July 24, 2011 – Kyoto, Japan
Open the Dream Gate Champion: Masaaki Mochizuki
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: YAMATO, Masato Yoshino & Gamma
Open the Brave Gate Champion: PAC
Open the Twin Gate Champions: CIMA & Ricochet
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: YAMATO
Open the United Gate Champions: Masato Yoshino & PAC
The show starts with a recap of CIMA confronting Don Fujii about his decision to stay out of the Blood Warriors vs. Junction Three war after Fujii ripped on CIMA for ducking out of the Summer Adventure Tag Tournament. At the Kobe PPV, CIMA and Ricochet won the Twin Gate belts, so it would seem they’re the team to gun for after the tag tournament. For his part, Fujii is looking for a rookie to be his partner in the tournament. The rookies have been fighting each other for the right to team with Fujii. Now it seems we get to see a bit of that action.
Kotoka vs. Eita Kobayashi
This is the finals of a mini tournament to see who would team with Fujii in the tag tournament. Kotoka earlier beat Super Shenlong. Kobayashi fought to a draw with his dojo counterpart Takafume Watanabe, but Watanabe was injured so Kobayashi advanced. The two had only debuted two months earlier, so Kobayashi is still mighty green. Kotoka grabs a headlock to start. Kobayashi hits a shoulder tackle. He trips Kotoka for 2. He hits an elbow for 2. He hits overhand chops. Kotoka avoids a dropkick and hits a chest kick for 2. Kobayashi hits a dropkick for 2. He gets a schoolboy for 2. He gets a small package for 2. Kotoka hits a chest kick but Kobayashi rolls him over for 2. Kotoka kicks his head. He smacks him a few times and boots his head for the win at 6:00 shown of 8:22. Kobayashi desperately and frequently going for the pin was the natural way for him to work this match. I dig the natural way. He was actually more natural looking in there than Kotoka, who gave us a very strange finish.
Rating: *¾
Naoki Tanisaki “©” {BW} vs. Rich Swann {J3} [“Open the Brave Gate Championship Match”]
Tanisaki is “defending the belt” in PAC’s absence, which is to say he stole the title and is now pretending to defend it against PAC’s teammates. Tanisaki attacks at the bell. Swann hits a dropkick. He puts on a chinlock. Tanisaki hits a dropkick to the back after Kzy distracts Swann. Tanisaki hits a belt shot. He whips Swann into the post. He hits a baseball slide. He ties Swann in a knot and hits a diving kneedrop for 2. He hits another to the back of the head. He hits one off of the top rope for 2. Swann whips Tanisaki into a chair in the corner. He hits a big boot. He hits a corkscrew quebrada. He hits the Rocker Dropper. He hits a standing frog splash for 2. Tanisaki hits a facebuster and a kneelift. Tanisaki blocks a high kick but Swann hits a German suplex for 2. Tanisaki hits an avalanche DDT for 2. He hits the DH. He hits another kneelift. Swann blocks the Casanova and gets a roll up for 2. Tanisaki hits the reverse Implant for 2. Swann avoids the Casanova. Tanisaki hits the FH. Swann hits a handspring Ace
-insane Conversion!-75% On $48 Recurring!'>Commission Explosion-insane Conversion!-75% On $48 Recurring! Crusher. He hits a stuffed powerbomb for 2. He hits the FIREBIRD for 2. Kzy trips him. He hits a chair shot. Swann still rolls through the Implant for 2. Tanisaki hits a back heel kick for 2. He hits the Implant for the win at 10:38 shown of 13:20. This started out a bit shaky, but they brought the drama down the stretch. Kzy’s interference felt appropriate given his issues with Swann, and helped the young American stay strong.
Rating: **¾
After the match Metal Warrior gives Tanisaki “his” belt. Dr. Muscle comes out of nowhere and attacks Warrior. Warrior hits a low blow. He unmasks Muscle, revealing Gamma. Gamma cleans house with clotheslines. He challenges Tanisaki to put the stolen belt on the line against him. They fight to the back.
YAMATO {J3}, Shingo Takagi {J3} & KAGETORA {J3} vs. BxB Hulk {BW}, Akira Tozawa {BW} & Cyber Kong {BW}
Everyone brawls to start. YAMATO and Tozawa avoid each other’s big kicks. Kong overpowers YAMATO. He and Takagi have a shoulder tackle battle. Kong eventually wins that. I want another singles match between those two! KAGETORA hits Hulk with a dropkick. Hulk bites YAMATO’s hand and works the arm. Tozawa puts on a chinlock but YAMATO gets hold of his leg to gain control. Kong hits KAGETORA with an elbowdrop for 2. Tozawa hits a senton for 2. Hulk hits an elevated legdrop for 2. KAGETORA hits Tozawa with an enziguiri. He hits Hulk with the leaping lariat. Takagi levels Hulk with a shoulder tackle. He hits Kong with the deadlift suplex. He and YAMATO double-team Tozawa for 2. YAMATO hits a dropkick on Hulk. He puts on the anklelock. Hulk gets to the ropes. Hulk hits the axe kick for 2. YAMATO avoids the EVO but eats an enziguiri. KAGETORA hits Kong with an enziguiri. Kong blocks an elbow and hits a back suplex. He hits a splash for 2. KAGETORA hits an Ace Crusher for 2. Kong cleans house with lariats. Takagi blocks Tozawa’s Ganki. Hulk hits a spin kick and Tozawa hits a side suplex. Hulk hits a missile dropkick. Kong hits the Pineapple Bomber for 2. He hits the Cyber Driver for 2. Tozawa kicks the crap out of Takagi. Takagi comes back with the DVD. He tosses Hulk into the air. He hits Kong with the Alabamaslam. KAGETORA hits a flying elbowdrop for 2. YAMATO hits Tozawa with an exploder for 2. KAGETORA hits a DDT for 2. Tozawa blocks the Galleria and Kong hits an avalanche and a lariat. Hulk hits the BxB Star Press for 2. He hits the axe kick and the First Flash for 2. Tozawa hits the German suplex for 2. He hits the bicycle kick to the back. YAMATO hits a big boot and rolls through a hurricanrana for the win at 16:25 shown of 20:34. This moved a mile a minute but was a little too frantic to be amazing. Still, most of my favorite Dragon Gate wrestlers fought in this match, so how was I not going to enjoy it?
Rating: ***½
Earlier in the evening during a full-stable confrontation between the Blood Warriors and Junction Three, Swann and Kzy prepared to have a rap battle. Swann used speed rap to gain the crowd’s respect again. Before a winner could be announced, Don Fujii interrupted. He entered the competition with a song and was declared the winner. The Warriors used this as a distraction to attack and begin Masaaki Mochizuki {J3}, Masato Yoshino {J3} & Don Fujii vs. Ryo Saito {BW}, Genki Horiguchi {BW} & Kzy {BW}. Mochizuki won that match for his team with the Twister. After the match Kong attacked Mochizuki.
This photo has nothing to do with anything, I just like it a lot and wanted to share it with you.