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
CIMA and Ricochet aren’t in the tournament this year, but that’s okay because presumably the winners of the tournament will get a shot at their Twin Gate belts.
Cyber Kong {BW} & Tomahawk TT {BW} vs. Shingo Takagi {J3} & Susumu Yokosuka {J3} [Opening Round Match]
Lots of guys who like to hit lariats in this match. The Blood Warriors attack before the bell. Kong and TT hit stereo shoulder tackles. Kong works Yokosuka’s leg. He puts on the Stretch Muffler. Takagi makes the save. Kong hits Takagi with the Cyber Driver. Yokosuka hits TT with an exploder. Kong hits a backdrop. Yokosuka hits the super exploder. Takagi beats the crap out off TT in the corner. He hits Kong with the deadlift suplex. TT hits a chop in the corner. Takagi responds in kind. Props to TT for getting noise on those chops, even with the forearm pads on. Takagi loses the chop battle and falls victim to a powerslam. It gets 2 for TT. Takagi comes back with a side suplex. The good guys hit lariats in the corner. They hit a double lariat. Kong wipes them out with lariats. He hits Yokosuka with the Cyber Combination for 2. He hits a powerbomb. TT hits a crucifix Dominator for 2. Kong clubs Takagi. Takagi fires back with elbows. Kong hits an avalanche. Takagi responds in kind. He hits TT with a lariat. He and Yokosuka hit stereo DVDs. Yokosuka hits TT with the Jumbo no Kachi. TT hits a chop. Yokosuka hits a lariat. He hits the Jumbo no Kachigatame for the win at 8:51 shown of 13:34. Final lariat count: 15. That’s actually less than I expected. This was a lot of fun, with both teams showing considerable chemistry as pairs.
Rating: **¾
Don Fujii & Kotoka vs. Naruki Doi {BW} & Yasushi Kanda {BW} [Opening Round Match]
The match is joined in progress with Kotoka getting a crucifix pin on Doi. Fujii hits a lariat. Kotoka gets la magistral for 2. Fujii gets the Gedo Clutch for 2 but thinks he’s won. He gets back into the match with a lariat. Doi gets the V9 Clutch for 2. Fujii hits another lariat. Kotoka hits a head kick. Fujii hits the Nice German for 2. Kanda hits a blue box attack. He hits Kotoka with the Jon Woo. Doi hits the Dai Bosou. He hits a powerbomb and Kanda hits the flying elbowdrop for 2. He hits the Ryus for the win at 1:44 shown of 10:41. They showed a lot in less than two minutes of aired match. I guess that mini tournament to decide Fujii’s partner was for naught.
Kenichiro Arai & Taku Iwasa vs. Akira Tozawa {BW} & BxB Hulk {BW} [Opening Round Match]
Tozawa vs. his “former pupils” should be interesting. Tozawa hits a big boot on Arai to start. He hits a side suplex for 2. Arai gets a schoolboy for 2. He gets a crucifix pin for 2. He hits a headbutt. Hulk hits Iwasa with a dropkick. Iwasa hits a shoulder tackle. Arai hits a double stomp to the back. He hits a baseball slide. He hits a suicide dive. He hits a dropkick to the back. He hits a big boot on the apron. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a headbutt. He hits a DDT for 2. Iwasa and Tozawa trade elbows. That goes on quite a while, until Iwasa has enough and puts Tozawa down with a double chop. Tozawa hits a hurricanrana and a knee kick. Iwasa forces Tozawa to stun Hulk. He hits a vertical suplex on Hulk while falling back on Tozawa. He hits
a splash on Tozawa. Ara
i hits a kneedrop. Hulk spits wine at both opponents. He hits Arai with an axe kick. He hits an enziguiri. He hits a dropkick and Tozawa hits a back suplex for 2. Tozawa hits the running knee for 2. Arai comes back with a double stomp. Iwasa hits the Gouwan. He hits Hulk with a lariat. Tozawa rolls through the Noshigami. He hits a spin kick and a German suplex for 2. Hulk hits the axe kick. Iwasa blocks the First Flash. Hulk hits the Mouse. He hits the First Flash for the win at 10:05 shown of 13:57. This was pretty disjointed, though the action was solid in short bursts.
