Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata

[8.0] "Great match up here between Kingston and Shibata. Hard hitting and compelling and it wasn't a long match everything here was great, timing, trading momentum, well timed kickouts, and of course Kingston hitting that powerbomb after his usual finisher just to add a finality to ensure a three count."

[8.0] "I can understand why this kind of match might feel unusual in this setting, and I am sure Shibata has had even more intense matches, but as someone who is not as familiar with his work, this left a huge impression on me. The chops were absolutely brutal, the striking exchanges felt like a battle of pure willpower, and the resilience both men showed was incredible. Shibata's technical mastery on the mat and his submission work were a joy to watch, while Eddie Kingston showed toughness and determination. The finish was elegant, and overall I loved watching this match."

[7.0] "If you like seeing Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata, then you'll love this match. Very stiff chops, stiff kicks, stiff punches, overall, this match is very stiff. This would be a good match on Dynamite, but on a PPV? It doesn't make sence."

[6.0] "This is dangerously close to being nonsense. The structure of the match, the back and forth being constant, the stand off striking exchanges, the resilience to brutal bombs. But they both put on engaging selling performances that make the bout watchable and even entertaining when you stop to what the nuances. There is not that much underneath people hitting eachother hard. Maybe the closest thing is Kingston reluctance to engage on the mat and Shibata's savviness to get things there by inviting a strike exchange, but it is not a well explored thread. Maybe it's more interesting as a could be than for what it is, but whatever."

[7.0] "Good grappling contest. Shibata always looks like a million bucks in these style matches. Unfortunately I don't have the same reaction to Eddie Kingston's King's Road cosplay. I don't think he comes across as authentic outside of his promos."

[7.0] "Loool Kingston wants to be Ishii so bad, idk how many times I've seen him try to do strongstyle recently but I think it works for him most of the time. Shibata put in a hell of a performance to keep this flowing, with some good work done to Kingston's leg. A little repetitive, a few too many "you chop me, I chop you" spots but I liked it on the whole."

[7.0] "This match put a big ol' smile on my face and was just fantastic. It was a violent, hard-hitting match where both men showed some incredible fighting spirit! Eddie winning with the Kawada fold-up powerbomb will always make me so happy. Additionally, the match was paced really well and the overall length was right where it should have been. I thought this match was the best Shibata has looked since his return to wrestling, and Eddie was great (as he almost always is). The respect these two showed each other post-match was a wonderful moment 4*"

[9.0] "A great match between both men with really nice and hard hitting in ring work and chemistry between them and they gave really good performances here."

[7.0] "**** 1/2. A nice stiff match between two tough guys. A lot of strikes and submissions. Not much else to say other than this was a quality match."

[6.0] "[3.0*] This was actually what I expected it to be. Of course in my heart I wanted Shibata to pull of a 4.5* in 2023 but realistically this is nearly impossible besides if you are Bryan Danielson. Just for him to still be wrestling is a huge honour for us fans. Some good sequences and a good match after all."

[7.0] "A fun, hard-hitting match here. I was hoping this would be a bit stronger, but I think it was pretty good for the time it got. I was thinking it would go closer to fifteen minutes as opposed to ten, but it's not a huge difference or anything. Either way, good stuff."

[6.0] "This was a great match, some stiff moves, real graps wrestling. It's wordless how great it is to see Shibata wrestling and wrestling in America (All Elite), the guy is awesome. Eddie presented himself greatly too. This match managed to fulfilled the purpose and provide a great and quick showcase of pro-wrestling - {***}"

[6.0] "A really strong and deliberate showing from these two, that is enjoyable throughout. The match does have a few moments of odd pacing, especially in how hard Kingston starts selling so early, making his W at the end just a little toooo abrupt, but nothing too major."

[5.0] "Pretty disappointing. Felt very performative and pre planned and never really got the feeling of two top tough guys fighting for the advantage. So many bad rythmic spots. Kingston starts overselling way to early and it does not feel real. There is still a level of competency that prevents it from being agressively bad but I did not enjoy it."

[7.0] "I love these guys both so much. Their in-ring styles always entertain me - especially Shibata. The match was great but only went around 12 minutes I believe and wasn't given the time to hit that next level as the PPV had such a stacked card with a long debut sequence at the end so I understand why it wasn't gonna be 25 minute classic. I hope to see more of Shibata and Kingston as champs in ROH."

