The Dragon Gate thread

[alexander]

I watched the finish of that Tozawa/Doi match about thirty times, just to hear the announcer go – “BIIIIIIG SUUUUUUUUPRRRRRRRRRRRIIIISE!”. This will give me the perfect excuse to name my other two favourite bits of Puro commentary ever – On a NOAH Halloween show, where everyone wrestled under masks as odd gimmicks, A rather stiff looking fellow in a black and purple mask called “Burning” squared off in a 6 man against a large gentleman with the habit of adjusting his pants called “Lion Mask”. Much hilarity abounds, the best of which is them going into a huge elbow/chop exchange that was strangely familiar…Or as the commentator put it; “Ellllbow? Chop-ah? Hmmmmm….”The best has to be (weirdly) an RVD match from All Japan where he flips a guy off before before kicking him, causing the announcer to scream “Oooaaahhhhh! Fuck-uh You!”

[Carbomb]

The best has to be (weirdly) an RVD match from All Japan where he flips a guy off before before kicking him, causing the announcer to scream

[BurningHammer]

Heh, RVD vs Dan Kroffat. Funny thing is I got confused a while back with a WAR match featuring Chris Jericho shouting "C'MON MOTHERFUCKER!" and thought that was where the commentary call came from.And as well, having just converted my tape of the Kanda retirement to DVD and remembering how great it truly was, and also how absolutely fucked Kanda's neck was (he nearly passed out after the elbow drop that time), for him to come back now as a wrestler is great stuff.

[JLM]

Indeed, Kanda signed a wrestling contract this month, it's quite a phenomenal comeback.

 

Re: Mishima/Naoki. Raimu resigned but claims that he isn't done with wrestling and will be back somewhere down the line, whereas Naoki was simply not offered a renewal.

 

Does anyone want/need the February 2006 PPV? I've ended up with two copies and there's little point in me keeping them. I also have a spare Infinity 39 and a handful of even numbered re-cap infinity shows that I don't need. As I got them through a bit of a mix up I don't really want money for them, but a trade or the price of postage would be nice.

 

EDIT: SOLD!* That was quick.

 

 

 

*sold = being taken off my hands for the price of postage.

 

EDIT 2: Might as well some El Dorado stuff in here too.

 

Their official debut show happened on the 16th of this month, most of the Michinoku guys have been repackaged.

 

Mango Fukuda is now Bear Fukuda, Kenichi/Pineapple Hanai is now Ken45. The Sato twins are now Brahman Shu and Brahman Kei Even Kagetora has been renamed as KAGETORA. Yoshitsune as El Blazer and Rasse as Jumping Kid Okimoto had already been established at the previous how.

 

There was a formal Aagan reunion, with four of the original members donning the colours again for the first time since their dismissal from DG. Hopefully this means that Aagan Iisou t shirts will be re-released as part of the El Dorado merchandise range and I can finally get one. Sugawara was about to join when KAGETORA appealed for him not to. The next show has an Aagan vs STONED tag main event, with both teams claiming Sugawara is on their side.

 

Full results from DGUSA:

 

7/16/2006 Tokyo, Korakuen Hall~The Creation of El Dorado~ 809 Attendance

 

1. Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei, Manjimaru{W} (12:15 Manjiotoshi) Motosugu Shimizu{L}, Makoto Oishi, Shiori Asahi

 

2. brother YASSHI (9:55 Nice Jamaica) Jumping Kid Okimoto

 

3. 3 Way Match

Shogo Jet Takagi, Kinya Oyanagei{W} (7:21 Double Jet Punch->Figure style Fall) King Pocota

 

4. Shinjiro Ohtani (9:53 King Cobra Hold) Bear Fukuda

 

5. El Blazer{W}, Kota Iibushi, Milanito Collection a.t. (17:45 Cielo Perfecto Uno from Shu/Kei Intrusion) Shuji Kondo{L}, Takuya Sugawara, Ken45

 

6. KAGETORA (9:47 No Contest due to Seconds Intrusion) Touru Owashi

 

7. Shuji Kondo{W}, brother YASSHI, Shogo Jet Takagi, Touru Owashi (7:43 King Kong Lariat) KAGETORA, Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei, Manjimaru{L}

 

Asahi, Oishi and Ohtani~. Now there's some quality outsiders, and bloody Turboman gets on DG PPVs.

The return to in-ring competition of Kinya Oyanagei is of course amazing news. As for the next show, if Sugawara doesnt rejoin Aagan I could see Ken45 taking his spot. El Blazer's finisher was a swan dive dragon rana. There's seemingly no aerial move that the guy can't do.

 

El Dorado looks like good fun to me and I'm planning to get hold of the shows, I just hope it runs for longer than dragondoor!

[JLM]

Infinity #41

 

This might seem like a long write-up, but by god they had to fit a lot into this broadcast.

 

1. Masato Yoshino vs. Super Shisa (Brave gate league)

 

A T2P-style chain wrestling match that's very pleasing to the eye. I liked how the chain of pinning combinations actually led to something too. Tidy little match.

