Leyton Buzzard vs. Yuya Aoki

[7.0] "Better than I expected it to be going in. The comments are of two extremes, with both being the saving grace for the match for many. I thought these two were equally great in that neither was a standout and had an equal part in making this good to very good at times. Did they go a bit too long? Maybe, but I thought everything after the 15-minute mark flew by."

[6.0] "I have a big-big problem with this match and I still dissapointing about it. Bazzard's level of charisma is near a zero and he did some moves pretty clear, hard and good looking, but I still don't care because this guy just one of that big guys without any identity and these type of defence, classic Aoki's match made a match worse for me, because Leyton couldn't show anything except moves and just moves. Aoki was ok, but he still trying to play underdog in every of his match. Some punches and moves looking pretty good, but it still doesn't have any charismatic moment or bright moment from one of this boys. They just did their work and did without putting any peace of their heart into it."

[8.0] "Great match, lots of hard strikes and stiff hits, like expected from those guys. Another good title defense from Aoki, I'm enjoying his title reign a lot. (****)."

[8.0] "[4.5*] This was a great stiff duel, Buzzard and Aoki fought each other throughout the match, the chops and slaps were incredible, a really cool moment was when Aoki submitted Buzzard who reached the ropes with his teeth. The exchanges between them were electrifying, with a lot of intensity and technique between them. I had already watched some of Yuya Aoki's matches but Leyton Buzzard is a new name for me and I had a great first impression of him. The spots were very good, Yuya's Spanish Fly from the top rope, the powerbomb followed by a 450 splash from Buzzard. The ending was impeccable, a great match and an incredible performance from both parties involved."

[8.0] "Another puro main event with a slow start and a crowd that heats up between Aoki and practical unknown Leyton Buzzard. But my main take away from this was how much I enjoyed Buzzards work. His offense, his mannerisms, and selling were ll fantastic, and he carried the dull moments of the match in my eyes. Aoki on the other hand was a charisma vacuum the first 15 minutes of the match. Of course, the final 5-7 minutes of this were great all around from both men, but the dull start stopped this from being anything other than very good. 4 Stars."

[7.0] "Enjoyable match and a pretty impressive showing for two guys who aren't very well known yet. I find it a bit overrated, I wasn't feeling much heat for it in the early goings but it ramped up considerably as it went on so fair is fair. It's what you expect from a regular puro style match but good overall."

[7.0] "For me this took a while to get going but that was partly because I had just sat through the likes of Madman Pondo and Drave Maverik in 2024. Once it hit the 15 minute mark then this was absolutely great stuff and very high level."

[10.0] "Wow! A completely stellar match. This was my first time seeing Leyton Buzzard and he left with a new fan. There was a reason the crowd was chanting his name after the match, despite him losing. Yuya Aoki is an awesome champion. He is hitting his prime now and is totally poised for a major 2024 full of more great match. That is, if BJW doesn't fuck it up. Highly recommend this match."

[9.0] "This was exceptional and, despite its high rating on here currently, will definitely go under most peoples radar. This is a gateway match. It has a slower, more deliberate pace with meaning put behind everything they do but has enough bursts of explosiveness that for newer fans that might not be conditioned to that, it will hold their attention. When I say gateway match, it means that if a newer fan can enjoy this, itll help condition them to the style of an 80s puro junior match and then allow them to tap into a huge amount of resources. I think matches like these are SO important and sadly we dont see enough of them. I watch a lot of wrestling and I know of Leyton Buzzard but I honestly dont think Ive seen him until now. Im definitely going to change that and keep tabs on him going forward. He just seems to get it and seems much wiser beyond his years. Theres some big time strikes in this (that Aoki lariat near the end) but your big time moves is a superplex. Moves that 30 years ago were amazing that now get thrown around like theyre nothing, but here they make them seem deadly. This never feels long, builds into something wonderful and feels incredibly satisfying come the finish. This is two young wrestlers, crafting together a mature match. Come the end of the year, this is going to get lost in the shuffle but, 3 weeks into the year, this is probably the second best match Ive seen behind Danielson/Okada, which is absolutely astounding for two wrestlers at this age and experience level. Bravo."

[8.0] "This was a flat-out incredible match for two guys in their 20s to be busting out. I loved the old-school pacing and focus of the first 10 minutes. Buzzard looks and carries himself like an '80s territories heel and has an uncanny grip on the intangibles that connect with the live crowd and hold a bout together. I thought they'd lost me for a moment when Aoki started breaking out the generic spirit spots from a superplex and a German (*yawn*), but then they really ramped things up and those closing strike exchanges were perfect ****1/4"

[9.0] "Incredible match, this was both guys' best match, and thats no mean feat given who they both wrestled in the past. Its a shame this show only did 600+ and hasn't got an overall rating because this was tremendous. Yuya Aoki was energetic and his style mixes the traditional strong division with high-flying, and that is so fun. The spot of the match was Buzzard smashing his forearms into Aoki as Aoki was trying to do some headbutts - brutal stuff. The german suplexs were also crazy. ****1/2"

[8.0] "I was surprised how great this match was. I have seen Leyton Buzzard in RevPro before and he is a serviceable heel but he really came into his own here as the arrogant bully, throwing everything at the champ, whilst Yuya Aoki provided pace and heart. The finish came a little out of nowhere but this is an easy one to recommend ****"

[10.0] "How can this freaking gem go so much under the radar. This is almost everything I should ask for a Strong match: incredible kickouts, headbutts, sick strikes and incredible work of the charachters. Both looked well and I really have nothing bad to say... apart the finish. Buzzard literally brutalized Aoki and his resistance was thrilling to see but he won too easily, his comeback should have been built better with Leyton kicking up multiple times before quitting to the champ. ****3/4"