[7.0] "I feel like this match is a bit overrated. I like Rush but he can be a bit goofy with his acrobatics and that was the case a few times here. I still liked what he was doing for the most part but I've seen better from him. Hiromu is always good and he's a great base for his opponent to play off of. I think the 'your-turn-my-turn' approach held the match back in the second half. A good match definitely, but not a great one. ***1/2"
[7.0] "Good match, very fast and with excellent moves. I'm surprised by the second defeat for Hiromu Takahashi, who I see a little more exhausted than in previous editions. good match and my vote is * * * 3/4"
[6.0] "A decent match but I didnt think this was all that interesting. I like Lio Rush and I like that hes getting these big spots but Ive seen better matches from him for sure. This lacked a real edge to it and felt like the generic junior heavyweight clash. Very your turn, my turn. Solid enough but not compelling compared to Hiromu/Mike Bailey. ***"
[7.0] "Their first match earlier in the year was pretty overrated though still really good, and this 2nd meeting is also relatively overrated but still pretty good. It's usually a feature of NJPW's booking that wrestlers who fail in challenging for a title will get their win back in the following tournament match with that same champion (given there's a quick turn-around between the 2 matches), so I went into this fully expecting Lio to win, and sadly I was never convinced otherwise at any point. That lack of suspense definitely held the match back, but even ignoring that, I still wouldn't have thought that this was any especially exciting match because it didn't meaningfully differentiate itself from their 1st match. Lio was again pretty impressive with all his uniquely speedy and agile movements, though I did think he came off a bit too goofy and comedic with them at times. Lio was dominating early on with that speedy/agile approach, but then that spot with the belly-to-belly suplex into the chair came along (and was executed really well, too), making for a convincing way for Hiromu to turn the tables and gain control. Their high-impact trades were all pretty good and occasionally really good. It was all definitely a bit robotic with their "your turn, my turn" approach, and it was a shame that their 'in-between' work (such as their selling and character work in-between their big spots and trades) never mattered much, but I still appreciated the athleticism and physicality they both displayed. Lio's rapid output definitely ended up carrying the match, though Hiromu was definitely still good in his own right. The headbutts on the top rope to set up Lio finally hitting his Frog Splash made for a cool finish -- I just wish the rest of the match that preceded that finish had been similarly cool. I've been quite negative but I did still think this was pretty good, just not anything especially great or offering anything that you couldn't have gotten a better version of in their first match. ***1/4"
[7.0] "Eines der besten Turniermatches bisher hier, das Tempo war stellenweise unglaublich. Heftige Bumps von Rush, und auch generell einige starke Aktionen und Konter. Tolle Finishphase. 7/10 Brote"
[8.0] "Not quite as good as their previous match but still great. Lio took some nasty bumps here and continues to show why he's worthy of the Jr crown in my opinion. ****1/4"
[9.0] "Lio Rush is the best babyface in pro wrestling right now. Thats a real sentence that I proudly stand by. So awesome to see the man so full of joy in the ring. Even next to the beloved Hiromu, we cant help but pull for The Bad Child. Its all clicking, especially here. This stands on its own, while building so smartly off their recent title bout. Its great seeing Lio mix in some strong style, and Hiromu really brings that out of him. I loved the repeated headbutts that led to the decisive Final Hour. These two have a tight grasp on what makes them special, and do a great job playing off each other. The speed is something to behold. Just saying, wouldnt mind a trilogy finale at Dominion ****1/2"
[7.0] "Not close to their Jr Title epic. Felt for a while like they'd go the distance as there were some obvious time-padding spots. The slower pace didn't suit them."
[10.0] "One thing you can say about this match, it was definitely FAST. They started off trying to outspeed each other, though thankfully avoided the "counter-fu" trope where they dodge around a thousand moves. I felt like these guy went out with a simple mission, to tear the house down, and they very much succeeded. They avoided pretty much all the tropes that annoy me in NJPW, it felt like an extremely fresh match with a few bonkers spot and a very reasonable runtime under 20 minutes."
