Dragon Gate USA & EVOLVE Discussion/News/Review Thread

[cleslie92]

Gabe's really lost the plot the last week. Rumour going around that Teddy Hart is working DGUSA. John Pollock says he's arrived in New Orleans, cat in hand.

 

Low Ki and Teddy Hart in 2014.

 

I saw a picture on Twitter of Teddy at the show with his cat, unbelievable.

[History of Wrestling]

Got back from EVOLVE 28 a little while ago.

 

Chris Hero defeated Trent Baretta with the Death Blow in 30:01 to retain the EVOLVE Championship in the main event. I was enjoying this despite slightly excessive length but the sports entertainment closing stretch (starting with a ref bump) surprised me. So much for the EVOLVE rules.

 

Ricochet pinning Tony Nese was best match on the show.

 

I'll type a proper review if/when I get my hands on a computer. The setup was very indie and I bet it sucked as an iPPV

 

I didn't see the show but I've seen the first hour of the first DGUSA and it's such an odd set-up, a horrible building, shitty lighting... Between that and the booking, it's sapped the will out of me to watch any more, no matter how much I like the Colonoy, how much I'm on a Ricochet kick recently, and how good reports of Tanaka-Hero were. It's just unbearably rinky dink, and Gabe's been running for 12 years now. I've always wanted to like DGUSA/EVOLVE since they started but they really do make it hard work.

[cleslie92]

I met a guy last night who said that they were chanting "Fire Russo" last night because of how bad the booking was.

[gadge]

EVOLVE 28 - New Orleans, LA - 3/4/14

The only independent show I ended up catching in New Orleans as part of this year's WrestleMania festivities, the WWNLive crew ran at an auditorium at Tulane University. That meant a dry venue, which was weird as a tourist in the otherwise alcohol friendly city, and the ring was set up on the stage. There were three rows of chairs set up around the three sides of the ring possible, then the rest of the crowd (such as it was) sat looking up at the stage. The crowd was nowhere near as big as last year, where WWNLive and the WrestleCon convention worked together. I was second row stage, and there was a fair atmosphere up there. I can't comment on what general seating would have been like, therefore.

 

After a couple of unmemorable preshow bouts, we started with the 2013 Style Battle Finals Rematch, Drew Gulak vs. Biff Busick. Of course, I haven't seen any of the 2013 WWNLive output bar what I saw in person the previous WM season. I've liked Gulak in his Gentlemen's Club role back on the 2012 DVDs, but at this point he's CZW World champion, and I have no knowledge of Busick whatsoever. My abiding memory here is that I kept thinking how working stiff doesn't automatically make a match good - and this was also too long. Busick won with a sleeper submission in 16:12, which seemed incongruous with the way most of the match panned out up to that point. It wasn't all bad, but that's damning with faint praise if ever I've typed it...

 

Technical issues with the iPPV then lead to a ridiculous delay. Referee Bryce Remsburg kept the fans entertained as well as he could. Eventually we got going again...

 

Green Ant beat Maxwell Chicago with a Texas Cloverleaf in 10:47 in the second proper match. Chicago was a funny comedy gimmick that again was completely new to me, and while I know of CHIKARA somewhat, Green Ant specifically, not so much.

 

AR Fox vs Caleb Konley was again much too long at a ridiculous 17:30. Fox was the first person on the card who genuinely got a superstar reaction, so to see Fake Spanky go so long against him was a bit depressing. There were some impressive athletic moments, but in my mind Fox is still tarred with Ricochet's criticism that his big moves are stupid. Speaking of stupid, the finish was insane. Konley had Fox on his shoulders while stood on the second rope, and nailed Fox with a Death Valley Driver onto the apron, with both men immediately crunching to the floor. The end result of that insanity? Konley rolled Fox back into the ring, then as he climbed back into the ring himself, Fox cradled him for the pin. That death spot meant nothing in a throwaway third match on the card, so that finish was even more of a head shaker.

 

The Bravado Brothers vs Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy in the latter duo's final shot at the Open The United Gate titles concluded the first half. I saw the Bravados over here in FPW in 2013, and that match was probably a better performance from them, as this didn't click for me. I will say that Taylor is much better now he's back in a position to be cheered, and I like Orange Cassidy as well. This was actually the one match on the card I would have liked to get a bit more time - the Bravados pinned Taylor to retain in 11:43.

 

You remember that big delay after the first match? Well, apparently in EVOLVE the best way to make up for that is a 45 minute interval. Yes, really. The only good thing about that was that I finally got my hands on last year's WM weekend show featuring Gargano vs SHINGO. I dare say I'll watch that before the Autumn rolls around..

 

Speaking of long and boring, Lenny Leonard and Larry Dallas killed some more time where it was made very clear that The Scene is dead (yay!) but Larry Dallas is sticking around (boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo).

 

The second half began properly with a Pick Your Poison gimmick. Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano's choice Tony Nese was my match of the show, as Nese can keep up with Ricochet athletically, and Ricochet is thankfully a clear fan favourite here now. Really good action here, I thought, without the stupidity of some of the other bouts on the show. Ricochet got the pin with the Benadryller in 17:56. Johnny Gargano came out after this, and the two had a good promo exhange ahead of the next night's Open The Freedom Gate title bout. Gargano then left Ricochet laying. Someone will have to explain to me why EVOLVE is doing that sort of thing now..

