El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Psycho Clown

[6.0] "[3.0*] This was a good grudge bout between two rivals. Wagners face at the end with the mask ripped off and completely bloodied was badass as hell. The disrespect at the ending taking out Psycho Clowns mask was good storytelling too. Good match. Not awesome but above average."

[5.0] "[3.0*] Wagner Jr is a very talented wrestler, he has stood out a lot in NOAH in recent years, this duel helped him prove that he is a versatile wrestler taking on a different role (not only in this match but as in the entire rivalry against Psycho Clown). The match was interesting but it didn't excite me (and neither did the NOAH crowd). The action in the ring wasn't bad, there were good moments, Psycho Clown was good in this match and dominant but the end of the match wasn't good with Wagner Jr stealing at the end I didn't like it."

[6.0] "There's a lot of history between these two, so I'm willing to look past the uncharacteristically heelish finish from El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. (although, I suppose turnabout is fair play). But other than that it was a slowish, decently worked match in front of a crowd that seemed more behind Psycho Clown than their own GHC National champ. Nothing too special, but another fine defense for El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr."

[4.0] "I understand the story between Wagner and Clown, but I just don't care about it because of their matches. They had some good schticks of the feud, but inside the ring their chemistry was always terrible. I didn't enjoy their tag team matches, but hoped a little that in the tite bout they would do better, it happens so often after all (Brookes vs. Irie in DDT, bad lead-up, but amazing singles). But no. It was another boring match with zero chemistry. Masks storytelling was understandable, but that's it, I felt nothing. Well, at least Wagner is still a champ."

[4.0] "This is a very fickle match, which as a result has become anticlimatic for me. At first it just seems boring, then it gains momentum after Clown damaged Wagner's mask, and after a few dramatic minutes it begins to lose all intensity. I mean, the luchador spent most of the match without his mask, his face is covered in blood, but there is no effect of urgency and aggression, and they continue to follow an dull script and just make moves. For me, this is the main disappointment of the match. If it had ended five minutes after the mask was torn, I would have given 7, but considering that it went on and on in vain, without giving the match anything useful, my rating is disappointing (**)."

[5.0] "Eh. It was ok. Slow pace, but there wasn't much drama (mostly in the beginning, things heated up later) and they failed to engage the crowd. Wagner gets his ass beat for a long time, makes a cold comeback and then there is a heated but ultimately only decent finishing stretch. Just like the buildup to this match hinted, exposing faces was a big part of the storytelling. This feud made me realize I generally don't like people's masks getting ripped half-open because all I can pay attention to is the half-revealed face and I get distracted from the in-ring action. I did like the imagery of the bloody Dr. Wagner Jr. mask, though. Wagner wins by pulling Psycho Clown's mask off, kicking him below the belt and pinning him with a Wagner Driver. Decent but nothing special. I'd prefer if they'd shaved off 5 or 8 minutes from this to make the match more condensed. A particularly impactful Torito from Psycho Clown was the definite highlight."

[8.0] "This was a fine lucha match, with the wrong, silent, almost dead japanese crowd, so much that Psycho was clearly lost. Id say this was good, but obviously not the adequate style for this stage. Hopefully we get a rematch with the proper setup, because this rivalry is kinda interesting."

[9.0] "Long-term storyline from Mexico made this match special. Both did great job with controlling the match and well-executed the move. A very fun match overall with surprise ending. (Wagner was supposed to be face but his emotion took control of him to get the win)"

[7.0] "Psycho Clown tried to mix his usual style with NOAH's house-style, and his lack of experience showed here - one half of the match was really great, other half had it's good and not so good moments. Hopefully the finish means that they'll have another match (you never know in pro-wrestling these days), because I think they have a match with a very high ceiling in them."

[7.0] "Psycho Clown is charismatic as fuck, that entrance alone gets the crowd into him. Wagners face run as a champ has been great, and he really got the crowd into him after the mask rip and the bleeding. Hes the natural heel compared to Psycho Clown, so the cheating finish made sense to me. This was a lucha brawl, not a spot match; a bloody, mask-ripping, rule-breaking brawl. Wagner doing the nut kick and mask steal at the end was a fine cheating finish, as the Wagner's are rudos deep down. I would like to see this again, but in AAA next time."

[7.0] "A solid brawl between two heated rivals. I think the commentary team (mainly Stew) efficiently and clearly laid out the personal stakes between the two luchadores. The finish made sense and I like the emotions this feud brought out in the champion. Psycho Clown doesn't really fit the vibe of NOAH, in my opinion, but this was an exciting one off feud to ride the excitement NOAH fans have for lucha libre."