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December 25, 2011 – Fukuoka, Japan
Open the Dream Gate Champion: Masaaki Mochizuki
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: Naruki Doi, Naoki Tanisaki & Kzy
Open the Brave Gate Champion: Ricochet
Open the Twin Gate Champions: BxB Hulk & Akira Tozawa
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: Johnny Gargano
Open the United Gate Champions: CIMA & Ricochet
The Blood Warriors start the show with a promo boasting how powerful they will be after they leave this show with all of the titles. Super Shenlong, Don Fujii & Kotoka come out for a match.
Yasushi Kanda {BW}, Uhaa Nation {BW} & Tomahawk TT {BW} vs. Don Fujii, Kotoka & Super Shenlong
Kotoka’s head is shaved again. Shenlong and Nation start. Nation throws Shenlong across the ring. He hits a shoulder tackle. He hits a dropkick. Fujii can’t connect with a shoulder tackle so he tags out. Nation hits Shenlong and Kotoka with a leaping double lariat. He hits a topé con hilo. Fujii dives onto Kanda from the apron. They fight up to the balcony and try to throw each other off but that of course goes nowhere. Nation hits Kotoka with a back elbow for 2. He hits a delayed vertical suplex. TT stands on his stomach. Shenlong hits a dropkick. Fujii hits a lariat. He hits one on Kanda. He slams Nation. Kotoka dropkicks TT. TT hits a Manhattan drop and Kanda hits the Jon Woo. Nation hits an avalanche for 2. He hits a fall away slam. He hits a press slam and the Uhaa CombiNATION for the win at 6:28. This was just there to make Nation look good, and it did that job and nothing else.
Rating: *
CIMA continues the earlier promo as if the match never happened. Junction Three comes out to rebut. Naruki Doi takes the microphone to talk about the Doi Darts. Naoki Tanisaki has Rich Swann’s Open the Owarai Gate title belt, and Swann has Tanisaki’s Triangle Gate belt. Not sure when that happened. The Doi Darts Second Christmas Version is brought to the ring. It will decide whether the Triangle Gate match will be decided by 1, 2 or 3 count rules for the champions. 2-count takes up half the wheel, a mystery number takes up about a third and 3-count takes up only about a sixth of the wheel, if that. The mystery number is revealed to be a 1-count possibility. A kid comes into the ring to throw the dart. It lands on 2-count. Gamma is upset, but it could have been a lot worse. The MarahaIsappa vs. Jimmies match starts straight away.
Ryo Saito {BW} & Genki Horiguchi {BW} vs. Jimmy Susumu {J3} & Jimmy Kagetora {J3}
The Jimmies start in control. Kagetora hits a hurricanrana on Saito. Horiguchi elbows Kagetora. He hits Susumu with a head scissor takedown. Saito hits a legdrop on Kagetora for 2. MARAHA! ISAPPA! Horiguchi hits a back suplex for 2. Saito hits a double stomp. He hits a bodyslam. Horiguchi hits the swinging DDT for 2. Kagetora hits a dropkick. He hits the leaping lariat. Susumu cleans house with exploders. He gets a sunset flip for 2. Saito hits the Fisherman Express for 2. Horiguchi hits a dropkick. Saito hits the super exploder. Kagetora misses the flying elbowdrop and Saito hits a Superfly Splash for 2. He hits a German suplex. He hits another with Horiguchi’s help for 2. Kagetora gets the Kagenui for 2. Susumu hits the Jumbo no Kachi. Horiguchi gets the Backslide from heaven for 2. Saito hits a dragon suplex. Susumu hits the DVD. Saito hits another dragon suplex for 2. Susumu avoids the Double Cross and hits two Jumbo no Kachis and the Jumbo no Kachigamate for the win at 9:49. If ever there was a defense that the Jimmies weren’t dull, this match sure wasn’t it. Given the way the Jimmies played up their jiminess after the match by putting on their glasses, I’m wondering if the average structure of the match wasn’t completely deliberate.
