[9.0] "This is the best match they ever had with is fun and sad at the same time, because this happenned when both wrestlers wasn't in the peak of their careers anymore and that also had a moment that almost made me cry. This was the match that Naito notices that he cannot perform anymore the Combinacion de Cabron, that made me truly sad and if the action in ring wasn't incredible like it was, that surely will made me give a 4 for this match and just leaves. The best spot of the night was the amazing chair shot Naito gave to Mox and he sold like he literally died, letting a space for a good blade work like he always do. He deserved that title many years ago, happy that he finally got, sad that the reigning sucks."
[7.0] "Moxley bleeding off of a neckbreaker might be the funniest thing he's ever bladed for. A strong contender against Tanahashi's slingblade. I'm a fan of the guy, however. He's one of my favorites, and I've conditioned myself to overlook his bad tendencies. From the outside, this match was largely nothing special, and the finishing stretch was carried by the crowd, but as a fan of Moxley, I loved his performance here. From grounding Naito early to having an extra oomph in his lariats and strikes, Moxley came to play. Not much can be said about his dancing partner, however. Naito is washed beyond repair, and it hurts seeing him put in positions where he constantly keeps embarrassing himself. Be that as it may, Naito letting Moxley take the reins led to a cathartic buildup for a match that was really starting to drag."
[6.0] "This was ok, but it wasn't the memorable star elevating match that I was hoping for. Moxley does a massive blade job because of course he does. A past his prime Naito can only do so much. *** stars."
[7.0] "Ein grundsolides Match. Naito ist dort schon nicht mehr in seiner Prime was merkbar ist. Moxley Style mit dem ewigen rumgeblute ist einfach nicht meins und irgendwann nur noch goofy. Sonst ist nicht groß hervorzuheben, der Title Change war interessant, obwohl Moxley Titlerun nunmal nichts war. (***1/2)"
[8.0] "Im selben Jahr gab es bei AEW dann das Rematch da holte sich Tetsuya dann den IWGP World Heavyweight Title zurück. Beide Title Matches sehe ich im 8 Punkte Bereich. Zuerst habe ich nur Nr. 3 gesehen und nun auch Nr.2 dem ich auch (***1/2)."
[8.0] "[4.0*] On my group of friends, almost everyone absolutely loved this one, and I am glad this is getting the love it deserves. We all know Naito is not on his prime psychically anymore, his body is cooked, but he sold so fucking much for Mox, even with a head bump on the apron, that I was impressed. The storytelling was just awesome since the press conference, where Naito used Moxs anxiety against him with the Tranquilo mentality, taking a lot of time to pose for the photo (at the conference) and to take his gear off at the match. He played a lot of mind games and dominated the game mentally for the first few minutes, until Moxley finally figured things out and used his size and strength on his advantage and equalized things. This was not fast-paced or anything like that because Naito just was not able to pull it off, but the levels of big fight feel, drama, psychology and incredible storytelling were able to overcome the lack of explosiveness from the majority of the match. On the last 5-mins they went insane, I guess this was the highest ceiling possible for the Ingobernable, and the nearfalls were mind-blowing. In a last attempt of survival, Naito kicked out at 1, but he already knew the Monster Moxley was 100% physically and would not stop until he won. Moxs interactions with the camera were very good too, specially when he started saying Not Tonight, Not On This Night, embracing the babyface persona. Incredible match, even better moment. History was made last night and was a very special event for me."