[7.0] "I like that Shibata controlled the match the same way he does his Pure Title defenses, and even commentary mentioned that Kingston wouldve been out of rope breaks if this was a Pure Title match. The problem is, they didnt capitalize on that story at all. Kingston didnt even get a fourth rope break. It did help create a situation where the champion felt like the underdog, which happens to be a position in which Kingston excels. Shibata paying homage to Inoki and Kingston once again harnessing the Kawada powerbomb when the Northern Lights Bomb didnt pay off were really nice touches on a good, hard hitting match."

[5.0] "I like Shibata. I don't like Kingston. I was hoping that maybe since it's Shibata, Kington would step it up a little bit, but no. This was your standard Eddie Kingston match. Chops, No-Selling, Chops and Chops. This style that Kingston is using is getting old really quick because he has the same match over and over again."

[10.0] "Another match which could have easily been MOTN on another show, shows how stacked this ended up being that it's only the 4th best on the card. Even so, this ruled. It's eternally heartwarming after watching Kingston work in obscurity for decades, he finally gets the chance he's long deserved to fight some of his dream opponents in front of big crowds. If you know anything about these two you can guess how this goes, both guys open themselves up to a lot of big shots to prove how tough they are. It's not my favorite trope and on some guys it can be quite tiresome, but I feel like these two have at least earned the right to go that route through consistent character work over the years. Though their demeanor is different, both are very much fueled to constantly prove their toughness so there is a certain logic to incorporating this style. I'm glad it was not entirely that style though, as both guys did use some strategy as well and worked in not only the stiff strikes but also some impressively big bombs, especially for Shibata taking some big bumps while still protecting his head, for which I am very grateful. It was hard hitting and awesome, exactly what I hoped for going in."

[10.0] "you know what this was bound to be a classic match just from the two people in it, Shibata, the man who had the best match of the year, vs Eddie Kingston, Wrestler of the year. They just went out and had a damn good match. Everytime Shibata got even close to hitting his head, I cringed but i liked the commitment to wrestling from both men, and keeping the other protected somehow after all of those hard strikes. ***** without a doubt."

[7.0] "Enjoyed this even more on a rewatch, trust Eddie to keep it sweet and simple and Shibata was excellent in this. They made the best of a match that, cool as it sounded on paper, was also a bit cold since it was a given Eddie would retain and it's kinda cute but kinda nothing that the builds for these are just that he's a puro fanboy. Still a really good match though, ending stretch was heat. (***3/4)"

[6.0] "There were some submissions and hard-hitting strikes but it was kinda of it. The "fighting spirit" spots weren't very good and I got never carried away by the action. Just a lot of spots we've already seen many times with much less emotion than usual. Shibata and Kingston were both solid here and crowd was good, too but it's just that I could never get into this match at a 100%. 6/10 - 3.25*/5*"

[4.0] "I dont really HATE you hit me I hit you matches and I love both these guys but I just didnt care about the match that much. There were some loud chops and strikes here and there that looked cool but other than this was just dull. Not at all Shibatas best outing his Okada."

[7.0] "Can we please stop with the matches where they do the whole I hit you and I hit me spots? I do think they hit each other hard and this was rather good, but that spot is so overdone. As usual, I enjoyed Shibata's technical wrestling and his limb targeting of Eddie Kingstons leg was very good. Kingston's comeback down the stretch was good, and everything else was well outside of the usual fighting spirit spots.***1/2"

[5.0] "Eddie's character lets him get away with a lot in the ring. Sometimes, despite that, he tells a great story and the urakens and stiff chops are all it takes to make a great match bolstered by all the emotion he brings to the table. This match however, features all the familiar Kingston spots but doesn't convey the same intensity as he does at other times. It's worth noting that this is the hardest I've seen Shibata get hit in the head since his return."

[6.0] "Not as good as their recent performances, as their chemistry was heavily based on respect. Strikes and suplexes were good but not electric. Shibata threw one too many submissions on early on. Would like to see them team again in the future, as they can really throw hands."

