Burger Weekly should be on Japanese PPV.
May 5, 2011 – Nagoya, Japan
Open the Dream Gate Champion: Masaaki Mochizuki
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: CIMA, Ricochet & Dragon Kid
Open the Brave Gate Champion: PAC
Open the Twin Gate Champions: Ryo Saito & Genki Horiguchi
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: YAMATO
Open the United Gate Champions: Masato Yoshino & PAC
Takuya Tomakomai & Super Shenlong vs. Super Shisa {Z} & Shachihoko Machine
Shenlong and Machine start. Shenlong hits a dropkick. Machine comes back with an armdrag and a cross chop. Tomakomai hits Shisa with a shoulder tackle. Shisa hits European uppercuts. Tomakomai chops him. He and Shenlong double-team Machine for 2. Machine hits a head scissor takedown. Shisa hits a crossbody. He locks both opponents in an abdominal stretch. He hits Shenlong with a head scissor takedown. Machine gets a victory roll for 2. He and Shisa get the Shachihoko Clutch for 2. Tomakomai saves Shenlong from the Yoshi Tonic. Shenlong hits Machine with a dropkick. He hits Shisa with a suicide dive. Tomakomai hits Machine with the Outsider’s Edge for the win at 4:23. That’s a pretty huge win for Tomakomai. Machine might be an expendable character, but he beat a team with his trainer on it on PPV. I’m thinking he starts getting a little push soon. Finish aside this match was nothing.
Rating: *
After the match the Blood Warriors hit the ring and unmask Shenlong, Machine and Shisa. None of their faces are seen as they are all quickly covered. CIMA gets on the microphone and calls out Kamikaze. They hit the ring, less YAMATO because he’s not involved in the issue between these teams tonight. CIMA, Dragon Kid and Ricochet beat most of the Kamikaze team the night before in an impromptu Triangle Gate match. Kid, captain of tonight’s elimination match, promises to win again tonight. Shingo Takagi, captain of the Kamikaze team, has other ideas. Naoki Tanisaki grabs the microphone and calls out Don Fujii for their match.
Metal Warrior {BW} & Naoki Tanisaki {BW} vs. Kenichiro Arai {Z} & Don Fujii {Z}
Warrior is one of the Metal Masks the Blood Warriors used before debuting, and is seemingly a replacement for the outdated Dr. Muscle. The Blood Warriors attack Fujii and Arai on their way to the ring. Fujii and Tanisaki brawl around the building. In the ring Arai hits Warrior with a back elbow. Fujii helps him double-team Warrior. Arai tries to rip off the mask but Referee Yagi won’t allow it. Arai hits a pair of bodyslams. Warrior hits a low blow. Tanisaki hits a facebuster. He hits a clothesline for 2. He hits a side Russian legsweep for 2. He hits an elevated kneedrop for 2. Arai hits a DDT. Fujii hits the palm strikes on both opponents. He hits Tanisaki with a lariat. He hits a powerbomb and Arai hits a diving headbutt for 2. Arai hits a double stomp off of Fujii’s shoulders for 2. Warrior hits a missile dropkick for 2. Tanisaki hits a facebuster. He hits Fujii with the DH. He hits Arai with the Casanova. Warrior hits a 450 splash for 2. Tanisaki hits the Implant for 2 when Fujii makes the save. Tanisaki hits FUjii with a kneelift. He dropkicks Warrior by mistake. Fujii hits a lariat. Arai hits Warrior with the Alabama Slam. He hits Tanisaki with a suicide dive. Fujii hits Warrior with a chokeslam. He hits the Nodowa Elbow for the win at 10:30. This wasn’t all that much more interesting than the last match, but it had a bit more time to develop so that the finish had some heat.
