After putting on one of the best shows the United Kingdom had ever seen, the stars of Dragon Gate make their next stop on the tour for the third and final grudge match between Shingo and Susumu Yokosuka. Also on the card: PAC defends the Brave Gate against Dragon Kid, Masato Yoshino vs Naruki Doi, Cima & Gamma vs. Marty Scurll & Mark Haskins, Akira Tozawa vs. Naoki Tanasaki, and BxB Hulk vs. Lion Kid.
Another reminder folks, win/loss records came into effect at the start of this tour. Any wrestler who reached 5 losses would be cut from the roster going forward, whereas those with positive records could possibly be in contention for a hypothetical DG:UK championship in the future. Of particular importance is the fact Cima entered this show with a record of 0-4, meaning a loss tonight would remove him from future DG:UK shows.
BxB Hulk (3-1) vs Lion Kid (2-2)
Recap: This match was made after Lion Kid scored several near-falls over Hulk the previous evening in a 6-man tag, something Hulk took exception to given Lion Kid’s somewhat comedic nature. Despite a valiant effort, Lion Kid couldn’t turn an almost into a victory, falling to the First Flash. Hulk would start taking Lion Kid seriously after finding himself on his back after Kid used his speed advantage to disorientate Hulk, executing a flying hurricanrana off the apron. As one might expect, this advantage didn’t last too long as Hulk eventually began to connect with some of his big kicks. Once in control, he began to test Lion Kid’s flexibility, putting him through several sadistic submissions while looking for victory, but Lion Kid couldn’t tap out in front of his home fans. In fact the support of said fans and Hulk’s cockiness allowed Lion Kid to “Rawr Up” and he fired back with his Moonsault Final Cut move. He followed with a dangerous dive to the outside and continued to take to the air but it was only a matter of time until Hulk kicked his was back into command. Finished playing games, Hulk hit the EVO but Lion Kid managed to kick out. Undeterred, Hulk peppered him with repeated kicks to the face, culminating in the First Flash to end it.
Review: Much like the 6-man from Invasion 3, this was better than I expected. I don’t actually think Lion Kid is a bad wrestler (his gear is bad, make no mistake), but he’s quite clearly not on the level of the DG guys, so whenever he’s put against one of them in a singles match you have to roll your eyes a little. But Hulk helped him out a bit here and he wrestled to the best of his ability, so there were moments where you forgot what a colossal mismatch this was. It didn’t set the world on fire or anything, but the fans really enjoyed it, and the combination of Hulk’s stiff kicks and Lion Kid’s underdog antics made it somewhat entertaining. It was also pretty funny hearing the crowd repeatedly get on Hulk for being an emo.
Akira Tozawa (1-0) vs. Naoki Tanazaki (0-1)
Recap: As the above picture suggests, this was originally scheduled to be a triple-threat match including Gamma, but after Cima surprisingly selected Gamma as his mystery partner to face Team UK, these two were left to go at it one on one instead, despite their Blood Warriors alliance. Indeed they went to shake hands before the match, but instead Tanizaki slapped Tozawa, who got on the mic and said: “I got bitch-slapped just now. It’s bullshit! So I hate Tanizaki, I will fight for UK, okay?” And fight he did, coming out swinging from the outset, causing Tanazaki to flee to the outside. A few low-blows later and Tozawa was down and the victim of another rope-choke attack from Tanazaki, who kept pointing into the crowd to distract the referee. Not to be kept down, Tozawa bicycle kicked Tanizaki off the top rope to the outside and delivered two consecutive suicide dives, bringing the crowd to their feet. Sensing he was in trouble, Tanizaki began using his patented knee strikes, including the Casanova, allowing him to deliver the devastating Implant, but Tozawa kicked out. Making the mistake of running the ropes, Tanizaki was met with a bicycle kick and a trio of german suplexes – first a release, then a dead-lift, then the Package German – and that was all she wrote. Tozawa then declared he hated the UK before leaving.
Review: Tozawa’s crowd-support was phenomenal. You’d think after everything he did in the USA last year I’d be used to it, but seriously, this man just knows how to get over. Tanazaki’s cheating ways are sometimes amusing, but when there’s nobody to distract the referee and he has to resort to pointing at the crowd, it’s frustrating. In spite of this, the match was good as Tanazaki only cheated for one portion of the match, and when it instead became a battle of knees and kicks it got pretty good. I’d like have seen them go for a few more minutes, but once again the crowd dug it, booing Tanazaki to high-heaven, while showering Tozawa with praise.
