[8.0] "This was a great match. Konosuke Takeshita is so great and I love his rise in AEW and how he's grown as a wrestler since being signed. Zack Sabre Jr was the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and thanks to New Japan's partnership with AEW, Takeshita works dates there as well as AEW and even DDT. This was a fun match to watch, with Takeshita showing off some technical skill against arguably the best technical wrestler in the world today in Sabre Jr. As good as this was, it felt like they were holding back. Well, that's because they would wrestle two more times in the next several months, which includes the Semi Finals of the G1 Climax and the match where Takeshita would be Sabre Jr for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. ****1/4"
[8.0] "This was an awesome struggle, some wonderful sequences of grappling and striking exchanges, and a phenomenal finish as Takeshita frantically attempted to escape. ****1/4."
[9.0] "Obviously they hold themselves for a next meeting at the near future, I respect that. They showed good chemistry and the last minutes was just incredible by Zack Sabre Jr, with him showing how much of a genius he is. Great way to beat Takeshita still keeping him over."
[9.0] "This was an amazing match, there were great exchanges and submissions. This was one of the better G1 matches so far but I don't think it was as good as Takeshita vs Takagi."
[7.0] "One of the more anticipated matchups of the tournament. I was interested to see how the very different styles of both men would mesh, and I was pleasantly surprised with the result, although I don't think it fully worked. Due to the immense talent involved, this was never going to be bad, but I think these guys have a great match in them. But on this occasion, they didn't quite get there. 3.5 stars."
[9.0] "I was probably the most excited for this match out of this entire tournament once I seen they were in the same block this year. And it didn't disappoint at all. I freaking love this match. Starts out with the wrestling before shifting to Sabre eating Takeshita up with strikes. Love how Sabre now that he is one of the veterans just has this thing with him where he knows he is better and can't be out wrestled it's an addition to his character I love. Don't really know how I feel with the finish being that sleeper but when they came off the top with it it was pretty damn cool with Sabre not letting go. (****1/2)"
[6.0] "Neither of these guys did a particularly accomplished or compelling job of portraying the damage being inflicted in this match. Takeshita was especially robotic, showing no ill effects from all the work Sabre did on his arm and leg, and he also stank up the lively strike exchange with some glaring and superfluous thigh slapping. The finish line struggle wasn't entirely convincing either ***1/4"
[7.0] "I was worried even a distinctively styled wrestler like Sabre would end up forced to work a generic 50/50 epic here with Takeshita, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this actually ended up being a pretty good and engaging match. They stupidly began with Takeshita somehow keeping up with and even besting Sabre in some of their opening grappling exchanges, which felt like a very desperate attempt to put over Takeshita to offset the impact of his eventual loss, but then we got a sensible direction for the match as Sabre caught Takeshita off guard and gained control with his varied limb-targeting. He interestingly chose to target both Takeshita's leg and his arm, and I liked the story of Takeshita then responding to that work with his power moves and other impactful attacks, all of which looked pretty good even if never anything great. It's pretty simple: styles make fights, and this clash of Sabre's more 'thoughtful' approach against Takeshita more action-packed approach made for a variety of fun exchanges and spots. Sabre did very well as usual making all his holds look nasty, though Takeshita's long-term-selling was pretty bad, and even his real-time-selling wasn't anything especially compelling. That was a definite limitation with the match, but the struggle between Takeshita's power moves and Sabre's grappling wizardry remained really fun. I'm usually pretty bored of Takeshita's generic bombs, but seeing them here up against Sabre's flash pins and sudden submissions was actually pretty cool, instead of us just getting strikes and power moves vs strikes and power moves like in Takeshita's other matches. Takeshita's best offence still doesn't look especially great to me (his power moves aren't especially explosive and his strikes still have too many obvious thigh slaps), and he ultimately still forced Sabre into the usual 50/50 rapid trades and fighting-spirit spots that he LOVES to do in every single match, but their chemistry was always strong enough for their biggest sequences and spots to make up for that, especially with how damn slick Sabre was with everything he went for. They had some pretty big botches towards the end of the match during an already pretty compelling sequence as Sabre worked a rear naked choke before surprisingly getting the win with a 7-year-old choke (yes, that's what it's actually called, and it can legitimately choke you, though Sabre's did look a bit loose). However, I was really impressed that they didn't awkwardly attempt to repeat those botched set-ups again to get to whatever move/transition they were aiming for and instead chose to just have Sabre ardently stick to his choke, since that ended up feeling very realistic and thus impressively unique. Like yeah, if