Rating: *¾
Yasushi Kanda {BW} vs. Susumu Yokosuka
Kanda interfered in World-1’s attempt to win the to win the Triangle Gate titles, hitting Yokosuka with the blue box and costing World-1 their status as a Dragon Gate stable as a result. This came after a string of strong performances from the newly dubbed “Candy.” Yokosuka is looking for revenge here. These two were a tag team back in the early Toryumon days as heels who invented most of the trademark Dragon Gate cheating you see today (including the box attack). Yokosuka hits a blue box attack during his entrance. Kanda hits a Manhattan drop. Yokosuka blocks the Jon Woo with a lariat. Kanda dropkicks him to the floor and hits a suicide dive. He chokes Yokosuka with his wrist tape. He hits a back elbow. He does the Warrior Uuuuu and then flips out when the crowd won’t do it with him. He hits a flapjack for 2. Yokosuka gets fired up but runs into a side slam. That gets 2 for Kanda. Yokosuka catches Kanda up top, but Kanda knows this game and knocks him to the mat. On the third try Yokosuka catches Kanda with a super exploder. He hits a lariat in the corner. Kanda hits a powerslam for 2. Yokosuka hits the Jumbo no Kachi from the side. Kanda hits the Jon Woo. He hits the flying elbowdrop for 2. A blue box battle ends with Yokosuka hitting a lariat onto the box, knocking it into Kanda’s face. He hits a blue box attack. He hits the Jumbo no Kachi. Kanda hits a German suplex out of nowhere for 2. Yokosuka hits a lariat for 2. Tanisaki hits a cheap shot from the apron. Yokosuka hits him with the Jumbo no Kachi. Metal Warrior comes out with a guitar and smacks Yokosuka with it. Kanda hits the Ryus for the win at 9:28. Kanda is so dastardly! I’m starting to dig the way he uses a style so different from the typical Dragon Gate style to win matches. I also like that the few moves he has are treated wit a lot of respect, as the Jon Woo, the flying elbowdrop and the Ryus are all sold like death by the entire roster. Is Metal Warrior the guitar wielding Ken45, the man who was set to debut in Dragon Gate a year and a half ago? We’ll have to wait and see.
Rating: **¾
PAC © vs. Naruki Doi {BW} [Open the Brave Gate Championship Match]
Doi beat Arai to earn this title shot, and is really only going for the belt because the Blood Warriors are trying to take everything from the former World-1 wrestlers. If PAC wins this match he will have the most prolific Brave Gate title reign in Dragon Gate history, as Tanisaki, Gamma and Masato Yoshino are all currently tied for that honor with six successful defenses in a given reign. Doi hits a dropkick to start. PAC sends him to the floor and hits a tope so effortlessly I’m simply amazed. Back in the ring he hits a northern light suplex for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special. Doi gets to the ropes. He hits a neckbreaker and a senton for 2. The ropes are noticeably loose, having looked that way since Doi went through them at the beginning of the match. Doi chokes PAC. He hits the Dai Bosou. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a powerbomb and the Bosou Elbow for 2. PAC blocks a dropkick with a kick to the face. He sends Doi to the floor and hits a corkscrew moonsault press. Back in the ring he hits an Ace Crusher for 2. Doi tries to trip him on the ropes but PAC is ready for it. He hits a springboard 450 splash and a standing SSP for 2. Doi hits the Rydeen Bomb for 2. He gets a schoolboy for 2. He hits a dropkick to the back. He hits a reverse DDT for 2. PAC avoids the Bakatare Sliding Kick. Both guys go for a crossbody and collapse in the middle of the ring. PAC hits an enziguiri. He hits a springboard dropkick. He hits another to the back for 2. He bleeds from his chin as he climbs the ropes. Doi smacks some of that blood onto the camera. PAC hits a sunset bomb. Doi counters the Shooting Star Press to an Ace Crusher. He hits a spike DDT and the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2. He signals for the Muscular Bomb. PAC blocks it but gets caught with a tiger suplex. That gets 2 for Doi. Doi takes out the referee while hitting the Doi 555. He hits another Bakatare Sliding Kick but there’s no referee. PAC ducks a chair shot and kicks it into Doi’s head. He hits a sit-out powerbomb but the referee is slow to count and it only gets 2. PAC avoids the Avalanche 555 and kicks Doi’s face. He hits the Shooting Star Knee. He hits the 360 Shooting Star Press for the win at 18:01. And with that PAC has obtained the illusive seventh Brave Gate title defense. Even without the ropes being as taut as I’m sure they wanted them to be, PAC still flew around the ring like he was more comfortable in the air than on the ground. The finish with the ref bump and the slow movement out of the corner was a little off, but aside from that they put on as good of a match as you’re going to see out of the midcard.
Rating: ***¾
During intermission they show clips of the match in which Masaaki Mochizuki won the Dream Gate title from Masato Yoshino a couple of weeks earlier. The episode of Infinity on which it aired only showed about three or four more minutes than are shown here, which is really a condemnation of Infinity’s editing choices. The match was awesome, by the way.
Ryo Saito © {BW} & Genki Horiguchi © {BW} vs. BxB Hulk & Masato Yoshino [Open the Twin Gate Championship Match]
Saito and Yoshino start. Saito hits a hurricanrana. Yoshino hits a head scissor takedown. Horiguchi hits Hulk with a head scissor
takedown. Hulk hits a spin kick. Yoshino hits a dropkick to the face. He hits a roundhouse kick for 2. MARAHA! ISAPPA! Saito hits a legdrop for 2. He hits a back elbow. Horiguchi hits a back suplex for 2. Saito hits a double stomp. Horiguchi hits a swinging DDT for 2. Hulk comes back with dropkicks. Yoshino hits Horiguchi with the Sling Blade. He catches Saito with the Coumori. He hits the Track and Field Dropkick. He blocks Horiguchi’s back elbow with a dropkick. He blocks a moonsault and put son From Jungle. Hulk sweeps Saito’s legs and hits a senton for 2. Saito hits an overhead suplex into the corner. Hulk fires back with kicks. Saito hits Horiguchi by mistake. Yoshino hits a powerbomb. He blocks a German suplex. Hulk hits the axe kick. Yoshion hits the shotgun senton for 2. Horiguchi helps Saito hit a German suplex on Hulk. Saito hits one on Yoshino as well. Yoshino comes back with slaps. Saito hits a pair of dragon suplexes for 2. Yoshino catches Horiguchi with a backslide for 2. Hulk hits the Mouse and the axe kick. Yoshino hits the Torbellino. He hits the Lightning Spiral for 2. Hulk hits Saito with the axe kick. Yoshino hits a suicie dive. Hulk hits the avalanche EVO on Horiguchi for 2. Horiguchi gets the Backslide from Heaven for 2. Hulk hits the First Flash. Horiguchi blocks the FTX and gets the Backslide from Heaven for the win at 12:06. This never clicked and the crowd was dead for most of it. The finish was awkward too. Disappointing stuff all around.
Rating: **¾
Dragon Kid © {BW}, Ricochet {BW}, Gamma {BW} & CIMA {BW} Shingo Takagi © {K}, KAGETORA {K}, Cyber Kong {K} & Taku Iwasa {K} [Captain’s Fall Survival Elimination Match]
Everyone brawls to start. Kid and Takagi square off. Takagi hits the Yo Throw. Kid hits an armdrag. He hits a very cool head scissor takedown. Kong bullies Gamma around the ring. He goes for a press slam to the floor but Gamma avoids it. Kong starts to choke Gamma so Gamma spits in his fac. Kong hits a shoulder tackle. KAGETORA hits CIMA with a dropkick. CIMA hits the Superdrol. KAGETORA eliminates CIMA with the Kagenui. Takagi beats up Kid on the floor. He hits a kneedrop in the ring for 2. Kamikaze gangs up on Kid in the corner. Kong hits an elevated elbowdrop for 2. He and Iwasa go for the Doomsday Device but Ricochet and Gamma make the save. Kid rolls Iwasa up to eliminate him and revive CIMA. CIMA hits KAGETORA with a hanging double stomp for 2. The Blood Warriors gang up on KAGETORA in the corner. CIMA avoids the Kagenui and gets the Dos Caras Clutch on KAGETORA to eliminate him. Kong hits Kid and Ricochet with lariats. CIMA and Gamma go for stereo suplexes, but Takagi and Kong are too strong and suplex all four opponents. Kong sends Gamma and Ricochet over the top to the floor, reviving KAGETORA and Iwasa. Iwasa hits CIMA with a gutbuster and KAGETORA hits a sliding kick. Takagi hits a senton. Kong hits a splash for 2. He hits Kid with an avalanche and the Pineapple Bomber for 2. CIMA hits Kong with the Neji to Hashi and the Meteora to eliminate him and revive Ricochet. Gamma shoves Ricochet and takes his place.
Iwasa hits Gamma with a knee kick. Gamma hits a lariat. KAGETORA hits an enziguiri. Gamma hits a lariat. Iwasa hits the Noshigami. Takagi hits the Pumping Bomber to eliminate Gamma and revive Kong. Kong hits Kid with the Cyber Cutter. Kid blocks the Cyber Bomb. Kong clubs him. CIMA knocks him over the top and he and Kid hit dropkicks to send him to the floor and revive Ricochet. Takagi throws Ricochet into the air. He hits Kid with a backbreaker. Kid hits a stunner. Takagi goes for the STAY DREAM but CIMA saves Kid with the Venus. Kid hits the stack hurricanrana. Ricochet counters the Gouwan to an enziguiri. He hits a standing SSP for 2. CIMA hits KAGETORA with the Schwein. Ricochet hits Iwasa and KAGETORA with the same double moonsault and eliminates them both, reviving Gamma. Now Takagi is alone. CIMA hits him with the Perfect Driver. He and Kid hit sentons. Ricochet hits a running SSP for 2. He, CIMA and Kid hit the Triple Tokarev. Gamma hits the Gamma Special for 2. Takagi slugs Kid. CIMA and Gamma hit a double superkick. Kid hits the Ultra Hurricanrana for 2. The crowd lost it there. Takagi forces Kid to hit a Frankensteiner on CIMA. He flips Ricochet out of his boots. He hits Kid with the Pumping Bomber. Gamma canes him. He canes Kid by mistake. Kid hits the Bible for 2. Takagi hits Gamma with a lariat. He hits Kid with the Last Falconry for the win at 21:17. The Blood Warriors’ plan was to keep Kong eliminate as much as possible, and it paid off for a while. Their fear of him also made him look like a monster, which I love. The match didn’t flow quite as well as it probably could have, but it was still a very well booked collection of fun segments and astonishing spots. Takagi’s performance once he was alone was also fantastic. Kamikaze is STRONG!
Rating: ****
Masaaki Mochizuki © vs. YAMATO {K} [Open the Dream Gate Championship Match]
If this measures up to their 2010 matches then we’re in for a big treat. They fight on the mat to start. Mochizuki sends YAMATO over the top rope and hits the apron kick. YAMATO crawls under the ring to dropkick Mochizuki’s leg from behind. He works the leg on the mat. Mochizuki tries to fight back so YAMATO punches the leg. Mochizuki hits an axe kick to the arm. He hits an armbreaker and puts on an armbar. YAMATO gets to the ropes. Mochizuki stays on the arm. YAMATO blocks the Twister so Mochizuki reapplies the armbar. YAMATO gets to the ropes. Mochizuki kicks the arm. YAMATO grabs the leg and hits a dragon screw. He dropkicks the leg. He puts on a figure 4 leglock. Mochizuki spends almost a minute in the hold before getting to the ropes. They go to the floor where YAMATO stays on the leg. Back in the ring Mochizuki tries kicking YAMATO’s arm from the mat but his position is bad. YAMATO puts on a leglock. Mochizuki counters to a cross armbreaker. YAMATO counters that to another leglock. Mochizuki gets to the ropes. YAMATO blocks a chest kick and puts on a heel hook. Mochizuki gets to the ropes. YAMATO challenges Mochizuki to kick him. Mochizuki’s kicks don’t have much behind them. YAMATO gets cocky so Mochizuki kicks his arm. YAMATO tears through the axe kick, but a big boot does more damage. YAMATO hits a dropkick to keep Mochizuki from getting any momentum. Mochizuki puts him in the Tree of Woe and kicks his shoulder. The ropes are so greasy that both wrestlers are covered in filth. Mochizuki blocks the punt by sweeping the leg. He kicks YAMATO’s face to regain control. He also gets 2. He’s slow moving however, and YAMATO avoids the Ikkakugeri. YAMATO puts on a half crab. Mochizuki gets close to the ropes so YAMATO pulls him back and punts his face. Mochizuki blocks the brainbuster and hits the Twister. YAMATO baits him into kicking him again and grabs a kick to hit a shinbreaker and a back suplex. He hits another dropkick. Mochizuki hits a back heel kick. He hits the Ikkakugeri. YAMATO blocks the Twister III and hits the Galleria. Mochizuki kicks his face when he goes for the pin. YAMATO hits a headbutt. He hits the running elbow. He goes for another Galleria but this time Mochizuki blocks it and hits the Twister III for 2. He hits the Illusion. He hits a back kick. YAMATO hits an enziguiri. He hits a brainbuster. He hits a German suplex for 2 but Mochizuki puts on the kimura when he kicks out. He floats into a cross armbreaker. YAMATO counters to an anklelock, putting his foot on the free leg because he’s awesome. He ducks Mochizuki’s escape enziguiri and puts on the sleeper hold. He hits the Galleria for 2 and the crowd is shocked! Mochizuki knows he’s going for the sleeper again and he gets a takedown. He hits the Illusion and the Shin Saikyou High Kick for 2. He hits the Sankakugeri to the face for the win at 25:11.
These two make magic when they’re in the ring together. There were no flashy highspots and no finisher overkill. They just rocked it on the mat, hit each other really hard and made me believe in everything they were doing. The first twenty minutes were great, but the last five blew my mind. YAMATO was killing Mochizuki, who might be too old to be champion, and the old man was forced to use his new finisher to win the match. This also brings up another compelling angle for the champion: Can he stay at the top of the card without hitting the face-busting Sankakugeri, and what happens when the roster figures out how to avoid it? Oh, this is also the best Dream Gate match ever, and one of the best matches in Dragon Gate history.
Rating: ****¾
After the match Mochizuki asks YAMATO and Kamikaze to join his new unit again. YAMATO says he has decided whether or not he’ll join, but he’s not saying which way he’s going just yet. Mochizuki then turns to Takagi, who was in YAMATO’s corner, and tells him that he’ll convince him to join the group when they fight each other in the first round of the King of Gate tournament. I can’t wait! Mochizuki sends the crowd home happy and celebrates with his new crew, the former World-1.
