[10.0] "When you have a tag match consisting of Tanahashi, Omega, Ibushi and Ospreay all in the ring together, you know it's about to be a certified classic, and this match most definitely was that, and to put this on a ROAD TO TOKYO DOME! ? This easily could have been at WK that year and it still would have been amazing. This started off nice and slow, both teams finding their ground and trading some blows, and as the match progressed it slowly became more chaotic and intense, turning into a complete trainwreck in the ring as all four men battled it out. The segment that eventually set up the ending was really cool, with Ibushi/Ospreay having their classic moment after the Rana' off the top. It was just chaotic and that's exactly what i wanted from this match, not them being respectful to eachother, i wanted to see a war unfold before my eyes, and that's what we got here. I still don't believe this is better than Hangman/Kenny Vs The Bucks at Revolution 20' Or The Bucks Vs The Lucha Bro's at All Out 21' in terms of tag matches, but it's definitely a close third."
[10.0] "Expectedly awesome match. A great new japan tag between 4 of some of the greatest wrestlers in the companies history. The ospreay/ibushi sequence towards the end is one of my favorites from both. I wasn't a fan of how slow of a build we got in this one comparatively speaking, but once the intensity ramps up it's really a special match. Definitely a classic tag"
[10.0] "The best New Japan build tag of all time, or at least that I've ever seen. Ospreay and Ibushi here are just electric and when Tanahashi & Omega are in things of course change dramatically but it's still so good. Add in all the great Omega/Ospreay stuff and it's just outstanding. 5 stars"
[7.0] "So here I am finally watching one of the most famous gif in wrestling in full. The villainous laugh behind made it even better. Ospreay could've had the win with Kenny eating the pin knowing he'd be leaving plus he's the champ. If I'm not mistaken, this is Opreay's venture in the heavyweight. By the way where was Tanahashi, dude was happy to be an afterthought."
[6.0] "So a large part of this match just feels like a singles match between Ospreay and Ibushi, which makes sense because Omega and Tanahashi had to do the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 13 and probably wanted to minimize any chance of getting hurt. This takes a while to actually get going and then when it gets going its basically just lots of trading kickouts of big moves."
[3.0] "Yeah, I really didn't care for this. This featured all the worst tropes of modern big match wrestling. The first half felt like everyone was stuck on house show mode, complete with Omega starting the match in a t-shirt to show everyone that he doesn't care about this. They established nothing of note. Omega seems to encourage the worst out of Ospreay here, with Ospreay gurning and gesturing in a way that was quite similar to Omega's worst tendancies. By the time the action started to pick up, I was already checked out and the match kept going and going with an endless amount of nearfalls before this one was mercifully over. I didn't hate the famous spot where Ospreay lands on his feet after an Ibushi top rope hurricanrana attempt and I love how well the cameras picked it up, but immediately after this Ibushi and Ospreay go back to exchanging weak forearms. A physical marathon of a match filled with moves the majority of wrestlers couldn't pull off, but that doesn't mean that a match is good."
[10.0] "Never mind, THIS is the greatest Road To tag ever. As I'm writing this in 2023, this is the last time the Golden Lovers teamed up in a pure tag team setting so this is a special match. Like Kenny said, all 4 guys left it all out there and made sure that their Wrestle Kingdom matches were can't miss. The start was slower, meant to build towards the insane second half of the match. Of course, THE viral spot happens in this one, where Ospreay proves he's inhuman by landing on his feet after Ibushi's top rope 'rana. The Golden Shower (yup) tease didn't pay off sadly, but with them being heavyweights here, I understand if they couldn't do it anymore. The finishing stretch was insane and there were maybe 3 times where I was sure the match would end, only for another crazy counter or Tana pin break-up to keep it going. The Golden Lovers finally put Ospreay down with the Golden Trigger and went out with a match more than worthy of their legacy. *****"
[10.0] "Someone named after the ants from chikara really complained about 'absurdity' in pro wrestling lol. not hating on chikara but that take is what absurdity actually looks like. Anyways this match bangs, and the fact that they had it on a road to makes it more impressive. Just your usual golden lovers bombfest and helped build the tokyo dome matches even more."
