July 5th, 2018
Opening Match: MaxiMuM (Masato Yoshino, Ben-K, and Jason Lee) vs. Punch Tominaga, “brother” YASSHI, and Kota Minoura
This was Minoura’s professional wrestling debut and he was squaring off against the Open the Dream Gate Champion, so the result was not in doubt. Minoura received a rough introduction, getting out-wrestled by Yoshino and out-powered by Ben-K at various points throughout the match. That story became engaging at times, with Yoshino mockingly challenging him to a chop battle that progressed about how you would expect. However, the action picked up down the stretch. Tominaga and YASSHI tried to quicken the pace but MaxiMuM was smart enough to keep Minoura isolated. Minoura showed great fire, though, getting close nearfalls off of rollups with a bleeding chest. This was one of those openers that wasn’t as mindless as you might expect and ultimately a solid introduction for Minoura. Ben-K hit a spear on Minoura to win the match for MaxiMuM at 13:11. ***
Match #2: Kagetora and Yuki Yoshioka vs. Hyo Watanabe and Hiroshi Yamato
I haven’t seen Yamato before, but he seems to have a fun personality and sings his own entrance song. Let’s just not get him confused with YAMATO, who is certainly not signing his own entrance song. This was an athletic display without much substance that felt longer than the opener despite being much shorter in length. There was a also a point where Watanabe almost dropped Yoshioka on his neck during a tombstone attempt and quickly turned the move into a side slam. I wasn’t really feeling this one. Yamato hit a fisherman suplex on Yoshioka for the victory at 9:13. *½
Match #3: Masaaki Mochizuki and Shun Skywalker vs. Tribe Vanguard (Yosuke Santa Maria and U-T)
Mochizuki also sang his entrance song, so maybe I’m just not picking up on a theme tonight. Or maybe he saw how well it worked for Yamato in the last match. A lot of this match revolved around Mochizuki going to vicious lengths to avoid Santa Maria’s kiss. Skywalker and U-T played the supporting roles and were ultimately involved in the finish. I do wonder if the interactions between Mochizuki and Santa Maria are paving the way for a future singles match. This was somewhere between the first two matches for me, as the action was far from lifeless but it didn’t do enough to capture everyone’s attention. Again, I would certainly not be opposed to seeing more from the Santa Maria/Mochizuki pairing. Skywalker landed a top-rope moonsault onto U-T for the win at 8:43. **½
Match #4: Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO, BxB Hulk, and Flamita) vs. MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi, Big R Shimizu, and Bandido)
YAMATO/Hulk vs. Doi/Shimizu was already an attractive matchup, but adding Bandido and Flamita into the mix jazzed things up quite a bit. In a way, this was one of those trios matches that would be a good barometer for your interest in Dragon Gate. Whether you choose to marvel at the fluidity of the exchanges or lament at the lack of a story holding the action together, well, that’s up to you. Doi’s loss led to him blaming Shimizu after the match as their tension continues to increase. Flamita and Bandido ended up being a perfect fit for Dragon Gate to the surprise of no one. Hulk connected with First Flash on Doi to win the match for Tribe Vanguard at 10:49. ***
Match #5: Open the Triangle Gate Titles: Natural Vibes (Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, and Genki Horiguchi) © vs. Ryo Saito, Don Fujii, and K-ness
Ever since Saito got his head shaved, his comedy character has been a fun enough experiment. However, Dragon Gate did nothing to make anyone believe that the challengers even remotely stood a chance here, especially with Kobe World Festival looming. Thus, the only question here was whether the action itself could compensate for the complete lack of suspense surrounding the result. Fujii, K-ness, and Saito in his current incarnation wouldn’t seem conducive to having high-quality trios matches with elongated finishing stretches, but they were made to look as competitive as possible here. A series of quick rollups from K-ness even got the crowd to come alive as they bit on the nearfalls. The challengers were supremely impressive in this outing and Dragon Gate may want to rethink just how far down the comedy path they want Saito to go. Natural Vibes retained their titles at 16:21 when Kzy pinned Saito. ***¼
Match #6: Losing Faction Must Disband: Naniwa Elimination: ANTIAS (Shingo Takagi, Eita, Yasushi Kanda, and Takashi Yoshida) vs. Over Generation (Gamma, Dragon Kid, Kaito Ishida, and Problem Dragon)
The order of elimination was as follows (credit to iHeartDG):
-Ishida eliminated Kanda at 16:48 with a cradle
-Yoshida eliminated Problem Dragon at 18:25 with a Cyber Bomb
-Eita eliminated Gamma at 19:50 with an Execution Kick
-Ishida eliminated Yoshida at 21:15 by sending him over the top rope
-Shingo eliminated Ishida at 23:52 with a powerbomb
-Dragon Kid eliminated Shingo at 25:55 with a hurricanrana
-Eita eliminated Dragon Kid at 28:00 with the Murder Kick
Eita and Dragon Kid started the match, with entrants coming in every minute. Eliminations could occur by pin, submission, disqualification, or going over the top rope. Being the heel faction, ANTIAS had the numbers advantage until everyone entered.
This feud has been all about ANTIAS playing with Over Generation’s emotions by relentlessly singling out Dragon Kid. Even though Shingo is the leader of ANTIAS, Eita has been playing the mind games the best and looks to be in a prime position to dethrone Dragon Kid for the Brave Gate. Once ANTIAS was able to turn this match into a brawl through the crowd, you sensed that Over Generation had pretty much abandoned all hope at developing a winning strategy. While Over Generation managed to secure three eliminations, they were a bit fluky (such as Ishida sending Yoshida over the top rope).
Over Generation seemed to have run its course, but it’s amazing how this match was largely a vehicle to further the Eita/Dragon Kid feud. By Dragon Gate standards, this feud has been extremely intriguing because it has so much depth. Eita has made Dragon Kid’s life such a living hell that I’m starting to question whether he leaves Kobe World Festival with the Brave Gate later this month. It is by far my most anticipated match on that card. This main event was executed extremely well and didn’t overstay its welcome. However, I’m so enthralled with this feud that it was going to be hard for me to dislike this match. Eita last eliminated Dragon Kid at 28:00 to force Over Generation to disband. ***¾
-Show Grade: B
–You Need to See:
–You’d Enjoy Watching: main event, Triangle Gate match, Tribe Vanguard/MaxiMuM, opener
–You Should Avoid: