Not as explosive as their G1 match, but then again, there aren't many matches out there that are. I liked the pacing in this one a lot - it was great that in their 2nd match they changed it up a little bit & had a more slow paced matches that built & built as it went on. Thought both guys, in particular Ishii, did some really neat selling there & of course the offense of both looked as great as ever. The 2nd chapter of the Shibata vs. Ishii rivalry was a very enjoyable - a great match. ****

I remember there was some disappointment that they didn't go balls out like the G1 match and maybe booking this match two months after that one for no real reason was a bad booking decision...but this match kicks ass. They hit most of the strong poitns of the G1 match (stiff strikes, tough guy contest, big drama) plus they make the effort to milk the double KO finishes from the Goto matches (they did this in the G1 match but I think it was more effective here). Shibata gets the win, and from here on out he never lost another singles match to Ishii. ****