[7.0] "Seeing Naito past his prime is sad but this wasn't bad at all. in fact, it's really good. never goes into 'great' territory but I'll take it. sidenote: I don't know why, but Mox saying "you're not taking me alive" always makes me cringe ***3/4"
[6.0] "I don't like Moxley's style, its too cartoonish and predictable to the point where memes are warranted imo. Take a brutal bump and blade is a Moxley match trope that's done far too often and to his detriment completely. Sluggish, lethargic match with little chemistry. I feel like if you have to land your finisher 3 times to do the job, pick a different move previously or don't keep going to that well... at least Naito has 2 setups for Destino where one is far more successful a setup than the other. Moxley just hits 2 different variants and both were kicked out of, so he just re-did it for the 3rd. Really not my kind of match, I preferred their G1 encounter a few years prior and their Forbidden Door match is best not talked about. ***1/4"
[8.0] "Fantastic match, probably the best match of the night, specially considering the structure and the emotion, this was awesome. Naito deserves respect, despite not being able to be the best champion he can be, he showed up for this one and made very special for Moxley, all his expressions and taunts were fantastic, and made the match. It's unfortunate that the camera showed Moxley's blade and him going below the ring to cut himself, made the experience a little worse, but nothing that harmed the match, just a small mistake by the production. This match had insane nearfalls, and Moxley made history becoming the 1st guy to win WWE, AEW and NJPW world championships, legend! - {****}"
[6.0] "This match suffered from the lack of chemistry between Naito & Moxley. Good spots and good story telling from both. Naito basically threw the match at the beginning by underestimating Mox, and by the time he realized that he needs to lock in it was too late. I like the structure of the match a lot but it didn't feel like a match only Mox & Naito could do. I wish the match was built around the bulldog a little more. The package before talks about Moxley getting back control of Naito being the key but that never really happened, and he won anyway. The very delayed blade job from Moxley took me out of it as well."
[6.0] "I'm a big fan of both these guys but this match didn't do much for me, largely because I don't find swapping of finishers at the end to be very compelling. Nice to see some blood in an IWGP title match but because it's Moxley the effect has been deadened."
[9.0] "I think Naito is pretty well past his prime at this point but he still has some gas in the tank, and Moxley is the perfect guy to bring it out of him and fight him out of his comfort zone. Unusually bloody IWGP title match and that benefitted it a lot, this had a violent energy that I often find modern NJPW to be lacking."
[8.0] "Probably, the best match of Naito's reign after the win against SANADA. Unfortunately, Naito was losing his peak form and it was time to switch gears in the main event picture of New Japan. Moxley is a fantastic foil that would bring absolute carnage through his wrestling style and familiarity with the Japanese faithful. The action was picking up steam at a slow pace until the final stretch where Naito inadvertently smashed open Mox's head with a steel chair, resulting in a crimson mask for AEW's roughshod renegade. After a long time, Mox's bloodied self boosted the magnitude of a hallmark match, and congrats for his hallmark victory! 4 out of 5 stars!"
[8.0] "The first half of this is very clearly Naito & Mox trying to figure each other out, and they just kind of do their normal everyday offense while doing so. It isn't until the dive into the chair and the subsequent Mox blade job (which hits a lot harder now that he's not busting it out all the time, as good a bleeder as he is) that this heats up, but it has a trademark sprint closing stretch like any NJPW main event should while keeping itself to a relatively brisk 20 minutes. Could be that these two could only come up with so many ideas and just dumped them all into the second half, but I was pleasantly surprised that these two did have a second gear. Awesome title win for Mox. ***3/4+"
[9.0] "Tetsuya Naito is my favorite pro wrestler of all time. Still, I have to admit that Moxley is exactly what the New Japan main event scene needs right now. No nonsense graps and brawling. This was my favorite Naito match in a good while. Mox just boils everything down to the bones and Naitos bones are still so good and defiant."
[9.0] "This match was amazing. Here are my favorite moments from the match. I loved Moxley flipping Naito off early on, and Naito returning the disrespect a bit later spitting in Moxley's face. Moxley hit a great piledriver to Naito. I love that Moxley put Naito in a Sharp Shooter and then transitioned into a STF once he realize the Sharp Shooter wasn't working. Naito was on the Apron and Moxley was in the ring and they traded strikes, eventually Moxley got the better of Naito, and drove Naito into the apron. Moxley was about to dive onto the floor where Naito was, but instead took a steel chair to the face/head, just brutal. Naito then did a Neckbreaker to Moxley on the Apron. After nearly counted out a now bloody Moxley made it back into the ring right before the 20 was counted. Moxley hit a stomp on Naito that was great. After being in a sleeper for a long time, Naito was able to get out and go for a victory roll pin attempt, but only got a 2 count, Awesome stuff. After taking elbows, Moxley countered Naito with a cutter and then hit a Death Rider for a nearfall. It made me bite, just awesome. Naito hit Moxley with a Destino for a great near fall. Naito went for it again but Moxley countered and did a bunch of punches and hit Naito with a Death Rider for another near fall. After another Death Rider Moxley did it!"