[7.0] "Good match. This was the type of match that you would expect from guys like Shibata and Kingston. It was a physical hard hitting, no nonsense, slugfest. They went toe to toe, face to face, just slapping, hitting the shit out of each other for about 10 mins. Its a style that I have seen many times but I still liked it a lot. This was a great moment for Eddie against a strong Style pioneer and you can see his giddiness here. ***1/2"

[9.0] "I'm one of the few people that really loved this. I really don't understand how in the world there was space on this card for Yuta/Starks and not to make this match longer it would have been perfect. They kept on beating the shit out of each others and it was incredibly fun to see, perhaps since I love both men and their style. ****1/2"

[4.0] "I really dont enjoy Kingston's no selling style. I can say this one looked better than some of Eddie's other matches, but for most of this they just exchanged boots and chops while no selling for most of it and that just doesn't do it for me. I keep hearing how great Shibata is, but im yet to see any of his work that blows me away tbh, he's just another guy on the roster."

[7.0] "good. we couldn't expect this match to be at elite level because of their age, but they still did a good job in my opinion. I personally like Shibata's wrestling style, although it's repetitive, and this match actually wasn't that creative. but generally, I don't think it harmed the quality that much, because the level of the match was a bit more than average. totally, I guess most of the people liked it. (***1/4)"

[7.0] "The crowd were quiet to begin with but these two got the invested by the end. Nice to see Eddie laying it in a bit with Shibata because most people have been reticent to do so since his return. A match slightly harmed by being a foregone conclusion but I enjoy Kingstons messy power bomb for the finish."

[6.0] "Im so bored of Eddie Kingston but I was so thankful for the palate cleanser after that abomination. And this was much more interesting than Kingstons other chop me, sensei matches as there was an actual match wrestled, thanks to Shibata, who has more to him than strike exchanges (looking at you Tommy boy! ). There was some of that but there was variety in there too. Shibata isnt the world class worker that his reputation suggests but hes goddamn cool and does offer something not seen since Japan in the early 2000s/ Kingston winning makes sense and makes for a change since hes always losing. ***"

[3.0] "Kind of odd how this is being rated so highly, I have loved a lot of Kingston baby face matches in the past but this was just boring. Some of the match could be considered "hard-hitting" but it just didn't feel real and Eddie didn't show as much passion as he has in the past. They just stood there for a lot of the match and just let them hit each other (that happens a lot in Japanese-style wrestling), and there was no real story that the match told and I just wasn't invested in it since the match wasn't built."

[8.0] "Not exactly an Inoki-style match -- actually not an Inoki match at all ... this was 100% "king's road". But Shibata-san brought Inoki-ism to Kingston's level and the two hashed it out with great clash of styles. Kingston's matches aren't my favourite -- he tends to be a perpetual fanboy over moulding his own athletic style -- but I will never deny the passion and love he brings to every match."

[7.0] "The striking-heavy sprint to the finish sold me on this match's layout, because it felt a little meandering at first (even though I must give credit to Eddie in helping summon some of Shibata's greatest hits -- stuff I haven't Shibata land that stiff in a while). This wasn't an especially creative match, but it didn't need to be. It was a very good continuation on Eddie's presentation as a tough-as-nails underdog babyface who studies his opponents and wins through guile and resilience. Solid title defense and a good way to honor Shibata's connection to Inoki by featuring this match on the card."

[8.0] "I truly loved this match. Eddie Kingston is living out his dreams and we are quite fortunate to be able to witness it transpire. These two had a rollercoaster of a match, and I say that in a complimentary manner. It started out with Kingston doing his best Tomohiro Ishii impression, bringing out the striker of old within Katsuyori Shibata as they tested the limits of each other's fighting spirit. It grew into a technical battle, with Shibata working over the leg with flawless technique. And it devolved into a chaotic sprint to the finish line, including some absolutely insane Spinning Backfists from both men. We also saw several direct tributes to Antonio Inoki in what I thought was a great title defense from Kingston and a strong display of the wrestler Shibata has worked so hard to get back to being. I think it goes without saying that wrestling is a matter of preference, and this one fit perfectly into mine. 4 stars, 8 out of 10."

[8.0] "Nice and hard hitting match with some very very good calls on commentary. The comparison between the strong style of Shibata and the King's road of Eddie was beautiful and adequate. So in that vein, it wasn't a specially innovative match, but just what you can expect from this sort of bouts: a though guy competition where they batter each other to prove who is stronger, not for titles or stars, but for the love of wrestling and sportsmanship."