Rating: **
Cyber Kong vs. Kensuke Sasaki {KO}
They trade shoulder tackles to start. Sasaki hits a clubbing lariat. He hits a piledriver for 2. He controls with chops. Kong is being treated like a child here. He gets some measure of control with a vertical suplex. He hits a lariat and a double kneedrop, which I am now officially dubbing the Kong Bak. He hits the flying elbowdrop for 2. Sasaki hits a lariat. He hits a facebuster. He hits the Tornado Bomb but Kong pops up and hits a lariat. Subsequent lariats are less effective. Sasaki levels Kong with a lariat. He hits the Ipponzeoi. He hits a lariat for 2. He hits the Northern Lights Bomb for the win at 5:25. Well, I wouldn’t say that Kong got squashed, but he sure did look like he was way out of his league. I’m not sure where he goes from here.
Rating: *
Naruki Doi © {BW}, Naoki Tanisaki © {BW} & Kzy © {BW} vs. Gamma {J3}. Dragon Kid {J3} & Rich Swann {J3} [Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match]
As decided by the game earlier, the champions only need a 2-count to win. Gamma and Tanisaki start. Tanisaki gets a few roll u ps for 1. Kid hits Doi with a head scissor takedown. Swann dropkicks Kzy and follows him to the floor with a dive. He and Gamma hit Tanisaki with a double dropkick. Kid hits Doi with a double kneedrop. Gamma gives Doi the Osuikougeki. Tanisaki hits Kid with the elevated kneedrop for 1. He puts on an abdominal stretch. Kzy hits the B-Boy for 1. Doi hits the elevated senton for 1. Tanisaki hits the DH. Kid catches Doi with a Frankensteiner. Gamma hits a dropkick on Kzy. He hits Tanisaki with a back suplex. He hits Doi with a quebrada. Our heroes get a triple sunset flip for 2, and kick out of the triple reversal at 1. Gamma avoids the B-Boy. He hits a superkick. Kzy gets a schoolboy for 1. He gets a sunset flip for 1. Gamma hits a clothesline. Swann hits a handspring splash for 2. He hits Doi with a Frankensteiner for 2. Doi blocks the Rolling Thunder. Swann hits a high kick. Swann is awesome. Doi hangs him in the Tree of Woe and hits a neckbreaker. Kid hits a head scissor takedown. Doi hits Swann with a powerbomb and Kzy hits KZ Time for 1. Kid hits the skyscraper hurricanrana on Tanisaki. Swann hits something off camera for 2. Kzy hits the Beat Bomb and Doi hits the Bosou Elbow for 2. He hits the Doi 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 1. Kid blocks Kzy’s Impact and pushes him into Tanisaki’s powder. He hits the Messiah. Gamma hits the Gamma Special and Swann hits the FIREBIRD for 2. Tanisaki hits a kneelift on Gamma. Kid hits the stunner. Doi hits the Blue Thunder Bomb. Gamma cleans house with clotheslines. Swann hits the Ace Crusher. Kid hits the Ultra Hurricanrana for 2. Tanisaki hits the Casanova for 1. Swann hits a pair of superkicks. Tanisaki hits the Libido and the reverse Implant for 2. Now he just looks weak. He hits the regular Implant for the win at 15:27. The 2-count gimmick has run its course. The Doi Darts have been champions long enough that they shouldn’t need the 2-count rule to win. Whereas in the past that rule has added drama to the match, here it felt really gimmicky.