[8.0] "This was fantastic. A great setup to the Tokyo Dome matches and for me this is really where Ospreay began to break out as someone who could legitimately compete at the top of the heavyweight division. For me it lacked a bit of true tag team cohesion but understandable given the match's purpose, so the match had a ceiling in how good it could be but these guys really maximised that."
[2.0] "God, this just seemed to go on and on... granted, I'm just not a big fan of the New Japan big match style these days, but how many times can you watch guys trade mediocre forearm strikes? And that Ospreay/Ibushi spot, you know the one, really strained the limits of how absurd you can be in a wrestling match, the slow, disbelieving turn around as if someone just grew a second head out of their butt. Personal taste but this was bleah."
[9.0] "Oh my god where do I even start with this match. I think no one told these four this wasn't Wrestle Kingdom but just a generic Road to Tokyo Dome because they created something incredible......BUT I still think it was a disappointing match. Why? Because I honestly expected one of the best tag team matches ever, and after seeing that masterpiece of main event at Fighting Spirit Unleashed my expectations were even higher. So I'll understand if someone will think it was my fault because I expected too much, but let me explain. The match started off slow, which wasn't a problem since almost every match starts off slow. But this slow pace continued for almost 15 minutes, therefore it started to be a bit boring. I had the feeling they were fighting with the handbrake on during the entire first part. Then, I don't know what happened. Because the second part was absolutely fantastic, and it had everything I expected from this match: a super fast pace, incredible moves, excellent exchanges and a red hot crowd. It was pure magic, and so that's why I considered the match "disappointing". But I don't wanna say the match was bad because it absolutely wasn't. If the match had been all like the amazing second part, I would have given it a perfect score"
[10.0] "This was the first match new japan match I watched in full and its honestly incredible. A perfect appetizer for the upcoming wrestle kingdom as well as being a self contained banger for itself. The near falls are all fantastic and all 4 men have amazing chemistry. The perfect gateway into NJPW for me personally"
[10.0] "The last 5-10 minutes were spectacular, and the last stretch elevated this to a new level. In the end, the Golden Lovers use the Golden Trigger to defeat Tanahashi and Ospreay."
[10.0] "An incredible match with the moment of moments involving Will Ospreay and Kota Ibushi. You know the one... the one that has been GIF'd to death. *****"
[10.0] "Probably the best Road to tag match NJPW has ever had. The high octane action is still thrilling to watch. Kenny and Kota had awesome chemistry together. Will Ospreay held his own and truly felt like he belonged in the main event scene (spoilers, he did make it). It isn't a technical marvel it's just insanity. Great precursor to WK. It's weirdly a good entry point for NJPW because of how memed this match is."
[9.0] "Definitely one of New Japan's best tag team matches ever, Ospreay trying to survive Omega and Ibushi's onslaught made for some incredible moments, and while he was a teeny bit overpowered by the end, the finishing stretch is still absolutely crazy good."
[9.0] "Excellent match. Ospreay and Ibushi were the stars of the match and I will never forget that INSANE FLIP Ospreay did off the top rope to counter Ibushi's Hurricana. The match started off a bit slow and a little bland but once it got going, the action never stopped. Golden Lovers as always were amazing and although Tanahashi and Ospreay didn't work much together, their individual strengths did shine. The closing stretch was insane with some pretty close calls. The Lovers were a much better team and ultimately, their double team overwhelmed their opponents. ****3/4"
[9.0] "Anime-fast paced insanity that managed to work thanks to incredibly innovative moments and a little bit of your well-known gaijin/local extravaganza."
[8.0] "THIS MATCH RULED. It had almost everything you could want, amazing work, and an amazingly hot crowd, near perfect built for both matches as they all worked together to create something special."
