DGUSA Uprising

May 8, 2010 – Mississauga, Ontario
Johnny Gargano starts the show by telling us we made the right decision by ordering the PPV. He says that ever since John Moxley joined up with Kamikaze, all the other Dragon Gate stables have been looking for an American representative. That makes Gargano DGUSA’s hottest free agent. He’s going to watch the show before deciding which team to join.
Masaaki Mochizuki {Z} vs. Akira Tozawa {K}
Tozawa is fresh off being banned from Dragon Gate TV in Japan after losing a match on Japanese PPV to Cyber Kong. Mochizuki powers Tozawa to the ropes to start. Tozawa returns the favor and takes a cheap shot. Mochizuki hits a chest kick. He hits a shoulder tackle. He sweeps the leg and hits a back kick. Tozawa hits a dropkick. He hits a suicide dive. Mochizuki misses a charge and rams his knee into the post. In the ring Tozawa works the leg. Mochizuki hits the apron kick. He hits a shinbreaker on the apron. He hits a running leg kick. He puts on a leglock. Tozawa gets to the ropes. Mochizuki puts on the anklelock. Tozawa gets to the ropes. He hits the butt butt. He misses the Apron Kara Tozawa three times but recovers by hitting a senton. Mochizuki hits a big boot. He hits a chest kick for 2. He hits the Sankakugeri. Tozawa hits the German suplex for 2. Mochizuki avoids a second attempt and hits a chest kick. Tozawa gets a schoolboy for 2. Mochizuki hits the SicK Kick. He hits the Ikkakugeri. He hits another, back heel kick style, for 2. He hits the Saikyou High Kick for the win at 9:47. Tozawa took a massive beating here. He got to show enough of his offense that he didn’t look like a total jobber to the American fans, and they were digging his High Tension style. You can’t ask for much more from an opener.
Rating: ***
In the back Lenny Leonard and Chikarason run down the card, paying special attention to the title match between BxB Hulk and Masato Yoshino in the main event.
John Moxley {K} vs. Jimmy Jacobs [No Disqualification Match]
Moxley brings a girl out with him that I don’t recognize. He shoves her into Jacobs before the bell to get the early advantage. Jacobs takes a page out of Shingo Takagi’s book by no-selling a chop and hitting a lariat. Moxley hits a back elbow. He trips Jacobs on the apron. Jacobs goes after Moxley’s valet, leaving him open for an attack from Moxley. Jacobs comes back with a trash can shot. Back in the ring Jacobs throws a chair at Moxley. He hits a suicide dive and puts on the End Times. Moxley crotches him on the barricade. Jacobs hits a dive over the barricade. Moxley hits a clothesline. He chokes Jacobs with a wrench. He tries to break Jacobs’ nose with the wrench. Jacobs grabs the wrench and nails Moxley with it for 2. He puts on the End Times but Moxley escapes with a suplex. That gets 2. Moxley puts on the STF and then hits a DDT for 2. Jacobs hits a very cool Ace Crusher. Moxley sends him into a chair in the corner. He hits the Sidewalk Slam for 2. Jacobs gets a victory roll for 2. He puts on the End Times but Moxley’s valet pulls him off. Jacobs hits her with the spear. Moxley puts on the crossface chicken wing. Jacobs goes to the corner to escape. He hits the Contra Code but Shingo Takagi and YAMATO run in and attack him before he can go for the pin. They hit him with a punt and a DVD, giving Moxley the win at 8:22. The finish was quite lame, and came just when the brawl was starting to heat up.
Rating: **½
After the match BxB Hulk saves Jacobs from any further violence. He offers Jacobs a World-1 shirt. Jacobs blows him off and walks to the back.