Naruki Doi (3-1) vs. Masato Yoshino (2-2)
Recap: In a meeting of former Speed Muscle partners it was business as usual, with Yoshino triumphing over Doi thanks to Sol Naciente. As he likes to do, Yoshino worked on Doi’s arm right from the opening bell. Doi showed his Blood Warriors colours, using the dreaded eye poke to get back into the match, before making good use of a Gory Special and a Dai Bosou. Yoshino tried to use his speed to get back into the contest but Doi saw him coming and delivered a rapid succession of moves of his own. He seemed to have the match won when holding the ropes and pinning Yoshino, but the referee noticed and refused to count three. Yoshino did eventually evade Doi and fired back with the prettiest missile dropkick in wrestling. From there they played the counter game, switching waist-locks a dozen times before Doi managed a Tiger Suplex. The Doi 555’s led to the Bakatare Sliding Kick, but Yoshino kicked out and then countered two Muscular Bomb attempts into the Lightning Spiral. Doi countered the Sol Naciente twice, but the Torbellino weakened him enough for Yoshino to force the submission on his third try.
Review: When this match was announced a few weeks before the show I was excited at the prospect of seeing them wrestle. But after seeing it in DGUSA recently I must say my excitement was greatly diminished as I found that encounter to be pretty robotic. This match didn’t really do it for me that match either, but I think it was better than the one they had in Los Angeles at least. I’m just tired of seeing each man have the same match every single time and it’s only made worse when they’re against each other. When the number of Lightning Spirals and Torbellinos goes above one I get irritated, so at least this match wasn’t guilty of that.
Cima (0-4) & Gamma (1-0) vs. Marty Scurll (1-3) & Mark Haskins (4-0)
Recap: With his DG:UK career on the line, Cima decided that desperate times required desperate measures, and so chose his old partner Gamma as his mystery teammate. Gamma was reluctant as he was in Junction 3 and Cima was a Blood Warrior, but decided to put those feelings aside in the spirit of a Japan/UK competition. The gamble would pay off for Cima, as he and Gamma’s old teamwork was too much for Team UK. Early on,Team UK used some nice double-teaming to keep Gamma down, capping it off with a unique double camel clutch while Cima and Gamma’s legs were locked together. Frustrated, Gamma started spitting again, returning control to Cima, who picked Haskins apart for nearly five minutes before ‘The Star Attraction’ escaped and tagged Scurll back in to clean house. Cima and Gamma combined their offense to fight back though, with Cima hitting a double stomp while Gamma held Haskins up high, before rolling through straight into a Superdroll on Scurll as the crowd erupted. Following suit, Scurll and Haskins started double-teaming Cima, using the same combination that put him away the previous night, but unlike Doi and Hulk, Gamma was able to make the save. Gamma then used a kendo stick right in front of the referee before obliterating Haskins with a Tombstone from the middle rope. With Scurll alone to fight both men he fell quickly after a Double Tokorev, the Gamma Special and Meteora. Gamma attempted to celebrate with the Blood Warriors after the bell but they immediately turned on him, causing Yoshino and Team UK to help fight them off.
Review: Again with the cheating right in front of the referee. I remember Gamma used a kendo stick in front of a ref in DGUSA during Wrestlemania weekend a couple of years ago and how much I hated it then. Turns out I hate it no less this time around. The crowd were booing and demanding a disqualification (which would have ended Cima’s time in DG:UK), but the match was allowed to continue for some reason. Alas, that aside this was a solid match, with Cima and Gamma’s teamwork as impressive as it always was, and I like that Cima felt he had to lean on that to secure his spot on the roster. I’d expect to see more of it now that they’re both free agents in Japan. The Tombstone off the second rope was disgusting by the way. And poor Gamma always getting betrayed, sooner or later he’ll learn.
Open the Brave Gate Title Match
PAC (3-1) vs. Dragon Kid (1-3)
Recap: After butting heads repeatedly on the 2010 DG:UK tour, as well as having a Brave Gate match in Japan, these two would meet for the championship once more on British soil, but PAC’s record-setting title reign would not end here as he triumphed with British Airways. PAC was in control right from the get-go, using his size advantage to put Dragon Kid down, before hitting a beautiful moonsault to the outside and landing on his feet. Dragon Kid finally found an opening, dropkicking PAC’s legs as he attempted a springboard, and then went into his patented kick-based offense. PAC fought back, repeatedly using his power to counter Dragon Kid, but Kid managed to hit a jumping hurricanrana from the very top rope for a near-fall. He attempted to deliver a reverse-rana from the top as well, but PAC landed on his feet, but he had only avoided pain for a moment, as Dragon Kid hit Messiah, spiking PAC right on his forehead, and then the Mysterio-rana for a near fall. He took too long going for the Dragonrana though, and PAC met him up top and executed a Moonsault Slam. He would miss the Imploding 450 though, and Dragon Kid hit Bible. PAC saw the next headscissors coming though, and reversed into a jumping Tombstone, putting Dragon Kid down long enough for him to hit British Airways for the win.
