Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Yuma Anzai

[9.0] "This match is extremely underrated. Ignore all the backstage issues involving Nakajima; he puts on a stellar performance, like the great heel he is. I truly think his heel performance in this match is one of the best I've ever seen him in the ring. He displays the imposing power of a veteran over a youngster seeking his place. His no-sell may irritate many, but I think that's the magic of the match. Anzai also puts on a great performance as the match's Underdog, selling every situation with Nakajima very well. The match's weakest point is definitely its ending, which could have been better planned or better executed by the athletes, but even with this issue, the match remains one of my favorites."

[5.0] "[2.5*] I think the match was good, I really do, but the whole thing was so stupid. The build and progression of the match DEMANDED a Katsu win. It was perfect for Katsu to retain, beat Suwama and then lose to a more mature and strong Anzai, who learned from his mistakes when he got absolutely fucked up on the first time. The synopsis of the match is: AJPWs biggest star of the decade (who is not even signed, I know) beat the hell out of a 24 years old kid who has not won anything, then he got hit with one knee strike and one german suplex and simply lost. The Triple Crown Champ Katsuhiko Nakajima survived Aoyagi, Kento, the monster Saito and etc. just to lose to a German Suplex with a bridge. Come on, guys. He left the ring laughing out lout, doing a Mutoh. The beat-up was really, really good, but the ending was god awful."

[4.0] "I consider this, one of the most difficult matches ever to rate, so weird, clearly it was a product of politicking and backstage issues, so it's a tough one, and it's a match that at the same time I loved and considered one of the most beast things ever, but I can also understand if someone gives a 0.0 rating for example, seems insanity from my side but it's not. It's really a game of perspectives, if we talk about structure I loved the match, I love matches where an amazing wrestler beats the heel out of the other for a long period of time, and the dynamic of a heel and established veteran beating the crap out of the future ace is honestly one of the best things any company can possibly produce, and if we look at this from the Nakajima perspective was one of the most unique and beast-ass matches of the year, the guy brilliantly squashed the young ace for almost 20-minutes, didn't sold any move, received one finisher and left like a boss... the match was kind of hijacked if we think about, honestly. But looking from the AJPW and Anzai perspectives, I would be very pissed, first because, of course, the main event and title change was freaking hijacked, and this didn't did any good for Anzai whatsoever, he looked weak as hell the whole match, and the title win was clearly unnatural, as Nakajima didn't had any intention to put him over or make the match serious. I can only imagine if something like that happened in WWE or AEW, the reactions would be wild, and definitely my reaction would be different too, so I'll try to adapt the mentality into this one, and honestly, despite the match, in-ring, being on 7-8 caliber, I have to take some points here because wrestling isn't only that, and what that ending meant for AJPW and for wrestling in general was disgraceful. Wrestling shouldn't be like that, that's the line you need to hear to understand my rating here - {**}"

[7.0] "Good but ultimately underwhelming. Nakajima really laid in his stuff here, at times looking like it was a bit of a shoot, perhaps he was annoyed to be losing the belt and he knew he was on his way out? Either way, it looked effective and Anzai sold it well. Unfortunately the finish kind of felt undeserved as it came out of nowhere and Nakajima just walked off like it was nothing, in which case why didn't he kick out? ***1/2"

[5.0] "It was fine sometimes. Unfortunately, almost the whole match was pretty boring, and there wasn't any strong storytelling, just Anzai surviving Nakajima's strikes and wins suddenly. The result is really surprising, and it's a pity that this is the most remarkable thing about the match."

[7.0] "Not a great win and the title win felt a little more akin to Yoshinari Ogawa beating Akiyama for the GHC Heavyweight Title than Misawa beating Stan Hansen for the Triple Crown, but it was an effectively entertaining match. Anzai felt like the underdog and looked good in that role. Nakajima was simple yet striking as the aggressor with his striking prowess. For a crowning of a new champion, this was perhaps underwhelming but I thought it was a strong match in terms of establishing Anzai as someone the crowd can sympathise with and get behind. I realise there may be politics in play here, which further dilutes the win but I don't want to dismiss the win any further. Anzai is champion and that's a big deal for the lad. ***1/4"

[5.0] "Anzai was excellent selling what was essentially a squash match. Really one of the better selling performances I have seen in a while. From the overall exhaustion, to how he sold every kick like he was shot with a shotgun, he was great. That was about it here and the ending was just about the flattest thing ever. I am all for an Anzai reign but this match did not seem as much of a coronation as it should have."

[5.0] "So this whole match is Nakajima beating up on Anzai for 80% of the match, then he takes a jumping knee, gets suplexed, and loses. He thens rolls out of the ring, and walks away. So we have a new champion, holding the triple crown, he just got his ass kicked for 20 minutes and stole a victory from a guy who seems to have wrestled his last match in the company, and quite literally walked out after losing. Don't think this had the effect that they wanted at all. The only reason this rating is floating around the average mark is because even Nakajima on autopilot is good. 2.75 Stars."