I'm choking my opponent and he tries to escape/counter but very obviously fails, then of course I'm going right back to the choke! Sure, it didn't match the normal wrestling pacing we're used to and therefore felt quite jarring, but that's only because we've been so heavily conditioned to view modern wrestling as a series of very carefully calculated movements that occur at an established rhythm, so any sense of spontaneity or improvisation initially feels alien when really it should be appreciated as helping to depict a realistic blemishes that naturally come with a competitive fight. This is one of those cases where it's indeed true that the botches actually elevated a match, since they didn't draw massive attention to them by clearly working together to repeat the spots (thus ruining suspension of disbelief) and instead just smartly moved on to the next most reasonable thing available. I also really appreciated the odd twist of this finish in how Takeshita, who'd been choking multiple opponents out this tournament, ended up getting choked out himself by the superior grappler, since that's another pretty cool storytelling bit. I'd say this was Takeshita's first genuinely good match of the tournament, and credit to him for playing his role decently, but I do think Sabre deserves the vast majority of the credit for making the match as good as it was. ***1/4"
[9.0] "The striking exchanges in this were so good, from Uppercuts to elbow strikes to knees. Zack running straight into a knee from Takeshita was the highlight for me"
[9.0] "This was very good, Konosuke is one of my favorites and Zack isn't on my list, but maybe if I see more matches of his, I'll be a fan. Some strikes were very good and the wrestling was great. One of Zack's uppercuts send Takeshita to the floor, that was insane, and the sounds of the uppercuts was brutal. Konosuke and Saber were just giving each other brutal strikes, and that slap from Saber? Jesus Christ"
[6.0] "I was a bit disappointed with this to be honest. I was so looking forward to this knowing the talent involved, but it felt like they lacked chemistry together. Some sloppily executed spots here and there and it all lacked a cohesive thread to tie it all together, simply devolving into each hitting big bombs before the finish. I can only hope they have a better outing in future."
[9.0] "(Grade:A/*****) A match that I didn't realize I needed until now cause it was hype to see two of my favorites fight off with some standout strikes and a test of who potentially could lead NJPW!"
[8.0] "Shame about the slightly messed up finish, as this otherwise felt like a Tokyo Dome main event. They both clearly aimed to one-up each other and it shone through, but they didn't have that once-in-a-lifetime chemistry."
[9.0] "[4, 5 Stars] I've been hearing negative reviews of this match over the last few days, I don't know how it's possible when it's one of the best matches of the Tournament. (****, 5)."
[9.0] "This was my 2nd favourite match of this G1 and what a surprise, Takeshita was in it again. What a generational once in a lifetime talent this dude is. And ZSJ not much i can say, he is consistently putting on bangers and is wrestling like a god king right now"
[10.0] "I've cooled off on the New Japan big match style for quite a few years now, and though they still receive quite a bit of acclaim I don't think anyone could say they are as hot now as they were at their peak in the 10s. They still tend to rack up quite a few high rated matches but when I check them out, I often feel underwhelmed. There's a certain style to the matches which often just makes them unmemorable to me, even if they are technically well executed. I thought this might be an exception though, and I was glad to see I was correct! These are my favorite two guys in the tournament this year and it's doubly exciting since they never had a singles match before, and fortunately they found their chemistry pretty much immediately. Some people say Takeshita is front runner for wrestler of the year, I don't quite see him on that level (Strickland is my current pick) but there's no doubt he's on a really strong streak. Matching up against the current IWGP champion is a heavy task but Takeshita shirks from no one. It's quickly a battle of technique in the early going, and as good as Takeshita is he's naturally at a disadvantage against Sabre's elite level prowess on the mat. Things naturally progress to more of a striking battle and here's where Takeshita does have some advantage, though Sabre's toughness and fearless willingness to walk into damage in order to gain a foothold make him a difficult guy to batter down. I loved the final stretch here, much of it was Sabre locking a choke on and holding onto it through hell and high water, a true tiger by the tail situation where Sabre knew it was his best shot if only he could keep the hold on. The bigger Takeshita tried like hell to shake him off but made the mistake of trying to do it with power and counters instead of going for the ropes, even climbing up to the top and dropped down on his back to try to dislodge Sabre, only for him to stay clamped on. Great last minute escape attempt as Takeshita lifted Sabre up for some power through, only to collapse down in a really ugly way back to the mat. Might well have been a botch but it worked perfectly for the match, and Sabre stuck on like glue until Takeshita had no choice but to give it up. High quality stuff, my current #63 for the year, and my 2nd favorite NJPW match this year so far (not counting their matches featuring CMLL talent)."
