KENTA vs. Ryohei Oiwa

[5.0] "Meh. KENTA kept the shenanigans out of it thankfully but this was hardly a barn burner, just very standard pro wrestling. Considering we're very much trying to push Oiwa now it's odd that KENTA mostly dominated and only lost to a flash pin, odd booking. This wasn't bad all in all just a bit strange and pretty bland. **3/4"

[5.0] "Average bout, pacing was kinda slow and the ending sucked. At least they kept it short but at this point NJPW KENTA is more or less like this everytime. Anyways it is not bad looking at Oiwa getting a victory in a Pay Per View at the end of the day. **1/2"

[7.0] "Ryohei Oiwa has become an absolute star in the making since he went to Pro Wrestling NOAH. Coming back as part of TMDK was brilliant and will hopefully help him achieve great success in NJPW. Meanwhile KENTA is an absolute legend and has been for many years who can always put on a great match. These two were so incredible together and I would love to see a bigger match on a bigger stage. This was great for this event, but it felt like they were holding back just a bit. But for these men going at it, it was incredible. A great showcase between an older veteran and a younger rising star. A great story told and some amazing action. Oiwa winning made sense since he is going for the TV title, but the way he won was the protect KENTA as well which is fine."

[7.0] "Good match. They started off with a nice lengthy chain wrestli, which I always enjoy. Plenty of back and forth and Oiwa is starting to show real promise. Walker and Vada also put over his recent time on excursion to Noah and their Dojo, which was a nice touch. The finish was neat and well and very unexpected."

[5.0] "(Grade:D) for their first time meeting, I was expecting some from of intensity but it felt kinda middle of the road for me and wasn't too kin of the roll-up finish hopefully another go around between them would be much longer & better tbh"

[5.0] "Disappointing and flat like the majority of the show before this bout. KENTA has shown out a bit in 2024, particularly in the United States, not here though just putting in an alright performance. Same for Oiwa in his US debut, getting little reaction against a legendary heel opponent. There was a mini version of a New Japan style finisher stretch towards the end but the actual roll-up finish killed any build they had going. **3/4"

[5.0] "A fine match that may have benefited with a bit more time to breathe as KENTA hit his offense well but Oiwa did not feel like he showed much here before getting the win via countering a small package into his own. Crowd was more behind KENTA as well which didnt really help the result."

[6.0] "Oiwa's fundamentals and fire continue to look great since his return. While this wasn't one of the one or two all-out matches you get per year from KENTA nowadays, it wasn't just him dogging it, either."

[6.0] "Kenta seems to be slowing down a bit which really sucks but is expected considering the rate he's been working at for a long while now. Oiwa did very well in this match but it was also another very short match, which was pretty disappointing."

[5.0] "A surprise win for Oiwa. I think within the confines of the match, we see a slight glimpse of the Kenta we all remember. Walker and Veda do a great job of hyping the Kenta Kobashi links to the match, the comparisons TMDK made and how that would anger Kenta and give him a point to prove. One thing Kenta is bad at is the heel finishes, and yet that's basically what he's about now. The distraction for the eye poke was rubbish and makes the ref look dumb"

[5.0] "This match confirms one thing for me, and it's that Kenta is breaking down more every time I see him, which sucks but after wrestling like he has all his career in Noah I understand it. Oiwa was solid here but the match itself never really clicked with me. It wasn't bad, but it was just decent."