[9.0] "Impressive match, but maybe one that aged poorly considering the type of matches and high level we have nowadays. If you look at it with today's eyes, it's definitely less impressive than it must've been at the time, so we need to give it some flowers. Low Ki performance was out of this world, truly outstanding... this match had a lot of amazing highflying moves and some stiff and hard-hitting sequences that made the place go crazy - {****1/2}"
[9.0] "Very good stuff, love the striking exchanges in which everything looks pretty brutal. Low Ki targets the midsection of KENTA with kicks, a body scissors, a reverse bear hug and his signature foot stomps. The GTS stuns Low Ki and KENTA drops him with a Busaiku Knee for the win. - ****1/2"
[10.0] "Perhaps there's no such thing as a perfect match, but this gets close. If you can imagine what a match between Low Ki and KENTA in their prime would be like, that's pretty much what you get, albeit executed as well as they possibly could with jaw-droopingly stiff strikes, big bombs, and great sequences that make this one of my favourite matches to revisit."
[9.0] "What a freaking match! If you want to see a wrestling encounter that is believable in every shot this is it, they battered each other with chops and kicks! Here they are both in their prime without any significant injury holding them back. Low Ki is a legit badass and despite his behaviours outside of the ring remains one of the best strikers ever when he decides to not knock his opponents out. KENTA was perhaps the greatest junior heavyweight wrestler at this time and he delivers an amazing performance that will be followed by a lot of other matches in the US. The final minutes are the cherry on top of the cake, great exchanges with each competitor busting out his top moves, but at the end the Japanese striker retains with the crowd going nuts, they chanted: "5 star match! " I usually reserve that title for the greatest matches ever, this was a little bit under them so ****3/4. Still a masterpiece."
[10.0] ""i cannot remember anything but the score i gave it in some old site" that's a very disingenuous way to go about rating anything, I hope it gets pulled. Anyways this is the probably the perfect balance between strikes and high spots, without anything actually feeling contrived in the way some modern matches are. Ki was Kenta's perfect opponent for his debut and the chemistry is instant."
[9.0] "This was an awesome and incredibly physical match between two guys with very similar styles. It was filled with stiff strikes and great sequences. The crowd was very hot for this and the finish was amazing. ****1/2"
[8.0] "Beautifully physical, as is to be expected, even if it is not quite as much of a back-and-forth fight as you might like from these two. Kenta leaping to the top rope and executing the falcon arrow is a sublime spot, the catch and counter into the Ki Crusher and one of the best top rope double foot stomps you will ever see are not far behind, and Ki's general selling of the beating doled out to ROH's guest is tremendous."
[8.0] "I should have adored every single thing about this match but for some reason I can't put my finger on, I don't. I still thought it was excellent and you get exactly what you expect."
[10.0] "One of my favorites immediately after watching it, it flowed so nicely and it felt like the action was never stopping, than it got near the end where all hell broke loose, some of the most brutal shit Ive ever seen in wrestling."
[9.0] "While I am a huge fan of KENTA so far, I haven't really been too hot on Low Ki from what I've seen of him (though I haven't disliked him either). However, it's clear as day that these two have very similar styles AND have great chemistry together. These two kick the snot out of each other and pull off some really sick spots. The crowd was also incredibly hot for this. Not much else to say, except this was a TRULY awesome showdown."
[9.0] "Kentas erstes Match bei ROH und er geht gegen einen Gegner, der im recht ähnlich ist in Low Ki. Beide gehen super stiff ans Match heran und treten sich die Seele aus dem Leib. Die Technik von Kenta und Ki ist sehr unterbewertet und das kann man hier oft genug sehen. Auch zeigen beide, dass sie eben auch sehr athletisch sind und hauen ein paar wirklich schöne High-Flying Moves vom obersten Seil raus. Die Endphase war stark und sehr ausgeglichen. Gelunges Debut für Kenta und eine starke Performance von Ki(****1/2)."
[9.0] "This was a joyous match for people who like hard strikes and people with violent, mean streaks. Not only do they work stiff, they wrestle the match at a Junior Heavyweight pace. There was some smart strategy implemented by Low Ki as well, who targeted KENTA mid section, utilising kicks as well as simple holds, such as a body scissors and a bear hug, effectively. KENTA guts (no pun intended) it all out to win the match and retain the GHC Jr Heavyweight Title in his ROH debut. ****1/4"
[9.0] "This was an indy dream match between two men with very similar styles, so you can expect plenty of stiff kicks! KENTA bullies Ki for the first few minutes until Ki is able to back control, which he would hold for the majority of this match. The last few minutes feature some incredible sequences and spots, but it never touches on feeling like a spotfest as these two make this feel like an explosive fight. Although this went over 25 minutes, this was an easy watch due to the aforementioned brutal strikes and jaw-dropping athleticism from both guys."
