[10.0] "Granted, my rating for this show is GREATLY heightened by the fact I was there live. But man it was so much fun. From the fast paced opening tag to the brutal semi main event, I had a blast watching BITV."
[4.0] "This was a total 1-match show, with the rather hyped-up semi-main-event being rather bad and all the other, more inconsequential matches ranging from fine to alright at best. The opening 6-man tag was fine. It had very competent work all around, but Isaacs, Nelson, Rosser, and even Lawlor were all pretty bland, with only Fatu and Shota's energetic output and far superior crowd connection making for any real interest, and even then they lasted only a short while. **1/2. Perry's post-match attack on Shota was definitely unexpected, and I'm not even a big fan of him but this particular feud and new direction has me interested. Rocky & Soberano vs Dorada & Volador was alright but mixed, since half of their various lucha spots/sequences were over-choreographed and -cooperative, but the other half were actually pretty decent and featured some impressive flashiness and athleticism. **3/4. TJP vs Finlay was alright. TJP's impressive agility, speed, timing, and bumping made this as enjoyable as it was, and I enjoyed his few various hope spots, but Finlay was a lot less interesting and just felt like he was merely 'there', even if his own work was admittedly at least decent. ***. ELP & Hikuleo vs Coughlin & Connors was fine, with a decent story and decent work from everyone, but there was absolutely no real fire or creativity to it. At least ELP and Coughlin both had a few fun moments, but Hikuleo and Connors didn't offer much. **1/2. Giulia vs Adora was another fine-at-best match. It was basically your average wannabe 'epic', as after some cheesy early standoffs and completely okay trades they suddenly went for big bombs, no-sells, and needless quick recoveries in very amateurish fashion, with none of their spots or sequences looking nearly as cool as intended. Adora had some okay powerhouse offence but her strikes were woefully slow, whereas Giulia impressed more due to her decent power moves. **1/2. Cobb & Riddle vs Sabre & Tito was okay. The main issue was Riddle, who got a lot of highlight moments but often had pretty underwhelming technique in everything. Sabre outclassed him in every way, considering they both had mixed striking-and-grappling styles. Cobb and Tito, meanwhile, were fun as the athletic and energetic powerhouses, nicely contrasting with their partners. Both teams took turns getting brief control periods and a handful of tag spots, but there was never anything significant. **3/4. Kingston vs Kidd was fine. If you expected these 2 to do a completely generic 'fighting spirit' strikefest, you were correct. I have issues with both guys' character work but at least Kidd's unhinged and abrasive aggression felt more believable than Kingston's hokey 'prideful warrior' 90s puroresu cosplay. Kingston's chops were okay, though as usual he overly relied on them because he's incapable of anything else offence-wise. His scrappier strikes always looked pretty bad, though. Kidd's own chops were pretty mediocre, but his character work was more interesting and believable to make up for it. I didn't have too many outright issues with their interactions here, but there was just nothing noteworthy about any of them. Kingston's various fire-ups were embarrassingly hokey, as was his attempted 'exhausted' selling. They then had a stupid finish with the incredibly cheesy moment of Kidd provoking Kingston via some generic insults on the mic to lead to a double count-out, which brought the match down further. **1/2. Shingo vs Moxley was an uncreative and mindless mess. The 1st half was generic messy-brawling, lazy 50/50 strikes, and mostly uncreative weapon attacks. Moxley's strikes were mediocre and even Shingo only impressed with his bigger strikes, while their weapon spots were completely generic and often even weak-looking, which made it jarring when both would sell everything as if it was super damaging). The match then totally fell off a cliff in the final 1/3rd with Moxley's dorky no-selling and fire-ups, his stupidly deranged selling and character work, and how he embarrassingly not just survived a ridiculous number of Shingo's biggest moves in quick succession but then also made sure to completely no-sell them as well, making a complete joke of both Shingo and the match itself. At least Shingo's fiery intensity and explosive big moves were cool, but Moxley made that all for naught. **1/4. Okada vs Ospreay was literally the only match you should bother checking out. It wasn't truly great but definitely very good. Ospreay, being in front of a western audience, was positioned as the intense and aggressive babyface against Okada's heelish cockiness and viciousness. Okada's neck-targeting was really good, and Ospreay sold it all well while also bumping well for his other offence before then getting very fiery in his fast-paced and athletic comebacks. Ospreay then of course settled into his usual mentality of running through all his 1000 signature moves, and all were at least well-executed, but I found Okada's corresponding selling and sudden counters more exciting. Okada remained fun with his aggressive and arrogant displays, leading into some fun rapid trades, though they could've been better paced with more selling and/or character work. They had some cheesy but inoffensive finisher tributes/steals and they also genuinely got me on the 1st Rainmaker near fall. After that spot they smartly reset with a much slower pace and heavier selling before slowly ramping back up into their excitingly fast-paced and athletic counters. For the most part they didn't innovate with their move trades, though they did still throw out a few nice new ideas to make sure this wasn't an immediate hand-waive in favour of their more classic matches. ***3/4. Props to Okada and Ospreay for not making this show a complete mess, but it was overall still really weak."