[9.0] "Ho... Lee.. WOW! Every time I thought this match was a tad bit overrated, a new layer was peeled back and my feelings of shock and awe were exacerbated. And then they pushed me to a place that few matches have as far as raw excitement is concerned. Will Ospreay was easily the MVP of this match, with a laundry list of moments that came to define it. Considering this match had three of the greatest of all time alongside him, that's saying something about both Ospreay and the quality of the bout overall. I actually thought the first 20 minutes were kind of hit or miss at certain points, but I was also shocked that 20 minutes had gone by. That's a testament to how easy it was to invest in the story and the action. Furthermore, the final few minutes rank amongst the best I've ever seen from a tag team match, and the Golden Lovers working over Ospreay's injured ribs provided a strong foundation for the story overall. 4. 75 stars, 9. 5 out of 10. A legitimate classic and a MOTY candidate on the very last NJPW show of 2018."
[10.0] "It's got a be an absolutely intense tag team match with the latest minutes being in fiiire with the crowd cheering all over the place out there ! 4 of the best wrestlers ever smashing each other around it was such a beautiful and an awesome result of a clash ! The Golden Lovers made things great ahead of their respective matches coming at this time able to overcome in their last match together it's just ridiculous !"
[10.0] "This might be the best Golden Lovers match that I've seen. It had the usual completely ignored tag rules that go with their matches, but it was so damn good it hardly mattered. I couldn't believe the stuff they were hitting with just weeks to go until the biggest show of the year. The Frankensteiner Ibushi hits on Ospreay only for Ospreay to land on his feet is one of my favorite moments of the match and was captured perfectly by the camera crew. It's the kind of camera work you usually only see in WWE, so even the camera crew deserves credit in this match. Ospreay deserves a lot of credit too for making this match go above and beyond what was expected. It was a precursor to the year he would have in 2019. ****3/4-*****"
[4.0] "Kinda bad for the most part, Kennys wrestling in a shirt on autopilot for most of it which is fine for the circumstances obviously, but yeah. That Ospreay-Ibushi double flip stare-down bit is probably the worst spot in NJPW history, lot of the big movez stuff feels like overkill too. Idk not as bad as that awful GL-YB match but really overrated nonetheless **"
[10.0] "My god this reminded me of the classic AJPW tag matches of the 90s. 4 of the best wrestlers in the world in one match and boy did they put on a show. Ospreay and Ibushi were the stars of this match. Their similar styles meshed perfectly and Tanahashi and Omega were good at building up for their upcoming Wrestle Kingdom matchup in January. That double Spanish Fly was really cool! Awesome tag team match! WWE, take notes. *****"
[9.0] "Es ist nicht das erste Mal, dass es diese Konstellation zwischen den Gegnern bei Wrestle Kingdom in einem Tag Team Match gibt, aber ich kann mich nicht daran erinnern, dass es schon mal so unterhaltsam war. Das war eines der besten Tag Team Matches im ganzen Jahr und nochmal ein richtiger Kracher zum Jahresabschluss. Ospreay war für mich hierbei der MVP des Matches und der Konter gegen Ibushi ein Highlight, welches ich so schnell nicht vergessen werde. Das Match extrem gut konstruiert und es ist schon erstaunlich, wie es New Japan Tag Matches immer wieder schaffen ohne eine wirkliche Downphase aus zukommen. Es ist schade, dass dieses Match das letzte der Golden Lovers sein sollte, aber sie hatten sich in kurzer Zeit erneut zu einem der besten Tag Teams der Welt etabliert und dieses Match war zweifellos ein würdiger Abschluss. **** 1/2 (11)"
[7.0] "Zu Beginn etwas langweiliger, später jedoch durchaus spektakulärer Kampf, der mit einigen starken Nearfalls punkten kann, jedoch über weite Strecken ein wenig mit angezogener Handbremse geführt scheint. Besonders Tanahashi und Omega gehen sich weitesgehend aus dem Weg, was sicherlich im Hinblick auf ihr folgendes Dome-Match verständlich war, jedoch nicht unbedingt in eine packende Matchstory mündet."
