[8.0] "If there was any bitterness towards Ospreay leaving New Japan, they forgot to tell the people inside Ryogoku Sumo Hall. This would have been a decent 6-man but was massively elevated by Ospreay's return to NJPW but moreso the crowd's reaction to him. They were way too hot for that closing stretch with Taichi for a regular 6-man tag match. When Taichi really brings it, he's great, and Will's someone who brings that out of him. Irrelevant to the score but noteworthy was the post-match stuff, which I'm sure eventually leads to Ospreay vs Newman, possibly at WK in 2027."
[7.0] "This was a mostly fine match but Taichi vs Ospreay elevated it for sure, those two just have such excellent chemistry. And boy did Will's return liven up this mostly quiet crowd. ***1/2"
[4.0] "The return of Will Ospreay, this boring punchable-in-the-face spotmonkey was the absolute last thing NJPW needed. But they brought him back anyway. In his return match he makes Jr division Ace look like a fool and pins Taichi who deserves to be in the top spot the most but is forced to waste his time in midcard because of people like Ospreay. Way to go Gedo."
[6.0] "[3 Stars] Great to see Will Ospreay back in New Japan. The crowd were incredible for him and he definitely brought his unique energy to this match which allowed it to stand out, but at the end of the day, it was still a fairly standard six man tag team match from NJPW"
[7.0] "Just a great match. It had a bit of an exhibition feel for everyone, but the finish was excellent. The match really peaked when we got Ospreay vs. Taichi, damn, that was good."
[7.0] "My problem with this match in general was the matchmaking itself. Despy and Uemura are two guys that I love to see them wrestle but that style of six man trios match clearly sucks for them, their ring work don't apply like it should and Herane/O-Khan felt really uninteresting. However, it is a great experience, Ospreay looked so cool, Taichi delivered as fuck, and the rest was fine. Maybe too long, but eh."
[8.0] "Really good 6 man match, Ospreay & Taichi looked to be having a blast. Yuya starting out against Will felt big. Henare is a beast and Despy's aura is unmatched. O-Khan looked tough guy good as well. For an early in the card match it was fun and felt bigger that it should have."
[7.0] "Very fun tag match and moment having Ospreay back in new Japan. I really enjoyed everyone's involvement in the match besides those shitters khan and henare. Like good god man they threw off parts of this match. Luckily everyone else was on there top game. Will was moving really well to. Brought back that old Japan Ospreay vibe. I also liked the post match of Will not wanting the empire to do the beatdown. (***3/4)"
[7.0] "Such a fun six man tag with lots of guys turning in great performances. God was it great to see Will back in a NJPW ring and the crowd was going crazy for him all match. The match itself was really good. I loved getting to watch Ospreay closer to full flight as it is an undercard match he didn't need to sell the neck as much meaning we got some great sequences with Uemura and Taichi. O-Khan and Henare were kind of just there and had some nice moments during the match with some nice power moves. Taichi was great in this match man you could see how much he still hates Will as they beat the piss out of each other towards the end. Uemura was great and watching him go band for band with Will at the start was great. Despy was kind of just there for me. The finish with Ospreay and Taichi was so much fun watching them going back and fourth with big moves and strikes before Ospreay hit the hidden blade and the stormbreaker for the 3. Overall a really fun match with some nice moments and sequnces but god i wish it got some more time as it was really getting going then it ended. Loved seeing Ospreay back man. (***3/4)"
[6.0] "That was really good, no surprise given the people involved in the match. Welcome back, William... but maybe don't catch a return flight this time, alright?"
[4.0] "A 3v3 match with little at stake, even though Ospreay's return to the United Empire was a minor event. The Briton's victory was unsurprising in a match that didn't offer much of a boost to any of the contestants. In-ring quality: 1/4. Stakes: 0.5/2. Justification: 0.5/1. Placement on the card: 0.75/1. Suspense: 0.25/1. Bonus/penalty: none. Total: 4/10. Match watched on NJPW World."
[7.0] "Three and three quarter stars. A good six man tag match sees Ospreay return and mix it up with Uemura, Taichi and Desperado. The post match continues the story of Newman's United Empire being different from Ospreay's vision."
[7.0] "Really well done. I wasn't sure Ospreay's return would have this level of hype, but they made sure it did. He was given three legit opponents, and at least Henare at his side. I'm glad they acknowledged Taichi as one of Ospreay's most underrated rivals."
[8.0] "Will Ospreay's return match in New Japan is so awesome, the face off with Yuya Uemura and Taichi especially was truly awesome. We can see that he's not on the same page as HENARE and GOK, great match."
[6.0] "A great performance by the Hontai delegation, particularly Uemura and Taichi, did not quite make this a match to go out of your way for, but it was admittedly fun viewing. The crowd were really hot for Ospreay and seemed generally very lively throughout this match which helped a fair bit, and the action was strong for the most part. Ospreay of course got the win over Taichi with a Stormbreaker, a good match which did not completely click for me but I did enjoy it."