[2.0] "You literally need no talent to have this kind of a "match". It was what you would expect from these two - letting each other hit each other and half of the hits looked like shit. There's no story, no build up to the finish, at one point they just decide that they gonna end it so Kingston hit three moves and that's it. Look at Gunther/Sheamus/McIntyre - they both hit each other hard and can make it look like an actual fight and build to the final minutes. There's no hope for Kingston at this point, he's completely lost in this New Japan stuff and wants us to believe that he's so tough when in reality he can't throw a shoot punch at Chris Hero."

[7.0] "This felt like an odd choice for a PPV match since it didn't have any kind of buildup, but it was definitely hard-hitting and it was hard not to appreciate the physicality of it. Kingston seems to be really in his element here as a dual champion. ***1/2"

[9.0] "What a match. Unsurprisingly a stiff bout with some impressive submission game from Shibata. The winner was obviously going to be Eddie, but they overdelivered nonetheless. Kudos to both performers for this one and especially Shibata who looked crazy good there"

[6.0] "Not really much to say, typical Eddie Kingston match without any of the build, and that's what makes Eddie's matches entertaining so this felt bland. Shibata did fine, but Eddie's kicks looked slow, and the dudes gotta knock it off with the gut slapping machine gun chops."

[4.0] "Sorry but I'm not with Katsuyori Shibata since he wrestles in ROH and this match showed me why again. I was never a fan of the "Japan" style wrestling with the likes of Misawa, Kawada, KENTA or Ishii however it was the case for the match we're talking about except it was nothing special, I fell asleep as well as the crowd sadly. Only 8 minutes makes it, worthless to watch."

[4.0] "Ugh. I genuinely don't understand how anybody isn't bored out of their mind by this style of wrestling. It is just so far beyond repetitive. It's the same thing all the time. I hate these dumb spots where people let their opponent hit them to show how tough they are. The execution was nowhere near as good as prime Shibata and this style plays in to all of Kingston's worst traits and none of his strengths. Just a boring match that we have all seen millions of times before. And don't even get me started on this goofy 'American Triple Crown' nonsense..."

[8.0] "A fantastic, hard hitting battle between two of the most awesome and inspirational wrestlers in the world right now. A man that almost died in the ring and is still wrestling, against a man that almost sold his gear and retire in the pandemic. A beaultiful story, told in a awesome match. ****1/4."

[8.0] "This is Shibata's best match since April 1st 2017 when he was on the brink of death after the subdural hematoma. Eddie is awesome and he always delivers, no exception. It's great that Shibata can still do it at this level, sure it's not pre injury Shibata but he's still very good for a man who almost died and was told he could never wrestle again. ****"

[4.0] "Felt like a poor shadow of a prime Shibata match. Which is sad to write out loud, because that's to be expected & I still love to see him be able to wrestle, but this match did close to nothing for me. Generic puro-exchanges galore with no charm or appeal (for me) to 'em."

[5.0] "Shibata's wrestling is always beautiful and this match was no different, but I didn't like it very much. Eddie Kingston's kicks are very, very slow and with these quick kicks it seems like he is making fun of his opponent and cannot be taken too seriously. No matter how much he likes this style, I hope one day he will accept that it is not worth it. I hope Inoki has not seen this match..."

[8.0] "Definition of brutality in its entirety, Kingston excelled in this match, I'm already getting tired of seeing how Shibata is overused, but this match was good for lovers of the rough and brusque style, like me, I'm also happy that Kingston won that way."

[10.0] "The passion was melting through the screen, one of two perfect tributes to Inoki on this show. The best Shibata has ever been since his match with Okada, and Eddie Kingston brought that out of him. My heart and fighting spirit grew with each chop and test of strength."

[7.0] "Enjoyable match, spot on for its place on the card - although at times it felt like the commentary came with homework. I realise Eddie wanted to make Shibata look strong in defeat, but if Kingston is going to be a long term double champ, he needs to incorporate more defensive / counter wrestling and struggle into his game. Otherwise he risks becoming a guy who gets beaten up and then wins regardless - which is more of a tribute to Hulk Hogan or John Cena than it is to any of his favourites ***1/2"

[6.0] "I was hoping they'd find a way to have a really great match but this didn't really work for me. Shibata isn't what he used to be nor should he be but he still has those fundamentals he can work with and I thought Eddie would be a great partner for him to highlight that stuff but they never really seemed to gel all that well. That has kind of been the story of Shibata's matches for me in his latest run. I'm harping on it but it wasn't a bad match, just one I wanted more out of than what was delivered."