[10.0] "Hier bleiben einige Aktionen im Gedächtnis, obs Low Ki mit seinen Doible foot Stomps war oder KEMTA mit seinem Super Falcon Arrow Die Strike Kombo von KENTA hier wurde einiges Geboten! Und die Starke Crowd war die Kirsche auf der Sahnetorte Hervorheben will ich auch das Finish Bockstark wie Low Ki nach Dem GTS den Running Knee Strike noch einsteckt! Und was anderes als die Höchstpunktzahl kann ich nicht geben (****3/4)"
[9.0] "KENTA's ROH debut was a big deal already and then him vs. Low-KI? Brilliant. The action was awesome, a match that anyone can enjoy, two guys just beating the shit out of each other."
[10.0] "Aside from the Kobashi matches, this was the most important match in ROH history. This match brought american eyes to KENTA, solidified Low Ki as an amazing talent and capped off an amazing year for Roh. We all know about the amazing debut for KENTA but this was also Low Ki at his peak. The intensity, the stiff strikes and the quick pace made this easily one of the best Roh matches ever. ****3/4"
[8.0] "8. 4/10. This match did a great job of combining fast-paced high flying with hard-hitting strong style. These two made that combination work very well which gave birth to this great match that most certainly still holds up in 2018"
[10.0] "KENTA's makes an awesome debut in ROH against the perfect opponent. From the get go this match went very stiff very fast with each guy throwing kick after kick at each other. Low Ki in particular was impressive as hell in targeting KENTA's torso for most of the match. KENTA on the other hand sold his body really well especially with some of the brutal stomps that Ki delivered. Looking back it is probably a little cringey to see Ki doing some Four Corners worship moves (Kawada kicks, Kobashi chops, etc. ), but it didn't drag down my enjoyment at all. The final few minutes are fantastic with each guy pulling out the big guns with moves and sequences galore; my god those slap fights were stiff as fuck. In the end KENTA puts down Low Ki with not just a GTS, but a running knee right after for the win, ****3/4."
[10.0] "Ein weiteres Wahnsinns Match das man bei Ring of Honor gesehen hat. KENTA und Low Ki zeigten hier einen Klassiker den man immer wieder ansehen kann. Der Crowd war fantastisch und ja, das Match war fantastisch (****3/4). Edit 11. 07. 2017 So nach einigen Jahren wieder angeschaut. Bewertung und Kommentar bleiben gleich. Wird für mich immer eins der allerallerbesten ROH Matches überhaupt bleiben."
[10.0] "An excellent match that is deserved of its reputation. Both wrestlers work their asses off. Lots of back-and-forth, lots of awesome spots and sequences, a good amount of psychology, and a great pace. Hard to argue with this one. *****."
[10.0] "One of the best debut matches for any wrestler in any company ever. KENTA was welcomed to ROH with a bang - Low Ki was without a doubt the perfect opponent for his first match there, as their styles are quite similar. They beat the shit out of each other with their stiff strikes & quick combinations. Wild stuff. Terrific match. ****1/2"
[10.0] "This was AWESOME! Just an all out war for the GHC Jr Championship and it was so much fun to watch. So stiff and brutal and some great psychology too with Ki working over KENTA's mid-section and Ki also selling the arm trouble was good. Definitely a classic in my book and match certainly worth going out of your way to see as well. (****3/4)"
[9.0] "I have no idea why I hadn't seen this match for such a long time. Excellent stuff! Stiff. Definitely one of the best matches of either men's careers. Great bout. You watch this match and think about the potential Ki had."
[9.0] "This was such a great match for intense striking and balls-to-the-wall brutality, for incredible precision and athletic body control. What would have put it over the top for me would be a little more psychology, but regardless this was a lot of fun to watch, I can see why it is famous."
[9.0] "Wow, what a crazy match. The majority of it was just strikes and kicks, which can usually become a bit boring after like 10 minutes, but these two just performed their moves and combined sequences with flawless chemistry, meaning that it was never dull. It appeared that they were smacking each other as hard as they could, and the selling of everything was top notch, all making for a very exciting match. They seemed to have ideas for both to work over the other's body parts, as Low Ki targeted Kenta's mid section and lower back for a while and Low Ki seemed to have injured his arm at one point, but neither of their injuries were really focussed upon too greatly. That was a bit pointless in retrospect, but didn't take away from the match at all. The sequences between the two just get progressively crazier. I absolutely loved Low Ki pulling out that flying enzuigiri from the middle rope. It was so perfectly executed (although he did appear to land rather nastily). The finish was awesome, as Low Ki sells Kenta's GTS to make it look devastating before slowly stumbling into the centre of the ring for Kenta to deliver a solid running knee and win the match. Because of how fantastic the chemistry between these two was and because of how stiff they treated each other I really think this goes slightly beyond a simple 'great' match. It really was something special. ****1/4"
[10.0] "One of the best matches in the Ring of Honor. There was good everything. Interaction, infernal power, active viewers. A wonderful match, wonderful Low Ki, wonderful KENTA. ****3/4"
[8.0] "A good match, I like both wrestlers but I wouldn't call myself a fan of either. There was a lot of stiff looking kicks and some great double foot stops by Low Ki as well as some good athleticism shown by both. Very smooth looking moves with crisp reversals, I don't know what it was but it just didn't scream classic or incredible to me, still a good match though which I'd recommend, my rating is ****1/4."
