[9.0] "Simplicity at its finest. Just two pros doing the dance like they have done on several occasions, with this being one of the better bouts in their history of matches against one another. Kotr/qotr tournament, you are so missed. ****1/4"
[6.0] "Rock solid TV main but nothing too interesting going on here. Just smooth and well worked pulling the crowd along for everything. Been a minute since a real RKO outta nowhere that doesnt feel too choreographed does the opponent in I feel like so it was pretty nice. ***1/4"
[8.0] "[3.75*] A match that I personally loved. This had the classic WWE Match trademark, with some great limb-work alongside a compelling and consistent selling building up to a huge moment (on this case, the RKO), and it was executed perfectly. Pretty simple but also pretty lovely, one of my favorite SmackDown matches this year between to phenomenal professionals. I was hoping for Gunther vs AJ but Gunther vs Randy should be incredible too."
[7.0] "This was a good match, very simple but at the same time logical, Styles did a lot of strikes on Randy's left knee, all the moves were well planned, and I think the sudden ending suited well what the match was asking for, solid work - {***1/4}"
[10.0] "Randy Orton and AJ Styles are the veterans in the industry and they delivered an excellent match. One of the best SmackDown match this month hands down. Both could win and it would be okay. Totally the right match for main event of this episode of SmackDown."
[7.0] "A worthy entry in their series of matches and a good one. Good limb work from AJ targeting the left leg, with outstanding selling by Orton. Witnessing Randy stumbling around with all this added mass is an incredible sight. Orton puts over any of AJ's forearm strikes by selling terrifically for them which gives the looming Phenomenal Forearm much more gravity, and when AJ finally did hit it, Randy did not kick out, he had to grab the rope to break the pinfall. Watching AJ hop onto the announce table from the barricade and then leap off it looking like a brick of beef in the process is amazing. It felt like the match was starting to kick into another gear before coming to an end with an RKO, and fittingly, out of nowhere. ***1/2"
[9.0] "Great work from both guys, Styles has always been an all time favourite of mine and Orton has grown on me like crazy, this is one of the best smackdown matches of the year (****1/49"
[7.0] "In the twilight of their respective careers, Randy Orton and AJ Styles are hungry and motivated to leave behind a legacy and in doing so are having one of their best years in a long time. This was great. Nothing extraordinary but being so simple in such a homogenized wrestling scene made it stand out. Randy, the babyface, earned every big spot which made the crowd cheer and boo accordingly. It wasn't all over the place. It's unfortunate that the commercials ruin the flow of the match hence only 10 minutes made tape. These two have had good matches before but I thought this was their best one yet."
[8.0] "Orton got some shine early on in this, and got to do some crowd pleasing spots but the real work of this match is Styles targeting Orton's leg and Orton having to sell it. Orton's selling was great, and he's a guy that knows how to incorporate limb selling into affecting the way he does his moves instead of just grabbing said body part after it was worked on. Neither guy could keep control toward the end until Orton hit an RKO out of nowhere, which I felt was the right finish for this match.***3/4"
[7.0] "Styles is so good. There's a sophistication to the execution here that makes this fun to watch. I found this to be quite the enjoyable main event!"
[6.0] "Orton and Styles have got a second wind in their in-ring performances. However, the bout felt a little generic, no creative sequences and very little drama. I've seen many better WWE TV matches this year. Just a fairly decent match with lots of leg work from Styles. Orton is not one of AJ's best opponents in my opinion"
[7.0] "Interesting match, a little slow in some points, but I enjoy the chemistry they have (to be fair, AJ have a chemistry with basically anyone). I'm curious what's next for AJ, can't deny he's getting old (even that he's still great). (***1/2)."
[7.0] "A fairly fun main event here. I know Styles just lost to Cody Rhodes at Backlash, but I think Orton winning was the right call. I think Tama Tonga is going to the Semifinals, so Orton joining him there makes more storyline sense than Styles. I could definitely see Orton going to the Final was well. A match against GUNTHER really intrigues me."
[8.0] "A damn great way to end the show with AJ Styles and Randy Orton. The star power and history between these two really made you watch and I thought this was the best match they've ever had together. It was a good match with compelling storytelling elements along side it and the selling from the both of them was MWAH! 8.5/10"
[7.0] "A very good, if not typical TV main event that grew into something a bit more special once Orton ended up on the outside.Styles leaping from guardrail to table and all over the place really set the tone for his desperation, and Orton is so good at doing as little as possibile to get a lot of emotion out of the situation here. I promise that's a compliment, especially in context here with the way Orton fights out of the calf crusher. I'm not sure where AJ goes from here and I'm not sure I liked the finish, but it was a fun close to the show."
[9.0] "Styles has really worked himself back into the main event and the good graces of people who thought he was washed, and Orton seems to be putting in some of the best work he's done in a while. A really good match to end a solid show."
[7.0] "[3.75*] What the hell happened to AJ Styles? Everyone thought he was washed but out of nowhere he started making some bangers, with good performances from him. The handling of the match was good, both are experienced and told a fun story, Randy escaping AJ's submission while AJ desperately tried to win as quickly as possible and not let Randy do the RKO. The ending was fun and the RKO from nowhere was amazing, great win for Randy and great performance from Styles."
[7.0] "Really solid match here between two greats. Randy Orton felt invested here and worked well with Styles. It was a more smartly worked match without as big of a focus on workrate and that's perfectly fine for a TV main event."
