Dragon Gate USA – Fearless 2011 – 3rd June 2011
A tip of the hat to whomever designs DGUSA’s DVD covers. All three from this weekend’s triple shot look absolutely phenomenal. We return to Dragon Gate USA for all the fall-out from WrestleMania weekend. Jon Moxley is now with WWE as Dean Ambrose so he’s out – leaving only YAMATO (since Shingo hasn’t been here for ages) left standing from the now-defunct Kamikaze USA stable. The Blood Warriors are seemingly weakened too, with no Naruki Doi for these shows, but thankfully they recruited last time at Open The Ultimate Gate when Austin Aries joined their ranks. CIMA faces the loud-mouthed Rich Swann tonight, whilst Aries takes on Johnny Gargano in a potential classic. Open The United Gate Champions Pac and Yoshino defend their belts against YAMATO and the man he now respects after their Freedom Gate battle at the last show – Akira Tozawa. If that’s not enough two awesome, top level Japanese talents who we’ve not seen for a while are back – Susumu Yokosuka and Masaaki Mochizuki. We head to Revere, MA to join Lenny Leonard and his new announce partner Rob Naylor.
Tony Nese calls these shows the ‘biggest weekend of [his] career’. He wants to make his mark…
The venue has a cool, underground club vibe and looks better on TV than the Atlanta venue they used, or even the Ace Arena in New Jersey…although the lack of any kind of entrance way (wrestlers just sort of…stroll in from a door in the side of the building) looks pretty amateur. The crowd looks absolutely miniscule too – as it did the last time they ran in the Boston area.
CIMA vs Rich Swann
This continues the lengthy Blood Warriors vs Ronin feud. It was a bad triple shot for Ronin last time, when they lost the Stable Shootout 4-0, were defeated in the annual trios tag match…then saw Austin Aries lead an assault on them as he joined CIMA’s group. Aries, who still doesn’t like Swann after he turned down the chance to be his protégé, is at ringside with CIMA – smoking a pipe.
Cima attacks Swann before the bell of course, then rakes his eyes to make sure he’s on the back foot from the very beginning of the match. A-Double gives him an assist from the floor too, tripping Rich as he prepares for a dive over the ropes. SUPLEX ON THE WOODEN FLOOR! The veteran continues the punishment by crunching him into the side of the ring as well. ‘I don’t like Boston’ – Cima, right before he plants a nasty shotgun dropkick into Swann’s spine. Somehow Rich blocks the Iconoclasm with a standing super rana…then pops to the second rope to hit a PHOENIX SPLASH TO THE FLOOR as Cima tries to escape! Outside the ring Gargano appears to have stolen Cima’s sunglasses too! Backflip Nika Kick nailed for 2…but after Swann dodges Cima’s standing double stomp the Japanese star simply changes up his game to hit a somersault senton instead. KAWADA KICKS BY SWANN! Aries saves Cima from the Rich Kick…allowing him to hit the Perfect Driver for 2. Schwein/Meteora combo wins it for Cima at 08:49
Rating - *** - Once again the Boston crowd is pretty lousy, and not everything was executed perfectly but on the whole this was a rather fun way to start the show. It wasn’t a break-out match with CIMA on the scale that Gargano’s was at Open The Southern Gate, but Swann didn’t look like a hopeless jobber here. CIMA also showed that, even in front of a pretty small and unresponsive crowd, he is an absolute superstar. The way he works an audience is simply outstanding…
Jon Davis declines to give a promo because he wants to do his talking in the ring. Probably just as well
AR Fox vs Scott Reed vs Alex Colon vs Tony Nese vs Brodie Lee vs Arik Cannon
Nobody gets entrances for this one, they all wander in from the side of the building as generic screamo metal blares out. Naturally nobody gets ANY response as a result. Brodie has been pretty dominant in these kinds of matches so he is the man to beat. Cannon has formed a new alliance with Sami Callihan because he feels he is being overlooked by the DGUSA office – and a win here would go a long way to getting him noticed. Fox is another guy who has been appearing regularly. He’s lost more than he’s won so far, but always impresses and is on the hunt for a break-out victory. Nese is a high profile debutant this weekend, having excelled on Evolve shows I believe. The guy is extremely talented (in my opinion) so makes a welcome addition to the roster.
