Gate, but CIMA did his job and that was probably one of the best matches in GLEAT history and for sure my personal favorite match of Hawk and Kaito's careers. ****3/4"