[8.0] "I thought this was a fantastic match. It definitely followed the Tomohiro Ishii big match formula, but I dont consider that to be bad thing, and he was at his absolute best against Kitamiya, in what I would argue was the best match of Kitamityas career. Hard hitting action, engaging near falls, and a crowd who were more into this than any other match on this card really elevated this one for me."
[9.0] "FOR. THE. BOYS. Two big heavy hitters 1-1 against each other in tag matches who desperately, desperately want to lariat, elbow, chop, and headbutt the fuck out of each other until the other cedes. Classic Ishii delayed selling, Masa working the knee and the Prison Lock adds a fun dimension to the Ishii formula that really makes it sing. Yeah, Ishii only does one match, but that one match is fucking awesome so who cares? And Masa has been a favorite of mine since his 2021 death headbutt against Sugi, so it's cool to see him face his NJPW mirror equal. ****1/2."
[8.0] "Delivers exactly what you'd expect here, just two large men exchanging big strikes and beating the hell out of one another from start to finish. The crowd was hot for this one which added to the match. A simple story of these two trying to see who is the toughest and who can hit the hardest, complete with some stiff headbutts and quite a bit of no-selling which could bother some. All in all a fun one that I'd recommend. 4 stars."
[8.0] "[3.75*] Great match. Of course Ishii has his formula with the kickout at 1, headbutt battle, lariat battle until the exhaustion, no-selling he does that every single match so it is not a very innovative match but the execution is always incredible so he never under delivers. Ishii has his mannerisms and I know some people dislike it but I am capable of giving value to that. However, I think Kenoh vs Soya was the clear MOTN, because of its personality and individuality, even with the botch (a mistake in a 30 min bout btw). The two great matches of the event."
[8.0] "This was the exact kind of spectacle that NOAH needed for their biggest show of the year. This was an interpromotional war with both wrestlers mirroring each other in terms of builds and wrestling style. What we got here was a lot of dick measuring strike exchanges, brain damaging headbutts and 1 counts after massive bombs. If you aren't a fan of that particular flavour of wrestling, then this isn't going to convert you. This didn't overstay its welcome like the rematch did. An impressive little scrap."
[8.0] "Rewatching this after seeing it live at the beginning of the year, it is still a euphoric watch, and the crowd in attendance was here for it from start to finish. Simply an awesome physical match with tropes done right of asserting dominance, defiance, physical exertion, bait-n-switches, and Masa doing some limb work which led to a submission spot where the crowd was cheering for Tomohiro to reach the ropes. Both men stepped on the proverbial gas from the start wanting to put each other down and testing their physical limitations to stay conscious while getting clobbered on. I loved how Ishii's brainbuster was given some extra credence after Masa started bleeding from a shoot headbutt. ****1/4"
[9.0] "Absolute banger. Kitamiya and Ishii kicking off 2024 right with this one. Ishii's been one of my favorites in NJPW for years, so I'm glad to see him getting this spotlight and the win as well. Kitamiya definitely impressed, though, and looked good in defeat."
[8.0] "This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to, and Kitamiya and Ishii delivered exactly what I expected: a brutal, hard-hitting battle. The match quickly escalated into an intense exchange of stiff strikes and power moves, living up to the reputation of both competitors. However, the no-selling did become excessive at times, particularly when Ishii stood up after taking a piledriver. The bout followed Ishii's usual formula of power-move wars and strike-offs, which is expected at this stage in his career. Despite the familiar structure, the match still served as an excellent showcase for both wrestlers. The finish came after a punishing series of exchanges, with Ishii securing the win with a delayed brainbuster. While it didnt break any new ground, it was a solid, hard-hitting contest. Kitamiya more than held his own, matching Ishii in toughness, and proved hes a force to be reckoned with in the ring. 4 stars."
[8.0] "The match of the night in my opinion, this was awesome. Really well-delivered slugfest, with a lot of powerful moves. The beginning was kind of slow but then the match progressed into a very captivating and interesting battle... they brought the crowd to their feet as well. Incredible spots, stiff and hard-hitting moves and memorable moments like Kitamiya being busted open after a headbutt. What a great way to start 2024 - {****}"
[7.0] "Maybe their rematch will hit me better, but I thought the no-selling in this match bordered on ridiculous. They were just popping up over and over, Ishii no-sold a piledriver, if this had a few more minutes they could've hit all these spots with enough time to register them. This was very go-go-go, and I see why there's an audience for that, but I don't think that's where I'm at."
[9.0] "This match is really great. Two big strong men who hit each other as hard as they can. While this match very well could just be them hitting each other, it has a story ingrained through it. Ishii goes into this match with an injured knee and Masa exploits it. My biggest problem with this match is that the leg work kinda gets dropped in the last 3 or so minutes. Great match and definitely worth checking out if you have the time. 4.25/5"
[8.0] "You can rely on Ishii to have at least a good match, and this was no different. It was what you would expect. I think Ishii gave Kitamiya a lot, and that made him look strong. Good fun! ****"
"Very hard hitting! As years go on - one thing is certain, Ishii is eternal! Of course, Ishii matches tend to go the same - but as always its very entertaining. My first time really seeing Kitamiya but he really brought it as well.Very fun match."