[7.0] "Very good match between two of my favorites in the G1 but it's not the best performance of either man. It was a great clashing of styles but that also resulted in a big portion of the match feeling a bit one note. It was a very good note though. Both guys just seemed to hit a wall with each other. Zack Sabre Jr could grapple his way out of Konosuke Takeshita's power moves but Takeshita could also power out of ZSJ's mat based offense. This resulted in both guys aiming to just weaken each other offense by working stiff as hell and these moments were the highlights. All building to a brutal striking trade and Takeshita powering out of a rear naked choke multiple times just for ZSJ to cinch it in more. It's a good match with a good narrative but I hope for more, especially as Takeshita had a better match with Shingo Takagi and ZSJ had better matches with Shota and ELP. The bar was really high and they were just short of it"
[8.0] "This was a strong match. Takeshita has had a good year for good, but really one-note matches. This..this had an added layer to them. A semblance of drama and storytelling to them, thanks to the style of Zack that infuses that into most of the matches he's in. Zack began the match working the legs and arms of Takeshita, and it gave Takeshita a vulnerability that he seemed to thrive on here. Takeshita, himself, then rose to get on Zack's level and showed off his technical skills too, offering something a little fresh. The match was overall pretty great and is worth watching. ****"
[7.0] "This match could've been a lot better than it was. Not a bad match by any means, but somewhat disappointing. This may be a hot take but I really don't get the hype behind Zack Sabre Jr. and his matches. Takeshita cooked here though and hopefully these guys can put on a better match in the future."
[7.0] "Not quite an 8 for me. It started alright and never really went anywhere. Kind of became generic in the end. Hopefully the next time these two meet they can put on a classic."
[8.0] "The second half of this match was fantastic with the counter-move sequences and the hard strikes. That said, it started pretty slow and then abruptly ended when it was really getting into that next gear. Maybe they're leaving some meat on the bone for a future title match?"
[9.0] "Another excellent showing from two of the very best in the world. I liked how the match started out slow and methodical with excellent technical wrestling from both men on display with Take showing he could hang with Zack and also being able to use his power to counter the holds. Then Takeshita tried to quicken the pace bringing in more of his power moves to try and get the upper hand as Zack did everything to shut him down. I adored the counters in this match they were all excellent the ways ZSJ can trap you into an armbar are funking crazy. There was also a very raw feel to this match as the two men's styles did not fully blend so it made it feel like more of a legitimate fight and clash of styles which i thought was really good. The pinning segments of them going back and fourth were great throughout. The finish was amazing and something you dont see that often with Take fighting so desperately to break the hold but ZSJ hanging on to hit even through Take throwing them off the top rope and trying to hit a sidewalk slam ZSJ finally got the tap to put an end to the brilliant match. Overall this was bloody class and i feel they were saving things for future matches, although i would of liked Take to win so he could of had a title shot in a rematch at forbidden door but defiantly in my top 3 matches in the tournament so far (****3/4)"
[8.0] "I appreciate what they did but I also think it suffered from that. Takeshita was cut off by Sabre early on and Sabre was able to dictate the pacing to put the match in his wheelhouse to earn a submission. That said, the match felt like it was just getting into the finishing stretch when this happened. So good story, good execution but not great. I imagine a potential rematch at some point will build off this though. Four and a quarter stars. Sabre remains my G1 MVP."
