KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay

[7.0] "One step ahead. That was what this match was all about. The chain wrestling was phenomenal, with KUSHIDA having an answer to every counter that Will Ospreay could muster. That includes the slow build to the signature Grounded Front Facelock sequence that KUSHIDA always manages to impress with, as well as the brilliant Cartwheel sequence that is reason enough to check this match out. Capped off by the Handspring sequence that showed why KUSHIDA is a master of limb targeting and a freak athlete in his own, that was one heck of a way to open a match. When wrestlers combine storytelling and insane feats of athleticism, it is hard to do anything but applaud. The story here was masterfully built in the minor details. The Handspring Corkscrew Roundhouse was a great example of this, as Ospreay was again forced to go no-hands. KUSHIDA attempted to counter, but visibly realized that he had put himself in a slightly off position and paid the price for it. The Cheeky Nandos counter was brilliant, as was KUSHIDA going with the same Naomichi Marufuji tribute that Ospreay had previously used against him. All of this makes this match a critical moment in this rivalry and a bout that needs to be seen to properly appreciate what follows. There were some possible misfires, yes, but there were also some truly unbelievable moments, including the ridiculous counter to the Handspring Elbow. Throw in a phenomenal finish and this is an insane second chapter in a legendary rivalry. 3.75 stars, 7.5 out of 10."

[7.0] "This was really good. Nowhere near the match they had earlier in the year but another solid match and defense for KUSHIDA. ***3/4"

[8.0] "Another really good match between Ospreay and Kushida which is not at all surprising considering the talent of these two incredible wrestlers, their first encounter at Invasion Attack was already fantastic and to be honest this one was slightly inferior but I still enjoyed these fifteen minutes of non-stop action. They used the same formula as their previous match with Kushida working Ospreay's arm, so it made sense for the champion to win with an arm-breaker and I liked Ospreay's selling throughout the match. These two really have a natural chemistry and it's a real pleasure to see them battle each other every time, everything they do is fluid and makes sense. It was really cool to see this rematch on one of the biggest shows of the year for NJPW, cool stuff."

[8.0] "Pretty good match with there being a bit of a position issue early with Ospreay attempting to be flashy and the Shooting Star Press attempt was not the cleanest. However the story was that KUSHIDA had some much knowledge on holds that even though Ospreay was very talented KUSHIDA was able to attack him in ways he had never seen before due to the lack of formal training. ***3/4"

[8.0] "Definitely the weakest match between these two, but that doesn't mean it wasn't great. I wish the crowd would have been a little louder for this match, but they were fine anyways. I liked the storytelling with Ospreay countering moves that KUSHIDA threw at him in their IA match, and his selling was really good in this match. The finishing sequence was hot, but if I had one complaint, it would be that the finish was exactly the same as their previous match, ****1/4."

[7.0] "Ospreay and Kushida play their usual impressive selves. Ospreay’s selling of his injured hand is good, but at times he can get a bit melodramatic with his screaming and it can come off as a bit comical. It was kind of disappointing to see their rematch consist of pretty much the same story as their first meeting, since it made it feel a bit unoriginal by comparison. The chemistry in their back-and-forth sequences was, for the most part, great just like last time. Things get a bit bad when they seem to be completely off pace for a few sequences and moves don’t connect properly, but even then they still look athletically impressive and both men would then follow things up quickly with some more impressive sequences that hit properly. This was very good, but not even close to their first encounter. ***3/4"

[6.0] "This was a good match, but was nowhere near as good as their previous match from Invasion Attack. ***1/4."

[8.0] "Great match that built on their previous encounter just not as good though. I really thought this was going to be Ospreay's time but KUSHIDA has been doing an excellent job as champ so I don't mind the decision."

[7.0] "Kushida carries Ospreay for a second time, he is so much better in all departments. Great arm work by Kushida on Ospreay, good psychology, good variety in the way he targeted the arm while Ospreay for the most part sold well. I still don't see the appeal in Ospreay though, his offense consists of kicks & flips, there is no context to his offense while his psychology at times is very poor. The match is levels below the one they had at Invasion Attack, which I thought was good but not as good as some people made out, a few sloppy moments especially towards the end of this encounter. ***1/2"

[6.0] "Very disappointing, considering the competitors involved and their last match. There were some rough half-botches, specially from Ospreay, and the overall psychology that made the Invasion Attack match so memorable, was missing. Also, while NJPW has done a great job in cementing KUSHIDA as the ACE of the jr heavyweight division, Ospreay losing twice hurts his momentum pretty bad."

[6.0] "Pretty normal match. Ospreay wasn't impressive here, he didn't generate momentum in his moves. That's bad storytelling. He seemed in automatic mode. Fine stuff but nothing really good."

[7.0] "What a shame. Will Ospreay gets the win of his career so far by taking BOSJ, and his title match following it features him hurt, fucking up a few spots, and basically being outshined by KUSHIDA before losing again. A valiant effort from both men here, for different reasons, but not on the level of their last match. ***1/2"

[6.0] "These two had an excellent match back in April at Invasion Attack, so I was looking forward to the rematch. I think KUSHIDA is one of the absolute best wrestlers in the world, but Ospreay, for most of the time doesn't do it for me. And here I thought that KUSHIDA was really good in his role, he was the confident junior division ace, who had already beat his challenger once. He really ruled, but Ospreay seemed to be incredibly off here, for some reason. And that created a somewhat weird dynamic here, and while they ended up having a pretty good match, I really expected & wanted more of them because of the great match they had in their first meeting. Impressive performance by KUSHIDA, an off night for Will Ospreay. **3/4"

[10.0] "Ok so I realize I'll be in the minority here but I really enjoyed this and found it better than their last match. Their last match was more fluent and action packed and so most will like that better, however this one was more psychological. Ik people are dissapointed with Ospreay's performance nut I didn't think it was bad at all. With a move set like his you can't expect him to be perfect every match. The selling was good and the match built well. Slow but great ****1/2"