The Dragon Gate thread

[CracktonMoj]

I edited. I didn't realise that posting a match would do anything awful

[JLM]

For future reference now that this thread has grown since the warnings were put up:

 

NO SPOILERS FROM THE JUNE OR JULY PAY PER VIEWS IN THIS THREAD PLEASE

 

I'm still totally unspoiled for the World show and I don't know the other happenings on the June PPV, so all is certainly not lost for me.

 

As for Magnitude Kishiwada.... What that sounds like to me is that Big Boss MAGMA through some chain of events has become a permanent roster member and changed his name (beating CIMA and forming a triangle gate challenging team, losing to CIMA and showing up anyway because he's fat and angry, some kind of evil BloodGen trickery... all possible since he was a free agent, supposedly 'retired', before joining DG.)

 

For MOJ and those who've not been following the developments, MA-G-MA showed up over the summer as a mystery man who helped BloodGen, but then he revealed his identity and turned on CIMA. A match was made between him and CIMA with the winner having the option to pick two partners and challenge for the triangle gate titles.

 

MA-G-MA to Magnitude isn't a massive stretch, I just couldn't imagine CIMA changing his name.

 

EDIT: I now realise that someone confirming or denying that theory would probably be spoilering in some way.. so... erm.. don't comment until JFFC and I can check if I'm right.

 

I could be totally wrong and just wishfully thinking that they've signed MA-G-MA full time as the promotion could do with a big heavyweight bad ass. I'm sure I'll find out as soon as the DVDs arrive. Looks like that should be sometime next week by the way. Hurrah.

[Spatular]

Moj, read this. JLM and JFFC, don't read this.

 

SPOILER

Magnitude Kishiwada is indeed the former Big Boss MA-G-MA. The match against CIMA never took place - there was a huge double-cross which saw MA-G-MA renamed by CIMA and accepted into Blood Generation full-time. That was on the 6/22 show, which is when the spoiler warning starts.   He's been getting a monster push ever since and has reportedly played a big part in some cracking trios matches.

 

About Yagi and the FloBros - yeah, I can totally understand how you managed to miss it, but for somebody that was following the angle all along, it was about equivalent to you saying 'Wow, so Mr America was actually Hogan. Everything makes sense now ', so it was still hilarious.

[JLM]

Infinity #13 (plus some thoughts on various people now that I'm a little bit into 2005)

 

CIMA/Shingo vs Naoki/Kid was a great way to start the show. Shingo looked awesome in this one, had a really commanding presence about him and seemed to enjoy throwing Kid all over the place. Naoki was impressive here too, particularly in his exchanges with Shingo. Having seen Shingo in action for a decent length of time now I must say I've been very, very impressed. He seems incredibly confident in his ability and looks totally natural in the ring, I'm certainly leaning towards him topping Nakajima in the most promising rookie stakes. That his performances have made the now noticeable absence of all the awesome departed wrestlers easier to take means he's definitely doing something right.

 

Doi vs Araken saw poor Kenichiro get destroyed after ludicrous amounts of BloodGen interference. Arai was really adrift at this point, a fairly pointless feud with the now departed Owashi and no major role in the BloodGen situation. Doi on the other hand is starting to show why 2005 is his true breakout year. The biggest compliments I can give Doi and Shingo is that I can't even be annoyed that they're getting the push that JUN might have received.

 

Mochi vs Ryo was yet another excellent ODG match, won't be too long before a nice compilation of these can be made. Mochi is the cocky champion, Ryo is the plucky, people's choice challenger. Mochi's kicks have never looked this devastating before, I found myself wincing on a good few occasions during the match. Nice slow burning start with Ryo sensibly trying to take out Mochi's kicks with some nice Susumu-esque leg destruction. This is touched on later as the match continues (most notably via a bloody brilliant reversal of Mochi's triangle enzugiri into a leg submission) but doesn't save Ryo from some evil head kickings.