 

Johnny Gargano vs Ricochet's choice Rich Swann then followed on immediately, and was a good effort that just didn't have the goods to measure up the bout prior. My notes say Gargano pinned Swann in 15:21, but I don't remember how. Internet research tells me Gargano used the Freedom Gate belt. I do remember Ricochet eventually got his revenge and left Gargano laying afterwards.

 

Chris Hero vs Trent Baretta for the EVOLVE Championship was our main event. Now, I've seen Baretta a few times since his WWE release. I always quite liked him as far as he went in WWE. On the indies, he had a reasonably main event worthy bout here in the UK against Mark Haskins in Southside, and has looked solid elsewhere. In EVOLVE, he's the lead in-ring figure of the Premier Athlete Brand stable, alongside Tony Nese, who's a fairly bland personality but can go some in the ring, and Caleb Konley, who is seemingly never going to get better. Of course, this being the crappy indies, no faction is complete without both a manager and a valet. Here the faction boss is Mr. A - a fat bloke in a suit - and the valet is Su Yung. Put them all together, and everybody looks second rate. It's the crappy indies at their crappiest, and both Baretta and Nese could do much better.

 

I give credit to Hero and Baretta for their efforts here, and there was a long while where they got the sole focus, as Mr A and Su Yung were banished from ringside. The in-ring action engrossed me for some time. What I wasn't expecting from EVOLVE was a sports entertainment spectacular in the final minutes, with a referee bump, the entire Premier Athlete Brand faction emerging for a group beatdown, including Mr A himself delivering two big splashes off the ropes, and Hero then turning into John Cena, and wiping out everyone by himself before getting the pin with the Death Blow in 30:01. Hey, I guess Hero did learn something in WWE developmental after all. I can't completely criticise this whole thing, as there were big crowd reactions for several of Hero's miracle kickouts. I just certainly wasn't expecting this type of thing from this promotion, especially with the extra eyes WrestleMania weekend draws to the product.

 

Overall - While I wouldn't say I felt short changed by EVOLVE and what they presented here, my first live experience of EVOLVE since the crappy show #19 wasn't quite what I expected. The half hour main event delivered enough that I left happy enough, and I would very much like to watch Ricochet vs Nese again. However, the Premier Athlete Brand stable were all over the show, and the faction is definitely a weakness. It's a low rent deal on what felt like a very minor league event overall. I was considering the DGUSA show the next night, and didn't go despite the first Open the Freedom Gate title change in some two and a half years being massively telegraphed. That has to make the show a failure, looking back now.

[gadge]

Unfinished business here, as I had this all watched and written bar the main event before going to New Orleans, but finishing off the show proved to be a massive effort..

 

EVOLVE 18: Gargano vs Callihan - Voorhees, NJ - 8/12/12

 

The final show in Gabe Sapolsky's 2012 calendar, and the final EVOLVE show before the crowning of an EVOLVE champion the following April at EVOLVE 19 on WrestleMania weekend, but not the last show of the day as this is a warm-up for CZW Cage of Death in the same venue later on. The usual daytime show rules apply, though it must be said the crowd is bigger than at EVOLVE 17 or the storm-affected DGUSA show in the same building the previous month.

 

The premise of the undercard here is that in being the last stop before the EVOLVE title tournament, someone can add two wins to their record in one night and boost their chances of a good seeding in said tournament. Four singles matches start the show, with the winners then meeting in a Freestyle, see.

 

It all starts pretty well, as AR Fox (6-3) vs Tony Nese (2-3) is the opener, and Fox has crowd support from the CZW fans, while Nese easily matches him for athletics. Yes, this is a pretty damn fine encounter to begin the show with. Nese blocks or counters the Lo Mein Pain a bunch of times, leading to the logical conclusion of Fox finally hitting the move at what may have been the fifth attempt and advancing to the Freestyle in 13:01.

 

The only way to go from there is down, unfortunately. The lack of continuity between DGUSA and EVOLVE sees Papadon (0-0), who teamed with Tony Nese as a face duo against The Scene in Long Island on the last DGUSA show, come out as an unconvincing heel vs Masada (1-0). Masada doesn't get the CZW fan support like Fox did in the opener, and seems totally out of place in the EVOLVE ring (despite it actually being the CZW ring...) here. The match is dreadful as a result, and the 8:55 before Masada gets the pin feels like forever.

 

Rich Swann (1-2) vs Jigsaw (1-2) perks things up a bit from an in-ring perspective at least, though the majority of the crowd continue to sit on their hands. Thankfully, the commentary team of Arda Ocal and Colt Cabana are a listenable duo, and keep the overall package above par. Swann advances with Trouble in Paradise in 13:16.