Rating: **¾
Ricochet © {BW} vs. Masato Yoshino [Open the Brave Gate Championship Match]
Yoshino beat Dragon Kid in an untelevised match to win this title shot. For his part, Ricochet beat PAC in his fifth match against the man, third for the title, to win the Brave Gate belt. Yoshino hits an armdrag to start and Ricochet begs off. Ricochet stomps on his hand. Yoshino hits a supercharged dropkick. He hits a head scissor takedown. He hits a neckbreaker. He hits a legdrop. He hits a DDT. The crowd cares about nothing in this match. Ricochet hits a clothesline and the Sasuke Special, but the crowd doesn’t make a peep. Ricochet works the back. He hits a head kick for 2. Yoshino puts on the Coumori. He hits the Track and Field Dropkick. He hits the Sling Blade for 2. Ricochet misses a dropkick and Yoshino puts on From Jungle. He gets a roll up for 2. Ricochet comes back with the Ace Crusher. He hits a standing moonsault for 2. Yoshino flips him onto his back. He hits a wild swinging DDT for 2. Ricochet hits an enziguiri and the Zig Zag. He hits a standing SSP for 2. He hits a corkscrew moonsault for 2. Yoshino blocks the Shooting Star Press with his knees. He hits the shotgun dropkick for 2. Ricochet hits an enziguiri and a Regalplex. He hits the 630 senton for 2. Yoshino hits an avalanche Sling Blade. Ricochet hits a low blow and gets a roll up for 2. He hits a superkick. Yoshino hits the Ude Yoshino for 2. He hits the Torbellino and the Lightning Spiral for 2. He goes for the avalanche Lightning Spiral but Ricochet saves his life by countering to the Spanish Fly for 2. He hits the double moonsault for the win at 18:26. The finish fell kind of flat, but worked logically, as Yoshino tried to unleash his most dangerous move, leaving himself open to have it blocked and get hit with Ricochet’s world-beater finisher. The match was unfairly ignored by the crowd, as these two meshed well together and kept things going at a fun pace. With some crowd heat this probably would have been pretty special.
Rating: ***
Akira Tozawa © {BW} & BxB Hulk © {BW} vs. Shingo Takagi {J3} & YAMATO {J3} [Open the Twin Gate Championship Match]
I’ve been more looking forward to this match than pretty much anything else in 2011, as it’s the culmination of Hulk and Tozawa’s heel turn, an angle that has delivered at almost every turn. The story, in a nutshell, is that Takagi and YAMATO treated Hulk and Tozawa as second-class citizens when they were allies, and continued to do so as enemies. To date the casualties of this feud include but are not limited to: YAMATO’s hair, Cyber Kong’s spot in the Blood Warriors, KAGETORA and Susumu Yokosuka’s names. Everyone hates everyone… a lot. Takagi, Hulk and Tozawa are unscathed to this point, but this match might change that because everyone hates everyone… a lot. In an awesome touch, YAMATO is wearing Kamikaze/New Hazard red with his Junction Three green in an effort possibly to remind Hulk and Tozawa what they turned their back on and to match Takagi, who wears always wears that color scheme. I love this and it hasn’t even started yet.
YAMATO and Tozawa start. YAMATO controls on the mat. He hits a dropkick. Hulk hits a missile dropkick. Takagi hits a shoulder tackle. Hulk comes back with kicks. Takagi hits a back bodydrop. He and YAMATO focus on Tozawa. Takagi immediately exposes his knee for a kneedrop and gets 2. Tozawa throws YAMATO to the floor. He dropkicks Takagi’s knee and hits the running knee. He hits YAMATO and Takagi with suicide dives. He throws a chair at YAMATO. He hits a senton. Doi distracts the referee as Tozawa hits another senton, chair-assisted. He hits Takagi with a chair shot. He and Hulk sandwich YAMATO with kicks for 2. YAMATO tries to regain control with a headbutt to Tozawa but Hulk rushes in. Tozawa hits an elbowdrop and Hulk hits a NASTY axe kick. YAMATO’s brains are scrambled and he seemingly can’t regain his composure. But then he hits Tozawa with a spear and Hulk with a dragon screw. Takagi cleans house. Hulk hits a roundhouse kick. He sweeps the leg and hits a senton for 2. Takagi throws him off the top rope for 2. He hits a side suplex. He clotheslines Hulk to the floor. YAMATO elbows Tozawa for 2. Tozawa returns the favor. Our heroes hit stereo dragon screws and put on Sharpshooters. Hulk and Tozawa get to the