 

They do other great stuff too, like playing on the 'who has the better dragon suplex?' thing and replicating the finish of Ryo/Milano except with Mochi kicking out at 2.999999. As good as Mochi is in this match (and he does look like a bad ass face-crushing top dog), Ryo shines and once again has the crowd desperately willing him to win. His expressions, fiery rushes of offence and selling of the beating Mochi gives him are so good that you feel like you should stand up and applaud his valiant effort when he loses. I might have done this, but instead I felt the need to rewind a bit and watch that finishing Saikyou high kick again. OUCH!

 

The following six man is fairly mediocre. Maybe it was having to follow Mochi/Ryo, maybe it was Magu (who I generally enjoy watching) looking particularly gassed and blowing a couple of spots but I didn't really get into it. Also, Magu's zetsuen roundhouse kick thing seems incredibly sloppy and dangerous, every time he does it he either misses completely or carelessly thwacks them in the nose, eye, jaw or wherever the blind swing ends up.

 

Thankfully the another top drawer BloodGen 2/3 falls offering made sure the episode ended on a high. Shisa is starting to look rather good in this feud, still lacks a bit of passion but he's getting less exhibitiony and more 'stop ripping my mask, I dislike you" as the feud goes on. Saying that, he's lucky nobody ever thought to try busting out their finisher in the first 4 minutes in any of his singles matches as it appears to be his big weakness.

 

One final Shisa comment, his reversal to Don Fuji's nodowa into an arm bar is only outcooled by his Schwein/Yoshi Tonic reversal. It's just perfect the way those two moves are compatible and make a reversal either way seem really believable.

 

Other stuff.. all the BloodGen guys are great. I don't mention CIMA in the gushing praise any more as it seems to go without saying at this stage. Although his role in these matches is reduced to allow Shingo and Naoki to shine he's been consistently very good throughout. Oh, and he still takes a DDT better than anyone in wrestling, and that includes Rob Van Dam.

 

On the whole a damn fine episode. An enjoyable opener, some passable TV fare in between with some fun from FloBro and Stalker thrown in, another essential ODG title match and another exciting 8 man tag affair to round it off.

[JLM]

February PPV

 

Agh, a really uninspiring card for a PPV that is little more than filler before the Brave Gate tournament begins. As if to reflect this, the opening segment is the tournament draw and Danny Mishima is given a match against Ryo Saito in serious mode to raise interest in his entry in the tournament.

 

First thing to note is the shiny new white ring canvas, looks very nice but perhaps more significantly separates DG from the old Toryumon even more in terms of image.

 

Don Fujii vs Kenichiro Arai

 

Yeah, uninspiring card. I like Don Fujii and don't mind Araken but still, a fairly 'meh' encounter and not the right choice as an opener. The real story here is that Araken's fighting on behalf of the ring boys that Don Fujii has taken to assaulting for fun. After this match one of them (the future Tozawa) avoids a Fujii clothesline, hits a nice dropkick and runs for his life. This really got the crowd going and was a really cool way to create a bit of intrigue about this new guy.

 

Naoki Tanisaki vs Stalker Ishikawa vs Michael Iwasa

 

10 seconds long, Naoki puts Stalker away with a sleeper. He's not happy at all with this whole situation.

 

Stalker Ishikawa vs Michael Iwasa

 

Michael is doing a rather half-arsed Milano Collection AT parody. His attempts to do some of Milano's signature moves raise a smile but the match is too long and it's not up to usual FloBro standards.

 

Magnum TOKYO/Genki Horiguchi/Dragon Kid vs Super Shisa/Yossino/Antony W Mori

 

This is quite fun, bit of a spotfest but everyone is smooth and slick and thus its quite watchable. Genki has the crowd under his spell as usual, everyone else does their bit but the match is no better than what you can see on any given episode of Infinity. A fairly standard midcard tag match on a show that perhaps needed something better to round off a pretty lacklustre pre-interval offering.