 

The facade of serious competition is completely blown to pieces in the fourth and final qualifier. While both men have good win-loss records, Chuck Taylor (9-4) vs Jon Davis (4-3) is an insane piece of matchmaking given the overall concept at work here. It's not that there isn't entertainment to be found, because Taylor's antics are hilarious, and the various members of the Gentlemen's Club get a (comparatively) massive reaction when they come out en masse after the long, boring gimmick of Jon Davis staring down the audience. In amongst all this, Johnny Gargano replaces Cabana as colour commentator, so he can hype the as yet unannounced Davis rematch. Davis ends the fun and games with a clothesline on Taylor at 9:53, which as a fellow reviewer of these things would say, goes over like a fart in church. Gargano confronts Davis in the ring afterwards, because under EVOLVE rules any physical contact would result in suspension, and calls Davis a phoney. Davis lets Gargano leave, then notes Gargano's main event match with Sami Callihan is Dragon Gate rules. Way to signpost a run-in, there.

 

Arda Ocal, who's doing a pretty solid job as stand-in Lenny Leonard, is then shown in the ring announcing stuff for 2013 like the DGUSA return of the Young Bucks, and John Morrison's appearance in California. An unnamed woman then turns up who seems to have the sole purpose of being there for Christina Von Eerie to flatten her. In 2013, DGUSA and EVOLVE will belong to Mad Blankey, apparently. That's your setup for John Morrison vs Akira Tozawa, right there.

 

Continuing the fantastic storytelling, the "bonus tag team main event" of The Super Smash Brothers (2-2) vs El Generico & Samuray Del Sol (0-0) is apparently happening "because it's a match Gabe Sapolsky wanted to see". That's right. While it's a decent enough indie style tag match, there's nothing revelatory here. Certainly, there's plenty of tag bouts out there that take place in front of much louder crowds, as this feels a bit flat a lot of the time. Generico & Del Sol pick up the victory when Del Sol pins Player Dos at 19:10 - the SSB look pretty disappointed afterwards, and certainly that United Gate title match seems to be eluding them.

 

AR Fox (7-3) vs Rich Swann (2-2) vs Masada (2-0) vs Jon Davis (5-3) in the Four Way Freestyle looks like it should have some scope to tell a story, as the four men battle for their second win of the night, and a decent structure of two high flyers and two power wrestlers. Instead, there's nothing more than a bunch of spots jammed together before Swann pins Fox with Trouble in Paradise in just six minutes. At least Swann, with the advanced 3-2 record, carries some momentum into the title tournament, I guess.

 

Johnny Gargano defending the Open The Freedom Gate title against Sami Callihan is the main event. Thankfully, they get Jon Davis' attempted run-in out of the way early, as Gargano is being announced, and Callihan's usual charge across the ring to start the match instead intercepts Davis. Callihan tells Davis to piss off, as he wants to beat Gargano at 100%. Unfortunately, after an intense opening few minutes, all the heat drains away as the bout develops into a wrestling match. What could have been a decent way to end the year sadly becomes a bit of a chore, despite a reasonable in-ring effort. Probably the worst moment for this is when Callihan kicks out of the Gargano Escape at around the 18:45 mark to a mild smattering of applause. Oh dear. Gargano eventually wins with knees to the face of Callihan while holding him in the Gargano Escape for the referee stoppage at 25:44. No-one really cares as Gargano leaves, and Callihan tries to protest to the ref that he never submitted, but the ref tells him he had to stop it. And that's the end of our show.

 

Overall - While I liked the opener, and the general idea of Swann getting two wins in one night, the flat crowd that only gets less responsive as the show goes on drain the life out of the SSB vs Generico/Del Sol tag and the main event, and makes the show too much of an effort to really enjoy. A bad, generally inconsequential way to end the year. DVD run time is 2 hours, 36 minutes.

[PRINCE2356]

EVOLVE 28 - New Orleans, LA - 3/4/14

The only independent show I ended up catching in New Orleans as part of this year's WrestleMania festivities, the WWNLive crew ran at an auditorium at Tulane University. That meant a dry venue, which was weird as a tourist in the otherwise alcohol friendly city, and the ring was set up on the stage. There were three rows of chairs set up around the three sides of the ring possible, then the rest of the crowd (such as it was) sat looking up at the stage. The crowd was nowhere near as big as last year, where WWNLive and the WrestleCon convention worked together. I was second row stage, and there was a fair atmosphere up there. I can't comment on what general seating would have been like, therefore.

 

After a couple of unmemorable preshow bouts, we started with the 2013 Style Battle Finals Rematch, Drew Gulak vs. Biff Busick. Of course, I haven't seen any of the 2013 WWNLive output bar what I saw in person the previous WM season. I've liked Gulak in his Gentlemen's Club role back on the 2012 DVDs, but at this point he's CZW World champion, and I have no knowledge of Busick whatsoever. My abiding memory here is that I kept thinking how working stiff doesn't automatically make a match good - and this was also too long. Busick won with a sleeper submission in 16:12, which seemed incongruous with the way most of the match panned out up to that point. It wasn't all bad, but that's damning with faint praise if ever I've typed it...

 

Technical issues with the iPPV then lead to a ridiculous delay. Referee Bryce Remsburg kept the fans entertained as well as he could. Eventually we got going again...

 

Green Ant beat Maxwell Chicago with a Texas Cloverleaf in 10:47 in the second proper match. Chicago was a funny comedy gimmick that again was completely new to me, and while I know of CHIKARA somewhat, Green Ant specifically, not so much.

 

AR Fox vs Caleb Konley was again much too long at a ridiculous 17:30. Fox was the first person on the card who genuinely got a superstar reaction, so to see Fake Spanky go so long against him was a bit depressing. There were some impressive athletic moments, but in my mind Fox is still tarred with Ricochet's criticism that his big moves are stupid. Speaking of stupid, the finish was insane. Konley had Fox on his shoulders while stood on the second rope, and nailed Fox with a Death Valley Driver onto the apron, with both men immediately crunching to the floor. The end result of that insanity? Konley rolled Fox back into the ring, then as he climbed back into the ring himself, Fox cradled him for the pin. That death spot meant nothing in a throwaway third match on the card, so that finish was even more of a head shaker.

 

The Bravado Brothers vs Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy in the latter duo's final shot at the Open The United Gate titles concluded the first half. I saw the Bravados over here in FPW in 2013, and that match was probably a better performance from them, as this didn't click for me. I will say that Taylor is much better now he's back in a position to be cheered, and I like Orange Cassidy as well. This was actually the one match on the card I would have liked to get a bit more time - the Bravados pinned Taylor to retain in 11:43.

 

You remember that big delay after the first match? Well, apparently in EVOLVE the best way to make up for that is a 45 minute interval. Yes, really. The only good thing about that was that I finally got my hands on last year's WM weekend show featuring Gargano vs SHINGO. I dare say I'll watch that before the Autumn rolls around..

 

Speaking of long and boring, Lenny Leonard and Larry Dallas killed some more time where it was made very clear that The Scene is dead (yay!) but Larry Dallas is sticking around (boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo).

 

The second half began properly with a Pick Your Poison gimmick. Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano's choice Tony Nese was my match of the show, as Nese can keep up with Ricochet athletically, and Ricochet is thankfully a clear fan favourite here now. Really good action here, I thought, without the stupidity of some of the other bouts on the show. Ricochet got the pin with the Benadryller in 17:56. Johnny Gargano came out after this, and the two had a good promo exhange ahead of the next night's Open The Freedom Gate title bout. Gargano then left Ricochet laying. Someone will have to explain to me why EVOLVE is doing that sort of thing now..

 

Johnny Gargano vs Ricochet's choice Rich Swann then followed on immediately, and was a good effort that just didn't have the goods to measure up the bout prior. My notes say Gargano pinned Swann in 15:21, but I don't remember how. Internet research tells me Gargano used the Freedom Gate belt. I do remember Ricochet eventually got his revenge and left Gargano laying afterwards.

 

Chris Hero vs Trent Baretta for the EVOLVE Championship was our main event. Now, I've seen Baretta a few times since his WWE release. I always quite liked him as far as he went in WWE. On the indies, he had a reasonably main event worthy bout here in the UK against Mark Haskins in Southside, and has looked solid elsewhere. In EVOLVE, he's the lead in-ring figure of the Premier Athlete Brand stable, alongside Tony Nese, who's a fairly bland personality but can go some in the ring, and Caleb Konley, who is seemingly never going to get better. Of course, this being the crappy indies, no faction is complete without both a manager and a valet. Here the faction boss is Mr. A - a fat bloke in a suit - and the valet is Su Yung. Put them all together, and everybody looks second rate. It's the crappy indies at their crappiest, and both Baretta and Nese could do much better.

 

I give credit to Hero and Baretta for their efforts here, and there was a long while where they got the sole focus, as Mr A and Su Yung were banished from ringside. The in-ring action engrossed me for some time. What I wasn't expecting from EVOLVE was a sports entertainment spectacular in the final minutes, with a referee bump, the entire Premier Athlete Brand faction emerging for a group beatdown, including Mr A himself delivering two big splashes off the ropes, and Hero then turning into John Cena, and wiping out everyone by himself before getting the pin with the Death Blow in 30:01. Hey, I guess Hero did learn something in WWE developmental after all. I can't completely criticise this whole thing, as there were big crowd reactions for several of Hero's miracle kickouts. I just certainly wasn't expecting this type of thing from this promotion, especially with the extra eyes WrestleMania weekend draws to the product.

 

Overall - While I wouldn't say I felt short changed by EVOLVE and what they presented here, my first live experience of EVOLVE since the crappy show #19 wasn't quite what I expected. The half hour main event delivered enough that I left happy enough, and I would very much like to watch Ricochet vs Nese again. However, the Premier Athlete Brand stable were all over the show, and the faction is definitely a weakness. It's a low rent deal on what felt like a very minor league event overall. I was considering the DGUSA show the next night, and didn't go despite the first Open the Freedom Gate title change in some two and a half years being massively telegraphed. That has to make the show a failure, looking back now.

