[8.0] "This was one of my first times watching the Knockout Brothers and they are one of the best things about NJPW in 2025. Ishii and Taichi were great opponents for the younger tag team and both Yuto-Ice and Oskar shined. This is the beginning of the current reign for the Knockout Brothers which has brought many banger matches. ****"
[6.0] "I really love the gimmick of the Knockout Brothers. I think they have a lot of potential to revitalize the tag team scene in NJPW, however, they do need a little polish. Had some solid tag team moves, and the chemistry was there, but it didn't stand out. Taichi and Ishii were good as always here, good that they can put a more established team rather than two singles guys in the league. Nothing crazy good, but KOB have some good potential"
[7.0] "An unexpected match of the night contender, hadn't seen anything of Yuto and OSKAR before this and they instantly won me over. Looking forward to seeing what K.O.B do with the tag titles."
[8.0] "Great way to establish the Knock Out Brothers as the new driving force in the IWGP Heavyweight Tag scene. Ishii and Taichi were very good here as well, wish they'd gotten the chance to have a longer reign with the belts. 4 stars"
"OSKAR and Yuto Ice have brought a freshness to a NJPW tag division that has been stagnant for years. giving the titles to them was the right call. Cool spot where Taichi took a hit for Ishii"
[9.0] "Fantastic match, Yuto Ice and OSKAR have been a breath of fresh air to NJPW, Taichi continues his trend of 2025 of having great matches and Ishii is Ishii - always amazing, Hard hitting especially Yuto and Ishii - would love to see this match in the future. Overall great contest and tag match as well as a good introduction to the knock out bros!"
[8.0] "And this is more like it. The Knockout Brothers have been a rather entertaining revelation since their graduation from Young Lionhood, and against Taichi and Ishii? You get a very entertaining match. Long may they continue."
[5.0] "Didn't really connect much with this one, and maybe that will change over time as I see the Knockout Brothers more, but as of right now they don't really move me or interest me. Taichi & Ishii are both great and make a good team with nice chemistry, but it felt like Yuto & OSKAR were almost plugged into an epic match structure without being really made for that. It wasn't anything terrible or embarrassing by any means, but not a match I cared for."
[8.0] "Great match but what's greater is the incredible booking that New Japan needs. Two more experienced stars putting over two young talent only to set up for another great feud down the line! Knockout Brothers look sick as hell and want to see more of them."
[7.0] "Fun match with some great looking strikes and a good performance from both sides. It was my first time seeing the Knock-out Brothers and they seem alright honestly, injecting life into the tag division and both under 30 so plenty of room to develop in the coming years."
[8.0] "Taichi and Tomohiro Ishii puts over Oskar and Yuto Ice perfectly, i'm not suprised that they win the titles, just hope they will be interesting at champs."
[10.0] "After a long dark period for the tag team division in NJPW, we have a light in the form of the Knockout Brothers. This is the most hopeful I've been for this division in a very long time. What a great match to help build towards them as a top tag team for a while to come. This is the type of thing NJPW needs, giving the spotlight to hot young talent with championships. A dominant performance from Yuto & Oskar, while Taichi & Ishii did everything possible to establish stars. Up next is seemingly Umino & Uemura, which will be another great match."
[6.0] "Decent tag match to get the belts on the fast rising team known as the knockout brothers. The match was based on the striking of both teams, but I feel like a lot of the strikes didn't connect the way they could've/should've."
[7.0] "(Grade:C+/***1/4) Pretty good match and a showcase for Oskar & Yuto-Ice whom seeing them return from excursion they had some aura surrounding them and glad NJPW is pushing many younger talents. Taichi & Ishii were a solid team as I like both of them separately and put up a good fight against the Knockout Brothers."
[8.0] "Impressive performance in a big spot for Yuto and Oskar. Ishii and Taichi also worked hard to put them over too. I'm not a fan of Yuto's gimmick but he's got the confidence I'm looking for and Oskar, while clearly the second man in the group, did just the right amount to make me think the team has potential. ****"
[7.0] "A fun tag match between one of the most experienced pairings and one of the newest. OSKAR and Ice have brought a freshness to a NJPW tag division that has been stagnant for years. Strapping the rocket to them was the right call. Not the finished article yet, but they clearly have a ton of potential as a team, and even as singles stars down the line. Ice and Ishii's moments were the clear standout in the match. Nice to see NJPW get behind young talent for a change. 3.5 stars."
[10.0] "Critical levels of dudes rocking going on here. OSKAR and Yuto-Ice are so much fun to watch and have a lot of great tag chemistry. Taichi and Ishii did a great job making these two guys look like stars. I also liked that this had a tight run time with what felt like very little wasted moments"
[7.0] "A damn solid tag team match to establish the K.O.B. as the team to beat at the moment. They came out swinging, and the crowd was very hot for the defending champions, which absolutely helped. There were some crazy sequences with Taichi hitting his dangerous backdrop in particular, and the show down between Oskar and Ishii that led to the closing sequence. KOB looked like beasts out there, and I'm curious to see how they show up in the WTL and for the rest of the year."
[7.0] "First time I ever saw OSKAR and Yuto-Ice was their final match before going out on excursion. I remember being really impressed with what I saw so to see them back, and being pushed something fierce so quickly, is really cool to see. Make no bones about it, they are still a little green and the crowd need a little convincing all things considered. I think things started off a little sloppy/unsure but as the match went in the four men just began to gel more and more and this ended up being a really good match."
[7.0] "Fun match. OSKAR and Yuto-Ice have amazing chemistry and fit well w/ Ishii and Taichi. Nothing insane but a good showing from both teams and I'm excited to see what KOB do with the titles."
[9.0] "I really enjoyed this match, I was excited for the KOB to show out, and they did just that, OSKAR is insanely huge and made every move he did feel like a massive deal, Yuto's character is awesome, and his strikes looked amazing. Ishii and Taichi are the perfect opponents as well, had the crowd really going and complimented the KOB offence really well, and having them drop the straps makes the KOB look like killers while not hurting Ishii or Taichi in the slightest. Great great match, and now I am really excited for the tag division moving forward when I really wasnt before."
[8.0] "Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi were the perfect foil for this and Knock Out Brothers first title win. Oskar and Yuto are equally as impressive as the other, I can 100% see a good long singles career for Yuto down the line but for now I would consider taking these belts off the two of them for a very long time."
[7.0] "(7.3) Surpisingly good match. Yuto and Ishii had some really good chemistry, some of their strikes looked nasty. This was the first KO brothers match I have seen and if they can wrestle like this somewhat consistently I would definitely become a fan."
[9.0] "As I had anticipated and hoped for, this was an insanely good tag title match, with Taichi/Ishii being their regular fun selves and KOB being the new punks in town that took the dads to their limit. Multiple near falls that had the crowd (as well as me) at the edge of their seats, Awesome exchanges, stiff hits and all four men worked their asses off. Yuto and Oskar are such a dynamic duo with Yuto being the smaller yet more mouthy one whilst Oskar is a near seven foot giant who just beats the shit out of you. Great match, and I'm excited for Yuya/Shota vs KOB at KOPW."
[7.0] "After some very strong previews I was excited for this tag title match, and it was very good, Yuto-Ice and Ishii have great chemistry, with Taichi and OSKAR just adding to the excitement. Ice and OSKAR were presented very strong throughout, and they managed to pick up the win with their KOB finisher in something of an upset, a very strong showing from all four men. This was a lot of fun, a really exciting and hard hitting matchup."
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