July 17, 2011 – Kobe, Japan
Open the Dream Gate Champion: Masaaki Mochizuki
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: Masato Yoshino, Gamma & YAMATO
Open the Brave Gate Champion: PAC
Open the Twin Gate Champions: PAC & Dragon Kid
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: YAMATO
Open the United Gate Champions: PAC & Masato Yoshino
Super Shenlong vs. Kotoka
There’s a reemphasis on the dojo guys, so this match on the preshow is actually shown more than a typical preshow match is shown. That is to say, it’s already in progress when the show comes on the air and a lot of it still occurs while the commentators are running down the main show card, but we do actually get to see a bit of it. We join in as Kotoka hits Shenlong with a chest kick. He hits a missile dropkick for 2. Shenlong attacks the leg. Kotoka hits an elbow. Shenlong returns the favor. Kotoka gets a schoolboy for 2. He gets a small package for 2. Shenlong hits a dropkick for 2. He puts on a Boston crab and then switches to a half crab for the win at 1:15 shown of 4:01. Good to see these guys get even a little time on PPV. Gives you a reason to care about them fighting for a spot in the Summer Adventure Tag League.
Taku Iwasa & Kenichiro Arai vs. KAGETORA {J3} & Super Shisa {J3}
It’s still kind of a trip to see AraIwa back together. Iwasa and Shisa start. They do the early-match-stuff-that-leads-nowhere thing. Arai hits KAGETORA with a shoulder tackle. KAGETORA hits a dropkick. Iwasa forces Shisa to stun KAGETORA. He makes Shisa hit KAGETORA with a DDT too. That’s like rape. Arai hits KAGETORA with a kneedrop. He hits a backbreaker for 2. He puts on a half crab. KAGETORA hits a pair of enziguiris. He hits Iwasa with a leaping lariat. Shisa hits a dropkick. He puts both opponents in an abdominal stretch. He hits a hurricanrana. KAGETORA hits a flying elbowdrop for 2. Iwasa hits Shisa with a splash. Arai hits a double stomp. He hits another off of Iwasa’s shoulders up top for 2. He hits KAGETORA with the Alabamaslam onto Shisa. He and Iwasa hit a double wheelbarrow suplex on KAGETORA onto Shisa. Iwasa hits the Gouwan on Shisa for 2. Shisa blocks the Noshigami with a sunset flip for 2. Iwasa hits the Noshigami for the win at 6:50. That finish was poo, and first five minutes of the match weren’t much better. Ninety seconds do not an exciting match make.
Rating: *¼
Junction Three and the Blood Warriors all come down to the ring, both teams in full force. They’re separated by a rope running between opposite turnbuckles. The Warriors gloat with their stolen title belts. The ring announcer runs down the card (which aside from one match from here on out is made of all Junction Three vs. Blood Warriors matches) and gives the participants in the matches a chance to talk. Hulk spits wine at Mochizuki. Kzy challenges Rich Swann to a rap battle. Despite not understanding English, the crowd loves Swann more than Kzy. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that Swann rapped a LOT faster and dropped “Junction Three” at the end. He’s awarded the win.
Ryo Saito {BW} & Genki Horiguchi {BW} vs. Susumu Yokosuka {J3} & Rich Swann {J3}
Swann and Saito start. Swann messes with Saito. He hits a dropkick. Horiguchi hits a dropkick. Yokosuka hits an exploder. He and Swann hit a double elbow for 2. Horiguchi hits Swann with a swinging DDT. Saito hits a legdrop for 2. MARAHA! ISAPPA! Horiguchi hits a vertical suplex for 2. Saito hits a diving double stomp for 2. He chokes Swann with a towel. Swann hits a springboard Ace Crusher on Horiguchi. He dropkicks Saito. Yokosuka cleans house with lariats. He rolls through a hurricanrana for 2. Saito hits the Fisherman Express. Yokosuka hits a vertical suplex. Swann hits a standing frog splash for 2. Horiguchi helps Saito hit Yokosuka with a German suplex. Horiguchi hits Swann with a snap suplex. Saito hits a Superfly Splash for 2. He hits a German suplex and a dragon suplex for 2. Yokosuka hits a super exploder on Horiguchi for 2. Swann hits FIREBIRD for 2. He hits a Frankensteiner on Saito. He hits a nutty plancha, but pretty much overshoots his target. Yokosuka catches Horiguchi with a backslide for 2. He hits the Jumbo no Kachi for 2. Horiguchi counters the Mugen to the Backslide from Hell for the win at 9:36. This was very entertaining. Swann and Yokosuka actually compliment each other very well as a team, and MarahaIsappa don’t really have bad matches these days.
