Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA

[8.0] "The best performance of SANADA's NJPW career up to this point, and another entry into Okada's all-time great world championship run. 4.25 stars"

[10.0] "Awesome main event. SANADA actually made me believe he was gonna win multiple times and Okada did amazing too. There were more spots that you wouldnt really see out of both men (SANADA's running cross body over the top rope, Okada's spring board dropkick to the apron) and they really busted their ass and made this match worth a watch."

[6.0] "This was not great. It was good but when you are facing the best version of okada and a wrestler that may go down as the goat you need to have a better match. Sanada and okada do not have good chemistry and their matches always feel slow. It is not just technical slow it is boring slow."

[7.0] "Not a bad match but for me Sanada and Okada never really clicked or had that perfect chemistry like Okada had with many other wrestlers."

[9.0] "Unbelievable that people initially weren't excited for Sanada vs Okada, for me it looked like a a guaranteed MOTYC and it delivered. I loved this match. It was such a joy to watch. Sanada's work on Okada's neck throughout the match was very good. Some spots like the piledriver on the ramp looked devastating. Okada sold it well, flinching a few times and subtly grabbing his neck a few times. Love that stuff. The crowd was hot for the match. The crowd was split 60/40 in favorite of Okada but Okada being as great as always gave the heat to Sanada who ran with it and gave an amazing performance. I always thought Sanada was a great wrestler and this match just confirms it. Okada adding another match to an already fantastic resume, showing again that he is on another level. Fantastic Match. ****1/4"

[10.0] "Excellent match. This was SANADA's best match to date. The first 10-15 minutes are the generic New Japan match formula, but both guys did a great job during this period to not let it get boring. SANADA worked Okada's neck throughout the match and his work on top was great. Loved the piledrivers and that massive neckbreaker from the top rope. Okada gave a masterful selling performance, which isn't always his strongpoint. He always showed discomfort from his neck and his selling during the second half was especially good. The final 15-17 minutes are where the real drama is and both guys went all out with their exchanges. The crowd was super hot and was hoping for a SANADA upset. Although it didn't make sense for SANADA to win, his nearfalls and Skull End drama were tremendous and made him look like a real threat. SANADA went overboard with the Moonsaults which led to Okada regaining control. There was one final exchange between the two which made you think SANADA might get the big upset but Okada shut him down with the Rainmaker. This match proved SANADA could be a main event star. Great performance from him and a typically strong performance from Okada. One of Okada's best defenses from his 4th title reign. *****"

[9.0] "Starts off slow but crescendos throughout until a fitting climax. There are some moments of sloppiness, and I'm not a big fan of Skull End as a finisher, especially when we have to see it over and over again as we do here, but almost everything clicks and brings the fans into the line of thinking that they just might see the end of Okada's reign even though everyone knows that's not going to happen. ****1/4-****1/2"

[7.0] "Good enough, drifts a bit and is predictable. If it wasn't fourteen hundred days long it would have been a great match. ***1/2."

[10.0] "My favorite match of all time! The storytelling here is excellent, SANADA thought he finally would defeat Okada, but the Rainmaker always have a plan to defeat his opponents. This was the match that made Gedo realize that SANADA is the second force of LIJ, not EVIL. *****"

[9.0] "This was an excellent match, although I would have liked to have seen some more back-and-forth near falls at the end."

[9.0] "Coming into this match I expected to be completely bored, and while it is slow at parts, this totally shocked me in how good it was. The fact that I actually thought that SANADA could win in a few instants is what made this special, he looked like a legit threat to Okada here and, like all of Okada's defenses, he arguably looked stronger in defeat. ****1/2"

[4.0] "What the hell was this. SANADA and Okada are similar in a few good and bad ways and I was hoping the good would shine through but it didn't. SANADA's efforts in NJPW could be considered lazy at best - the Cold Skull persona just sounds like a cover for someone who genuinely doesn't care because here SANADA stonefaced all the way through which was made worse by Okada being lazy with him. If SANADA is a silent badass, he sucks at it. If he's an awkward quiet guy, he also sucks at it because both characters require some kind of emotion when pushed. Anyways, the match itself was two guys stonefacing for 30 minutes in an average match. Nothing new from either guy, it was every one of their normally tropes stretched out way too long. Things occasionally got fast and it quickly died down because both guys remembered they shouldn't emote or facially sell anything, just do things for a half hour and let the Osaka crowd carry the atmosphere best they can. The match was watchable but as a big title match and supposed coming out party for SANADA, it failed."

[6.0] "Kazuchika Okada (c) -vs- SANADA - (IWGP Title) [***] As expeted it started slow, and as expected it started picking up steam close to the 20-min mark like most NJPW main events these days. SANADA isn't the most explosive wrestlers, but he do know how to turn it on and make moments count. And that made the match! The Skull Ends, the moonsault and whatever new trick he could come up with, it really boosted the match when needed! Both went after each others finishers, but Okada is the record breaking ace... !"

[10.0] "When you buy into the 4th best guy in his faction of five as a legitimate world title contender, you know the company is doing something right. ****3/4"

[10.0] "One of Okada's best defences. They actually had me thinking Sanada might win. As usual, the last 15 minutes had me pissing myself. (****3/4)"

[9.0] "I sometimes forget how good SANADA can be when paired up with the right opponent. His abilities where on full display here as he and Okada put on a great main event. SANADA takes control early, working his opponent's neck. The pace is pretty slow for the first 10 or so minutes, but things pick up when Okada starts firing back. From there on out the match becomes highly competitive, with some tense submission sequences being the highlight. And while there weren't any true standout moments, the fluidity of the match alone makes it worth watching, which logical considering these two are some of the slickest heavyweights in the world. A truly all-round great match. ****1/2"

[9.0] "An awesome match that built really well. Crowd bought into the false finishes. Sanada's best match to date and Okada's best match of the year so far. ****3/4"

[7.0] "I enjoyed this to a certain extent, the super hot crowd helped, but it did feel a bit like just a generic New Japan main event. I like both guys but neither one showed me anything that I felt was special."