 

Agree very much with the review, having been there myself. Thought the AR Fox vs Caleb Konley match was pretty good never seen Konley before so was fairly impressed. But yeah there some overly long stuff, breaks aside. But all the stars you expected to be good beforehand delivered but i wouldn't say i would go out of my way to buy an Evolve DVD off that show.

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Cabana did commentary on a few matches at Evolve 18; it was kinda sad to see him reduced to having to schill WWN Live iPPV's

[gadge]

I met a guy last night who said that they were chanting "Fire Russo" last night because of how bad the booking was.

 

Finally read a report of the DGUSA six man tournament show, it wasn't pretty apart from the opener. Anyway, it looks like Gabe has at least been taking in fan opinion. Here's the hype for EVOLVE 29 & 30...

 

EVOLVE goes Back To The Basics next weekend and you can pre-order the iPPVs at a 33% discount now, plus FIP has stacked cards this weekend. We have all the info and more in this WWNLive Alerts. Let's get to it....

 

April 28th: EVOLVE returns to the Elk's Lodge in Queens, NY on May 9th and The Lyceum in Brooklyn, NY on May 10th. Tickets for both shows can be purchased here. The weekend will have the theme of Back To The Basics. EVOLVE officials feel that things got out of hand at EVOLVE 28. There was too much interference and shenanigans you don't expect from the EVOLVE brand. It's time to reign things in and regain control. Fans of EVOLVE want straight, competitive matches and great wrestling. The original rules of EVOLVE were designed to deliver that. For May 9th and 10th, we are going back to some of the original EVOLVE rules. These rules will be in effect for the entire EVOLVE 29 and EVOLVE 30 cards:

 

-There will be no interference of any kind tolerated. Any interference will result in an immediate fine and/or suspension.

 

-Any physical contact with a referee will result in an immediate fine and/or suspension.

 

-Referees Brandon Tolle and Bryce Remsburg have been given the power to administer any fines or suspensions on the spot of an infraction.

 

April 28th: In an additional move, EVOLVE officials have isolated Larry Dallas as being responsible for inciting an out-of-control situation at the WWNLive Experience. As a result and to set an example to the rest of the locker room, EVOLVE has decided to release Larry Dallas. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.

 

April 28th: EVOLVE 29 on May 9th will be a live to VOD iPPV. EVOLVE 30 on May 10th will be a live iPPV. We have a Weekly Special so you can get both iPPVs at a big discount. You can pre-order both EVOLVE 29 and EVOLVE 30 at www.WWNLive.com for just $9.99 each if you act by Monday, May 5th. This will get you the VOD of EVOLVE 29 and the live & VOD of EVOLVE 30. You will get unlimited access for just $9.99! This means you can own the entire weekend for just $20. Act now, you must pre-order in the next week to get these savings.

 

April 28th: JT Dunn and Ryan Rush will both make their EVOLVE debuts in NYC. We have info on their matches below. We look forward to seeing what both do with this opportunity.

 

April 28th: Here is a quick look at the EVOLVE cards next week:

 

EVOLVE 29 - Queens, NY - May 9th - 8pm EST. - Pre-Order iPPV At WWNLive.com

 

Save 33% If You Order The VOD iPPV Now!

 

-Tag Team Main Event: AR Fox & Uhaa Nation vs. Anthony Nese & Trent Baretta

-Gentlemen's Club Implodes: Chuck Taylor vs. Drew Gulak

-Johnny Gargano vs. Biff Busick

-Rich Swann vs. Caleb Konley

-Non-Title: Lancelot & Harlem Bravado vs. #AllEgo & #WalkingWeapon

-Fire Ant & Green Ant vs. Jigsaw & Tim Donst

-NEW MATCH: Blake Edward Belakus vs. JT Dunn with Shelly Martinez

-Shelly Martinez will be available for autographs!

-Plus: SHINE Champion Ivelisse, Moose, Su Yung & Mr. A, more!

 

EVOLVE 30 - Brooklyn, NY - May 10th - 8pm EST. - Pre-Order Live iPPV At WWNLive.com

 

Save 33% If You Order The Live & VOD iPPV Now!

 

-I Quit Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Rich Swann

-Open The United Gate Title Match: Lancelot & Harlem Bravado defend vs. Fire Ant & Green Ant

-Uhaa Nation vs. Trent Baretta

-AR Fox vs. Caleb Konley

-Four Way Freestyle: Anthony Nese vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Jigsaw vs. #AllEgo

-Tim Donst vs. #WalkingWeapon

-NEW MATCH: Blake Edward Belakus vs. Ryan Rush

-Plus: SHINE Champion Ivelisse, Moose, Su Yung & Mr. A, more!

 

Finally,

from New Orleans has been put onto YouTube. EDIT: I don't recommend anyone actually watch it though, talk about Bad Influence being dragged down to DGUSA's level. Plus, the footage quality wasn't good at all. Are the "HD" iPPVs any better?

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Wasn't there an ROH show under Gabe with a card so dire they had to call it "Back to Basics"?

[gadge]

Wasn't there an ROH show under Gabe with a card so dire they had to call it "Back to Basics"?