[7.0] "Cool return trios match for Ospreay with the ending stretch between him and Taichi that was just amazing. Wish we could've gotten a bit more Ospreay Yuya minutes but maybe in the future."
[5.0] "It was Will's return match in about 2 years and it was just okay the ending with Khan and Henry attacking Despe was the vocal point here and it was okay I think. Will looks a bit blue after his return but I can imagine that's what neckendry does to you. Anyway, I hope this sets up a match between will and you yuya but we'll see"
[6.0] "***3/4 Good match, good chemistry, they flowed smoothly and everyone had their moments to shine, good sequences, good intensity, I highlight that Backdrop Suplex from Taichi to Ospreay which looked brutal, good constant pace, good ending, Ospreay avoids another Backdrop Suplex, applies an Oscutter, Taichi kicks out, Will goes for the Hidden Blade, Taichi intercepts him with a punch but Ospreay still manages to apply the Hidden Blade and then finishes him off with the Stormbreaker"
[7.0] "Love that we started with Ospreay vs Yuya, that's a singles match I'd LOVE to see. O-Khan continues to be a hell of a character and I don't fully know how to feel about him. I do know how I feel about Yuya tho, I feel like he really has loads of potential to be a top guy pretty soon. This match picked up some real speed with the back and forth between Ospreay and Taichi and kept that until the end despite O-Khan's best efforts."
[8.0] "Sick opening back and forth from Ospreay and Yuya. Ospreay and Yuya's work was the best part of this, regardless of who they're in there with. Incredible stuff with Ospreay and Taichi deeper into the match."
[7.0] "I rarely expect much from these undercard tags so this gem was highly appreciated. There was some good physical work between Uemura, Despe and HENARE but this match kicked into gear when Taichi got across from Ospreay. How good must Taichi be consistently before they use this guy better because I believed he hated Ospreay as he managed to stay 5 steps ahead of him always countering his moves and dumping him on his head with a Dangerous Backdrop. Taichi makes a mistake at the end as he gets hit with the hidden blade and stormbreaker for the Empire to win but holy shit can we get the NEVER belt out of HoT hell and just put it on Taichi he has been making the best out of nothing as New Japan continues to cut out his momentum with him losing every big match he is in. Great tag match and what a performance from OUR Holy Emperor. (***3/4)."
[7.0] "The closing stretch between Ospreay and Taichi really carried the match and ended up being the highlight for the crowd. There was a real swing in momentum there. Taichi, surprisingly, got the audience on his side for a brief moment, which added a nice layer of drama against Ospreay. That kind of back-and-forth energy is exactly what you want in that position on the card and it delivered in terms of crowd engagement. That said, I would have liked to see more of Ospreay overall. His presence tends to elevate everything and this match could have benefited from more of him throughout. I was also hoping for some interactions between Ospreay and Uemura, some interplay there could have added depth and nuance to the storytelling. As it stands, the finish was fun, but there was untapped potential that never got fully explored."
[8.0] "This was a very good trios match. It was exciting to see Will Ospreay return to Japan and the potential of matches against Taichi and Yuya Uemura were foreshadowed here by genuinely great in-ring action. The beginning of the match was solid with typical trios action from Khan and Henare but the match definitely fired into second gear once Ospreay and Taichi got in the ring. The sequence between them at the end was genuinely awesome and Ospreay hits the Stormbreaker to pin Taichi. Rating: ****"
[6.0] "A lot of exhibitionism early on, and it was kinda weird how Ospreay was a face but his team were heels, fortunately this gets addressed to some degree as things play out (albeit post match). Taichi kicks this into another gear with a notable back suplex on Will (play into his neck injury), which leads into the final stretch involving an emphatic hidden blade and storm breaker. 3.25*"
[7.0] "Rare than an undercard tag has big match vibes to it but Ospreay's return had the live crowd wired and a hot crowd elevates anything. Ospreay was obviously the star but Taichi and Uemura put some pretty good work into this bout as well. My only complaint is that I wish it had gone longer. This exact combination of guys could easily work a Super Generation Army quality six-man tag if given forty minutes. Very good post-match of poor, naiive Ospreay being confused that his group has become the baddies in his absence. Watch the product, Billy."
[7.0] "Sure, Ospreay was back here but wow, this was the Taichi show. This was such a nuanced performance by him, focused on a clear disdain towards Ospreay through facial expressions and even just the timing on went to interfere in the match prior to him getting tagged in. His offence stays ahead of Ospreay during numerous moments - Ospreay only really gets the better of Taichi right at the finish. If I'm nitpicking, Ospreay's selling in particular is inconsistent as per but his sequences with Taichi are over quick enough that they don't become completely unrealistic. ***3/4."
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