"A great moment for Moxley but this match was very underwhelming, especially with these names involved. Naito really isn't the wrestler he used to be and Mox's style isn't a good fit for his current athletic abilities which resulted in a badly structured match."
[2.0] "This match was just really bad and disappointing. Seeing two of my all time favorite wrestlers have no chemistry whatsoever was heartbreaking, Tetsuya Naito especially seemed really checked out while Jon Moxley was going through the motions as if this were an extra long jobber match on Dynamite and not a world title main event."
[3.0] "I'm really disappointed after watching this match, Naito's taunting was fun, Naito dicking around with his pant leg was good, Moxley's suicide dive into a chairshot was well done, and the pop when Moxley won was good. But like, literally what else happened, I love both these wrestlers but the match just felt so stifled, from the crowd being half asleep to Naito messing up his signature combo nothing in this match ever really clicked for me, all the love in the world to Moxley though good for him."
[9.0] "Great main event Moxley is my favorite wrestler ever and while I was kinda worried about him being the world champion and not being able to work full time I'm glad he's champion now looking at him with blood pouring down his face holding up that title was badass I do think the match was a little too slow but I still really liked it"
[7.0] "A good main event that ended Naito's championship reign to a more deserving guy like Moxley. First off, their match is kind of underwhelming. IWGP World Championship matches are the most important match that NJPW ever had, and I just don't like how the title is presented much nowadays. Again, the lack of star power sets back NJPW and its world championship matches. Okada and Ospreay gone from NJPW, Naito not on his peak anymore, Tanahashi is semi-retired with bad knees. I really hope they could manage to recover from this, it seems that we are experiencing the dark days of NJPW again. Anyway, love how Naito trying to test Moxley's patience here, just typical Naito. Naito continuously spat and taunt Moxley just to piss him off more. In retaliation, Naito getting a DDT on the apron by Moxley and Moxley doing the Tranquilo pose to add insult to injury. Naito hitting the steel chair on Moxley and a neck breaker on the apron causing him to bleed, typical Moxley as usual. Moxley dripping with blood for the rest of the match. Although I have one question about this, why they didn't DQ'd Naito here especially the referee saw it on his own eyes. This is one problem by NJPW, and they never call a disqualification quite often. Moxley Curb Stomping Naito reminiscent from Yota Tsuji's brutal Curb Stomps on Sakura Genesis to add some story into it. There are some work on Naito's neck by Moxley. The closing stretch consisting of Destinos and Death Riders with a third Death Rider successfully got the victory. Glad that they awarded the title to someone who is not a full-time wrestler from NJPW. Let's see how good Moxley's title reign would be. ***3/4"
[5.0] "Some of the ratings here are perplexing. Naito was barely in the match and it's painful just watching him walk at this point. I mean, what did he hit? A chair-shot right in front of the ref? A token Destino with zero build? The obligatory kickout at one before the finish? Shortcut city. That moment early on where Naito pulled up a chair and essentially allowed Moxley to attack him and then beat him up for the next five minutes was the sad act of a man sulking about losing the IWGP strap again. And Mox has devolved into this geekish parody of a tough guy, like a Lukewarm Steve Austin **1/4"
[8.0] "[4.5*] My expectations for this match were insane, for the first time two incredible wrestlers would face each other for the IWGP Heavyweight. I liked the match in general, the spots on Apron were spectacular, Naito and Moxley sold everything very well, Mox's DDT on Naito on Apron was one of the coolest of the year. Mox's Cutter and Death Rider sequence was incredible, even though Naito kicked out. Moxley having incredible exchanges and bleeding a lot at the same time with incredible energy for the match, the finisher war at the end was great and Moxley got one of the biggest matches of his career here, incredible."
[6.0] "Maybe its just me because the general consensous its pretty high on this, but I just dont find anything special besides the ¿surprising? Jon Moxley crowning. Naito does what he can which in 2024 is not much, even painful in some points, and the chemistry con Moxley is quite meh to save the match for that via. Even with that said, is not bad or horrible, but the standard for a world champiosnhip match is higher than what they have offered."