Naruki Doi {W1} & PAC {W1} vs. Jigsaw {CH} & Mike Quackenbush {CH}
PAC and Quackenbush fight over a wristlock to start. Quackenbush takes over with his goofy stuff. PAC hits a head scissor takedown. He hits a dropkick. Jigsaw and Quackenbush double-team Doi. Doi and PAC make a wish on Jigsaw. PAC hits a legdrop for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special. He and Doi hit a double back elbow. PAC hit a standing corkscrew moonsault for 2. Doi hits PAC by mistake and Quackenbush takes over. Jigsaw hits PAC with a double stomp for 2. He works the arm. Quackenbush hits a senton for 2. He goes to work on PAC’s arm. Doi tags in and cleans house. He hits the Dai Bosou on both opponents. PAC hits a quebrada. Doi hits a dropkick and the elevated senton. He hits the Rydeen Bomb for 2. PAC hits the standing British Airways for 2. Jigsaw screws up a spot because he’s terrible. He hits an enziguiri and a powerbomb. Things get awkward with the Chikara guys in control. Jigsaw hits Doi with a brainbuster for 2. He hits PAC with a dropkick. PAC comes back with a shooting star press for 2. Quackenbush hits a leg-trap piledriver for 2. PAC hits Jigsaw with an enziguiri and the shooting star knee. Doi hits the Doi 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick for the win at 15:35. At this point I think it’s safe to say it’s not just that I don’t like Quackenbush and Jigsaw, it’s that they consistently drop the ball in DGUSA. When Doi and PAC were in control things moved along quickly and with flash. Jigsaw and Quackenbush lost control in their short segments, taking me out of what was an otherwise fun match.
Rating: ***
After the match Quackenbush says he respects Doi and PAC, but that he still doesn’t respect YAMATO. He calls out the Open the Dream Gate Champion. YAMATO comes out, so Quackenbush tells him that he wants a Kamikaze USA vs. Chikara Sekigun full confrontation match. Before YAMATO can answer his cronies Gran Akuma and Tozawa attack Quackenbush and Jigsaw from behind. YAMATO hits the Chikara guys with low blows. Nobody makes the save.
Backstage Jimmy Jacobs screams into the camera for John Moxley to confront him. He says he doesn’t want anybody backing him up because he wants to take on Moxley and the rest of Kamikaze by himself.
Rip Impact vs. Johnny Wave
These two impressed during DGUSA’s wrestling seminar. Brodie Lee runs out and attacks both guys before they can start wrestling. I suppose it’s all for the best, as there are enough guys named John in DGUSA as it is. Lee says he’s the biggest and baddest man in the locker room and he’ll take on anyone at anytime. Nobody takes him up on the challenge.
In the bathroom Quackenbush and Jigsaw are upset that they were tricked by Kamikaze USA. Quackenbush again challenges YAMATO to a full confrontation match between their teams.
YAMATO {K} & Shingo Takagi {K} vs. CIMA {W5} & Dragon Kid {W5}
Kid and YAMATO start. Kid wins the exchange with a head scissor takedown. CIMA hits Takagi with a dropkick. Takagi hits a shoulder tackle. He hits a back suplex. YAMATO takes cheap shots at both opponents. Kid attacks YAMATO’s arm. He hits a pair of kneedrops for 2. CIMA swings him into YAMATO. Both WARRIORS hit YAMATO with sentons. CIMA puts on the Sasoriza-Gatame. Takagi makes the save. He hits a fistdrop for 2. He hits a Mongolian chop. Kid and CIMA make a wish. CIMA hits the elevated double stomp over the barricade. Back in the ring Kid hits a dropkick. He hits another in the corner. Takagi regains control with a chop. He hits a kneedrop. YAMATO hits a dropkick for 2. He hits an elbow in the corner for 2. Takagi drops Kid on the apron. He and YAMATO hit a double hiptoss and a double atomic drop. Kid hits a back heel kick but Takagi comes back with a chop. Takagi hits a press slam. He hits a senton for 2. Kid hits a head scissor takedown. CIMA hits a dropkick. The WARRIORS take over with some trademark offense. Kid hits Takagi with the Bermuda Triangle. CIMA hits YAMATO with a back kick. He hits a dropkick. He hits the Superdrol and the Perfect Driver for 2. He avoids YAMATO’s sleeper hold and hits a backdrop driver. YAMATO counters the Schwein to the sleeper hold. Kid makes the save. Kid puts Takagi in the Christo. Takagi hits a side slam to escape. Kid hits the Diamond Dust for 2. Takagi hits a one-armed powerbomb for 2. CIMA hits a double stomp on YAMATO. He misses the Tokarev. Takagi and YAMATO are actually over as heels, making me love these Canadian DGUSA fans. Takagi hits the Gallon Throw for 2. YAMATO punts CIMA. He hits the brainbuster for 2. CIMA hits Takagi with the Venus. Kid hits the stack hurricanrana for 2. He hits YAMATO with the Messiah. Takagi hits the Pumping Bomber. Kid ducks a second attempt, avoids MADE IN JAPAN and hits the Bible for 2. Takagi hits the DVD. CIMA hits the Nakayubi. YAMATO hits the spear. CIMA avoids the Galleria and baits Takagi into hitting YAMATO with a lariat. Kid hits the Ultra Hurricanrana for 2. Takagi avoids the Dragon Rana and hits MADE IN JAPAN after a struggle. It only gets 2, but that whole segment was amazing. Takagi hits Kid with a lariat. He hits the STAY DREAM for the win at 22:50. This was your token awesome match of the evening. When you have four of the best in the company in the ring with each other you really can’t expect anything less. Kid against Takagi is proving to be automatic wrestling gold. CIMA carries Kid to the back after the match.