ropes. Takagi hits Tozawa with the Pumping Bomber for 2. He hits a powerbomb for 2. He hits a gutbuster. Tozawa hits a bicycle kick on Takagi. Hulk does the same to YAMATO. Tozawa hits the superplex and Hulk hits the avalanche EVO for 2. Hulk hits the Complete Shot. He and Tozawa hit their dropkick/side suplex combo for 2. Tozawa hits a German suplex. Hulk hits the EVOPlex for 2. He hits the axe kick. Takagi hits a lariat. Tozawa hits a side suplex. YAMATO hits an exploder. Hulk hits another axe kick. He and Takagi go at it until Takagi hits MADE IN JAPAN for 2. YAMATO hits a dropkick. Takagi hits a turnbuckle powerbomb and the Gallon Throw. YAMATO hits the Frog Splash for 2. He hits the brainbuster for 2. He hits the Galleria for 2 when Tozawa makes the save. Tozawa hits the bicycle kick. Kanda hits a blue box attack on Takagi. Hulk spits wine and Tozawa hits the Ganki for 2. Tozawa hits a German suplex for 2. He hits the High Tension Suplex for 2 when YAMATO makes the save. Tozawa hits YAMATO with the German suplex on the apron. Off camera Takagi hits Hulk with what I assume was MADE IN JAPAN for 2. Hulk hits a thrust kick before collapsing. What a crappy time for the camera to miss the action. Hulk hits the FTX. He hits the First Flash for 2. He crosses Takagi’s neck and hits the H Thunder for the win at 25:00. I love the finish, as Hulk has totally turned around his legacy against Takagi, becoming the aggressor and a constant thorn in the Pumping Hawk’s side. The match was full of the hate-filled action that I expected and that deserved better treatment from the crowd.
Rating: ****
Masaaki Mochizuki © {J3} vs. CIMA {BW} [Open the Dream Gate Championship Match]
It doesn’t really get bigger than this, but you wouldn’t know it based on the near silent crowd. Mochizuki hits a chest kick to start. CIMA hits a dropkick. He hits a few chest kicks. He hits the Superdrol after Mochizuki turns his back for no reason. Well that looked terrible. CIMA does the same stupid garbage for Mochizuki’s apron Sankakugeri. Mochizuki hits the Topé Masaaki. They’re not off to a great start. Mochizuki hits a shinbreaker on the apron. He works the leg. CIMA eventually gets to the ropes. Mochizuki puts on the anklelock. CIMA gets to the ropes. He dropkicks Mochizuki’s legs. He hits a pair of dragon screws, on in the ropes. Doi distracts the referee while CIMA uses a chair to hit a dragon screw. He wraps Mochizuki’s leg around the post. He puts on a leglock. They trade chest kicks in an exchange that CIMA wins. Mochizuki does his Indian style power-up before hitting a high kick. He hits a capture suplex. He hits a chest kick. CIMA avoids the Ikkakugeri but eats a big boot. Mochizuki hits the Ikkakugeri. He hits a superplex for 2. He hits the Illusion. CIMA absorbs a chest kick. He takes a few more but a back heel kick dazes him. Mochizuki hits the Twister. CIMA pops up and hits the Schwein and a head kick before collapsing. He hits the Tokarev. He hits his version of the Ikkakugeri. He hits another Schweinand the Meteora for 2, because he couldn’t cover immediately. He hits a superkick and the Goriconclasm. Mochizuki blocks the Mad Splash but gets caught with a high kick. CIMA hits a tope. Mochizuki beats the count at 17. They trade high kicks until Mochizuki hits the Illusion and Shin Saikyou High Kick for 2. CIMA counters the Sankakugeri to a Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex and gets 2. Mochizuki hits the Shin Saikyou High Kick for 2. He hits the Sankakugeri for 2. He goes for another but CIMA blocks it and hits an elevated Nakayubi. He hits the Meteora for 2. He hits it again for the win and the title at 24:55. At the end this became the same lame finisher fest that their 2004 match was. I’ll give them points for fighting hard and keeping it interesting for the last fifteen minutes (the first ten were dull at best, ridiculous at worst) but this failed to deliver. The Blood Warriors now hold every title in Dragon Gate.
Rating: ***
Mochizuki hands the belt over to CIMA before leaving the ring. The Blood Warriors line up all of their title belts, including the Owarai Gate belt that Tanisaki stole from Swann. CIMA promises to have destroyed Junction Three completely by February. He will also make his first title defense in February in Hakata Star Lanes.