Ren Ayabe vs. Yuma Aoyagi

[6.0] "It is interesting watching Ayabe trying to put the pieces together, he is clearly trying to add more than just an ability to do moves but he is not a guy with natural charisma and he does move kind of awkwardly so its a up hill battle and some of his early show boating in this did feel natural, you can definitely see improvements in his work over the past 12 months though so he is on the the right track. Slightly weird match with Ayabe in control before Aoyagi gets the come back and chokes him out. Extra point for finish looking so good."

[6.0] "This match was alright. Ren Ayabe still feels pretty green to me, but Yuma Aoyagi worked well around his limitations and made this into a good match."

[7.0] "It was interesting to see Ayabe trying to be as confident as possible and own the ring, he continues to be more and more comfortable in his own skin. Aoyagi though was just great here - he sold like a champ for Ayabe, but still made his win feel earned."

[6.0] "I enjoyed this. They clearly have high hopes for Ayabe and I think they are right but it's still early for a big push. He benefits from being in this match and looking good moreso than he would to win at this point. ***1/4"

[9.0] "Really great match for a shot at Yuma Anzai and the Triple Crown. Aoyagi and Ayabe do a ton with the short time they're given. Aoyagi's submission finisher at the end of this match just looked absolutely brutal. The inevitable Aoyagi vs Anzai match is gonna be great."