[10.0] "If such a match had taken place 6 years ago, it would have had a rating of at least 9.30, if this match had taken place 10 years ago, it would have been considered a wrestling classic in terms of contact and grueling matches. I'm sorry that the opinion about a certain Ishii formula and its irrelevance is now being popularized, and I'm ready to accept it when it comes to ordinary matches, but when the crowd is charged, all this is accompanied by various reversals, when the head of one of the performers begins to bleed in the midst of a hellish match, I refuse to accept such a reaction to the match, it's just It's absurd, lol. Among other things, the moments where Ishii avoids the Saito Suplex are the art when avoiding a move costs more than the successful move itself. An incredible match that stands on the same level for me as Ishii's match against Goto in 2018 (*****)."
[9.0] "Massive fan of the often underrated Masa Kitamiya and for Ishsii to work the way he worked this one at this stage of his career, made for a great match. They really drew me in and got me invested early on and I didn't want it to end. Top match."
[7.0] "[7.8] The first great match of 2024 according to Cagematch, although I'll it just falls short of being that. Some crazy impressive moves in this match for the age and physique of these two men, especially Ishii who's almost 50. His suplex from the top rope was a sight to see."
[8.0] "Tomohiro Ishii certainly isn't re-inventing the style he helped popularize, but Kitayama is more than happy to play Ishii's game with him. Elbows, headbutts, suplexes, both me powering up and stubbornly charging forward. It's a formula that will seemingly work until the end of time. Ishii no selling the piledriver by simply standing up was rad, and adding a really hot NOAH crowd behind both guys and you have 2024's first great match imo. 4.25 Stars."
[9.0] "This was one of the best stories you can tell in wrestling match: two stubborn hard-hitters deciding who is the most stubborn and who hits the hardest. It followed the Ishii formula, but Ishii's formula works for me way more often than it doesn't. Kitamiya excelled working this style of match, matching Ishii's desperation and fighting spirit every step of the way. Just great stuff."
[9.0] "A early Match Of The Year Contender, in 15 minutes, they hit each other as hard as they could, and it was awesome. Ishii is almost 50 years old, and even that his body is not the same anymore, the passion for wrestling amazes me still. (****1/2)."
[8.0] "I'll resist the urge to just sum this up with the "big meaty men slapping meat" deal but you look at this match on paper and you 100% know what you're going to get. Elbows, lariats, chops, suplexes, Kitamiya busting his own head open on a headbutt and doing his leglock deal that the crowd gets super behind. This has all of that. This is a classic Ishii match, which somehow still delivers the same way it did 10 years ago but that inter-promotional spice and different setting sets this one apart. This really felt like a match that Kitamiya should have won, so that was a bit perplexing, but I'll also never complain about Ishii actually winning big-ish matches. This match doesn't re-invent the wheel. It doesn't feel like an out-of-nowhere surprise banger. It's exactly what you want it to be and therefore is deeply satisfying. It gets a nice boost by being the first great match of the year too. You're not going to remember anything specifically about this match come year-end, if you're well-versed in Ishii, but you'll look at your list of matches and say "oh yeah, that was really rad". Sometimes that's all you need."
[10.0] "Another match of Tomohiro Ishii that impressed me, in this match you have two hard hitting, stiff wrestlers that had a banger of a match, they really went for it, Ishii winning was no surprise. A match that should be worth re-visiting in a NJPW ring especially within the boundaries of the G1 Climax maybe or at Wrestle Kingdom 19 in 2025. [****1/2]"
[6.0] "There was some good stuff here, a bunch of good strikes and headbutts, but what unfortunately brought it down a level was just excessive no selling, like Ishii no selling a piledriver was just too much, Masa was really great in this match though ***1/4*"
[8.0] "I've been kinda bored of these "Ishii bangers" that we have been getting for over a decade now, but this had enough to stand out. Kitamiya and Ishii did the expected thing and dropped each other on their heads and through nutty lariats, forearms, and headbutts. Kitamiya also targeting the leg really helps this match and adds an extra layer that Ishii matches don't include, which is something that I really appreciate. Ishii chopping Kitamiya in the throat to escape the prison lock was cool and I also liked the spot right before the finish where Ishii has so much leverage on a pinfall attempt that he accidentally rolls him completely over for a 2 count. This was a great match to wake up the relatively quiet crowd and give a bit of a dream match between two Japanese bulldozers. ****1/4"
[6.0] "Perfectly decent match in exactly the style you would expect, so if that's your bag you will likely enjoy this a lot. It has hard striking and... well that's pretty much it, so maybe I'm just too overexposed on the style. Definitely miss me on the shoot looking headbutts, no fun for me."