Rating: ***
Don Fujii, Stalker Ichikawa & Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Naoki Tanisaki {BW}, Kzy {BW} & Tomahawk TT {BW}
Before the match they run down the titles that Takayama has won. The list is pretty ridiculous. The Blood Warriors attack before the bell. Takayama gains control with clotheslines. Fujii dives onto Kzy. Tanisaki gets into a fistfight with Takayama, which proves foolish. Takayama hit a back suplex. He press slams Ichikawa onto Tanisaki for 2. Tanisaki regains his composure during an “assault” from Ichikawa. He hits an elbow. Fujii chops Kzy around the arena. TT hits a knife-edge chop. He hits a delayed vertical suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock. Takayama makes the save. Tanisaki hits an elevated kneedrop for 2. Fujii gets frustrated with Ichikawa and slams him, but makes the save before Tanisaki can pin him. TT hits Ichikawa with a lariat. Ichikawa hits a head scissor takedown. Fujii tags in and cleans house with DDTs and lariats. He hits Kzy with a back suplex for 2. Fujii catapults Ichikawa into position to hit the Koncho on Kzy, helpfully held upside down by Takayama. Fujii and Ichikawa walk the ropes. Kzy is flabbergasted, so Fujii smacks him. Ichikawa gets overconfident and falls on his crotch. The Warriors gang up on him. TT hits the Emerald Frosion and Tanisaki hits the Casanova for 2. Kzy hits KZ Time for 2. Fujii cleans house with lariats. Takayama hits TT with a big boot. Kzy hits the B-Boy on Fujii. Our heroes hit the Warriors with German suplexes to get the triple pin at 11:00. The finish was fun, and a couple of spots were amusing, and that’s really all you can expect from a match involving Ichikawa anyway.
Rating: **
YAMATO © {J3}, Masato Yoshino © {J3} & Gamma © {J3} vs. Cyber Kong {BW}, Naruki Doi {BW} & Yasushi Kanda {BW} [Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match]
The Warriors are forced to hand over the Triangle Gate belts to the champions before the match. The Warriors attack before the bell. Kong suplexes YAMATO on the ramp. In the ring Gamma hits Kanda with a shoulder tackle. Kanda hits the Manhattan drop. Gamma hits a dropkick. Kong hits YAMATO with a shoulder tackle. YAMATO tries returning the favor but has trouble. After taking about a dozen failed shoulder tackles Kong slams YAMATO. He press slams YAMATO to the floor. Doi smacks Yoshino to stop his speed. Yoshino comes back with the Coumori. He hits the Track & Field Dropkick. Doi blocks Gamma’s spit and rubs it in his face. Gamma blocks the Doi 555 and spits in Doi’s face. He gives Doi the Sweet Angel’s Kiss. He gives Kanda the Osuikougeki. Yoshino and YAMATO help him hit a triple dropkick. Kanda grabs YAMATO’s hair to regain control. Doi hits a neckbreaker for 2. Kong hits a delayed vertical suplex for 2. Doi and Kanda hit a double flapjack. Kong hits an elbowdrop for 2. Doi hits the elevated senton. YAMATO appears to be out of energy. It proves to be a ruse when he hits Doi with a spear and Kanda with a dropkick. Yoshino hits Kanda with a supercharged Sling Blade. Yoshino hits a miracle suplex on Kong. Gamma hits a dropkick. He trades clubbing forearms with Kong. That proves foolish. Kong hits the Pineapple Bomber for 2. YAMATO hits Doi with an exploder. Doi avoids a pair of kicks and hits a senton. YAMATO hits an enziguiri and a brainbuster for 2. He hits a big boot and put son the sleeper hold. Kong makes the save and hits YAMATO with a German suplex. Doi hits the Dai Bosou. Kong hits the flying elbowdrop for 2. Kanda hits Yoshino with the side slam. He hits a powerslam for 2. He hits the Manhattan drop but misses the Jon Woo. Yoshino puts on From Jungle and gets a sunset flip for 2. He hits the shotgun senton. Kanda hits a blue box attack. The Warriors gang up on Yoshino in the corner. Junction Three does the same to Doi. Gamma hits the Gamma Special for 2. Kzy hits Gamma with a chair. Kong hits the Cyber Combination for 2. Gamma hits a miracle backdrop. Kong hits an avalanche. Kanda hits an exploder. He hits a German suplex for 2. Gamma is out but Doi won’t go for the cover. Dude, that’s how you lost the last Triangle Gate match! Doi hits the Doi 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2. Kanda hits the flying elbowdrop. Yoshino hits the Ude Yoshino. Kong hits the Cyber Cutter. YAMATO slams him. Doi baits YAMATO to the floor. Gamma hits a clothesline. He clotheslines Kanda. Yoshino hits the Torbellino. YAMAOT hits the punt. Yoshino hits the Lightning Spiral for 2. He hits Kong and
arn To Draw Caricatures'>Learn To Draw CaricaturesDoi with a suicide dive. YAMATO hits Kanda with the Galleria and Gamma finishes him with the Sky Twister Press at 21:24. The match never really took off or told a compelling story. The work was good but not as good as other Kobe World Triangle Gate matches of legend. Kanda’s stock has also dramatically fallen since he tore his way to the main event in recent months, which is a little strange to see.