Nobody wants to get into the ring with Brodie, who looks even dirtier than usual. Fox, who’s gear is still appalling, winds up starting with Reed. Reed tries to show his power and agility, but eats a quebrada press allowing Lee to take over on the brutally generic-looking Colon. Brodie puts a boot through his face to remove him from the ring. The Big Rig shakes off strikes from both Nese and Cannon, prompting the DUF to leave. Tony stays in wanting to make an impression…and walks into a lariat. Tope suicida into the front row by Nese, wiping out the retreating Arik Cannon. Colon heads upstairs and flies out with a corkscrew plancha. BRODIE BACK DROPS AR FOX OVER THE TURNBUCKLES…INTO A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA ONTO EVERYONE ELSE! Cannon got the least of that it seems, and mangles AR on the apron in the aftermath. Nese gets 2 with a bridging German on Alex, but as he tries to scale the ropes Fox catches him with LO MEIN PAIN! Reed makes the save and gives him a sit-out Splash Mountain. Truck Stop on Reed! Cannon wins the match with a brainbuster on Colon at 08:05
Rating - ** - To be fair, nobody looked bad in this match at all. Fox, Nese, Brodie and Cannon are the four names who have really amounted to something in the WWNLive universe, and they were the four that obviously shone…but it’s not like Colon or Reed looked particularly horrible either. This one just lacked any kind of hook to get me into things. I liked the interactions between Cannon and Lee, but they were few and far between. I liked what Fox and Nese did…but they weren’t in the ring enough for my liking. In the end it became a somewhat predictable and underwhelming spotfest (barring a few more exciting moments)…with far too much of Alex Colon on offence against bigger names.
Ricochet vs Susumu Yokosuka
It has been way too long since Yokosuka was in DGUSA. He is a main event level talent in the Dragon Gate promotion in Japan…and has now flown to the US as another guy looking to oppose the devious Blood Warriors. He is part of the new ‘Junction Three’ stable in Dragon Gate – formed by members of World-1, Kamikaze and the Veterans specifically to combat the Warriors. Ricochet is a breakout star in Japan, and knows a win over a name like Susumu will only increase his stock in both companies.
Rob Naylor is super annoying. The match starts slowly, which is obviously in Yokosuka’s favour. He controls the opening period, with Ricochet only occasional able to retaliate utilising some more intricate and athletic sequences. The pace quickens, prompting Susumu to leave the ring (and sit down in the front row), making sure Ricochet isn’t able to hit a dive. Yes, the crowd for this show is so sparse there are multiple empty seats even in the front row it seems. Rico grows in confidence, until he gets caught in the corner for the Ashi Yokosuka, crunching his knees into the canvas. The crowd actually come to life for that spot, so Yoko gives it to them repeatedly. It’s perfectly logical as well since damaging his opponent’s legs immediately negates his high flying capabilities. A Figure 4 comes next and, to Ricochet’s credit, his near comedy sell on the leg injury thus far has brought the crowd to life. Sadly Rico has no long-term intention of selling the leg and is soon up, back flipping into a headscissors takedown. HANDSPRING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! Flying DDT from the second rope gets him 2. Yokosuka is so unimpressed he picks him up and dumps him into the turnbuckles with an exploder suplex. Half Nelson suplex countered into the Rickrack by Ricochet, then a Red Star Press. 630 SENTON NAILED! Yoko gets his feet on the ropes to prevent the loss though. Double moonsault blocked…into an AVALANCHE MUGEN! FOR 2! JUMBO NO KACHIIIIIIIIII! RICOCHET KICKS OUT AGAIN! MUGEN! Yokosuka wins at 12:32
Rating - *** - Ricochet sold nothing which didn’t help, but I actually enjoyed this on the most part. Yokosuka is probably my favourite Dragon Gate worker (although Mochizuki comes close), and he was awesome in this. After a slow start, these guys built things well and actually had the limited amount of fans on the edges of their seats and really rather vocal by the end.
In the back Rich Swann is devastated after his loss to CIMA. Johnny Gargano reassures him that after this weekend everyone will know Ronin are among the elite in Dragon Gate…even without Chuck Taylor who is injured. They have another trios tag with Blood Warriors later in the weekend, but no third man to team with them...
Sami Callihan vs Masaaki Mochizuki
He may not be the youngest or most athletic guy on Dragon Gate’s Japanese roster, but Mochizuki excels as an unrelenting, hard-striking bad ass – who often grounds and draws some phenomenal matches out of the more explosive and athletic people he shares the ring with. He’s also the current Open The Dream Gate Champion, having defeated Masato Yoshino for the belt in April. This one should be a hard-hitting war, as he comes face to face with perhaps the hardest striker in DGUSA. Sami Callihan, part of the new DUF faction with Arik Cannon, will view this as another chance to make a big impression with one of the bigger fish in the Dragon Gate pond.