[7.0] "Really appreciated how at the start they gave it time. Not in the sense that they started with some grapple work. What I mean rather is that it wasn't just chain wrestling for the sake of it, they let the holds breathe. The opponent would try to escape, but then the other wrestler would pull him right back in. That kind of back-and-forth gave the holds actual meaning and build dynamic, which feels rare in today's technical matches which is just full of counters. This approach gave it a very old-school feel, especially by modern standards. Even the outside countout was fast, which added urgency. And as soon as Takeshita got back in, Sabre immediately continued with a hold. Nice. It all felt meaningful, like they were actually trying to build something rather than just going through the motions. The overall dynamic was well done. It never felt unordered or chaotic up until now. There was one top-corner spot that really stood out. It wasn't sloppy or rushed like you often see nowadays. It felt natural, well-executed, and well intended. The right-arm story with Takeshita was handled decently. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of Zack Sabre Jr.'s selling. His body language doesn't always connect, and worse, his facial expressions often feel hollow. I get that he's going for a realistic, shoot-style vibe. More stoic and focused. But for me, it just doesn't land. It comes off more empty than real. The first roll-up counter sequence felt a bit awkward, but the second one worked better. It had that old-school French catch wrestling vibe. Not quite at that level, of course, but similar. Still, even in that spot, I didn't like the ending. How takeshita doing the pin, just threw the leg away at the kickout. It should look like the opponent kicked out, but instead, it looked like the pin was intentionally released. That always bothers me in modern stuff. Then came the third act, and that's where it started losing me. It turned into the same old modern bomb-fest, meta-subversion stuff instead of a gripping story with twists and turns. It all felt hollow by that point. And then came the worst trope of all: the "tough guy" exchange where they just take turns hitting each other. It kept dragging down from there, and that's disappointing, because the match had real potential. It did pick back up a little again. The sleeper hold segment was strong, and the ending actually felt like a breath of fresh air. ***"
[10.0] "The one match in the tournament where you circled the date on the calendar because you knew it was gonna be a banger, and by god, it didn't disappoint. Zack when he gets to do the technical grappling is an absolute joy to watch, and so is Takeshita in... pretty much every match. This match absolutely flew by, and I wouldn't have hated it if they went right for the time limit. What an absolute belter. Run this back in Ariake, and then run it back in London a week later, because I seriously cannot get enough of this."
[9.0] "Yeah this was a brilliant bout, a really sound technical clinic from ZSJ, while Takeshita battles like a possessed man to overcome him. Some spots were slightly off as Takeshita does not seem as comfortable with the style of ZSJ, but it gave a legitimate feel to the match and usually did not ruin my immersion. ZSJ got the win via submission, and the final submission spot was incredibly tense and well done as Takeshita tried to fight out. This was great, another strong contender for match of the tournament."
[9.0] "[9.5] For god's sake, what an absolute banger of a match! I'll never stop saying just how insanely good Zack Sabre Jr is--he's a damn surgeon in the ring. His offense is relentless, calculated, and utterly brutal. He systematically breaks down every opponent he faces, and this was no exception. But this time, he runs into a beast--the perfect mix of technique and raw power: Konosuke Takeshita. The match is spectacular, full of wild reversals, insane sequences, and top-tier moves, all sold with incredible intensity and believability. I love how Zack's reversals are the most technical and methodical, while Konosuke fights back with pure strength and fire. The strike exchange at the end is nuts--Zack lands a savage slap, only to eat a knee from Takeshita that damn near kills him. In the end, Zack survives, clinging onto the rear naked choke with everything he's got, and pulls out the win after an absolute war. Phenomenal stuff."
[9.0] "This was great. It felt like a struggle, with Zack doing his best impression of a spider constantly trying to wrap up and hold down his struggling prey, knowing full well how powerful it could be if it ever got away. The few messy parts only added to it - normally Takeshita is so slick but here he wasn't allowed the breathing space to be his usual self. It felt like this was only the first part of a (hopefully) long rivalry. I look forward to seeing how Takeshita approaches Zack next time."
[8.0] "Excellent story here. ZSJ never allowed Takeshita to get any momentum and get his usual explosive offence flowing. I'm not always a fan of ZSJ when he slows things down but it made a lot of sense here and the fact it eventually wore Takeshita down until he couldn't take any more and tapped, rather than building towards the usual climactic finish, I thought was really smart. ****1/4"
[9.0] "Both of these guys are hoopers, and they both showed it tonight. I originally was down on ZSJ beating Goto, but he's been so unbelievably good since winning the belt back that I'm fully on board with it. Hoping for a rematch down the line here soon!"