[8.0] "NOT better than their previous match at all, but still is a good main event. Lio Rush was very good here and it's great to see him pick up the win"
[7.0] "Better than their first encounter at the New Japan Cup, that's for sure. It was a pretty solid and fun match and I enjoyed watching it all the time, and I think both wrestlers delivered a better performance here. The crowd was quite hot for them, especially for Lio Rush, who showed a lot of non-stop action and some jawdropping spots, like when Hiromu hit him with the Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex to the chair on the outside. Not good enough to make me actually remember this match in a few months, but still good enough to make me watch more Hiromu matches. Also, I really hope Lio Rush stays with NJPW, he's just too damn good, man. ***3/4"
[7.0] "Very nice and solid stuff here. These two are a very good pairing. Shout-outs to the one kid next to the mic who was a massive Lio Rush fan, she was really cute to hear her joy when Lio won."
[8.0] "This lacked the fluidity & urgency of Hiromu vs Speedball, and they were a little too reliant on the guy running the ropes getting his momentum countered. Still a very good main event, though ****"
[7.0] "While the crowd was by no means dead for this match, they were a bit lukewarm for this main event, and it never felt like they fully bought into it. The work itself was very good, but the pacing felt off, as the first several minutes were slow, and it never felt like they picked up for the finishing stretch. ***1/2 or ***3/4"
[8.0] "Great match from 2 of the best junior Heavyweights in the game right now. Lio rush once again proving why he was extremely wasted at wwe. And hiromu always comes out and shows up. Some of the spots in this match were crazy. If you get a chance just go and watch it. 18 minutes of pure fun and enjoyment."
[10.0] "I didn't see their first match but here they tored the house in the best match of the first three days of BOSJ, for me Better than Bailey/Takahashi. This masterpiece has a lot of fantastic moves and sequences like the overhead belly to belly suplex through a chair or the headbutts/Frog Splash combo for the shocking win of Lio. This Is pure adrenaline, I'm not going with 5 stars 'cause juniores matches like this should have a Major length, 25 minutes would have been the perfect length of this match. ****3/4"
[10.0] "Another awesome Hiromu match in this BOSJ because after his sensational match against Speedball two days ago, he strikes again with another incredible contest against Lio Rush who's really becoming one of his best rivals, they have a special chemistry in the ring and yet they only have two matches together at the moment. I have a preference for their title match from a few months ago but this one ruled so hard too, everything was perfect and insane in everything they did."
[8.0] "A really great match, and far better than the main event of night 2. There's an especially good spot during this match, where Lio gets suplexed through a chair, completely destroying it. Very fast paced match and, while not as good as Takahashi vs Bailey, was a great main event and a great way to close out another great night of wrestling. ****"
[9.0] "Chaotic main event which right now stands as my favourite match of the tournament so far. Builds on their previous title encounter with more violence and urgency. Loved the chair spot, and Im overall loving the pace of these tournament matches!"
[9.0] "An incredibly entertaining match with many fun and unique spots. They put so much action tightly packed into a fast paced 18 minute banger. Another incredible Hiromu performance in the tournament. 8.5/10"
[9.0] "2023 has been an exercise in reminding everyone how good both Hiromu and Lio Rush can be. After a cute start where both competitors kept trying to run the same direction, Lio politely borrowed a chair from someone in the front row - only to get suplexed thru it and completely obliterating the chair, prompting Chris Charlton to deliver my favorite commentary line of the year thus far, with "NO CHAIR FOR THAT GUY! " Lio eventually recovered and proceeded to get ton of good offense in, repelling Hiromu's attempts at various drivers and hitting the frog splash to get his win back."
[10.0] "I think I liked Romu Vs Bailey just a smidgen more, but this was another really fun car crash sprint. Hiromu & Lio Rush had this one filled to the brim and got a lot of longevity out of 18 minutes. Cool to see the biggest win of Lio Rushs NJPW career."