Rating: ***¼
The intermission match is YAMATO vs. Mochizuki from Dead or Alive. You should read my review of that match because it was amaaaaaazing. The match, not my review, though I think my review was fine.
Shingo Takagi {J3} vs. Akira Tozawa {BW}
The pre-match video had this cool segment where they showed Takagi and Tozawa today juxtaposed against images of them as dojo boys. I found this especially compelling because this is the first time Tozawa has really looked like he could be a main eventer in Dragon Gate and been over and skilled enough to back it up. Today, neither guy looks like their rookie self at all. Tozawa attacks during Takagi’s entrance. He hits Takagi’s arm with a chair before the opening bell. He hits a shinbreaker and the running knee. He works the arm. He hits a side suplex. He hits an elbow and another side suplex for 2. Takagi hits a clothesline and a side suplex of his own. Tozawa hits a hurricanrana. He hits the bicycle kick. Takagi blocks a suicide dive and hits the DVD on the floor. He gets 2 back in the ring. Tozawa hits chops and jabs in the corner. Takagi returns the favor. He dumps Tozawa on the top rope. He hits a senton and puts on a chinlock. Tozawa dropkicks the knee and hits the running knee. He blocks the apron DVD and the bicycle kick and a German suplex on the apron. Some time passes and then Tozawa gets 2. Takagi is too hurt to run the ropes, his neck a mess. He goes for the STAY DREAM but ends up eating another bicycle kick. Tozawa hits a superplex for 2. Takagi hits the DVD, not enjoying having his mother insulted in English. He hits a spin kick. Haven’t seen him break that out in a while. He hits a turnbuckle powerbomb. He hits the Yo Throw. He hits a kneedrop and a diving senton for 2. Tozawa trades bicycle kicks for Takagi’s lariats. Tozawa pops up after a lariat and hits a German suplex. Takagi blocks the Ganki and hits the Pumping Bomber for 2. He hits MADE IN JAPAN for 2. Tozawa counters the Last Falconry to a hurricanrana and hits the running knee. He hits a spin kick and the Ganki for 2. He hits a bicycle kick to the arm and a German suplex. He ducks a lariat and hits another German suplex for 2. Takagi is loopy so Tozawa hits the arm-trap German suplex for the win at 16:02. I loved how after taking that German on the apron it was hard for Takagi to effectively hit his big moves, and that he felt threatened enough to dust off his old offense. This match was kind of crazy in that Tozawa essentially squashed Takagi here. Takagi only got about two minutes of extended offense, and the rest was all Akira. The match didn’t run a mile a minute, but it was an absurd spectacle watching Takagi put Tozawa over like that.
Rating: ****
PAC © {J3} & Dragon Kid © {J3} vs. CIMA {BW} & Ricochet {BW} [Open the Twin Gate Championship Match]
CIMA and Ricochet how have matching mohawks, lending to their name the Spiked Mohicans. CIMA and Kid start. CIMA hits a big boot. He swings Kid by his mask. Kid hits a head scissor takedown on Ricochet. PAC and Ricochet dance around until PAC throws Ricochet to the mat. He hits a northern lights suplex for 2. Kid hits a pair of kneedrops for 2. CIMA stretches Kid upside down and Ricochet hits a dropkick. They kick PAC to the floor and hit stereo dives on him and Kid. Back in the ring they hit stereo snap suplexes and stereo standing moonsaults for 2. They hit Kid with a double dropkick for 2. Ricochet stretches Kid out. CIMA exposes a turnbuckle. He hits a bodyslam on a title belt for 2. He whips Kid into the exposed corner. He hits the elevated double stomp for 2. Kid meets the exposed steel again. Kid hits Ricochet with the Déjà Vu. PAC cleans house. Kid hits CIMA with the 619 and the Bermuda Triangle. Ricochet hits the Sasuke Special. PAC hits a corkscrew plancha. He hits CIMA with a crossbody for 2. CIMA his a double stomp and a senton. PAC hits a dropkick. Kid hits the Diamnd Dust on Ricochet for 2. Ricochet hits the Complete Shot and a back flip senton for 2. Kid puts on the Christo. CIMA makes the save. PAC baits CIMA to the floor. Kid hits an elevated Mushroom Stomp for 2. That was very cool. CIMA hits Kid with a title belt for 2. He hits the X-Factor. Kid hits the stack Frankensteiner on Ricochet. I really hate that move, but it looked cool when Ricochet recovered on his feet and hits an enziguiri. He hits a running SSP after CIMA’s Iconoclasm. CIMA hits the Mad Splash for 2. Kid hits a reverse Frankensteiner for 2. CIMA hits a low blow for 2. Kid hits the Bible for 2. Kid counters the Perfect Driver to a stunner. PAC hits the Ace Crusher. CIMA blocks the Ultra Hurricanrana so Kid hits a DDT. PAC hits a German suplex for 2. He hits the floating 450 splash for 2. Ricochet hits Kid with a superkick. PAC hits an enziguiri and Kid hits the 619. PAC hits a reverse hurricanrana and Kid hits the Ultra Hurricanrna for 2. PAC hits the 360 Shooting Star Press for 2. CIMA hits Kid with the Schweinsteiner. He hits the Meteora for 2 when PAC makes the save. CIMA hits a superkick on PAC. Ricochet hits a German suplex. CIMA hits the Schwein and Ricochet hits the Chocolate Rain. CIMA hits the Meteora for 2. Umm, PAC probably shouldn’t have kicked out of that, but it’s KOBE!!! It’s also moot because Ricochet follows up with the double moonsault for the win at 23:10. Everyone hit everything they had, which is the TRUE Kobe tradition. Almost 25 minutes, all movez, zero botches and a good flow. That’s just fun tag team wrestling right there.