Rating: ****
Johnny Gargano cuts another promo, this time talking about how much fun the last match was. He can’t seem to tell the difference between the Japanese wrestlers though. Regardless, he’s very excited for the main event.
BxB Hulk © {W1} vs. Masato Yoshino {W1} [Open the Freedom Gate Championship Match]
I find it funny that this battle between World-1 teammates comes just days after Kamikaze partners YAMATO and Takagi fought over the Open the Dream Gate Championship in the main event of a Japanese PPV. Typical feeling out process to start. Hulk hits an armdrag and a dropkick. He puts on a chinlock. He hits a senton for 2. He hits a roundhouse kick for 2. Yoshino puts on the Coumori, which commentator Lenny Leonard can’t pronounce. Yoshino stays on the arm, hitting it with a splash. He hits a dropkick. He goes back to work on the arm. Hulk gets to the ropes. Yoshino hits a double stomp to the arm. Hulk hits a back heel kick. He hits a dropkick. He sweeps the leg and hits a senton for 2. Yoshino comes back with the Sling Blade for 2. He puts on From Jungle. Hulk comes back with a buzzsaw kick. He hits a standing SSP for 2. He misses a moonsault. Yoshino hits the Ude Yoshino for 2. He hits the shotgun dropkick for 2. Hulk avoids the Lightning Spiral. Yoshino connects on his second try, but it only gets 2. He hits the Torbellino. Hulk counters the Sol Naciente to a roll up for 2. He hits an enziguiri. He hits the EVO for 2. Leonard keeps wrongly calling it the FTX. He hits a leg lariat and an avalanche EVO for 2. Leonard wrongly calls it the H Thunder. I get that all these moves look similar but they are easy enough to differentiate. Yoshino ducks the First Flash and gets a roll up for 2. Hulk hits the Mouse and a head kick. He hits the First Flash for 2. He hits the EVOP for the win at 15:40. This started out slower than I’d have liked (so much so that the commentators noted it), but aside from that they put together a nice little main event here.
Rating: ***½
Immediately after the match Moxley approaches Hulk. He says that Kamikaze USA is going to take a shot at Hulk. YAMATO runs in and attacks Yoshino. Takagi does the same to Hulk. Jacobs runs out at takes out Moxley. A few moments later CIMA runs out with a giant broom. He takes out YAMATO and Takagi but Tozawa and Akuma run out to spoil his party. Kid runs out to help CIMA. He hits Takagi with a stunner. CIMA poses with the Open the Freedom Gate Championship belt. He gets on the microphone and thanks the crowd for coming out. He promises DGUSA will come back to Canada. I love CIMA’s English. The show ends with the announcement that Mochizuki is now the number one contender for BxB Hulk’s title.
This was the first DGUSA show that didn’t absolutely blow my mind. The top two matches were both worth checking out and the first three matches were all serviceable, but this didn’t have the super-show feel that the first five PPVs had. Maybe it was the busch league building. Maybe it was that my expectations had been built up too much. The bottom line is the tag match is stellar, especially the exchanges between Takagi and Kid, but the rest of the show might leave you feeling flat.