 

2. Dragon Kid vs. Naruki Doi (Brave gate league)

 

Doi and Kid know each other inside out by now and they put on another fine match in front of a heated and vocal crowd. Easily of the best BG league matches. This is followed by a clip of Naoki polishing off Tozawa with his implant/u-tube followed by casanova combo.

 

These results leave Yoshino, Naoki and Kid on equal points at the top of the league, which leads to...

 

Brave gate league decider: Naoki Tanisaki vs Dragon Kid vs Masato Yoshino

 

And an excellent finale to the league it is too. The early going centres around the ongoing tension between Naoki and his Dofixer team mates, which Yoshino uses to his advantage. Things come to a head when the ever sneaky Doi engineers more bad blood between Naoki and Ryo and the crazy-haired one just loses it and unloads on all his stable mates before storming out. I can't believe they released this guy.

 

Anyway, we're left with Kid and Yoshino and the two deliver a predictably climactic closing stretch as they tease previous finishes before building to the logical conclusion, a Yohino win by SOl naciente after DK is able to overcome YOshino's other two finishers that have downed him in the past. The resurgence of Yoshino's trademark submission move has largely been the story of the tournament, and will presumably figure heavily in his defences.

 

Two good matches there to round off the Brave Gate league. As a tournament it was never going to come close to King of Gate, but it delivered some top quality matches and further elevated the status of Yoshino, who continues to improve. Dragon Kid's hot streak of good performances continues too. Feuding with BloodGen has brought the best out of him, particularly in singles matches against Doi and Yoshino.

 

Kenichiro Arai vs Akira Tozawa

 

Yes! Akira Tozawa is a magnificent character. I loved how he was introduced by the announcer as representing Tozawa-Juku, as if they're an established and well known unit, even thought at this point he's the only member. He looks cool as hell in his new cram school attire, and the commentators noted his slick new iron perm~. The match itself is excellent too. He introduces his swanky new offense (including a punch flurry into spin kick that looks like a super combo from Rival Schools and the TO! ZA! WA! headbutt), there's some good comedy mixed in and a new DG phenomenon is upon us.

 

5. Stalker Ichikawa vs. Florida Brothers (loser must change character)

 

A historic match as it marks the end of the Florida Brothers. Because their characters are on the line, the FloBro are in almost serious mode here and it's one of the most dramatic comedy matches you're likely to see. There's some comedy involving Iwasa's most hated submission hold and accidental towel throwing, but mostly it's the FloBro desperately trying to put away a shockingly resilient Stalker. The finish is absolutely gobsmacking. Stalker with a German suplex hold for the three count, I kid you not. Absolutely awesome. Post-match, Michael is givena gaku-ran by Tozawa and K-Ness gives Stalker the news that he'll be facing Yutaka Yoshie~!

 

6. Susumu Yokosuka vs CIMA (winner to challenge for the Dream Gate)

 

Before the match we see Gamma's arrival in DG. He poses and preens and acts like a star a bit too much for CIMA's liking and there's clearly instant tension between them. CIMA has a big match coming up with Susumu, Gamma will be on of his seconds... hmmmmm.

 

Susumu and CIMA put on a blistering 20 minute match despite the fairly predictable screwy ending. I liked how they built up to it during the match though, with CIMA taking out Gamma with a mis-aimed suicide dive and blaming Gamma for being in the way.

 

All good stuff, with Susumu getting the huge win and CIMA/Gamma having to be dragged apart by the rest of BloodGen.

 

More storyline progression as CIMA gives Gamma the old powder face treatment in a tag match, which led to a CIMA vs Gamma singles match. However, this match doesn't happen because Naoki interjects and takes out Gamma. We cut to a six man tag that ends with Naoki pinning Don Fujii who then attempts to recruit Naoki, and his advances are apparently accepted. It's all moving pretty fast this episode!

 

7. CIMA, Gamma, Naruki Doi vs. Anthony W. Mori, Genki Horiguchi, Dragon Kid

 

And here we have the pay off. There's a fairly severley clipped match in here that looks like it was quite good, but the story is the imminent explosion of Blood Generation. Gamma gets a little bit of ring time on TV and it's good to see him up to his dick heeling tricks, with the fake chop/eye poke spot raising a smile. There's the usual accidental partner hitting, and CIMA and Doi humiliate Gamma by motioning for the SUPAAH DURAAW only to leave Gamma to shout it on his own and look like en eejit. Heheh.

 

However, in a stunt that is becoming typical of the man, Doi has treacherous shenanigans in mind. The Bakatare sliding kick spot where both CIMA and Gamma are in position to be hit by the move is done really really well. DG are quite adept at pulling out these turns.

 

All hell breaks loose after this and everyone's true colours are revealed through a series of run ins and mini-turns. Yoshino helps CIMA up only to hold him in place for some cheap shots, Don Fujii would never turn on CIMA and comes in to try and help. Tanisaki fights off Doi and Gamma but quickly turns on Don Fujii and lays him out. Shingo completes the scene by making it clear that he's still on CIMA and Fujii's team, which makes a lot of sense given that he made his debut as an honorary CMAX member.

