KUSHIDA vs. Lio Rush

[7.0] "Very good stuff as you'd expect from these two. I haven't seen KUSHIDA in a while now I think about it but he looks as good as ever. ***1/2"

[8.0] "I actually really loved this match and found it to be one of the more compelling matches of the weekend. Their styles blended very well and both are always a treat to watch. Severely underrated on this card in my opinion."

[7.0] "From a marquee banger set b/w KUSHIDA & Alexander, we received an unfortunate reboot to this bout with Lio Rush popping up all of a sudden. But there's no disrespect to the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion as he's off from a spectacular fight against Takahashi. Both men took time to blend their styles and it was a really good exhibition fight for these guys. KUSHIDA is on a laser focus as he's heading to Impact's Rebellion for a shot at the now-relinquished world championship, so his increased aggression made sense. 3.5 out of 5 stars!"

[6.0] "A decent match hampered somewhat by a dull crowd. Kushida seemed to be dressed like MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba. I don't know if that was entirely intentional but the orange trunks with white trim, the double white sleeves on the knees, and their shared love of the Kimura/double wrist lock are too many coincidences to ignore. A few nice exchanges and a good finish. Wish I could have felt more by the end but I'd mostly put that down to the soul-sucking production and environment this show had. Kushida is in a weird spot right now because he had his big return back to NJPW, didn't have the title match with Ishimori or any other big showcase match, and has since felt like a freelancer in the US without a clear goal."

[4.0] "This was a match that happened. Similar to the main event I think the original plan would've been much better. We got Rush instead of Alexander though, and while I like Rush I'm not sure why this didn't click. The crowd wasn't very into it and both guys seemed to just be going through the motions. KUSHIDA works the arm, Rush uses his quickness, but there's not a lot of creativity or intensity. An okay match. **1/4"

[6.0] "solid match, Lio showing off his quickness and KUSHIDA going for the arm the whole match. wasnt super into it, just haven't really been invested in KUSHIDA in a while for some reason, just lacks some extra energy for me. but still a decent match"

[7.0] "Lio is coming off one of the best tours for New Japan in recent memory, ending with a 10 rated match against Hiromu. Now Lio gets another NJPW Jr legend in Kushida, so my expectations here sky high. Unfortunately, Kushida's style of methodical arm destruction doesn't play to Lio's strong points. We got glimspes of Lio's high speed brilliance but this was about showcasing the new vicious Kushida (now wearing trunks) before his upcoming Impact world title match. This was solid but I expected more."

[8.0] "MOTN in my opinion. Yes, it is unfortunate that Alexander is injured and this was a totally different style match than KUSHIDA and Josh would have had but they made up for it and put on a hell of a show. Watch this match!"

[8.0] "Another super solid contest after the recent NJPW stint by Lio Rush culiminated with this very good match: tech and subs all the way."

[7.0] "This was a clash of styles, as expected - they quickly established that KUSHIDA these days is a submission-based wrestler, and Rush was as per usual relied on quickness, agility and creativity in his offense. There was enough back-and-forth to make this a memorable first-time-ever match, but also laid enough groundwork for a rematch in the future."

[8.0] "Very good sprint of a match between KUSHIDA and Rush right here that I really liked from the beginning to the end, both of them are so good in the ring so they really connected well together and everyone got to shine. Excellent, fluid and rhythmic action, good spots, beautiful moves, everything you want to see in a sprint between these two great wrestlers, Lio is in the run of his life."

[7.0] "A really good match as expected and while it was very unfortunate that Alexander got injured, I think Lio was a great replacment and think that these two are capable of a much better match in front of a better crowd."