 

Ryo Saito vs Danny Mishima

 

Putting Danny in with Michael is a good call even if entering him into the Brave Gate tournament may not have been. It's clear that his work as a serious wrestler hasn't improved all that much from his days as Raimu Mishima, the match isn't bad or anything but Mishima is distinctly average. I wish he'd drop that running knee thing he does too, it's not good.

 

So up to this point I'm thinking that, for the first time I can remember, I'd be quite disappointed by this if I'd paid full pay per view price to see it. The pressure is therefore on the main event to provide something good. Thankfully the six guys involved rarely (if ever) disappoint from my experience and its a reasonably high stakes six man tag match, so hopes are high.

 

K-Ness/Masaaki Mochizuki/Susumu Yokosuka vs CIMA/Naruki Doi/Shingo Takagi

 

And whaddya know, they suddenly make this show essential (at least until the best of 2005 is out, which this *will* be on). Seriously, this is an amazing match. Initially a no contest when Doi puts K-Ness out with a chair assisted bakatare sliding kick to the shoulder, it resumes when Araken fills in and the intensity starts at 8 and is cranked up to 11 going into a totally insane closing stretch.

 

Arai isn't a major figure in this match but aside from him it's nearly impossible to pick the star of the match. If I had to choose it would be between CIMA and Susumu, with the latter edging it as he takes the mother of all beatings (including some horrendous BloodGen triple team curb stomps) and is involved in pretty much all the best parts except the finish itself.

 

Mochi is tremendous in his role as arse kicking team captain, turning the tide in favour of his team on a couple of occasions with his commanding presence, and his absolutely flawless timing makes for some breath taking finish teases and last ditch saves. The two fake outs of Doi's sliding kick are amazing, the first is a trip from Susumu and the second is a flying kenka kick from Mochi that just comes out of nowhere, stunning. In the end though it's Doi who gets a huge pinfall victory over the ODG champion when he finally does hit the move. Great win for Doi that rounds off a cracking main event.

 

Overrall then, most of the show is missable but everyone needs to see the main event that has a rightful place on any forthcoming best of 2005 comp.

[JLM]

Infinity #15

 

A nice fast-paced episode this one, plenty going on and the appearances of some new/semi-regular faces freshen things up nicely.

 

So first off, BB Hulk has arrived. I notice his first two matches had Susumu as an opponent, good call. Hulk showed some nerves and didn't look as assured as Shingo, but then I think Shingo is quite a rare natural talent so I can't hold it against Hulk. What he did was quite fancy, the BxB smash is a nice move, his roll into hurracanrana is alright despite him fudging it a bit in the second match. Given a few matches to really nail the timing that backflip dodge thing could be amazing, it already looks pretty neat. Other than that he bumps well enough, seems enthusiastic, agile and generally looks fairly promising.

 

The triangle gate match is predictably very good, I didn't realise Do Fixer took the titles here so the finish was a nice surprise. Seems to be the start of Ryo rising to the head of Do-Fixer.

 

Don Fujii and Araken battle again. The emergence of Tozawa is quite fun to watch, I like how they're doing it so far. Susumu and Araken vs Shingo and Fujii is a decent match too.

 

Mochi and Nakajima vs CIMA and Doi from Korakuen hall was a nice change. I still like watching Nakajima, though I find myself tempted to count the number middle kicks in his matches now thanks to Jae. Anyway, a good match as Mochi gets his win back over Doi.

 

The main event is pretty cool, an unusual mix of people involved as it serves to give 6 of the 8 brave gate tournament entrance a chance to stake their claim going into March. The most interesting happening here though is the appearance of PSYCHO. He seems fun. He has a distinctive look, some fancy offense and a cool non-speaking thing going on. He dispatches Naoki (hitting his finisher in the process) with ease, makes some gestures and grunts (which get his message accross surprisingly well even if you can't understand what his interpreter says) then leaves.