[8.0] "I gave this **** stars out of 5. It was a great match and they struck each other so hard, that it was painful just watching it, haha. Finishing sequence was also really well done. Also, Low Ki probably sold the GTS the best way that I've ever seen. Highly recommended."
[10.0] "First ROH match I ever saw on dvd and boy did I love it. Stiff strikes and punches by both guys. Fantastic debut for Kenta and Low Ki looked fantastic. *****"
[10.0] "Ein exzellentes Match! Dieses Match war das Debüt Match für KENTA und er hat sich erstmal in die Herzen der Fans "gestifft". Für mich ein 5* Match! Die beiden nehmen sich hier 20+ Minuten auseinander dazu kommen einige sehr geile Nearfalls am Ende!"
[10.0] "Vor fast 10 Jahren ein absolutes Traummatch und auch heute ein extrem unterhaltsames Aufeinandertreffen zweier recht ähnlicher Wrestler. Die 25 Minuten vergingen wie im Flug."
[10.0] "I think this is the first time the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title was defended on US soil. WOW, what this match great. What a way for KENTA to make his ROH Debut. He and Low Ki put on a great match, and it was an awesome way to close the show."
[10.0] "Just awesome, one of the smarter and most hard-hitting matches ROH has ever had. There's a great mixture of athleticism, strong style, and technical wrestling, that manages never to feel incongruent or like it is only being put on to satiate the fans. Sometimes having two guys who are practically complete analogues for one another compete doesn't really turn out all that well, but these two were made to fight each other, and it's hard to believe now that at one point Low Ki was a better wrestler than KENTA."
[10.0] "Very cruel dangerous fight. All attacks were carried out to full contact, the devotion of wrestlers, even at the end of a match carrying out delightful jumps, impresses. My rating: *****."
[10.0] "Ähm, ja, was soll ich sagen? MOTY? Richtig. Stiffness, Dramatik und der gesamte Aufbau passen hier einfach so gut, dass ich nur den Hut ziehen kann. Diese letzte Stunde ROH war die beste in ihrer bisherigen Geschichte. Mehr muss ich hier wohl auch nicht mehr sagen, 10 Punkte."
[10.0] "Einfach nur wahnsinn. Ki und KENTA holen hier wirklich alles aus sich raus und zeigen ein, wenn nicht das beste Match 2005. Das Match stand von der ersten Sekunde an zu 100% unter Strom und verliert diese Spannung zu keinem Moment, bis es schließlich, nachdem Beide jede Aktion genommen haben, vorbei ist. Schlichtweg grandios."
[10.0] "Tja was soll man hier noch sagen. Kenta! Ki! Weltklasse! Umd im Gegensatz zum Danielson vs. Marafuji Match spekulieren hier viele in der Crowd auch auf einen Titelwechsel was das Publikum das ein oder andere Mal ausrasten läßt. Dazu tragen natürlich auch 2 hochbegabte, motivierte Wrestler bei die sich absolut nichts schenken und sich gegenseitig zu 110 Prozent motivieren. Stiffe Kicks, Chopserien, High Impact Moves. Alles wirkt so real und wohl getimt. Schlichtweg genial!"
[9.0] "Die "5Star Match" und "Match of the Year" Chants danach waren zwar etwas übertrieben, aber für diese Stiffness sind ****1/2 schon gut zu rechtfertigen. Tolle Harmonie der beiden!"
[10.0] "Das Match kam zwar nicht ganz an mein persönliches MotY'05 (Joe vs. Kobashi) ran, weil ein klein wenig diese absolute Elektrizität fehlte, die Joe vs. Kobashi so genial bzw. einzigartig machte. Aber dennoch bot dieser Fight alles, was ich erwartete. Zwei stiffe Juniors in einem Big-Match, welches auch als solches angenommen wurde."
[10.0] "Sehr stiffe und geniale Action beider Akteure, die jeglichen Move hinnehmen und austeilen bis hin zu einem absolut göttlichen Finish! Perfekt!"