[8.0] "Certainly a weird match, and I'm sure Nakajima's future will shed some more light on it - but overall, i still really enjoyed it. As he has done consistently in his AJPW run, Nakajima comes across like an absolute killer, and in doing so Anzai here gets over as a guy with a deep well of fighting spirit, and a guy who took his narrow window of opportunity and won the Triple Crown because of it, but also as someone who still has a lot of growth before he is truly the ace. With that in mind, the truncated ending probably works best, but I can't help but feel the match would be improved more by a longer Anzai comeback, especially after such a long period of control from Nakajima."

[5.0] "Admittedly, I haven't watched much of Katsuhiko Nakajima lately, but his antics on SNS and wrestling media since becoming a regular in All Japan have been impossible to ignore. Hisashi Shinma, Inoki bombaye, the mastermind, coup d'etat, "fighting spirit style" (and the legal threats that followed)... it was certainly attention-grabbing in a way recent Triple Crown champs haven't been, at least outside the dedicated fanbase. He's become this bizarre, eccentric character - a far cry from his NOAH days as a stoic kick-wrestler. As for the match itself. It was a story of youthful vigor against a smaller but more experienced opponent - Tsuruta-Misawa from another universe. Meta-wise, it had the air of a freelancer preserving his brand value while doing the job on the way out. It was one long monotonous control segment and then it just ended. I don't think Yuma Anzai's charm was properly accentuated. I get the feeling Nakajima's time in the promotion is over and things will return to normal, but who knows? Maybe there's more to this bizarre All Japan chapter of his career."

[7.0] "Match was good. Shock victory for the super rookie. Its good to see a company pull the trigger on a young guy like this. Yuma beats the outsider Nakajima and everything makes sense story wise."

[7.0] "This one is an interesting match. At the moment I will go with 3.5. How I feel about this match is contingent on what happens in the future. Is Anzai a fluke? Will Nakajima bounce back even stronger? Story wise I thought this made sense. 3.5/5*"

[8.0] "The ending was sudden and shocking but in hindsight it makes complete sense with Nakajima being caught out after he had spent his time bullying the youth and looking ahead of himself to the veterans. I do kind of wish Anzai had got more for his big crowning moment but in a vacuum this match was very good."

[9.0] "I loved this match, although I imagine the finish is going to be controversial. As the culmination of Nakajima's run, I like it. He dog-walked the younger generation in singles matches in February and March, and getting caught playing with his food by the ace of that generation is extra sweet. Really enjoyed the touch of Inoue going mental on the outside whenever Anzai was in a submission. I think they have nailed the presentation of Anzai as a young phenom that could beat anyone, but isn't experienced enough to dictate the pace of matches with more experienced wrestlers."

[8.0] "I thought the way Nakajima led this match and went after Anzai's arm was tremendous. Anzai's selling and bumping was top notch. The finish seems to be the most divisive part of this match, but they were going for a real shock win. It's now up to Anzai to prove he can really hang at the top of the card and I expect him to get more decisive victories over top stars in All Japan going forward."

[7.0] "A great one sided match with a somewhat baffling ending that leaves All Japan with a weak looking world champion. Anzai got destroyed and out wrestled and won with 2 moves without getting much offense at all. I dont get the decision and it felt like they rushed what was supposed to be a longer story?"

[7.0] "Match was really good and the story played right into it. Nakajima looking past Anzai and wanting to wrestle Suwama next, so much so that a major chunk of the VTR was just Nakajima talking about his next defense, and completely overlooking Anzai in the process. Anzai gets some good offence in the first 5 and then gets dominated for 15 minutes straight. Nakajima was too focused on making an example of Anzai before wrestling Suwama that when he had Anzai deep in the rear naked choke, he lets go to win with his signature moves. Right when Nakajima tries the vertical spike, Anzai slips out and catches him off guard with a German. Unlike anything I've ever seen or will ever see again, incredible stuff. He is a rookie, got treated like a rookie, but won because he is the super rookie."

[7.0] "[3.75*] Important match for the transition that AJPW has been going through, investing completely in new and young people. Nakajima had a very good performance here, he punished Anzai's arms by doing limb work, with an armbar and kicking Yuma's arms. The build up to the match was decent, Nakajima dominated the match and almost made Anzai faint a few times. Nakajima was a perfect heel, he remained dominant throughout the match and simply didn't sell some of Anzai's moves. The Suplex that gave Yuma the victory was good but the ending could definitely be better, in any case it was the biggest victory of Yuma Anzai's career, and this run will be very important in determining whether he will be a star or not, Nakajima comes out of this match strong, he barely suffered during the match and still came out laughing even after the defeat."