[7.0] "****1/2 great match, but slightly disappointing, great chemistry, a lot of fluidity in the sequences, a great rhythm and intensity that in my opinion they needed to raise it a step higher to take the match to MOTY Contender level, I think if they had added another 6 minutes approaching the time limit, they would have reached a better rhythm, more intensity, and the epic and drama that would be added by the time limit being close, very good sequences, with intense exchanges of blows and some reversals, good ending although it did not convince me, ZSJ catches Take in the Rear Naked Choke, Take does everything to escape but falls after more than 1 minute in the key he ends up tapping, for me it should have been an arm lock, since ZSJ is putting more focus on the arm attacking more constantly, which in the end came to nothing, for this ending, I would say that at the moment it is the third best of the tournament but not very difficult to pass"
[8.0] "Match of the night and one of the best matches of B block as a whole. Very fun story told here with Zack using submissions and strikes of his own to avoid Takeshita's strikes. Even when Take is able to get offence in, Zack is usually able to slip past and avoid the big strikes. Eventually Zack starts using his own strikes against Takeshita and surprisingly is able to get the better of him on a few occasions, until Takeshita is able to finally cleanly hit a big strike and turn the match in his favour. After some big moves from Takeshita, Zack is able to respond with some big moves of his own. At this point both men are on equal footing, but Zack turns the match into his favour again when he counters a Raging Fire into a sleeper. This is the final sequence of the match and its so good. Takeshita tries everything he can think of to break out of the hold, even managing to climb to the top rope and fall back in an attempt to break it, but Zack refuses to let go, ultimately forcing Takeshita to tap. Takeshita's selling in this could've been better, but overall I thought this was really great. The second best of the tournament for both men. ****"
[10.0] "This was brilliant. They had technical wrestling, strikes and counters on counters and it all perfectly worked like a symphony. It's certainly one of the better-wrestled bouts of the tournament, I only have Take/Takagi ahead. Must watch. *****"
[7.0] "Good match and I liked the way it was structured. I wish Takeshita was better at selling the long term effects of the limb work Zack was doing. Something felt off about this throughout this on rewatch. Lowered to a 7."
[7.0] "Seemed like they couldn't decide what they wanted this to say, outside of both guys being in the main event. There is a point halfway through where Takeshita whimpers after some of the arm damage Zack has caused, then the arm has nothing to do with the rest of the match. It's not quite as bad as Shingo's magic leg from the previous match, but stuff like that is a big question mark when you look back at the way everything unfolded."
[9.0] "I was looking forward to this match and I have to say that I am not at all disappointed. Zack Sabre Jr adds another match to his streak of great G1 Matches. Aside from the usual technical holds that you will find in any of his matches, there was enough here to be entertained throughout this match. Zack targeted Takeshita's limbs from the start and Takeshita sold it fine for the most part. The pinning sequences were fun and Takeshita was great in his performance. The striking from both was solid especially that slap from ZSJ. Zack not letting go of the choke hold at the end despite some offence from Takeshita was a great way to end the match."
[7.0] "A very good match that was nonetheless one of the most underwhelming of the tourney so far, at least relative to expectations. Sabre's arm work was solid -- when it was a focus, and Takeshita's selling was okay -- when he decided to sell. I'm hardly a stickler for limb work but if you're going to do it, commit to it and make it matter. Don't pop in and out throughout a long match if its not going to lead to any meaningful selling. The stretch run also was hardly up to par for either. That's not to say this was a bad match. It was good despite these comments, it just looked like one that would've been great and was far from it."
[10.0] "We start off with some awesome technical stuff, Takeshita overpowering ZSJ and ZSJ uses his techniques and his sneaky way of flowing into transitions to take down Takeshita. Zack also did a great job of really softening up the bigger and more powerful Takeshita by targeting his knee before getting to his arm, which is the same arm that he uses for his forearms and lariats. The strikes in this match were probably the best strikes you could ever see in a match. The forearms, uppercuts and other strikes used were amazing. The knee strike he used on Zack had me genuinely wondering if he was knocked out. The finished looked messy, but in a way were you couldn't tell if it was a mishap or just setting up for the finish. My only takeaway of the match was wanting more. Hell, I would've been completely fine with a draw. These guys were so damn good. Definitely match of the tournament for me."
[10.0] "Pretty much everything you could ask for from a match between these two while also leaving so much on the table for future installments between them. There are some beautiful sequences on the mat alongside some incredibly hard hitting exchanges that come to a climax in a classic ending sequence that showcased why these two are some of the best that wrestling has to offer today."
[7.0] "This was a good match, but still somehow a little disappointing considering they're both two of the better wrestlers in the world. In particular I have to critique Takeshita's arm selling which was really quite poor throughout the match. Was a good and fun match overall though, with a great Zack ace performance, and I know that they could totally do even better."
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