[10.0] "Okada just keeps putting on extremely brilliant matches and New Beginning in Osaka was no different even against an opponent like Sanada, MOTN *****"

[10.0] "Wow, what these two can put on. It's the third time they have a top level match, but this time, with the title at stake and in the main event of the night, they even went further, giving us a near-five star performance. Absolutely a fantastic match for fans of modern puroresu."

[8.0] "One of Okada's weaker defences, yet still thoroughly engaging. First, the negatives: this had the typical NJPW slow start. This slow 'start' lasted more or less the entire first 20 minutes, with only the final 12 minutes being where the real drama was. I won't say nothing happened during this massive period. There were lots of good manoeuvres from both men, some nice character moments where either would show off, and some nice story points established such as Sanada going for the Cold Skull and Okada underestimating Sanada. I really enjoyed all those factors, but I honestly found myself a bit bored with the pace being so restrained. I love Okada, and I usually love his slow opening phases, but that is usually only the case with big matches. That brings me to my second complaint: Sanada isn't a 'big match' competitor. Sure, there were some nice fan theories as to how Sanada could pull off this upset, and I wanted to believe it was possible, but Sanada has been such a dull personality in NJPW for so long that I wasn't invested in him. That's what also made it hard to get invested in those first 20 minutes. Despite these issues, I was biting on EVERY near fall and submission sequence in those final 10-15 minutes. Okada is a master of selling, and looked like he could collapse or submit at any moment. He really put over Sanada big time, making him appear like a real threat. Sanada held himself up well too though, pulling off some intricate exchanges with Okada and showing some great passion during those Cold Skull holds and when going for his moonsaults. Even though I knew it would make zero sense, I still ended up feeling like Sanada could win at any second. I loved that Sanada got too carried away by going for his moonsault instead of finishing Okada with the Cold Skull, allowing Okada to regain control. Sanada's impatience proved fatal, similar to Naito against Okada WK12. Great match. I'm definitely properly invested in Sanada after this match. ****"

[9.0] "Fantastic match but in the back half of Okada defenses. The first half was dragged out a bit too long but the final 10 minutes were really great. Overall better than Fale and EVIL but below the rest ****1/4"

[8.0] "Good match but no where near the levels of Okada's other defenses in his historic run. Okada and SANADA obviously work very well together."

[9.0] "Sanada's best match in New Japan to date. Okada did a great job as usual displaying the cocky, arrogant ace we've all come to know and love and SANADA came out with something to prove. You mix that in with great storytelling, amazing wrestling, and some wonderful hope spots, this easily make this a main event classic. ****3/4"

[10.0] "My god what a match. First off I am gonna say this, SANADA vs Okada > Naito vs Okada > EVIL vs Okada. Seriously, it was that fucking good. The SANADA entrance was badass, it was like a final boss type entrance & it legit gave me the chills when he came out. Okada has his usual cool entrance as always. During this match, the crowd were so pro SANADA that I did not even hear one Okada chant from the moment the match begun till when it ended with Okada hitting the Rainmaker which left the crowd feeling disappointed as they were DESPERATE to see a Cold Skull Shock that night. Regardless awesome, awesome match, SANADA is the future & he will indeed become IWGP HW Champion one day. Only a matter of time. ****3/4."

[9.0] "This match was the big break for SANADA, and thankfully he delivered and then some. Yeah SANADA delivered big time and proved more than EVIL did that he can hang in long main events with someone like Okada. Hell i'd go as far as to say this match was just a little better than Okada vs Naito from the Dome. Loved the storytelling, both guys showed urgency to win even with all the cool moves, and the crowd got especially hot for SANADA at times. Cold Skull is getting closer and closer to beating Okada, and it will be sweet when that eventually happens, ****1/2."

[7.0] "A good engind but people should be more critical about Okada, he looked and sold terrible during the first half which had barely any emotion. This match is no example of a great NJPW main event. *** 1/2 at best for the final cool spots but there was no brilliance in here, Okada is probably injured for how bad he looked and moved, only putting emphasis on the match when he did the rainmaker pose."

[10.0] "Great match. Another yet fantastic performance by Okada, and the best one by SANADA. I think New Japan has a new star here. This was all character work with Okada being an asshole, and SANADA winning the crowd and stepping up."

[7.0] "A very generic New Japan main event, but it was very enjoyable. SANADA is super smooth with everything he does & I thought he overall gave a strong main event performance. The first control segments by both guys were pretty meh even though the idea of SANADA working over Okada's neck to soften him up for his finisher was neat. The selling was pretty eh, both guys still did all of their stuff with worked over necks, but it's definitely better than doing their shit w/ worked over arms/legs lol. The finishing stretch was genuinely very good & exciting. Good match. ***1/4"

[9.0] "In every Okada big match he manages to capture my attention from the moment that bell rings until it rings again, this was no exception. As unlikely as it sounded they made me buy into the idea that SANADA could win in what was quite possibly the best match of his career. Like many opponents in this historical title reign he came out of the match looking better than going in. Incredible match. ****3/4"