Rating: ****¼
After the match, PK-1 show the Spiked Mohicans a lot of respect, and get some in return. It’s a trap however, as the new champions attack the former ones. The Blood Warriors enter the ring and Tanisaki steals PAC’s Brave Gate title belt. He says that since PAC won’t be around in August, he’s commandeering the title and will defend it as his own.
Masaaki Mochizuki © {J3} vs. BxB Hulk {BW} [Open the Dream Gate Championship Match]
Mochizuki’s special gear has him looking like he works in Kensuke Office. They look for kicks to start. Mochizuki hits a shoulder tackle. Hulk hits a dropkick. Hulk avoids the apron kick and hits a baseball slide. Mochizuki hits a shinbreaker on the apron. He dropkicks the leg. In the ring he kicks out Hulk’s leg again. Hulk sweeps the leg. Mochizuki puts on a leglock. Hulk gets to the ropes. Mochizuki kicks his leg. He puts on a heel hook. Hulk gets to the ropes. Mochizuki kicks the crap out of his leg. Hulk hits a n enziguiri. He hits a dropkick. Mochizuki rests on his arm so Hulk kicks it. He shoves Mochizuki’s arm into the post. He hits an armbreaker on the apron. He puts on an armbar and bites Mochizuki’s hand. Mochizuki fights back with a chest kick. Hulk hits a big boot. Mochizuki returns the favor. He hits a Tree of Woe head kick. Hulk blocks a quebrada. Mcohizuki catches him with a big boot on the ramp. He runs up to the apron and hits the quebrada. Cool stuff old man. Back in the ring Hulk puts on a cross armbreaker. Mochizuki counters to the anklelock, so Hulk kicks his face. Mochizuki hits a capture suplex. He kicks Hulk’s face off for 2. Hulk hits a big boot to the back of the head. Mochizuki blocks the EVO and hits the Twister. Hulk sweeps the leg after avoiding a barrage of offense. Mochizuki blocks the axe kick and the First Flash. He puts on the anklelock. He hits a dragon screw. Hulk hits the enziguiri. Mochizuki hits a back flip kick. Hulk hits the Mouse. Mochizuki hits the Illusion. He hits an axe kick and the Sankakugeri but Hulk hits the First Flash before collapsing. They trade big boots until Mochizuki hits the SicK Kick. Hulk hits the avalanche EVO for 2. He hits the axe kick and the First Flash to the back of the head. Mochizuki looks to be out cold, but he beats the count at 7. Hulk hits another First Flash for 2. Mochizuki comes back with a super brainbuster. He hits the Illusion. He hits a pair of high kicks for 2. He hits the Sankakugeri for the win at 27:58. Unlike some lesser Dream Gate PPV matches, it never felt like they were just filling time here. Mochizuki seemed frazzled by Hulk’s similar style, and the fact that he was hitting harder than usual. The real triumph here isn’t the excellent way that Hulk has transitioned into his heel character, or even the stiff action that filled the half-hour, but the realization that Mochizuki could be the greatest wrestler on the planet right now. This guy does just about everything right, reacting naturally to everything that’s thrown at him and doing things that make sense every step of every match. I loved the way he’d avoid some of Hulk’s offense, but only where it made sense. He made both Hulk and himself look like a million bucks, and that’s really the big goal at the end of the day.
Rating: ****½
After a rocky start, the final three matches of this show make it one of the best PPVs Dragon Gate has put out. You’re going to want to track this bad boy down.
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