 

As confusing as it might have been for the live audience it's a very effective turn and the ensuing melee makes for good viewing as the audience tries to figure out who's side each BG member is on as they enter the fray. The lesson to be learned is simple: Don't trust Doi. CIMA and Doi have an argument over which one of them represents BloodGen and the tag match to decide the rights to the name is set up. All copyright battles should be settled in the ring in my opinion.

 

8. Magnum TOKYO vs Genichiro Tenryu (Ryuukon trial series)

 

Ehh, these matches are usually a lot more fun that this. I think the fact that Magu has already won one takes some of the shine off this series now. The fact that his second win here was so anticlimactic because of the world's slowest magistral cradle only served to sour it further.

 

9. Ryo Saito/Susumu Yokosuka vs Masaaki Mochizuki/Magnum TOKYO

 

Quite a significant match this. Two members of the old guard and former UDG/ODG title holders squaring off against the new generation with the current champion and his next challenger. Susumu was always going to get the win here, and it's appropriate that he does so with a pinfall over Mochi. It's clipped down, but it's still a great way to end the show and what we do get to see looks to be great. A big big win for Susumu going into the April Pay per view, which, by the way, looks bloody good on paper.

 

That was one packed show. I've never seen them cram so much into two hours, but it had to be done and it was done effectively. Despite the necessary clipping there's plenty of good wrestling to be seen and the various twists and turns that feuds take are engaging to follow.

 

You've got the conclusion of the Brave Gate league with the crowning of a new champion, the end of the Florida Brothers, Naoki leaving DoFixer and the beginning of Tozawa-juku.

 

Then there's the arrival of Gamma and the subsequent BG split, another Magu vs Tenryu match and Susumu claiming pinfalls over CIMA and Mochi, all in a two hour TV block that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[edgecrusher]

So Blood Generation is split up, now? Who is actually in the stable?

[JLM]

Before all the chaos leading up to the split, the unit was: CIMA, Magnitude Kishiwada, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi, Shingo Takagi and Don Fujii.Magnitude Kishiwada suffered shoulder injury and was forced to take a lot of time off, so they brought in Gamma as a replacement. Just before the split they also recruited Naoki Tanisaki. Since the ideal unit size in DG tends to be five, this was destined not to last. However, it was expected that CIMA would drive out Gamma, rather than CIMA himself being overthrown. Anyway, just prior to the split it was:CIMA, Magnitude Kishiwada, Gamma, Naruki Doi, Don Fujii, Masato Yoshino, Shingo Takagi,After the turn, it splintered into: Blood Generation: CIMA, Don Fujii, Shingo Takagi. Shingo wasn't really involved though, and immediately following the April show he left for his excursion to America. It was clear that he was still on CIMA's side, but wouldn't be there to fight with them. Blood Generation: Naruki Doi, Gamma, Naoki Tanisaki, Masato YoshinoMagnitude's absence meant that his status wasn't explicitly confirmed, but it seemed obvious for him to join Doi's side, because the split was largely caused by CIMA and Fujii's babyface tendencies (shaking hands in ROH and vs. Kanda respectively) and also because Gamma was on that side and it was Kishiwada who brought him in and they're both ex-Osaka Pro. Then, following the match on the April PPV to decide who got to keep the BloodGen name, Doi's side won but immediately renounced the name and formed their own unit, the Muscle Outlawz (yes, with a z). Earlier on during the April show, CIMA recruited Jack Evans to his side of the war as well. So the fall out from April leaves it like this: Blood Generation: CIMA, Don Fujii, Shingo Takagi (absent) and Jack Evans. Matt Sydal fights alongside them but isn't a formal member. Muscle Outlawz: Naruki Doi, Gamma, Magnitude Kishiwada, Naoki Tanisaki and Masato Yoshino. CIMA's group essentially turned babyface as a result of the split, and Doi's unit are the promotion's main heel faction. Doi has since added Dragon Gate Referee Kinta to his group, along with a non-wrestling member known as Dr. Muscle. No one knows who he is and he's only been in one match and didn't tag in. He has a bad-ass costume though. :DEDIT: Forgot the most recent development. Naoki Tanisaki was recently released from his Dragon Gate contract and will presumably leave once he's fulfilled his commitments.

[PUNQ]

Here are my latest Dragon Gate offerings. It's going to be interesting to see how these new groupings will work. I've never been sold on Gamma's qualities, but according to Terje Rindal he was an awesome heel in Osaka Pro. He did show some signs of heel goodness on these two shows, but he's kind of too small to be taken anyway as a threat.

 

 

 

Dragon Gate on GAORA TV - March 18, 19 & 25 & April 12, 2006 - (2 hrs)

 

 

March 18, 2006, Tochigi-ken Sougou Culture Center Sub Hall

 

1. Masato Yoshino -vs- Super Shisa - (Open the Brave Gate League) [* 1/4]

--- This was mainly about the fancy near fall cradles. They did a ref bump where Shisa had Yoshino pinned, but no deal. A long series of cradles the ending seconds until the where both pinned to the mat for a draw.