March 2005, right after the 3rd anniversary triple shot and Trios Tournament gimmick

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Was that the one where Stevie Richards did a run-in?

[gadge]

Yep, but because WWE didn't approve it through proper channels, they could show his appearance but not say his name.

 

Dragon Gate USA: Open The Golden Gate 2013 - 25/1/13

 

DGUSA kicks off its 2013(!!) in the beautiful Lakeview Jr. High School(!!!) in Santa Maria, CA. The first shot of the crowd, as the PPV goes live, is very encouraging, as there are multiple ringside rows of fans plus an almost full set of bleachers. Hilariously, we then cut to the hard camera, which reveals that all those fans are pretty much on one side of the ring in a sort of semi-circle, and that the entire other side of the ring features the entrance, and a lot of curtains. Yep, there's no crowd on one side of the ring at all. The number of fans in is actually pretty good by DGUSA standards, but you can only see them react from the ringside cameras.

 

In a new twist for 2013, it appears that Gabe got a new camera for Christmas, and the backstage segments are shot by him in widescreen (that is to say, you get borders on the top and bottom compared to the match footage) and you hear him talking to the talent. This is straight out of 2003 ROH. Anyway, onto the matches...

 

Samuray Del Sol vs EITA - A solid opening match featuring up and comers from different continents, but looking back, there wasn't actually anything specifically memorable here. I thought EITA might win this, but perhaps they didn't know about Del Sol being WWE-bound at this point, as he wins with the Rising Sun in 9:55.

 

Brian Cage vs Ray Rosas - Two California-based talents collide in a five minute showcase for the PWG regular Cage, with the actual focus sadly being on Larry Dallas and Trina Michaels turning up at ringside. Unfortunately for Cage, despite picking up a win here, he aligns himself with Dallas afterwards. I assume this storyline will pan out in it's entirety on this West Coast loop...

 

Chuck Taylor vs AR Fox vs Jon Davis - This has the gimmick of being an EVOLVE Standings Match, something they should have been doing as soon as they claimed storylines would cross between EVOLVE and DGUSA, not a year later. Taylor is flying solo here, with Book It Cam revealing he's aiming to be more serious leading into the EVOLVE title tournament. In other words, the Gentlemen's Club cost too much to fly out. With this being a three way elimination bout, only the winner gets a better record, with two men getting a loss. Davis does the long, slow entrance, but the lone wolf gimmick ends up backfiring, as Fox and Taylor combine to eliminate him at 9:12 with a tag team style flurry of moves. The match is generally better when Fox and Taylor are battling, but much like the opener, this still struggles to get above solid on the quality meter. Taylor advances to 10-5 with the Awful Waffle in 13:07. Average.

 

Jimmy Susumu & Ryo Saito vs Johnny Gargano & Rich Swann - Unfortunately for what looks a decent bout on paper, featuring a proper Dragon Gate team, the Jimmyz aren't over in the slightest here and the crowd sit on their hands for the duration. A hot tag by Gargano at around the 13 minute mark barely gets a smattering of polite applause, and despite all four men trying to turn up the dials in terms of Dragon Gate action after that, there's apathy all around. Susumu gets what should be a shocking pin on Freedom Gate champ Gargano with the Mugen at 20:53, but no-one gives a damn. A shame, as Susumu has been one of the top stars of Dragon Gate in the UK, and a Freedom Gate title shot for him would usually interest me.

 

Kevin Divine vs Julian Cash - I'm going to give Vendetta Pro the benefit of the doubt here, as what is billed as a Vendetta Pro showcase match doesn't even reach the one minute mark before Jon Davis comes out and destroys them both. Thankfully, his feud with Johnny Gargano is set to conclude with a no ropes match on the show after this. Next...

 

The Young Bucks vs Sami Callihan & Arik Cannon - While this gets a better reception than the previous tag match, and the Bucks do a full on version of their PWG dick selves, this isn't PWG and the lack of reaction agan hurts this one. The D.U.F. duo put up a good showing too, and there's a bunch of brawling that shows a bigger crowd than I first thought, but the fact they're not very loud renders that a moot point. More Bang For Your Buck on Cannon in 18:08 sees the Young Bucks win on their DGUSA return, which is at least the beginning of a push towards CIMA & AR Fox and the Open the United Gate titles.

 

John Morrison vs Akira Tozawa - I wondered as the show progressed whether the appearance of the former WWE star in the main event drew the crowd, and if his match with Tozawa would have big crowd reactions not seen in the undercard. As it turned out, while a small proportion of the crowd are noticably into Morrison, this was still an average main event with average crowd heat. If you imagine this on a WWE card, it might be an intercontinental title match in the middle of the show, nothing more. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable, and at 18:46 we got our money's worth. I wouldn't rate it above Morrison's bout with Noam Dar at Preston City Wrestling the month before, and it's certainly not a match worth specifically buying the show for. Morrison wins by pinfall, finally hitting Starship Pain after several attempts. The psychology behind that was good, at least.

 

Overall - Sometimes, a card looks much better on paper than in practice. Sadly for DGUSA, their opening show of 2013 is one of those times. Thumbs down. DVD run time is 2 hours, 16 minutes.