 

They round off the show with a short highlight reel showing off each of the tournament entrants and their respective finishing moves. Certainly made me look forward to watching the tournament more, so thumbs up for that.

 

Good episode of TV on the whole and one that would go nicely in the same DVD order as the Brave Gate PPV. BxB Hulk shows some promise and, despite the odd nervy mistake still looks less green than the average debut rookie, which bodes well for the future of the DG dojo.

[JFFC]

Chips in: http://www.dgreview.co.uk is back and operational.

 

The scary thing is, JLM is more or less up to where I am in terms of DG viewage now

[Spatular]

You two need to get caught up soon. It's now two months to the day since the 6/22 show. That must be the longest spoiler warning in UKFF history.

[JFFC]

Blame Niall, I still havent received my order from nearly 6 weeks ago, and I send the shows to JLM as I receive them so thusly he is still behind.

[CracktonMoj]

I still havent received my order from nearly 6 weeks ago

Change six weeks to two months, and you've got my situation. Dragon Gate, NOAH, All Japan...

[Spatular]

Arse. Niall has loads of DDT that I need, and he seems to be the only person that's been getting it in. The MUSCLE-4 show that I watched last week was beyond hilarious, and I just found out that MUSCLE-5, 6, 7 and 8 were held last Sunday - at 1pm, 1:10pm, 1:20pm and 2pm respectively...

[CracktonMoj]

The MUSCLE-4 show that I watched last week was beyond hilarious, and I just found out that MUSCLE-5, 6, 7 and 8 were held last Sunday - at 1pm, 1:10pm, 1:20pm and 2pm respectively...

Oh my god, that's the greatest thing I've ever heard.MUSCLE is their parody of the HUSTLE shows, yes?

[Big Benny HG]

I still havent received my order from nearly 6 weeks ago

Change six weeks to two months, and you've got my situation. Dragon Gate, NOAH, All Japan...

Well, its 3-and-a-half months and counting for me....I need my Dragon Gate wackiness....

[Spatular]

MUSCLE is their parody of the HUSTLE shows, yes?

Yes. Although that's over-simplifying things a little. The MUSCLE-4 episode has parodies of the K-1 Grand Prix, Steve Austin, the nWo and Eric Bischoff, Antonio Inoki, Antonio Inoki's Italian mother, Ultimo Dragon, and American Beauty, and also my three new favourite wrestling gimmicks: Perwan something the wrestling yogi (beware his handstand full-lotus choke!), Mr Magic the high-flying magician (regrettably DQed for putting his opponent in a closet and running him through with swords), and El Hijo del Doctor Tigre Junior. Hilarious from start to finish.Oh, and the blow-up doll is now parodying the Undertaker. Really.Edit: And Lingerie Mutoh in a bra and panties match.

[JLM]

The September 9th dragondoor card is taking shape with a six man tag headliner that looks tremendous.

 

Shuji Kondo, brother YASSHI, Shogo Takagi vs. Ikuto Hidaka, Minoru Fujita, X

 

X at this stage is either Taiji Ishimori or Milanito Collection at. I hope it's the former, but either way YASSHI/Kondo/Hidaka/Fujita is something I'd love to see and any Jet punch flurries they can fit in would be the icing on the cake. The match looks to be the start of a d2p/Z1 feud which can only be a good thing. Sato twins vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa, make it happen.

 

Also booked:

 

Takuya Sugawara vs. Little Dragon

 

Sugawara is great, the former Mini-CIMA isn't too shabby, looking good.

 

Owashi, Los GDI and Ultimo are all set to appear too.

 

I'll be getting the show just to see how that tag match turns out.

 

Thinking about the d2p/Z1 thing (and jumping the gun massively), the potential matches are appetising. Owashi vs Masato Tanaka, Ohtani vs anyone, Takaiwa vs anyone. Eeeeenteresting.