3:28 of 8:16 - Yoshino wrestled Shisa to a Double-Pin

 

 

2. Dragon Kid -vs- Naruki Doi - (Open the Brave Gate League) [**]

--- A sprint of action with both wrestlers getting outside assistance with white powder and garbage cans comming in use. Good spectacular fun while it lasted with Dragon getting the better of Doi summersaulting off the top rope to deliver a huracanrana. With this result the league portion of the Open the Brave Gate League is over and we have a 3-way tie with Dragon Kid, Naoki Tanisaki and Masato Yoshino all at 6 points.

5:57 of 11.10 - Dragon pinned Doi with a Dragonrana

 

 

March 19, 2006, Saitama - Honkawagoe Pepe Hall Atlas

 

3. Masato Yoshino -vs- Dragon Kid -vs- Naoki Tanisaki - (Open the Brave Gate League - Final) [** 3/4]

--- Per usual a massive sprint. Stable mates Dragon Kid & Tanisaki wasn't sure if they should work together or not as they've had problems in recent time, but they tried. This turned out to go in Yoshino's favour as he kept making sure the two DoFixers's offence would backfire and that quickly ended that teamwork. But they weren't alone as members from both DoFixer and Blood Generation was at ringside trying their best to help, but also their interference backfired. This went especially hard out on Tanisaki who got upset with stable boss Ryo Saito and started to fight him before deciding to leave the match and go back to the locker room. That left just Dragon Kid and Yoshino who were the ones fighting for this belt before the title was vacated and this league started in the first place. Good fast action and super close near falls until Yoshino locked in his Sol Naciente hold to get the submission out of DK and get the Open the Brave Gate Title.

9:29 of 10:51 - Yoshino made Dragon submit to a Sol Naciente to become the 3rd Open the Brave Gate Champion.

 

 

April 12, 2006, Tokyo - Korakuen Hall - (2,150 fans)

 

4. Kenichiro Arai -vs- Akira Tozawa [*]

--- Now that Tozawa has finally won a match his ego has seemingly exploded as he came out in a new bossy costume and a own flagbearer. Classic comedy! He was trying to wrestle as a ace too, but that failed miserably as he can't take the punishment which led to Arai winning this one comfortably bringing Tozawa down to earth.

4.01 of 6:35 - Arai pinned Tozawa with a Tiger Suplex

 

 

5. Stalker Ichikawa -vs- Michael Iwasa & Daniel Mishima - (Loser Must Change Gimmick) [* 1/4]

--- They wrestled this main event style busting out the big moves. In a comic way naturally. But the Florida Brothers did pull out a Doomsday Device! Stalker kept miraculously surviving the series of finishers the Florida Brothers was comming with. After a few backfirings Stalker landed a German Suplex to keep his gimmick. Sadly the same can't be said about Michael. But it seems he was recruited to Tozawa's own stable.

3:08 of 7:05 - Ichikawa pinned Michael with a German Suplex

 

 

March 19, 2006, Saitama - Honkawagoe Pepe Hall Atlas

 

6. Susumu Yokosuka -vs- CIMA - (#1 Contenders) [** 1/2]

--- This was all CIMA's match doing all of his stuff totally running over Yokosuka, but somehow Yokosuka survived and that without looking very good. CIMA's disadvantage was that GAMMA was at ringside. He's trying to become a member of the Blood Generation, but CIMA isn't impressed with him. Well, he didn't get more impressed with him after this as GAMMA ended up throwing powder in his face leading up to the finish where Yokosuka got the pin with a lariat. Yokosuka because of this win gets a shot at Ryo Saito's Open the Dream Gate Title on April 23.

8:49 of 20:31 - Yokosuka pinned CIMA with a lariat

 

 

April 12, 2006, Tokyo - Korakuen Hall - (2,150 fans)

 

7. Dragon Kid & Genki Horiguchi & Anthony W. Mori -vs- CIMA & Naruki Doi & Gamma [** 1/4]

--- Gamma and CIMA didn't get along and was always accidentally hitting each other during this match. CIMA also had problems with his ribs which resulted in him being a bit slow when climbing the ropes to execute his big moves. That allowed Gamma to take over and ruin CIMA's big moments which again caused even more heat and as a result ended in a fight between the two. They also disagreed with Gamma cutting off some of Mori's hair. It first looked like Doi was taking CIMA's side, but then he turned on him planting his sliding kick on an unexpecting CIMA. In all that Gamma threw out the referee and the Blood Generation was DQ'ed. The madness continued after the match with Masato Yoshino attacking CIMA too. So did Naoki Tanisaki siding with Yoshino and the others. The only one left in CIMA's corner was old Don Fujii.

7:13 of 17:43 - Dragon & Horiguchi & Mori defeated CIMA & Doi & Gamma when Gamma beat up the referee

 

 

March 25, 2006, Fukui City Gym

 

8. Magnum TOKYO -vs- Genichiro Tenryu [* 1/4]

--- I find these Tenryu vs Magnum matches a bit weird. Here you have this aging legend who at his best was one of the truly best this business has seen and here he's facing a spotty broken down indy wrestler who less in every way compared to Tenryu, but Tenryu is still nice enough to job for the guy. It's just a bit hard for me to swallow. This wasn't a pretty match. They did their usual stuff with so-so execution hitting some high point and some low until Magnum gets his second upset victory over the THE Tenryu.