Rating: **½
CIMA {BW}, Naoki Tanisaki {BW} & Kzy {BW} vs. Shisa BOY, Super Shenlong & Yosuke Watanabe ended when Tanisaki hit BOY with his crazy kneelift, which I guess is called the Libido. This led to a rap battle between Kzy and Rich Swann, which Swann won again, and then subsequently led to Kzy {BW}, Naoki Tanisaki {BW}, Metal Warrior {BW} & CIMA {BW} vs. Masato Yoshino {J3}, Rich Swann {J3}, Gamma {J3} & Dragon Kid {J3}, in which the loser of the fall would have to sit out of the next Korakuen Hall show. Kzy lost the fall after Swann hit the FIREBIRD and will miss the August 25th show. After the match Gamma confirmed his fake Brave Gate title match. Tanisaki added the stipulation that he only needs a 2-count to win, while Gamma needs a normal 3-count.
Later on, K-ness came out to announce his return from injury. This guy has had more returns from injury than anyone else, ever. Yokosuka joined him. Iwasa came out and they announced that it would be Arai & Iwasa vs. K-neSuka on the next Korakuen Hall show.
YAMATO {J3} & Masaaki Mochizuki {J3} vs. Genki Horiguchi {BW} & Ryo Saito {BW} [Opening Round Match]
YAMATO and Horiguchi start. They trade holds for a minute. Mochizuki and Saito trade strikes. Saito hits a shoulder tackle. Mochizuki hits a back kick. Kong hits lariats on the apron and the two stables brawl. Mochizuki goes after Saito’s leg but Saito gets to the ropes. Saito kicks Mochizuki, but the champ mocks Saito by calmly sitting Indian style. Mochizuki hits a chest kick. He hits a vertical suplex. YAMATO hits Horiguchi with a dragon screw. He hits an enziguiri. Horiguchi hits a swinging reverse DDT for 2. YAMATO hits another dragon screw. He puts on the anklelock. Mochizuki does the same to Saito. They grapevine the legs but Kzy runs in and saves his friends. Swann takes out Kzy with a dropkick. Mochizuki hits Horiguchi with the SicK Kick. YAMATO hits a brainbuster for 2. Saito hits a German suplex. He hits another with Horiguchi’s help for 2. Horiguchi hits a mule kick. YAMATO puts on the sleeper hold. Mochizuki puts it on Saito. This time Kong makes the save for Saito and Saito saves Horiguchi. Saito hits YAMATO with a pair of dragon suplexes for 2. Mochizuki kicks the crap out of Saito. He hits an axe kick. Saito blocks the Sankakugeri. He hits a fisherman superplex for 2. Mochizuki blocks the Premium Bridge and hits the Illusion. He hits the Shin Saikyou High Kick for 2 when Kong distracts the referee. Mochizuki has finally had enough and he hits Kong with the Topé Masaaki. Horiguchi mists YAMATO and gets the Backslide from Hell for 2. YAMATO powers through a blue box attack and gets a backslide on Horiguchi for the win at 12:23 shown of 22:59. This was a blast. The Kong interference was well played, and they even managed to sneak the Kzy vs. Swann issue into things. The four wrestlers who actually participated in the match put together a great story too. Excellent main event here.
Rating: ***¾
Tozawa attacks YAMATO immediately after the match. Kong takes the microphone and challenges Mochizuki to put his Dream Gate title on the line. Mochizuki’s response is interrupted by another brawl between Tozawa and YAMATO. Horiguchi takes the microphone and inserts MarahaIsappa into the previously booked K-neSuka vs. AraIwa match later in the month.