[7.0] "Better than the last Golden Lover tag. Ospreay on bottom working against the explosive heavies was a fun theme and him with Tana is a cool pairing. It did go too long and that famous Kota/Ospreay dramatic moment is the worst thing to happen in NJPW in 2018 and brought the match to a halt but rest of it was good."
[9.0] "Great match. Really picked up the last 10 min and typical with these Golden Lover gags with 4 of the best in the world it? s hard to not have something special"
[10.0] "Das Match riecht bei den Beteiligten ja schon nach was Großes und das wurde es ja dann auch ! Normaler Beginn mit schönem Aufbau und Sicht auf die folgenden Kingdom Matches ... Das Tempo zieht rasant an und vor allem Ospreay packt krasse Aktionen aus und ist auch sehr präsent im Ring ! Omega und Ibushi harmonieren wieder perfekt und zeigen fantastische Aktionen zusammen ! 4 3/4 Sterne und 10 Punkte von mir"
[9.0] "Ich weiß jetzt echt nicht aber habe ich da nicht 9 Punkte gegeben? Wie auch immer ein fantastisches Tag Team Match und eine wahre Dream Paarung mit vier Wrestler die zu meinen Lieblingen zählen. Unfassbar Tag Team Action und zig Highlights die da geboten wurden. Hier hat wieder NJPW gezeigt warum die Liga zu den besten der Welt zählt (****1/2)."
[8.0] "Gewaltige Action, die fast alle vier Herren da bieten. Tanahashi natürlich etwas eingeschränkt bei seinem eher übersichtlichen Moveset. Bei einem Tag-Match aus Singles-Sequenzen wird mir aber immer etwas fehlen. Der ? Jetzt ist er nicht ernsthaft auf den Füßen gelandet? -Spot empfinde ich auch eher als peinlich. So ist es zwar wirklich flüssige Action und eine Ansammlung starker Sequenzen, aber halt kein sehr gutes Tag-Match, aber dennoch beachtlich, dass man es hier auf einer Road To-Show einfach so raushaut. Der Hype war Ospreay/Ibushi ist da durchaus größer als bei Omega/Tanahashi. Gutes Ding, bringt in jedem Fall Spaß, wenn es auch insgesamt etwas zu lang ist. (****¼)"
[9.0] "Die perfekte Einstimmung auf den Tokyo Dome, ganz stark. Bedenklich ist aber, dass dieses Match fast mehr Lust auf Ospreay vs. Ibushi macht, obwohl auch der Main Event gut gehyped wird. Dennoch, Ospreay und Ibushi werden komplett durchdrehen und ein total irres Match zeigen."
[9.0] "This guys are fucking insane. They are 10 days from Wrestle Kingdom and they put their bodies on the line in a "Road To" that I think was not meant to be that much excellent. I am not a big NJPW fan I am a fan based of WWE because what i go searching in Po-Wrestling is the storyline and the storytelling besides the In ring Work that in my opinion must be second place in the show after the entertainment factor. Psicology in ring in this match is basically inexistent. But besides I am not abig NJPW fan and that I am not really good to rate a NJPW match this one was amazing. One of japan matches I enjoied most personally. The intensity of the last final 5 minutes were amazing with insane bumps insane spots and false finish to no end. Amazing the hurracarrana from Ibushi to Ospreay in which will ospreay landed standing in the ring, or the spanish fly , I covered my eyes watching it I thought someone got break his neck and also . Ospreay was the real Highlight of this match , was his show and was an upper step from the others three that night. Really great in ring athleticism and work ... Wrestlekingdom will give us some stellar matches for sure."