5:11 of 12:34 - TOKYO pinned Tenryu with a La Magistral

 

 

April 12, 2006, Tokyo - Korakuen Hall - (2,150 fans)

 

9. Ryo Saito & Susumu Yokosuka -vs- Magnum TOKYO & Masaaki Mochizuki [* 3/4]

--- Solid action as you would expect, but also a bit ordinary except for the final moments of finisher mayhem where Yokosuka killed off Mochizuki with lariats.

6:54 of 24:02 - Yokosuka pinned Mochizuki after a lariat

 

 

COMMENTS: A lot of happenings, but in a way it was hurt by them trying to fill it way too much for a 2 hour TV show. A lot of edited matches and maybe too much storylines happening at once. But it was in no way boring!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon Gate PPV - April 23, 2006, Tokyo - (4 1/4 hrs)

 

 

April 23, 2006, Tokyo - Ota-ku Gymnasium - (4,622)

 

1. Anthony W. Mori & Super Shisa & King Shisa & Katsuo -vs- Akira Tozawa & Daniel Mishima & Michael Iwasa & The Turboman [**]

--- Tozawa in his new leader role takes responsibility to psyche out Mori's team by showing his ability to take punishment letting them bring it on. Tozawa is growing as he actually could take some of it! Tozawa was funny in this role in a corny way. The Florida Brothers was doing their comedy gimmick fro the last time, but it wasn't much a celebration as Michael did want to or wasn't allowed to by Tozawa to join in of the regular Florida Brothers comedy spots. And because of them not working well together Daniel ended up doing the job. Not only that, he was rejected by Tozawa after the match while Michael officially joing Tozawa's stable. Tozawa offered Mori a place in the stable too, but Mori wouldn't have any of that and ran scared of joining a loser stable like that. But.....in reality this match will be remembered for one thing. Turboman! Who messed up two of his big dives to the outside. The first one just looked out of place, but the second one was legendary! One of the most amazing fuck-ups in history of highflying. On a moonsault to the outside he missed his mark completely and went flying straight into the cameraman who at that moment was filming, so we got a wonderful close-up shot at Turbo crashing into your television! CLASSIC!!!

9:45 of 9:44 - Mori pinned Daniel after a Eleganton

 

 

2. Genki Horiguchi -vs- Naoki Tanisaki [*]

--- Tanisaki started out by fighting and beating up Mr.Primetime before getting the match changed to a singles bout. He was in heel form. Some brawling before the quick end where Mr.Primetime got his revenge on Tanisaki by interefering so Horiguchi could defeat Tanisaki with a lowblow and backslide.

4:06 of 3:50 - Horiguchi pinned Tanisaki with a backslide

 

 

3. Masato Yoshino

[JLM]

April 2006 Battle Junction PPV

 

This is a big Ota-ku convention show, and as such has a big crowd, a flashy set and a stacked card.

 

The Turboman, Akira Tozawa, Danny Mishima, Michael Iwasa vs Katsuo, King Shisa, Super Shisa and Antony W. Mori

 

What a bizarre match this is. It was sad watching Danny Mishima come out to the ring on his own, looking confused and wondering where Michael is. During the match his former partner embarrasses him and rejects his double team moves as well. It's really quite cruel, I can see why he resigned after this treatment and subsequent lack of storyline.

 

Tozawa and Iwasa have some classy double teams in their arsenal already and they're quite comfortably the stars of the match. The Turboman is an absolute joke, with his performances capped by that infamous moonsault. Unfortunately for him, this mistake is made even more embarrassing when the much larger King Shisa hits a moonsault to the outside with far less bother.

 

Katuso, Antony and Shisa are lost in the shuffle a bit, though Katsuo does his best to be noticed and Antony does get the fall in the end. Tozawa-Juku made this more fun that it should have been and they'll be very welcome on future cards.

 

Post-match there's the official sealing of the Florida Brothers, Danny gets his break-up T-shirt and Iwasa is formally inducted into Tozawa-Juku. A fine life-choice for the lad, he will do well to learn of the Tozawa-juku secret techniques. The rookie has taken to this character with such style and enthusiasm that you have to love it.

 

Genki Horiguchi vs Mr Prime Time is next on the card, and given the hate from most fans towards MPT, it sounds like it was for the best that Naoki assaulted him on the ramp and made this into..

 

Genki Horiguchi vs Naoki Tanisaki

 

A very short but chaotic brawl in which Naoki tries to get back at the man who took him to school in his days as a happy go lucky surfing rookie, and also get one over on DoFixer. MPT gets himself involved as you'd expect, he doesn't get to do much though, which by all accounts is for the best. Post-match there's an end to the bitter Genki/MPT rivalry as the two make up. Why couldn't they have just booked Naoki vs Genki and given it ten minutes or so? This felt like a waste of time even if the brawl was decent.