[7.0] "Das schon eine große Überraschung das Moxley den IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT Championship gewinnt. Kommen wir erstmla zum Positiven das finish hat man klasse aufgebaut und es war Spannung drin. Leider zum Negativen mich hat das Match nicht abgeholt besonders der Blade Job war einfach unnötig und hat null ins Match reingepasst. Fand das Tsuji vs Naito Match stärkeren gespannt auf die Regentschaft Moxley (***1/2)"
[9.0] "NJPW Moxley is just the superior version. Having Naito drop the title in a good back and forth match really opens up some interesting future matches and a possible new star coming out on top."
[9.0] "A huge title change in the USA for New Japan. This was a superbly paced match with a terrific finish, as a bloodied Moxley went wild and damn near killed Naito with Death Rider after lariat after Death Rider. He brought a ton of energy to this match and looked ready to go another round at the end. While none of Naito's four reigns have been long, this one was definitely my favorite. I would have liked to see it go on for the whole year, but I have little doubt in Moxley's prowess as champion. As long as he can get out of some AEW dates and show up regularly, he can have an awesome reign. ****1/2"
[8.0] "Naito looked very rough, but aside from that, this was very good. Moxley was awesome here and really made this match feel special beyond what was happening in the ring. Obviously a really great moment with Moxley winning, making this a nice bit of history."
[9.0] "Despite I would say that your promotion is pretty fucking done if you let a superstar of another promotion to beat your current ace and become your top champion the match was actually very good and this was definetely and hell of a moment. There were some sick bumps on the apron and after Mox started bleeding a lot it turned to be really stiff and thrilling toward the end. I just hope that whoever 'll win the belt 'll be NJ's next ace. ****1/2"
[8.0] "A good match but elevated by the crowd and the surprise win for Moxley. Naito really doesn't have it anymore but he at least wasn't sloppy like he has been lately. Moxley of course bled everywhere but tonight it worked. The closing stretch wasn't particularly dynamic but it was climactic and the pop for Moxley was huge. The occasion definitely helped this one. ****1/4"
[8.0] "The in ring action for this match was probably about a point lower, but between the shock ending, the atmosphere, and the cool clash of characters, I feel like bumping it up a point. They did some cool spots and Moxley bleeding for the first time in a while made the match extra feel extra special. I'm sad Naito didn't get a longer reign with the title, but Moxley becoming the top champion in NJPW is really intriguing, especially if he's supposed to show up for tour shows now too and is effectively taking a break from AEW for his NJPW run."
[8.0] "This match had a bit of rough start but definitely picked up in the final minutes. Moxley and Naito as characters contrast each other perfecly creating a very cool dynamic in the process. As for the match itself, Naito isn't what he used to be and just can't go as hard as he did years ago but he can deliver good perfomances, like this one tonight. The action started quite slowly but picked up after Moxley got color. The two became more frenetic and the action got super thrilling with the two attempting/hitting their finishers multiple times and various nearfalls. But in the end, after three death riders, Moxley picked up an historic win in what was an upset for me. I liked the possibility of Moxley being the first man to hold the WWE, AEW and NJPW World title but I thought Naito was retaining as he was still relatively early in his title run. Instead they gave the title to Mox which, for me, is a very good decision as it can bring a much needed breath of fresh air to NJPW's main event scene. 8/10 - 4*/5*"
[6.0] "Like every Naito match in 2024, he stalls and stalls, while his opponent has to try to make something out of nothing. Mox is great, but even he can't make the first half of this match interesting. And when they finally get there, It was nowhere near as magical as some other ending stretches. The moment feels nice because Mox getting the surprise win, I'm not denying that. But Naito doesn't even have a moment where I thought he might win. I mean 'cmon, when was the last time 1 Destino won Naito a big match? I think when people get past the surprise, this match won't age too well. Here's to hoping for a better reign from Mox than Naito, I guess. 3 Stars."