[gadge]

I've had the following review almost ready to go for at least a couple of weeks. In typing up the end bit, it hit me that Dragon Gate are going to be here in the UK on what should have been the 5th anniversary weekend for Dragon Gate USA - as Open The Historic Gate was on July 25 2009. In fact, Gabe has admitted to taking a break to recharge since EVOLVE 29 and 30 a month ago, and there are currently no scheduled events for either DGUSA or EVOLVE...

 

Dragon Gate USA - Revolt! 2013 - 26/1/13

 

Night 2 of the 2013 DGUSA California swing, from The Pappy Pineda Dome in Huntington Park, CA. This has to be one of the smallest DGUSA venues yet, but the entranceway setup is pretty nice, and I always prefer it when they're not wrestling in the dark. Attendance can only be in the 100-150 range, but they're more into the promotion in general than the crowd the night before.

 

Chuck Taylor vs Arik Cannon starts the show off with a game of beer pong. Yes, DGUSA opened an iPPV with a game of beer pong. This is because Chuck Taylor wants to celebrate securing his position at the top of the EVOLVE rankings the night before, you see. This nonsense actually proves somewhat entertaining, and Taylor proves a good shot, which means Cannon gets plenty to drink. Somehow this develops straight into a match which presumably is No DQ, as they have the match with the beer pong setup still in the ring. Taylor smashes Cannon through the table and gets an easy pin. No match time, as the bell-to-bell included the beer pong and the wrestling, such as it was.

 

Just when you thought it was safe to watch the undercard, we have the return of FRAY! as the second match. This could almost be PWG developmental, as we have Ray Rosas vs B-Boy to start, Johnny Yuma and Johnny Goodtime in next, Brian Cage accompanied by Larry Dallas and then Drake Younger, except where most of these guys have had good matches in PWG at some time or other, no-one really gets time to do anything here. Eliminations start from about the three minute mark, and no-one lasts for a prolonged period. Finally, Brian Kendrick comes out in street clothes with two talents from his "School of Wrestling", who serve as a distraction while Kendrick hits Younger with Sliced Bread #2 and gets the cheap pin for himself at 13:09 to earn a match with Johnny Gargano the next night.

 

Gabe's roving camera of instability then captures Johnny Gargano before the show, who seems decidedly not bothered by the prospect of facing Jon Davis in a No Ropes match in the main event. A proper promo would have been a lot better.

 

Rich Swann vs EITA - The prospect of these two still comparatively rising stars facing off definitely appealed going in, so it was a shame when they didn't really gel in the opening minutes here. Still, they realise they need to get their shit together and bring the audience in with a bit of a brawl and a couple of big moves on the stage about half way through, and happily the second half of the match is a lot better. EITA gets to kick out of Swann's Trouble in Paradise/jumping 450 combo, but falls to a corkscrew press that sadly goes slightly awry at 15:49. I bet they'd have a much better match now if they had those sixteen minutes again.

 

It's back to Gabe after that, as he catches Sami Callihan outside the venue. Thankfully, Sami talks candidly about his rise since facing Akira Tozawa in 2011, and sets the stage for their rematch nicely.

 

AR Fox vs Samuray Del Sol - A very impressive gymnastics-a-thon here, in what Lenny Leonard mentions is a rematch from the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup 2012 finals. I'll never be seeing that, stupid WWNLive. Some people will hate this for the overload of flips, but in knowing what to expect going in, I enjoyed it. Fox gets dumped on his head repeatedly, but manages to survive, and hits a very nice double springboard Lo Mein Pain for the victory at 14:14. The Young Bucks jump him afterwards and leave him laying with the tandem tombstone.

 

Akira Tozawa vs Sami Callihan - The DVD case bills this as a dream singles match, which is a bit of a stretch, especially when you come to watch it and Lenny Leonard mentions it has happened before in this very promotion at the United NYC event. Of course, this is also some two years since that match, which was the show opener, and both men have progressed up the card since then. Happily, this is a belter of an upper midcard bout, with fireworks from the get go, and aside from a period of Callihan working Tozawa's leg, building to the Stretch Muffler, the good pace is maintained throughout. It may be a new year, but Sami still doesn't win the big matches in this promotion, as Tozawa wins with the Straightjacket German suplex in 17:44. The best match in DGUSA 2013 so far...

 

The Young Bucks vs Jimmy Susumu & Ryo Saito - It was depressing that the Jimmyz got next to no reaction for anything the night before, and while this is better all round, the heat is still not great for this one. Following the last match is a tough spot, and while this is mostly decent, it doesn't quite manage to be as good as you might expect. The Young Bucks once again do the full on PWG heel routine, and go over with More Bang For Your Buck in 16:48.

 

Johnny Gargano vs Jon Davis - You can debate whether Jon Davis was worthy of a run against Gargano, but it did at least provide one memorable moment (the powerbomb through a ringside table angle that kicked it all off) and then a good feud-ending match here under the Dragon Gate trademark, a No Ropes match. That being said, Davis hasn't come out of the feud with any heat and I have no desire to see him wrestle Gargano again ever, or anyone else for that matter. They handle the lack of ropes well, and bring some decent violence. Gargano retains the Open the Freedom Gate title (obviously) with a ladder-assisted Gargano Escape in 21:08. And that's our lot.