 

Open the brave gate: Jack Evans vs Masato Yoshino

 

Yoshino's first defense against the gaijin who's been beating allcomers with his 630 and actually gets a bit of a response from the fans. He knows how to make an entrance, swaggering, flipping and breaking all over the place. This match is good for him in that he gets to bump and be sympathetic and is also against a man who isn't that much bigger than him and thus he doesn't look so much like a backyarder. He also has new ring attire. The crowd gets behind him to an extent and BloodGen draw plenty of hate through intrusions and repeated groin attacks.

 

Yoshino has developed into quite the catcher during his skirmishes with Dragon Kid and Evans is fine when he's taking a beating. That said, his "corkscrew special" to the outside where he gets no distance at all was awful. He just dropped straight down to the floor as everyone rushes to try and catch him. He also does another flippy move to the outside where he clearly has absolutely no control over his landing and just goes boots and knees first into the poor bastards who have to catch him.

 

I say the crowd gets behind Evans "to an extent", because when he covers Yoshino after hitting the 630, no one really believes he has the match won and they don't seem to particularly want him to. Another title change would have killed the Brave Gate dead, and no one saw any result other than a Yoshino win, so I guess Evans cant be blamed for that, but I've seen performances in DG that make you believe anyway.

 

I don't know where I'm going here. It wasn't bad, it provided a nice first defense for Yoshino and the crowd was into it for the most part. I liked it but I constantly felt that Evans was on the edge of blowing something massively.

 

Stalker Ishikawa vs Yutaka Yoshie

 

Yoshie~! One of the most eminently likeable wrestlers around right now. Pink, Shiny and wonderfully blubbery. K-Ness is sporting an amazing pink mask as a tribute to the man. I'm not a particularly metrosexual man, but I would buy that pink Yoshie t-shirt and wear it with pride.

 

A standard Stalker match with some fun comedy, Yoshie evidently enjoys it a lot more than Kawada did. Stalker repeatedly attempts the German suplex, which must be his big match finisher now.

 

FLYYYYIIIING SAUSAGE~! Makes the DG commentators 2 for 2 in great commentary moments in consecutive shows.

 

Post-match there's handshakes and back-slapping all round in honour of K-Ness' ten year anniversary. He and Yoshie promise to tag together some time, and Okamura says that he wants K-Ness back in the ring at World.

 

Kenichiro Arai and Masaaki Mochizuki vs Dragon Kid and Magnum TOKYO

 

Magu deliberately fucking up the end of the dance is not cool at all. If he's that bored with it all he should just take some time off and hit the gym.

 

If this match seems a bit pointless, it's because Tenryu was meant to be involved but had to pull out. As such, the match is a lacklustre affair with a meaningless finish as Kid pins Araken, who is of lower rank than him at this point.

 

It's alright, the booking and his own strong performances have made Kido one of the crowd's favourites again, but it was never going to be a great match when it wasn't meant to be on the card and has been thrown together.

 

Thankfully the next three matches promise lots.

 

Interval has some Susumu/Ryo history, including a clash between them for the NWA Welterweight title at this same venue. Ryo got the win on that occasion via Messenger in a match rife with M2K intrusion. Also a couple of clips from Ryo beating Susumu in the King of Gate final.

 

BxB Hulk vs Shingo Takagi

 

Oh yes, the generation rivals square of once again, as Hulk makes another attempt to make Shingo acknowledge him as a peer. I was into everything in this match except for the finish, which I thought was quite anticlimactic given how long Hulk had waited for this win. Still, it was another excellent taster for a match that will surely be main eventing somewhere along the line. With all these departures, it's a damn good thing that the DG dojo's first two products were these guys.

 

CIMA/Don Fujii vs Naruki Doi/Gamma

 

Don Fujii is all kinds of fired up for this, he has been WRONGED, it's his biggest match for a while and he puts in a performance to suit it. You just have to cheer for him when he's in this kind of mood. CIMA is at his best when he has an injury to sell and Doi just gets better and better.

 

Gamma is a decent heel and the fans love to hate the guy, but he's not too suited to matches with a pace as frantic as this. I expect some good singles matches from him when he's in there against a strong babyface opponent, though M2J says that the Japanese DG fans view him as something of a loser and that his heat isn't far off being X-pac heat. Whatever the case may be, the fake chop/eye poke and his general swagger are fun to watch so I don't object to him. Also, I've seen how much of a dick he can be in his Osaka pro matches and look forward to seeing more of that in DG.

 

CIMA's team was always going to lose this, especially as during the long MC battle earlier in the show he made fun of Doi with a baseball bat and added the stipulation that if Doi's side lost they'd all have to revert to their old characters. Not even DG bookers would be that silly.

 

I liked how the Muscle Outlawz unveiling would have worked either way though. If they lost, they'd have said they didn't care and formed MOz, if they won they'd just say they didn't want the BG name in the first place. Logic~!

 

As PUNQ says, this wasn't a classic, but it was very heated and action packed, and I certainly wanted CIMA and The Don to win, so it did it's job there too.