[9.0] "Sure the final 10 minutes were as hot as you can get but the rest of it had nothing. Its only saving grace was the intensity of the Omega/Ospreay sequences, everything else was absolutely forgettable. Loads of OWA teases and counters, the sunset bomb looked absolutely brutal and this was just for a Road To. I wouldn't go for 5 stars but the final few minutes really pushed this thing up there. (****1/2)"
[10.0] "Großartiger Abschluss von NJPW für das Jahr 2018 und eines der besten Tag Team Matches des Jahres. Der Build Up für WK 13 ist dieses Jahr nicht in allen Belangen so besonders, aber dieses Match hyped die dort anstehenden Single Matches noch einmal so richtig. Match startet New Japan typisch verhalten und steigert sich im Verlauf immer weiter. Dabei werden im Rahmen der Matchstory die Titelkontrahenten schon mal schön gegeneinander gestellt. Vor allem Ospreay und Ibushi ziegen hier schon mal einiges. Aber auch Tanahashi und Omega stehen dem mit ihren Leistungen in nichts nach. Ospreay zeigt zudem, dass er er bereit für die Heavyweights ist, ohne dabei vollständig auf seinen spektakuären Stil zu verzichten, der ihn auszeichnet. Die Schlussphase ist an Dramatik und Spannung dann kaum zu überbieten und die vier schaffen es hier dieses für NJPW Main Events typische, "andere Level" zu erreichen. Besonderer Bonus: NJPW hat das Match bei Youtube veröffentlicht und ich kann jedem nur empfehlen sich das Ding hier rein zu ziehen. *****"
[10.0] "The tension of wills is so personal between Tanahashi and Omega, with the two of them separately viewing their own particular style as the one to propel New Japan into 2019. For Tanahashi, as the company has been under the reign of new management and tries to make a claim on an international stage, the loyalty to the history of New Japan must be preserved for the product to feel authentic, and the bolstering of domestic talent and those who deeply respect the tradition (like Ospreay) should be the focus. For Omega, I no longer believe he so much consider himself at the forefront of a revolution that is lead by New Japan-this has been a change in his character since becoming champion last June. Worldwide confirmations of his own superstar status have pushed him into a place where he believes the Elite around him controls the wrestling world, responsible, in Omega's mind, for the most important stories across wrestling promotions, and carving their own mark by not beholding themselves to any one place. It is a question of this generation's youth as we march forward... Do we respect what has come before us and draw upon our inspirations? Are we truer to ourselves as human beings by staying faithfully connected to the past? Or do we blaze a path no one has ever rode on before, possibly alienating ourselves intensely from others who do not fit our aggressive lust for discovery? Underneath this godly struggle, the foot-soldiers of this war within the match (Ospreay and Ibushi) are fighting for their respective sides, once again with the tides turned. The gaijin, Ospreay, fights with the Japanese Ace, Tanahashi, who has always had a disappointing reaction to the allegiance of Ibushi to Omega, believing that Ibushi never took his rightful place among New Japan lore by drawing this drastic line in the sand. For his part, Ibushi is looking to confirm his own beliefs that he can exist in a salient space, where his mannerisms, lifestyle, and approach to wrestling are his alone."
[10.0] "Einfach FANTASTISCH! Wer nach dem Match nicht auf WK13 gehypt ist dem ist nicht mehr zu helfen Klasse Matchstory Ospreay beweist einmal mehr das er nicht nur ein Spot Wrestler ist sondern auch ein Match führen kann Der Langsame Beginn hat dem Match gut getan umso spektakulärer wurde es im laufe des Match ****3/4"
[8.0] "8. 6/10 : God knows I wanted to rate this higher, if it wasn't for that utterly EMPTY of action first half. This match takes 15 minutes before it starts doing anything interesting or extraordinary, it's actually right after Will Ospreay delivers that insane springboard sunset flip powerbomb to Omega onto Ibushi (yeah you read that right) that this match earns extraordinary status and thus deserves this high rating. Last time these 3 of the top 5 wrestlers in the world met in the same ring (that time with Ishii rather than Tanahashi, which I enjoyed quite better) they tore the ring down in fantastic fashion and made us salivate for the next time they would cross paths again, well this match's second half quenched that salivation as we saw their amazing abilities mesh together once more to deliver incredible innovative spots in one hell of a hype match for WK13."