[7.0] "Good match with a very surprising winner. This didn't do a lot for me during the first half. Just felt like typical Naito stalling and some fairly basic stuff from Mox, but by the end this got pretty good. Some great counter sequences and nearfalls before Moxley wins after hitting a 3rd Death Rider on Naito. Naito's body is obviously far past its prime so putting the title on Mox here is a very good call. Not only does it give us a champion who can still go at a high level, but it for the first time in the history of this iteration of the belt, it gives us a champion who doesn't wrestle in the New Japan main event style, which will hopefully lead to a ton of interesting matchups in the future. This win has me super interested in the future of the main event scene in New Japan and it finally feels like there's something to be excited about in thus company again. This was a good match, but it's implications are far greater. ***3/4"
[9.0] "Tetsuya Naito fought bravely while showing the composure of a champion (just 6 days removed from his exhaustive defense against Yota Tsuj), but Jon Moxley was clearly in superior condition. Showa style out-of-control brawling and bloodshed, strategic strikes and grappling. Mox blends diverse styles seamlessly in a compelling way. While I believe these two could have a much better match together and am looking forward to a potential rematch, this was a strong main event with a dramatic finishing stretch and a surprise finish. Mox has tremendous love for Japanese pro-wrestling and his contributions to New Japan have been undeniable. I am looking forward to his reign as champion."
[6.0] "It seemed too obvious to be true. Would NJPW really screw over their wrestlers and long-time fans yet again for the sake of also yet again putting over the company that's been sucking them dry and giving them nothing in return since inception? Surely this was all for the sake of the cathartic swerve when NJPW's biggest star would indeed get the win, finally ending the curse and becoming the first real NJPW star to defeat a real AEW star (and I do specify "real" and "star" here, not like Sanada beating Perry, or like Okada/Ospreay beating Danielson/Omega only to join AEW a few months later), and continue on with his long-awaited and very much deserved lengthy title reign, especially in this trying time for the company when all their other stars have departed. But no -- it really just was the case that NJPW are apparently too happy to let AEW have their absolute way with them under the bizarre impression that this will somehow benefit their business, and AEW were of course more than happy to take up that opportunity. The match itself was nothing special though still good. Moxley admittedly appeared to have his working shoes on more than he usually does, given Naito wasn't the sort of opponent he could just put on a mindless and sloppy 50/50 strike/bombfest with the entire time, so Moxley instead actually looked pretty good as he battered Naito with solid strikes and later on big bombs. Naito continues to be pretty shot athletic/physical-wise but remains charismatic and entertaining with his arrogantly cheeky taunting and posing, so he still gave a compelling performance even if he didn't actually do the most interesting offence. That charisma also bled over into him selling quite sympathetically whenever Moxley was firmly in control, and he likewise showed good fire as he desperately tried to survive Moxley's onslaughts and fight back. Moxley, to the shock of literally no-one, ended up bleeding, but at least it actually happened following a really good chair-shot from Naito, so all that bleeding felt deserved and then added to the match a bit. That was the moment that the match finally seemed to step up a level and become more compelling, though sadly 'more big moves' was really the extent of that 'next level'. On one hand, I liked Naito's selling as he went back and worth from fiery and desperate to lifeless the longer he dealt with Moxley's growing threat, and it was fun watching Moxley dominantly destroy him with big moves. On the other hand, that story really didn't fit this pairing given their statuses, since Moxley looking that strong did make Naito -- and by proxy the other NJPW wrestlers Naito had beaten in the last year, and ultimately NJPW itself -- look really second-rate. It's undeniable that that result held the whole match back quite a bit for me. There's no benefit to NJPW from pushing Moxley here, since there's no tangible argument that he either has any better chance drawing as champion (especially compared to Tetsuya f'n Naito, already the country's biggest draw) or that it's somehow more meaningful for Moxley to be the one to put over one of the Reiwa generation compared to Naito or another established NJPW full-timer. And if we're just putting the title back on Naito soon anyways, then that's just diminishing yet another of his reigns. The guy needed a 'quality' title reign at this point, not another reign with only 1-2 defences. This was really the last chance to have done that, too, given how broken-down he already is, so I can't believe NJPW have thrown that chance away or at the very least needlessly delayed it. I wouldn't be so disappointed if Moxley wasn't the one getting the win, given he's usually pretty 'mid or miss' with me, though admittedly usually a bit better in NJPW. I'll give the booking here a chance and yadda yadda, but really nothing from NJPW in the last 4 years has given me reason to be hopeful. ***1/4"
[9.0] "Slow start, but the last half of the match is fantastic. A genuinely surprising and historic ending that definitely adds excitement to NJPWs future over the next several month. Moxley must have realized that a totally shaved head makes the blade jobs look even better."