 

Post-match there are beatdowns and harsh words. Mochi and Magu make the save as the punk kids beat down their fellow Toryumon signboard player. This sets up a huge generation war tag match between the old guard of CIMA, Magu and Mochi vs Doi's mouthy upstarts.

 

Open the dream gate: Ryo Saito vs Susumu Yokosuka

 

Susumu's big day.

 

A slow, methodical build interspersed with some swanky big spots like Susumu's exploder on the ramp. I thought the build up was fairly engaging myself, as Saito worked the arm very effectively and history has proven that to be the most popular strategy for beating Susumu.

 

They did the old classic of teasing an old finish between the two as Ryo tried the Messenger, but it wasn't to be. I was surprised that they had Susumu kick out of the PREMIUM BRIDGE, as that move had been well protected up to this point, but if anything I guess that's a statement of intent regarding Susumu's elevated status.

 

I thought it was a very good match, though as with Ryo's other big matches, they go that one step too far with the finisher overkill. That said, it was dramatic stuff and an edge of the seat main event, I just wish I had seen it unspoiled as I'd have probably broken my TV with excitement at Susumu's win and then I'd have an excuse to buy a new TV.

 

Regarding the shortness of Ryo's reign, as hard as it is on him it was probably necessary. They had pushed Ryo to the moon in the run up to Kishiwada's injury, his forced lay off combined with Ryo being the only man in contention meant that he was the best option to end Maggy's title reign. I don't think the loss will hurt him all that much, given that he beat Susumu to win King of Gate and beat Magnitude very convincingly.

 

As well as Ryo has handled his meteoric rise, I feel that Susumu will certainly provide higher quality defenses should he be given time to run with the belt (NO WORLD SPOILERS!)

 

I'm a big fan of Saito, and given the speed he was catapulted up to ace status I think he's performed admirably, but his big singles matches have been a touch formulaic since he got there and he's perhaps not quite ready to be wrestling 20-30 minute Dream Gate matches too often.

 

Also, the sour taste of Saito's painfully transitional reign is eliminated for me by this:

 

 

Susumu finally did it, fuck yeah!

 

A bit of a mixed bag this show. The main event delivered in my opinion, and the two matches underneath with had the right big-match feel about them with plenty at stake. Dragon Kid and co.'s match was spoiled by circumstances outside of DG's control, which was a big shame. Genki/Naoki was a bit of a pointless mess, and was a waste of both men's talents. Mr Prime Time and Turboman will not be missed at all, and Yoshie could have been a bit more fun considering how much I usually enjoy his work. Evans/Yoshino was better than expected, but I certainlywouldn't be upset if that's the last time Evans got a chance to grab DG gold.

 

I'd agree with PUNQ that these shows are reflective of a transitional period in DG, with rapid title changes and some thrown together matches purely to kill off characters/alliances/feuds and start new ones. The previous TV was just full of storyline progression, and this show had a lot of fall out that seemed more important than the matches some of the time. I guess it needs to be done though, and they still put on some top matches here despite the turmoil.

[JLM]

Infinity #43

 

1. Jackson Florida, Johnson Florida vs. Michael Iwasa, Daniel Mishima

 

So Jackson and Johnson aren't too happy about the other two FloBros accepting that character change stipulation without their consent. This match is almost entirely serious. Apart from Jackson's bad knee and the spotlight knee drop you wouldn't think of it as a comedy match. It's very watchable as it goes. The FloBros are serious, but still using their American offense, so it comes accross as quite and old school tag match. Something different anyway. In the end, J and J get the win and say that they'll be carrying on as The Super Florida Brothers.

 

2. Akira Tozawa, Taku Iwasa vs. Super Shisa, Anthony W. Mori

 

Tozawa must lose his voice after every show with performances like these. We get to see a few more of Tozawa-juku's secret techniques and it's another entertaining showing from Tozawa in particular. They've implemented some Kinya Oyanagei style forced pose spots too, which fits in with their hard sell recruitment drive aimed at Antony.

 

3. Minoru Suzuki vs. Stalker Ichikawa

 

The reaction for Suzuki from the Korakuen fans is pretty big, and rightly so, he's a remarkable man. Stalker slapping MiSuzu hard in the face is a classic moment - Stalker looks as shocked and scared for his own safety as anyone watching does after he's done it. In a shock upset, Suzuki wins. Post-match they set up that mouth watering Revolution Special tag match for World.

 

4. Dragon Kid vs. Naruki Doi

 

Number one contendership for the Dream Gate on the line. Great stuff, Doi/Kid has become a guaranteed recipe for dramatic, heated wars. Doi has brought some handcuffs along this time, and he also reverts to his dastardly mask ripping ways. What a bastard. DK fights bravely and is able to hit the Dragonrana (glad that move is well and truly back in his arsenal), but MO'z save Doi the indignity of the pinfall defeat and soil Kid's win by making it a DQ. Is this the first time someone's won a DreamGate challenge key on a DQ?