[7.0] "Definitely overrated (already! ), and I'll tell you why - Ospreay is just too powerful and it's ridiculous. He reverses seemingly everything, including the One-Winged Angel after Omega and Ibushi hit 4 (! ) signature/finishing moves in a row. That's just shitty booking, and it's literally unbelievable. Tanahashi basically doesn't exist for the last half of the match, and somehow two of the best wrestlers in the entire universe can't finish him, except for at the very end, when they finally do. The spots are super rad, but there is no psychology, and I just find Ospreay's push to be hilariously over the top. ***1/2."
[9.0] "NJPW caps off another great in-ring year with one of their best tag matches of 2018. Ospreay is a damn star, and possibly my pick for 2018 Wrestler of the Year. The dude went above and beyond the call here, bumping his ass off and pulling his usual crazy athletic feats. His strong style work was very good too, and thus he was perfectly matched up against Ibushi as they previewed their hotly anticipated Wrestle Kingdom matchup with ridiculous flips and stiff strikes all over the place. Ospreay was also very impressively matched up against Omega, as they had perfect chemistry to pull off the big move exchange portions of the match and Ospreay also did very well at selling Omega's more vicious attacks. Speaking of which, Omega was a bit odd here, but mostly good. He's sadly still overacting almost every single movement he makes, but then again he's also just awesome when he goes all killer on the opposing team and begins laughing maniacally as he crushes them. It's really only when Omega is a full-on heel when I can excuse, heck, even ENJOY his melodramatic acting, and thus he was really great here, alongside his obviously great in-ring work, which was always to be expected. I actually get really sad watching Tanahashi these days. I still think he's genuinely one of the greatest wrestlers in the world still, and he's slowly become one of my favourite wrestlers, but it's clear how worn down he's become with age. He makes up for his athletic and acrobatic shortcomings by putting 100% heart into every muscle movement and every facial expression, which allows him to still be an extremely compelling performer, but I genuinely worry that he won't be able to keep up with the high-octane style NJPW has honed these past few years, and I see him getting phased out of the NJPW top ranks in coming years. His performance was very disjointed from the high-paced and hard-hitting style of the other 3 wrestlers, yet the emotion he brought was still fantastic. ****1/4"
[10.0] "Incredible tag team match! Excellent chemistry and interaction. The best match on this show and one of the best tag team matches in this year."
[10.0] "It's funny how Tanahashi is given so many MVP awards even though he was clearly outclassed by the other 3 men in this match by a wide margin. He had a few good spots in here, but this match was all Ospreay trying to overcome the athletic marvels that are the Golden Lovers. I'm surprised they ended the year with a banger of a tag team match on a usually inconsequential house show, but I'm not complaining either, ****3/4."
[10.0] "What an epic tag match. The Golden Lovers just don't miss this year. Every match has delivered and this was no different. Not only was it a tremendous match, but it also built up both WK matches incredibly well. All of these guys gave it their all and didn't hold back. There's no bearing on any argument that One is lazy because these Road To tags he goes hard for. Just an awesome match that did everything right. Fantastic stuff ****3/4"
[9.0] "The Golden Lovers vs Ospreay & Tanahashi was bloody nuts! For all the criticism people have given this non existent build between Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi, they did an excellent job here. A step in the right direction for the match. Just shows what these two can do when they are actually in the ring with each other. Also not only did they tease Omega/Tanahashi well, Ibushi/Ospreay showed loads of promise in the match two. Some crazy stunts, and this is the build. I can't imagine what they are gonna do come Wrestle Kingdom. Everyone mixed with each other in the match which is why it was so great. They didn't kept to their respective feuds, they interacted with each other. Like Omega vs Ospreay. Great main event. ****1/4"