Review: Apparently PAC’s belt was actually lost in transit, making this title match seem a little hollow before the bell rang. Luckily the moment that it did ring things got awesome really fast. I loved the story of this match. Dragon Kid can cope with wrestlers that are just stronger than him, but not only did PAC have a power advantage, he arguably had the aerial advantage as well, able to block and counter Dragon Kid with the former, and devastate him with the latter. But the biggest difference maker, was that PAC saw all of Dragon Kid’s signature moves coming, blocking both the Ultra Hurricanrana and the Dragonrana, and then refusing to fall victim to a third headscissor-based attack and hitting a huge jumping Tombstone. Just a superb encounter, and if not for the advertised main event, this could easily have gone on last. As an aside, the reason PAC is the world’s premiere high-flyer is body control. It’s not about being able to do a million flips like Jack Evans, it’s about being able to do things with precision, and he demonstrated that with the moonsault and standing shooting star at the start of the match. By his standards those are really basic aerial moves, but he does them so much better than 99% of other wrestlers, in addition to the advanced level stuff that perhaps only he is capable of. Also, per the win/loss rules, Dragon Kid now drops within one loss of elimination.
Shingo (2-2) vs. Susumu Yokosuka (3-1)
Recap: After splitting victories in consecutive years, it was determined these two should face each other one last time to decide who the better man was. As it turned out, that man was Shingo, but it took a monumental effort to get it done. Shingo controlled early thanks to his power, but Yokosuka managed to deliver his devastating double knee breaker and then began working the legs of his stronger opponent, leading up to a Figure Four. Shingo made several attempts to escape before finally turning the hold over and grabbing the ropes, but the damage was done. Smelling blood, Yokosuka attempted another knee breaker off the apron, but Shingo reversed and hit a Death Valley Driver on the ring frame. Taking a note from his opponent, Shingo began to attack Yokosuka’s arm to try and take away the lariats. In fact when Yokosuka did hit a lariat Shingo shrugged it off, clotheslined his arm, hit a judo throw and locked in a cross-armbreaker but Yokosuka escaped. The pair battled to hit a big suplex with Yokosuka ultimately triumphing. Each man then took turns to exploder suplex each other twice before hitting simultaneous lariats. Shingo tried to head up top for the second night in a row, but Yokosuka met him up there and delivered an Avalanche Exploder. Shingo shrugged off two half nelson suplexes and hit Stay Dream but Yokosuka somehow kicked out. At that point pride got the better of both men as they took turns to lariat and elbow one another, an exchange Shingo would win at first, but after he got cocky Yokosuka was able to respond with a pair of Jumbo no Kachi!s and the Mugen for two near falls. Shingo would duck a third lariat attempt and hit a pop-up Death Valley Driver and a huge Pumping Bomber before delivering Made in Japan. Yokosuka kicked out so Shingo hit the move again, but stunningly, Yokosuka kicked out once more! Yokosuka then escaped a Last Falconry and hit Jumbo no Kachi!gatame but Shingo kicked out, ducked another lariat and hit the Last Falconry for the win. After the match the two shook hands and Shingo promised to see us next time.
Review: Shingo sold a limb! Shingo sold a limb! Shingo sold a limb! More importantly, this was pretty epic. I’m used to seeing Shingo hit two consecutive Made in Japans, but that’s normally where it ends, so for Yokosuka to survive showed that this UK-created rivalry was being treated as a big deal, which I liked. The DG guys would be at their full liberty to come over here and put on a second-rate match as the fans are grateful to even get to see them. But this match demonstrated that they actually cared about putting on something PPV-worthy and for that I thank them. The limb work was a nice idea, but it ultimately led nowhere as their pride led to a standing strike exchange, something they both excel at. Every lariat was pretty brutal, and their other high impact moves convinced the crowd the match may be over, but they kept going and going. No move was left unused and it led to this feeling like a true decider to a three-match series. Shingo won the battle and the war, so it looks like they’ll need to think of a new show name for the next tour.
Overall Thoughts
– This show couldn’t compete with the overall quality of Invasion 3, but the double main event they offered up here still makes this a very easy recommendation, as both of the top two matches were better than any of the ones from the previous night. I’d give PAC/Dragon Kid the edge from a technical wrestling standpoint, but it’s hard to deny the big fight atmosphere of Shingo/Yokosuka, and even harder to stay subdued for that epic finishing stretch.
– None of the other matches were bad, with the Cima & Gamma vs Team UK bout ending up around the same quality as the Blood Warriors/Team UK six-man from the night before, while Yoshino and Doi was on par for what you’d expect from them, and Hulk/Lion Kid was better than expected. Tozawa vs Tanizaki was better than Tanazaki/Gamma, but probably not as good as Tozawa/Dragon Kid. But to be honest, I’m only nit-picking like this to determine which show was better, when quite honestly I think you should just buy them both.
– Seriously, go here now and buy this show.