 

Overall - The main event was good, Tozawa vs Callihan was better, and Fox vs Del Sol was flippy fun. Everything bar FRAY! provided some entertainment, in fact. That being said, there's no reason whatsoever for me to recommend anyone buys this nearly 18 months after the fact, and the promotion seems to be completely running out of things to do. DVD run time is 2 hours, 40 minutes.

[gadge]

So, EVOLVE is now scheduled to return in Florida in August. No DGUSA Fifth Anniversary... or any DVD releases recently either. There's only one more show in my to watch pile now this is done...

 

Dragon Gate USA - HEAT 2013 - 27/1/13

 

A second show in two days from the Pappy Pineda Dome in Huntington Park, CA, this one being a 1pm west coast matinee before the WWE Royal Rumble in Phoenix, Arizona later on.

 

Rich Swann vs Arik Cannon - A solid opener, nothing more, nothing less. Swann gets the win with his jumping 450 splash in 11:23, then tells Cannon that Dragon Gate USA is the home of the high flyers, so Cannon doesn't belong.

 

The home of the high flyers then presents us with Jon Davis vs Drake Younger, with the driving force behind the match seemingly being the need to reheat Davis after he lost the feud to Johnny Gargano the night before. The camera edit follows Younger as he walks around ringside on his entrance, which (unwisely) makes it possible to do a head count. If there were more than 80 paying fans in attendance, then I don't know where. The small numbers are behind Drake here, mind, as he plays the gutsy babyface role with fire as Davis basically destroys him around ringside, before getting a crowd deflating stoppage at 9:25. Better than you would expect, this.

 

Chuck Taylor vs EITA - This is one of the better matches the Dragon Gate youngster EITA has got out of his DGUSA stint so far, with Chucky T treating it more seriously for the majority than a lot of his post-Ronin bouts. The finishing sequence was particularly nice, culminating in the Awful Waffle giving Taylor the win in 12:16.

 

Open The Freedom Gate Championship: Johnny Gargano vs Brian Kendrick - One of the reasons I've carried on following DGUSA (albeit from further and further behind) has been Johnny Gargano, and it's good to see him get a noteworthy challenger for the OTFG here in Kendrick. It would have been better in front of a larger crowd, of course, but as has been true of the entire card so far, the few in are into the action. As you would hope given the similarities between the two, their styles mesh pretty well, and while you get shenanigans towards the finish, the actual conclusion is interesting. Gargano is thrown the OTFG title belt by Kendrick, but actually manages to use it outside the referee's line of sight, and Kendrick is out in the Gargano Escape for the second referee stoppage of the night in 19:58. A worthy title match.

 

Johnny Gargano issues an open contract to the Dragon Gate office for Wrestlecon weekend to conclude the first half of the show. He's definitely verging on cocky here, a change in behaviour starting to signpost things to come.

 

Samuray Del Sol vs Ryo Saito - A hot start to the second half of the show, with some decent flying bar a messy looking Rising Sun (middle rope reverse 'rana) that proves to be the finish for Del Sol at 9:26. Del Sol cuts a promo that's difficult to decipher for both language and production reasons afterwards before - yes! - Jon Davis attacks him from behind and leaves him laying with Three Seconds Around The World.

 

Sami Callihan vs Jimmy Susumu - I like both these guys, with Susumu having had those belting matches in DGUK, but despite being a physical match some of the psychology here is annoying. Susumu pinned Johnny Gargano with the Mugen at Open The Golden Gate, so naturally Callihan kicks out at one when hit with it here. Oh. Dear. Despite having no obvious future planned in DGUSA, Callihan gets the submission victory with the Stretch Muffler in 15:35.

 

The Young Bucks vs AR Fox & Akira Tozawa - I'm not sure how the thrown together pairing of Fox & Tozawa qualify for anything labelled a Dream match, but this is easily the best of the three Young Bucks bouts of the weekend and a deserved main event to conclude the triple shot. The Bucks still struggle to get heat when building to the hot tags on the Fox/Tozawa side, but you can only expect so much. The hot action spells are frequent and exciting, with the only minor niggle of the whole thing being that Fox and Matt Jackson brawl to the back a couple of minutes before the end, which telegraphs the Bucks losing. Tozawa hits the Straightjacket German suplex on Nick Jackson for three at 20:24.

 

Tozawa then has to call Fox out from the back for the usual show close. He seemed to have enjoyed the return to California, if nothing else...

 

Overall - A cracking main event, and as good a show as you could possibly ask for from almost a year and a half ago in front of less than 100 people. DVD run time is 2 hours, 21 minutes.

[gadge]

Old news now really, as the shows were in mid-November, but has anyone seen any of the on demand WWNLive shows from China?

 

I know the last show had a crowd of 10,500(!) and that Johnny Gargano defeated Ricochet to become a 2-time Open The Freedom Gate champion in the main event.