[6.0] "Sorry, this match did not do a lot for me. I'm still rating it above average but yeah, Naito's age really showed here and I'm generally not a fan of Mox's match structure, especially in the last couple of years. I actually don't mind the booking choice at all but I feel as if perhaps Tsuji winning the belt was a better option here. Gaijins are ruling the main event scene yet again, but instead of Omega/White/Jericho/Ospreay, it is Mox/Nemeth/ZSJ/Riddle/Finlay. That is quite the large downgrade excluding ZSJ. Back to the match, the action is fine especially in the final stretch, told a decent enough story but there are some notable botches here and there, the wrestling is quite sloppy on occasion. I wanted to enjoy it."
[9.0] "Such a fun match that showcased the carnal/violent in-ring style of Moxley against the aloof/fluid style of Naito. The finish felt very earned, illustrating that even Naito's resilience has its limits (in this case, three Death Riders). The booking too was inspired, and one of the rare times over the last few years where a match outcome was legitimately shocking (but still fun)."
[10.0] "Jon Moxley is the KING of the world. Ace of pro-wrestling. Great match with Naito here, and dareIsay Mox pretty much carried the match. One of his best performances and boy does he deserve this big moment. "YOU WON'T TAKE ME ALIVE! NOT TODAY" induced goosebumps on me."
[6.0] "This had a ton of heat as both guys hit the ring. However, Naito just can't work at that level anymore. He was noticeably struggling out there, and the match didn't hit the highs I had hoped for. The match also leaned into some of Mox's worst tendencies, including the walk and brawl in the crowd. Decent enough match, great moment, not so great first challenger for Mox. Hope he can bring some fire out of the young guys in New Japan."
[6.0] "I did not find this match particularly good. Naito is clearly in the aura milking stage of his career and I can't say I can blame him. He looks slow and injured in most of his big singles matches this year. Naito starts the match trolling Mox by taking 8 years to to take off his suit. During the match things continue to stay slow and plodding throughout and never really hit a point of high intensity. Naito hitting Mox with a chair just so Mox can have an excuse to blade is really leaning into Moxley's worst tendencies. I was mad when Naito had to be the one to job to Mox in the G1 in 2019 and I am still not happy here. Although at least Naito had to eat like 10 death riders first lol. At the very least the blow is lessened by the fact that, 1 Naito needs a break and 2 Moxley cut a promo basically saying that he is here to put over the youngsters. In particular Shota who he calls out saying it was time for his final exam and shortly after Narita who comes and attacks Mox. So in that respect I can't be too angry, but meh. Thought it was a poor note to end an otherwise fun show on."
[8.0] "Very good match. Naito contributedto the match with his moveset, and Moxley looks very well, the kickouts were perfect. Before the match I thought that it was 50-50 of who is going to win, which made the combat unpredictable, in the final minutes, Moxley used all his moves to dethrone Naito, and to be the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. I also enjoyed when they went out of the ring and they were fighting with the crowd. Really happy to watch Jon Moxley as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion."
[7.0] "Awesome. A bloody Jon Moxley toppling Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP title in Chicago in front of over 6000 fans. Hell of a scene, which feels fresh and significant amongst what has been a dull period for New Japan. Good match with a great finishing stretch as Mox hit Naito with death rider after death rider in a desperate attempt to put Naito away once and for all."
[6.0] "Solid match where a really energetic Moxley becomes the first guy to hold the top belts in the three largest active companies in the world today. He had the total opposite of boo-boo face lol. I didn't think they were actually going to do it, just seeing how Naito was one of their better domestic draws in Japan. Nevertheless, this feels like a huge deal, and sets up some really interesting possibilities down the line. Genuinely this is decent conclusion to Naito's run, it isn't always about the days. Moxley has a pretty killer blade job here and builds the match pretty well to a convincing finish. Naito taking Moxley's DDT was probably the most memorable part of his output, aside from that I don't think he added anything incredible to the match. I've never really bought the trading finisher to the finish deal with Naito as much as other NJPW mainstays, so it doesn't work quite as well here. I did think Naito was going to retain, so as an upset, this was pretty cool."
"A really good match between these two, Mox looked like an absolute badass while toppling Naito donning the crimson mask, it had a slow start, but an absolutely HOT ending that made it well worth it. Overall, 8/10 and 3.75*/5"
[9.0] "Glad they're going the route of "use Mox to get the Musketeers/Young Lions over". It's about the long game, guys; Shooter and the lads need a few more reps before they can duke it out for the position of Ace of the new generation. Probably could've done with five extra minutes, but I'm not begrudging the pinfall after 20 because it was already a really good match."
[9.0] "Moxley is finally the IWGP Heavyweight Champ! Didn't expect him to win, but I had high hopes throughout the match. Apparently, Naito didn't bring his A game, he didn't look as good as always. The match was still very entertaining, gritty from bell to bell. Naito's kickout after 1 was unnecessary and very Indie thing to do though"
[6.0] "Definitely the best match of Naito's reign with a shock ending. They tell a decent story but it's still nothing that great. Got off to a much better start than Naito's prior IWGP Title matches this year which is the main big point in its favour, but it's still just good, nothing special or particularly great."
[8.0] "Really good main event that was better than Naito's Sakura Genesis match against Tsuji last week, it took a while to get going but the crowd was hot and the last few minutes were phenomenal so we never really had time to get bored despite the match lasting twenty minutes. Many won't like the decision because an AEW wrestler has just won the IWGP World Heavyweight belt, but come on guys, this is Jon f'n Moxley. He's done a lot for NJPW and deserved this big moment. An excellent match and a great moment that concludes a very good wrestling show."
[9.0] "Really fun match, great crowd. Naito's tranquilo antics are always enjoyable to me. Moxley's crimson mask is gruesome as it clearly keeps on flowing, leading to phenomenal visuals. The false finishes at the end had me at the edge of my seat. One hell of a way to win the title."
[8.0] "A very solid main event, Naito isn't what he used to be sadly and can't go as much especially after having a long singles match just a week before this but he was still great Match started out a bit slow for me but was held together by their interactions, as characters they just contrast each other very well. The ending stretch was super solid, Mox bleeds as per usual but this one was pretty wild even for him and it was great. Some people might not like the result as much but I'm for it, I love Naito but he just cant go as much anymore and NJPW needs to freshen up its main event scene, hoping Mox comes to japan for a bit"
[9.0] "Historical moment in front of a good crowd. Solid performance with both of them and finishing at the peak, but not too close to a 10/10 in my books. Great color on Moxley."
[7.0] "This really picked up when Moxley got some color. That's one hell of a crimson mask to say the least. Excellent finishing stretch with terrific big moves, nearfalls & atmosphere. Wasn't really feeling the first half of the match much, but they got me in the 2nd half. Good match."
[9.0] "The action in this was probably a 7 or 8 but that is all elevated by the atmosphere of this match. Coming in the hope was Mox to be the first "forbidden grand slam" champion. The "will they do it" and "no way they put the belt on Mox" was the talk among fans. Naito had only won the title in January so was it too short a run? Nah they didn't care about any of that! They crowned the ACE OF THE WORLD and now the agenda is clear. Mox vs Shooter for WK, after Shota was the G1. This is what we want. It's time for NJPW to create the next generation of leaders in this company and Shota and Tsuji are it. Love this match love the result."
[10.0] "Tetsuya Naitos best title match during this run was his last. Naito and Moxley played well off of each other like their initial G1 match, with the former testing the latters patience, forcing Mox to make mistakes along the way. Good storytelling in that regard/ match structure. Id go as far to say this match was easily better than their first (which was great in its own right), because of a higher intensity and crowd atmosphere during the final stretch. I think what made this match great and stand out against much of Naitos recent output is the cutting out of unnecessary filler/fluff. The match was consistently intense but it all built to an exceptional final 5 minutes. Those last 5 minutes are what takes this match over the top. Excellent match and MOTN on an great show."
[7.0] "As a main event, this was perfectly serviceable. Moxley resorted to his usual tactic of blading to draw intensity and heat into the match, but he did everything else just fine and it didn't really bother me as a "cheap" way to get the match going. Naito stepped up as well, and while he didn't go into the extra gear we usually see him go into for bigger NJPW main events, he did enough here to keep pace with Moxley. The closing stretch is what you would expect from these two, although it wasn't anything special. ****1/4"