[8.0] "Das war insgesamt gesehen eine sehr anständige Show wo gerade die zweite Hälfte sehr gut überzeugt hat. Die Show begann mit einem netten Trios Match. Nichts was ewig in Erinnerung bleibt aber doch ganz unterhaltsam um reinzukommen. Das CMLL Tag Team Match hat mich dann nicht ganz so überzeugt. Da war ein wenig der Wurm für mich drin und es hatte einfach keinen guten Flow. Finlay und TJP hatten diesen dann aber doch ein Stück mehr und so gab es ein solides Match der beiden. Ich hätte den War Dogs den Titel sehr gegönnt und hätte mich für sie gefreut. Die wirkten beide auch sehr motiviert. Schade drum. Giulia gegen Adora war vollkommen ok, ein Titelwechsel kam hier eh noch nicht in Frage. Solides Match der beiden. Ich brauche Riddle eigentlich nicht mehr, aber das Tag Team Match war schon wirklich gut. Das kann man leider nicht bestreiten. Kingston und Kidd hatten beide Bock und haben sich ganz ordentlich vermöbelt. Das hat Spaß gemacht. Mox und Shingo haben dann noch einen drauf gelegt. Klar mein MOTN zwischen den beiden. Die hatten Bock sich zu zerstören mit allem Plunder der da war und das haben sie auch gemacht. Im Main Event gab es noch ein sehr gutes Wrestlingmatch und so wird die Show vor allem wegen den beiden letzten Matches gu in Erinnerung bleiben."
[7.0] "Battle In The Valley was a good show but nowhere near as good as I thought it was. Shingo/Moxley was match of the night for me. It started it out quite slow but had a great finish. Ospreay/Okada was very good but not even close to on par with their previous matches. Finlay/TJP was the surprise of the night for me. The Jack Perry appearance was a nice addition as well. It was a good show just not as good as I expected."
[7.0] "Good main event from Okada and Ospreay in what is turning out to be one of the last NJPW singles main event matches for both men. Mox vs Shingo was a decent brawl, but IMO a little on the long side and not wholly to my taste. Kingston vs Kidd was solid with some decent heat behind it. The rest of the card was fine; nothing necessarily standing out as remarkable but certainly nothing bad. Very solid show overall."
[6.0] "This show is just a build up to the next NJPW events, nothing more nothing less. Most of it has a house show feel, many of the matches could have been better. It had the worst Shingo Takagi match I've seen in the last five years because he was simply out of his element. Essentially, the show's only value comes from the main event, which wasn't even Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay's best match, but was still a great enough clash. Everything else was underdelivered. Besides Matt Riddle's tag team match, it's very fun..."
[6.0] "My two bright spots were Finlay/TJP and, of course, Okada vs. Ospreay. The biggest lowlight was Kidd/Kingston and the rest was rather middle of the row. I really hope with the shifts New Japan seem to still be in the middle of, that we can get back to a little more of the classic Puro style but it's definitely still fun to watch."