[7.0] "Good match. Two crafty veterans put together a well thought out and executed match that focused on storytelling. Orton was in control until Styles targeted the knee, continuing to go after it in various ways, which Orton does a great job selling. Orton had to rely on last second desperation moves to prevent Styles from hitting something that would have surely ended the match. Orton got the win with a RKO out of nowhere. 7/10"
[8.0] "Loved the combination of AJ Styles' ferocity and Randy Orton's ability to strike, told perfectly in that ending sequence. AJ took a moment too long and got the RKO. ****"
[8.0] "Simple can also be great, without the need for big spots or masterful moves. This fight is based on excellent storytelling from two great maestros of the ring. Randy's work as a babyface is very good, as much as AJ Styles' work as a heel, they have excellent chemistry, which spills over in the ring and makes their ages seem like just numbers even though they are far from their physical peak. Orton with a simple work on Styles' back, bringing the audience to him and bowing to them like an actor at the end of a play after throwing his opponent against the commentators' table is insanely good and funny! But what really catches my attention is the way Randy worked selling the leg, whether dragging, or visually more dejected when applying the moves, it's graceful, in addition to preventing Styles from doing the Calf Crush in every way, knowing being the one that would probably end the match, and avoiding further damage when something so simple and at the same time so intelligent happens, which is when Orton takes advantage of Styles' jump to push him out of the ring with his good leg. The ending was simple, with a well-done RKO, coming out of nowhere, protecting the finisher for both. [4.25*]"
[7.0] "The match that saved the show. Looking at the competitors you knew it would be excellent and it was. The one really bright spot in an otherwise boring show."
"8.0 for this match. Great main event for smackdown. It was so interesting, both wrestlers showed why they are one of the best in the world. I didn't know who could won it until that big RKO from The Viper."
[7.0] "AJ & Randy are still going strong even though they're two decades in (and then some) in their wrestling career. They deserve the main event spot. They went "all out" in this one, showing up and showing out. AJ is enjoying a renaissance in his career and for a good reason. As an in-ring performer, he's so good. Randy played the injury angle well but overcame it to finish the match with his signature move. He's a fan favorite, so it was the right call to have him qualify for the KOTR 1/4 Finals."
[8.0] "I honestly don't know what more you could ask for in a Friday Night SmackDown main event, it was everything you could hope for with two big names, star power, good wrestling, a solid story and a hot crowd that was invested in everything the protagonists did in the match. Simple but effective story with Styles attacking the leg and Randy selling it well. Styles insisting on the Calf Crusher was very smart. Everything was really good, maybe their best match together, this AJ Styles run is awesome."
[7.0] "This was a quality TV-match between two veterans of the game. Fun initial shine by Orton, followed by AJ targeting his leg - solid work there, and Orton's selling is good as well, making this a very enjoyable match to watch."
[8.0] "AJ Styles Vs Randy Orton was another killer main event for wwe. Happy to see in ring work begin to get a greater focus even on television. Again killer match. 8.56"
[8.0] "They sold the ambiguity of this match well. As soon as Randy convincingly started to sell his leg, I had no idea who would win due to how good Styles looked in defeat at Backlash. That poor man's back after being smashed on the barricade and announce table multiple times. The crowd showing love for Orton will never get old. I like how there were consequences to Randy's leg being worked on by Styles. He couldn't get his usual offense out at first and had to find an extra gear. They took their time and told a great story. Now, just like with Naomi, where does AJ Styles go from here after two recent big losses? Good main event - crowd went home happy, best match of the evening, advanced the overall story."
[7.0] "This match was being really, really good until the end. Sorry, AJ should've been the SmackDown finalist of the tournament and go for Gunther in an all-timer classic, delivering one hell of a TV match with Melo and even have the possibility of crossing paths with Tama Tonga at the semifinals. But it's not AJ losing what I hate the most, but how. I was ok with Randy hitting the RKO out of nowhere, but AJ Styles has enough status to be able to kick-out of it, and not only that, he lost against someone on one leg after being able to have him under control during 90% of the match with a great and coherent limbwork and equally logical and convincent selling by Randy, who put one of his best performances since returning and he looks like he finally stopped doing the most basic job possible to now work more complex matches and with great results like this one. I was considering this match to be worthy of **** or *** 3/4 at least, but having AJ losing and how he lost was something I didn't like at all, so I go with *** 1/2."
"The ring chemistry of these two is on a different level. No matter what show we are on in 2017, 2019, 2021 or 2024, Orton and AJ are making this happen. Great W for Orton."
[7.0] "Good match between two seasoned pros, which was what this show badly needed. I think AJ Styles realises time is starting to wind down for him, so he's put both Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton over in the space of 7 days. Let's see if he continues to pay it forward."
[8.0] "How many matches there were between these guys: it's impossible to count! But I'll say for myself that I've always seen chemistry in AJ and Randy's matches against each other. Yes, it is possible that in this particular match someone will not like the decision that AJ lost, but he recently fought against Cody for the title. So maximum he could make someone younger look better. For fun, that's what happened today: Randy for almost is three years younger than AJ :) Well, jokes aside, unfortunately AJ didn't help anyone look better: Randy always feels confident in the Main Event. All right, 8/10 for this match."
[6.0] "A pretty decent match, not much more than that, for my taste this is the second weaker Styles vs Orton, I feel like this time they didn't put as much of themselves into it as they did in their previous matches (although good storytelling remains). Anyway, both wrestlers have very good chemistry for which they gave us good moments and entertainment but I can't help but think that this match should have been more advanced in the tournament, it's sad to see AJ lose in the first round, but hey, it was Randy Orton who did it."
[10.0] "Styles and Orton have both been on a tear ever since Backlash. Styles getting a Five Star and Randy almost getting one just proves how good these two guys are. This is one of the best Matches in the tournament, and these had some great Moments. Randy showing his ring awereness and kicking out of some big moves. I was actually kinda suprised that Randy Won this match. I really thought that Styles was going to win and go against Carmelo Hayes, but seeing this match between Randy and Melo is going to be very cool."
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