Bison Smith vs. Kenta Kobashi

[8.0] "It was a great match for me because it was full of of beautiful spots in 9 minutes and I really enjoyed it nice short match"

[7.0] "For a match under 10min, it was a really interessing one. Bison Smith is such an underated wrestler and his long run in NOAH is so great, i'm glad he has some flowers now for all the good work he has done, and rest in peace. This match against Kenta Kobashi was so cool, he tried as much as he can to put the Iron Claw on Kenta Kobashi, but Kobashi resists and finally beat Bison Smith. A good match, with a lot of support from the crowd for Kobashi."

[8.0] "Not exactly the same type of matchup but I really did get a bit of Tanaka/Awesome vibes from this match. And sure this isn't quite as electric as that but nonetheless this is still a really sick sprint between two large mfers. I'm not too familiar with this Bison Smith fella but he was a lot more mobile/versatile than I expected and this is the exact kind of match you want to throw him into. This started hot and ended hot, just a very fun match so I don't feel bad at all giving this the full 8."

[7.0] "A nice sub-ten-minute meat and potatoes trauma fest right here. Bison jumps Kenta at the bell and from there on out, it's pretty much nonstop suplexes and clotheslines and people getting karate chopped right in the face. The whole shtick with Smith trying to break out the Iron Claw was kinda goofy, though, but it didn't detract from the overall effect *that* much, I suppose. It's worth watching just to see Bison hit Kobashi with a Styles Clash, in my opinion. And good lord, THAT BRAINBUSTER Kobashi used at the end of the match is just straight up SATANIC looking."

[6.0] "I've never seen Bison Smith before but this was such a good first impression for me. Smith casually busts out one of the most diverse move-sets for a man of his physique while still maintaining a feeling of speed and powers similar to peak Brock Lesnar. I love Kobashi's willingness to get thrown around the ring for the majority of this to help establish Bison as a monster. ***1/4"

[7.0] "Having no idea what to expect of him, Bison Smith blew me away. A typical powerhouse in his build, he displayed the versatility and athleticism that I never would have expected to see. He absolutely dominated Kenta Kobashi early, utilizing his power and agility to gain the early edge, and his high-flying ability to cement the advantage. He also planted Kobashi with a nasty Iron Claw Slam onto an unforgiving Japanese table. The match was admittedly fairly brief, but there were some heavy-hitting moments from both wrestlers. We even saw a Blue Thunder Bomb and a Styles Clash from Smith, in addition to his daredevil tactics. Kobashi fought to get back into this match and that inevitably meant his signature brand of stiff strikes that could make a jaded fan cringe. It also included a strong finish with a final maneuver that made me jump out of my chair. All in all, this was a damn good match given the time restraints. 3.5 stars, 7 out of 10."

[6.0] "Shown in full. Smith is basically your prototypical hoss but he's shockingly versatile in terms of moveset when he wants to be, and this match shows a lot of that on display. Kobashi gets beat down before even getting into the ring, allowing Smith to land a terrifying top rope shoulder press to the outside and a huge Iron Claw Slam to a table that looked pretty painful. This naturally has Kobashi on the downturn, having him sell for a good bit of the early and mid sections of this match. Smith does what he does best in landing huge power moves, namely a Blue Thunder Bomb, a Styles Clash, a weird inverse scoop slam, etc. Kobashi does take the advantage in places, but Smith has another weapon in his arsenal, namely the Iron Claw itself. While this would look naturally silly in most places, it works here because Kobashi sells the Claw like death, and does everything he can to even stop it from being applied, which eventually fails and he gets a slam for a near fall. It's a testament to Kobashi's legendary facial expressions and overall selling that he can get a relic from the 60's and make it look not only dangerous, but a match-ending manoeuvre. Ultimately Smith's attempt for a second one doesn't go well due to a few hard chops and a Burning Lariat. Kobashi isn't done, nailing a big brainbuster for the pin. A nice, short match that gets over Smith as a legitimate threat. Kobashi doesn't do a ton beyond chops and the usual signature moves but this is expected as he was still getting into ring shape at this point after his big knee blowout at the start of this year."