[8.0] "Das war seit längerer Zeit endlich mal wieder eine New Japan US Show, die mich tatsächlich interessiert hat, da die Card wesentlich mehr Starpower hatte als zuletzt. Auch für den Event im April sieht es ja bisher ganz gut aus, da Moxley nach seinem Match Naito herausgefordert hat, was möglicherweise sogar ein Titelmatch werden könnte und Mustafa Ali noch Hiromu herausgefordert hat, was sehr interessant werden dürfte. Erwähnenswert ist natürlich auch noch das "Debut" von Jack Perry bei New Japan, was total aus dem Nichts kam. Mal sehen, was man darauf macht, ich bin aber total offen dafür. Die Matchqualität der Show passt eigentlich durchgehend, fand es im Opener schön, dass Jacob Fatu dabei war und das zweite Match war ein sehr schönes CMLL Offer Match, bei dem ich zum ersten Mal den neuen Mascara Dorada gesehen habe. Guilia vs. Trish war ebenfalls echt nett, Kingston vs. Gabe Kidd super intensiv und auch gut aber mit klarem Finish wäre es noch besser geworden. Moxley vs. Shingo finde ich hier leider überbewertet und ich wäre eher bei 7 Punkten für das Match. Ich habe allerdings auch zu keiner Zeit richtig in das Match reingefunden. Daher ist der Main Event für mich auch MOTN und zwar deutlich vor allem anderen. Ein sehr starkes Match und eine richtig gute Entscheidung Ospreays letztes Singles Match gegen Okada zu booken. Der Rest war in Ordnung."
[10.0] "This was a fantastic show, the people in San Jose were treated to great New Japan action, up and down the card. The top matches delivered in a huge way, as the final two were memorable in completely different ways. The ending of Will in New Japan was handled perfectly, with the possible exception of him getting the win over Okada, but if you were realistic, you knew that wasnt going to happen. Great send off for a NJ legend, and a very heartfelt promo as well. He will be missed in New Japan and leaves a gaping hole, with all the valuable contributions he made. Also really liked some of the other matches. Kingston and Gabe Kidd was just a wild chaotic brawl and chop fest. Was very impressed by Kidd, he has an aura and presence that makes you think he can become a star."
[9.0] "Fred Rosser, Jacob Fatu & Shota Umino vs Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaacs & Tom Lawlor: A fun way to open Battle In The Valley, with some good in ring action especially from Jacob Fatu, the Team Filthy team-work/arguments make for interesting watching, Shota Umino picking up the win was the right decision [***]. Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr vs Rocky Romero & Soberano Jr: Really good lucha tag match, quite a few good decent lucha libre moves and then again it did involve 4 good luchadores [***3/4]. David Finlay vs TJP: A great back and forth match, a sort of preview of the United Empire/BC War Dogs steel cage match on 11th February, TJP should be in line for a title match for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title after a STRONG (no pun intended) showing against the champion Finlay even if TJP did lose [****]. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo vs Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors: The BC War Dogs duo tried to take out Hikuleo a few times, did not succeed, and the GOD duo did their best in a good title defense [***]. Giulia vs Trish Adora: Really good title defense for Giulia, Trish Adora gave all her best against a dominant Giulia, enjoyed it from bell to bell [****]. Jeff Cobb & Matt Riddle vs Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr: Surprised to see Jeff Cobb as Matt Riddle's tag partner after such a long time, but Riddle definitely chose the right person for the match as it was a decent match and can't wait to see more of Riddle in NJPW [***3/4]. Eddie Kingston vs Gabe Kidd: This match could have been booked a bit differently than a double count out, the in ring work was average, in my opinion the weakest title defense for Eddie Kingston thus far, but the post match brawl was shocking to see [**3/4]. Jon Moxley vs Shingo Takagi: An absolutely brutal No Disqualification match, both took it to each other and it was better than I expected it to be, these two are two of the best wrestlers in the world and Moxley is one of the best hardcore style wrestlers in the world and it showed [****1/2]. Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay: Another instant classic from these two, they put on their usual banger of a match, they are two of the best pro wrestlers in the world and they want the world to know that, could not fault it one bit [*****]"
[9.0] "NJPW Battle In The Valley 2024 ist einfach ein fantastischer PPV wo ich, 9 fantastische Punkte gebe. Dazu habe ich alles im Guide bewertet und kommentiert."