 

5. Open the Dream Gate: Susumu Yokosuka vs. BxB Hulk

 

This match is crazy. What starts off as an almost comfortable defense for Susumu ends up as madness when Hulk gets his second wind and damn near unloads his entire arsenal to try and get the win. It takes a hell of a lot for Susumu to put the plucky challenger away, and as much as I approve of the continued strengthening of Hulk's position, I still think he was given a little too much here. Can't deny that it was a gripping match though.

 

6. Susumu Yokosuka vs. Shingo Takagi

 

Shingo's last match before his departure for America I believe. It's unfortunate that they had to make cuts to this match, as it looks like it started at a red hot pace and kept it up for most of the 17 minutes. What is shown is excellent, and just makes me wish for a swift return for the bemulleted powerhouse.

 

As tough as they may have been, that's two decent wins for Susumu. A defense of the Dream Gate under his belt and a convincing win over Shingo stand him in good stead for his ddefense at World.

 

 

7. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Naoki Tanisaki, Gamma vs. CIMA, Magnum TOKYO, Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii

 

Holy shit this was awesome!

 

I don't care if one of them is out of shape and the others aren't in dream gate contention these days, Mochi/Magu/CIMA is a bona fide dream team and the Korakuen fans know it. That's not to take anything away from Don Fujii either, who produces another absolutely first class showing. He's bigger and more powerful than the opposition but he still manages to be one of the promotion's very best sympathetic babyfaces if the situation calls for it.

 

I won't go into it too much, but I was hooked for every second of this. Little flashes of teamwork from the old guard, MO'z showing nobody any respect, Fujii giving everything he's got to avoid being his team's weak link, it's all triple distilled gold.

 

What's even better is the finish. Twistaaaaah...1...2...broken pin. Erect Smash...1...2....broken pin. Interference, Gamma interferes with his sword, miscommunication, Schuuuuwweeiiiiiin! Fuck you Muscle Outlaw'z! 1...2.......KINTA YOU SON OF A BITCH!

 

You couldn't envision a better moment than this for the promotion's new gang of dickheads to reveal that they have a referee on the payroll. Korakuen hall is pissed. Hell, I'm pissed! They suck up all the fans' heat, store up the beginnings of that roof raising pop for the three count, then divert it and let them release it as total disgust and outrage at what has just ruined their main event.

 

Then...THEN! Gamma, probably the most hated of them all, comes into the ring with a cheshire cat grin on his face and pins CIMA... with a Schwein! Wow. You can feel the animosity at the venue, people even throw stuff at the ring, which is crazy for a DG show.

 

After the chaos has died down and everyone is leaving, CIMA and Fujii have some closing words and start to make their exit... But oh no, MO'z aren't done yet. They jump the BloodGen members, drag them back into the ring and give them more beatings, pose over their fallen bodies and proceed to make roughly 1,000 enemies for life out of the audience. Magnitude Kishiwada comes and gets his digs in too, and is about to deliver a last ride as the final insult when Hulk runs in for the save, setting up CIMA/Hulk vs Gamma/Magnitude Kishiwada.

 

Backstage there's an outstanding confrontation between CIMA and Gamma, and now you see exactly why he was brought in. Two gargantuan egos on opposite sides of a war, you have to love it. They exchange words, Gamma spits in CIMA's face, they throw some petulant kicks and slaps, CIMA headbutts Gamma hard and a brawl breaks out as we cut away.

 

You have no idea how badly I want to see CIMA rip Gamma's head off in the ring now. MO'z vs BloodGen as the new main stage feud? Sold!

 

I almost feel bad for people who skip the TV episodes and miss stuff like this.

[JLM]

So I have Infinity 45 and 46 ready to watch and will be reviewing them soon. However, I'm really starting to wonder exactly what is going on with World. Has anyone got this show in yet? If not, is there a particular reason why? I also have a bunch of dragondoor shows and the El Dorado "creation of El Dorado" Korakuen show to watch, so there'll be thoughts on them on the way too.

[Spatular]

So I have Infinity 45 and 46 ready to watch and will be reviewing them soon. However, I'm really starting to wonder exactly what is going on with World. Has anyone got this show in yet? If not, is there a particular reason why?

^^^ :/I haven't seen those two Infinities available anywhere yet, either. Where'd'you get them? And I am I right in thinking that #45 is June / immediately before World and #46 is July / immediately after World? I'm still avoiding DGUSA so I can't check

[alexander]

I'm downloading World at the moment, so someone's got it.

[JLM]

I checked Purodvd.com today and Niall has world listed now as well, so that's a relief. As for Infinity 45 and 46, I got them from an online source that explicitly states in the rules that you shouldn't mention the name of the site on other forums. If I ever get some invites for it my fellow DG viewers will be first in line, naturally. Said source does not have World up yet, though I'm assuming pwtorrents does unless Lantern has another source?EDIT: Oops, totally ignored questions there.Infinity #45 is 5/27~6/16Infinity #46 is WrestleJam-centric:

[Spatular]

I'm downloading World at the moment, so someone's got it.

This post is useless without links :(If it's PWT - like every other time I've been, signups are closed. Can anyone invite me? I'll be extra nice. Really