"Even though in his prime [Takada] was the best submission guy in the old UWF dojo in the late 80s and when it comes to form and power is awesome with kicks, although kicks are totally overrated in a shoot because a good takedown guy loves guys to try and kick them. Anyway, Takada has never done an NHB match and Gracie has tons of experience and should win handily."
—Dave Meltzer diseecting the outcome of PRIDE 1 at Wrestling Observer Newsletter, February 10, 1997
"It was like Seppuku ritual, an honorable death in the samurai world. But pro wrestling proved to be a real martial art and Takada proved it by committing suicide. He drove a wedge in the fixed label of wrestling by carrying the cross for wrestling fans' sins, the sin of believing that pro wrestling was real."
—Tadashi Tanaka