[9.0] "I had some doubts after buying this ppv, did not knew if it was gonna be worth it, but gladly it was, what a great event... Jack Perry's return in the opener was probably one of the most surprising returns ever, nobody would've guess this would be the place and time for that, and there weren't bad matches either. The two last matches were phenomenal, and there were other really good ones too. Battle in the Valley delivered A LOT."
[6.0] "An alright event, a balanced of decent matches to good-great matches. Jack Perry appearing to the crowd is a shocker and a must-watch for the upcoming weeks. The way that he rips off the AEW contract possibly meaning that he is NJPW bound, fantastic. Mustafa Ali is also a good shocker there, can't wait for him to chase Hiromu Takahashi and his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. My match ratings, Umino/Rosser/Jacob vs Team Filthy, I liked how Lawlor tries to handshake Rosser at the beginning of the match only for the two to stop it, Jacob is just amazing in the ring, Umino getting better in his matches, but not as good as the rest of the card though, (**1/2), Dorada/Volador Jr. vs Romero/Soberano Jr., fun and exciting lucha libre match, I've never seen someone like Dorada doing that variant of Hurricanrana as it is more prone to botch, just amazing, Volador Jr. being that spry at 42 years old, fantastic, (***), TJP vs Finlay, my review on the matchguide, (***1/4), Hikuleo/ELP vs Connors/Coughlin, an OK match, (***), Giulia/Adora, my review on the matchguide, (***1/2), Riddle/Cobb vs Sabre Jr./Bad Dude, my review on the matchguide, (***1/4), Kingston vs Kidd, my review on the matchguide, (***3/4), Takagi vs Moxley, my review on the matchguide, my MOTN (****3/4) and Okada vs Ospreay X, my review on the matchguide, (****1/2). Okada and Ospreay embracing is such a touching moment until it has been ruined by Wardogs. Ospreay having a heartfelt speech and promised a mayhem against the Wardogs in the Steel Cage match is very cool to hear."
[8.0] "The first free matches kind of bored me to continue watching, but everything else was done great. Overall, a good show with great women's match and co- + Main-Event"
[9.0] "AWESOME event. Top to bottom. Just like last year, the 2024 BITV surpassed my expectations and delivered one of the best shows of the year so far. Mox/Shingo match of the night by a large margin."
[8.0] "I don't normally buy these STRONG Pay-Per-Views, but this one's card was way too good to pass up for just twenty bucks. And it delivered. Great show. Moxley and Shingo had a match of the year contender, Ospreay got a good send-off singles match, Jack Perry debuted and looks real good with the full beard, we got nice build to the Steel Cage match next month, Mustafa Ali Vs Hiromu Takahashi announced for Windy City Riot! Jon Moxley Vs Tetsuya Naito announced for Windy City Riot! Matt Riddle's debut was good. Giulia Vs Vaquer for the STRONG Women's Championship is set. Eddie Kingston and Gabe Kidd seem to be eyeballing a third match. A lot of talking notes coming out of this one. Great stuff."
[9.0] "I usually have fairly low expectations for a NJPW Strong show. A few of the main roster guys mixed in with some indie/AEW/ROH/Impact folks. Short undercard matches, some low level surprises, you know the drill. This surpassed every Strong show I've ever seen. Fatu's NJPW debut was a blast. The Jack Perry appearance was an example of how to do swerve-y nonsense the right way. TJP remains underrated. Loving our new tag champs. Wasn't super crazy about Riddle but everything else made a great show. Highly recommended."
[8.0] "Very good STRONG show but God's sake the ending doesn't make sense, at this point it would have been better if there had been no Okada/Ospreay match. And also, they fucked up everything with David Finlay. I know that somehow we have to get that Cage Match booked but they ruined something more important. ****1/4"
