Ratings

In this young lion vs. veteran matchup, we saw a rising star in Nagao, while Sato embodied the grizzled veteran. As expected, the match was hard-hitting and set a physical tone from the start. Sato quickly took control, forcing Nagao into a defensive position where he managed to shine. Nagao found moments to counter Sato's dominance, landing key offensive moves like dropkicks and suplexes. A standout moment came when both men exchanged headbutts, busting each other open the hard way. Despite Nagao’s valiant efforts and several comeback spots, Sato’s experience and brutal forearm strikes ultimately overwhelmed him, with Sato securing the win via a sit-out piledriver.

We joined this match in progress, which was definitely a bit disappointing. It was a hard-hitting, fast-paced, and competitive bout, with both women frantically searching for a pin within the final minutes due to the looming time limit. Unfortunately, time expired before a winner could be determined. After the match, the two agreed to meet again, which I’m excited to see in the future, and is hopefully given more time. However, with the match being clipped in half, the impact of the time-limit draw felt diminished. This was a poor production choice that hindered the overall experience

Eight-man tag team matches are often designed to showcase a variety of talent, but with this bout clipped to around three minutes, it’s hard to fully appreciate all eight competitors. I went in with low expectations, and the match didn’t start off well, with a poorly executed four-corner face wash that made me cringe. However, things improved once the focus shifted back to one-on-one action, featuring solid suplexes and strikes. When Kongozan entered, though, the pace slowed considerably, which hurt the match's flow. We also saw a chaotic eight-man submission spot that felt poorly executed and overcomplicated. The match picked up again toward the end, with Ren Ayabe forcing Kongozan to submit after an impressive full nelson lift, which helped redeem the bout. Despite the strong finish, the weak opening, awkward moments, and heavy clipping hurt the overall quality of the match.

This tag bout features two joshi legends in Yokota and Inoue, so I was expecting a match with a slower-pace relying on call-backs and nostalgia. We joined this match in progress, missing much of the early action. What was shown was the two legends slowing the pace considerably, using power moves such as suplexes and lariats to maintain their control over the younger stars. Nakamori and Takase had brief flashes of offense, with Nakamori notably landing a Shining Wizard, but they ultimately struggled to steal any momentum from the veterans. Inoue, despite her age, impressed me with her feats of strength. However, I was much less impressed with Yokuta, who’s age seemed to have taken a toll on her ability. Despite the combined age of her team, Inoue managed to walk away with the victory, which was disappointing. These two legends should be putting their opponents over, not winning these matches.

This mid card tag bout features an obvious underdog in Toki due to his size compared to the other competitors. This match is also clipped at the beginning by a small amount, so we have a good chunk of action to view. The major theme was Toki’s resilience, as he takes a brutal assault from Sekimoto and Hino, but he keeps getting back up.Toki would chop and strike his opponent but he would then get leveled by one, much larger strike. But when he would be pinned, Toki had assists from his teammate in breaking them up. The finish sees Toki layed out for a giant frog splash from Hino and a lariat from Sekimoto. A well executed match with solid, hard-hitting action.

We join the match in progress, seeing only about half of the action. From what aired, Fuminori Abe largely dominated with his stiff strikes and submission-based offense. Takumi Saito struggled to gain any meaningful momentum, with his only notable offense being a northern lights suplex. At no point did it feel like Saito was a real threat to Abe. Abe maintained control with his signature kicks and a well-placed baseball punch to the head before securing the victory with his octopus stretch submission, forcing Saito to tap out.

This tag title bout had its moments, but ultimately it was an unspectacular, mid-card match. The Kubotass used their heel tactics to control much of the action, allowing for fiery hot tags from Matsunaga and Sato that sparked some impressive comeback offense. The finish saw Matsunaga hit a series of strong moves on Yasu, culminating in the victory. While the match was fine overall, it lacked the energy needed to elevate the card beyond mediocrity.

At first glance, this match pitted the underdog Isaka against the seasoned veteran Aoki. It was a hard-hitting bout, with Aoki holding a clear size advantage, but Isaka’s resilience kept him in the fight. The highlight came when the action spilled into the stands, where Isaka executed a spectacular moonsault off the railing onto Aoki. However, once back in the ring, Aoki used his power to wear down Isaka with heavy chops and suplexes. Despite Isaka’s valiant efforts and his strong showing from underneath, Aoki ultimately secured the win with a devastating lariat.