[8.0] "[4.25*] Very good match, two stiff Wrestlers who clashed here. The two did a lot of no-selling which made all the moves very brutal as they needed to be even more forceful to take down the other. Kitamiya did some great limb work on Tomohiro's knees. The minutes of this match were intense with both kickouts at 1 and Ishii simply no-selling a Piledriver giving us an insane moment, great finale."
[6.0] "This never slowed down, and although very basic in structure, the hot crowd helped to elevate this tenfold. This had hard-striking, and some fluid counters. I really liked Ishii's selling of the leg and both men collapsing post-match, but I still hate headbutts."
[9.0] "This slapped. Ishii did his thing but Kitamiya more than brought it too and it was cool to see this kind of match happen in a non NJPW ring. These two really went for it, Kitamiya even getting popped open with a headbutt at one point. ****1/2"
[8.0] "Great hard hitting match, there's something strange about Kitamiya's way of moving and emoting that takes me out of his matches, but this was supremely well worked. I didn't think it hit the heights of the Kenoh match from later in the card, but everyone should enjoy this encounter."
[8.0] "Christ this was both terrible and amazing. The one, completely convincing highlight was Kitamiya working over Ishii's knee with the fervent backing of the NOAH faithful. Everything else came off as a testosterone fueled parody of prime era Ishii, peaking with his Road Warrior Hawk-style piledriver no-sell out of fucking nowhere. I mean, fuck this stupid bollocks, but also ****"
[9.0] "What a way to ring in the new year, my goodness. I'm not a regular NOAH viewer, so I do not have a good awareness of Masa Kitamiya and his skills, but based on this match, I'm shocked he isn't in more discourse on great active wrestlers. Masa goes blow for blow with Ishii here, nearly beating Ishii at his own game. "Tit for tat", I thought, right before one of the commentators stated the same thing. Really stellar moments of reversals that I didn't see coming, with Ishii's crossbody reversal out of a backdrop driver being a highlight. This was an Ishii match with a twist - the injured leg. Ishii attempted to push by it, notably telling Masa it was fine, striking Masa with an elbow, and then attending to his leg while Masa attended to his face. Ishii fought like a dog to escape the multiple leg locks Masa put on him, once with a chop to the throat and then a desperate crawl to the ropes. Ishii fought from underneath while still looking like the unbeatable veteran. Eventually, Masa simply cannot combat Ishii's scrappy barrage of reversals, shoot headbutts, and a final brainbuster, which gets Ishii the pin. When a match makes me wince and move my head in the direction moves are being done, I can't deny the quality of it."
[9.0] "What an insane fight this was. I know that these two dudes are well known for they stiffness but here they overclassed my expectations. Perhaps just a little bit short but I enjoyed every single seconds, all the lariats were bones - breaking and the final Brainbuster that closed the match was well earned. ****1/2"
[8.0] "Tomohiro Ishii matches are my type of matches. Just pure onslaught that doesn't stop until either him or his opponent is down for the three and I love it so much. Kitamiya had this place rocking, and he gave such a shoot headbutt that he bled from it, reminiscent of Shibata so I hope he is well. ****"
[9.0] "It's an exciting matchup and it delivered exactly what people wanted to see. Hardhitting shots, power moves, knee works, iconic headbutts from Kitamiya, but at the end of the day, what makes this good is that it was short and sweet without prolongated drama that a main event is suppose to deliver. It was straight to the point, almost like a Sasaki match, and i appreciate that"
[9.0] "Ishii is my favorite wrestler so i loved it. He doesn't bring the same consistent fuck-you physicality as in his prime, but he is still top-class in putting together a compelling and dramatic contest and getting the absolute best out of whoever he works with. Crowd seems to have agreed with me, everyone was fully engaged after some deflating moments earlier in the card. This is the kind of wrestling i love to see and i loved to see it."
[6.0] "Ishii vs Kitamiya was a hard hitting bout that was pretty fun to watch but in the end felt a little dragged out. At some points they just started repeating the same moves over and over leading to little to no sells which was a little disinteresting but was a solid match none the less."
[7.0] "A Tomohiro Ishii vs Masa Kitamiya match was always going to be a hard hitting one and this delivers. It might only be Ishii's third best match in the past fortnight but it was still an impressive outing."
[9.0] "I did not have low expectations for this but they were exceeded here. My favourite Kitamiya match ever possibly. Ishii and Kitamiya brought everything here and fought a fast paced brutal match until finally one man could no longer stand. Violent, exhilarating, Big Tom at his best."
[8.0] "Ishii vs Kitamiya is a match that has been teased before in the last All Together show, seeing both guys' wrestling style it was something that the fans wanted to see and we finally got it today. It surely didn't disappoint. It was what you can expect from Ishii and Kitamiya: a brutal war with chops, lariats and headbutts. Also some nice work on the leg of Ishii by Kitamiya. Maybe Ishii could have sold that a little more at some point but other than that it was a great match. Kitamiya looked really good, the crowd was hot for him. Honestly he should have won, hopefully he can get his win back this year."
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