Rich Swann is in Mochi’s corner…although I’m not sure if this is before or after he officially joined Junction 3. Callihan isn’t remotely intimidated by the Dream Gate Champion, and starts screaming at him and flipping him off almost immediately. Mochizuki quickly humbles him with a series of bruising kicks. Sami tries to fire back with chops, so gets viciously punted off the apron. Things change on the floor though, as Callihan dodges another big kick attempt causing Mochi’s leg to collide with the ringpost. Instantly the ‘New Horror’ attacks it, driving in repeated strikes then hauling the veteran back inside for a couple of leg submissions. Somehow Masaaki lands a brutal kick to Callihan’s arm, but then slumps against the ropes still in pain from Sami’s attack on him. This is a really cool story now as Callihan has worked on Mochizuki’s striking leg…so in return Mochi starts ruthlessly attacking Sami’s favoured arm for chops and elbows. Check out Mochi throwing kicks with his LEFT LEG now because Sami has hurt the other one. Callihan has seen it too…and dragon screws that leg too! ELBOW SUICIDA BY SAMI! Axe kick out of the corner by Mochizuki, only for Sami to DVD him into the STRETCH MUFFLER! The Dream Gate Champion makes the ropes to free himself…and has now transitioned back to using the right leg since that’s the one that wasn’t used in the submission hold. SAIKYOU JUJI ARMBREAKER! It’s Callihan’s turn to dive to the ropes to escape certain defeat in a signature submission holds. RUNNING PUNT TO THE FACE GETS 2! KNEES TO THE ACE! SAMI NO SELLS! BUZZSAW KICK! TWISTER! CALLIHAN KICKS OUT! BACK DROP DRIVER ON MOCHI! RUNNING ELBOW SMASH! STRETCH MUFFLER…COUNTERED TO THE SAIKYOU JUJI! Callihan escapes, but his arm is killing him now! SHIN SAIKYOU HIGH KICK! Mochizuki wins at 12:53
Rating - **** - I’m a big fan of Mochizuki, so it’s unsurprising that I liked him in a real sh*t-kicking contest with one of the breakout stars of DGUSA. He and Sami just beat the hell out of each other for more than ten minutes…and told a hell of a story with it. Callihan is still learning about subtlety and story-telling (and will get better the more he wrestles guys of this calibre), but Mochizuki’s clever, under-stated selling really pushed the match forward. I’m not sure how much people were looking forward to this going in but it was a potential showstealer. Mochi doesn’t come to DGUSA very often, but he always seems to produce killer matches when he does.
Arik Cannon arrives to help Sami Callihan to his feet, as Mochizuki leads the round of applause for Sami’s performance. Cannon rewards that show of sportsmanship by slapping the Dream Gate Champion in the face then assaulting him. Susumu Yokosuka comes to Mochi’s aid, and we get a four man brawl which lasts several minutes. Cannon faces Mochi tomorrow, then at the anniversary show it will be DUF vs Veterans in a grudge tag bout.
SIDENOTE – Matt Taven is one of the multiple jobbers who fill the ring trying to split the two teams up
Lenny Leonard introduces Jon Davis…and literally only one guy in the crowd even remotely responds to his entrance. Even that is only give him a pathetically small round of applause. Davis wants to work his way up from the bottom and work his way up in DGUSA…then calls out the DUF. Pinkie Sanchez comes out too, apparently trying to buddy up to Sami and Arik. They spit at him, but stick around at ringside to watch his match…
Jon Davis vs Pinkie Sanchez
I admire Gabe’s desire to use the DGUSA concept to get American talent over. It worked with Jon Moxley, Ricochet and the Ronin gang. It’s working with Callihan and Cannon too. However, I question whether Davis is seriously deserving of the exposure he’s getting here. In three shows he’s delivered some really indifferent performances, and has absolutely no charisma or ability to evoke any kind of response from a live audience. Perhaps this match, which sees him pitted against a smaller guy who sells a beating well and DOES have a rather odd charisma and charm to him, will be the turning point for his career. Clearly the stakes are high for Pinkie too, as he looks to win a spot in DUF.
Is Sanchez supposed to be the heel here? His chippy little pre-match promo already seems to get fans into him more than the brutally bland Davis. Jon gives him a series of backbreakers, then press slams him into the lights, much to the amusement of Arik and Sami. Next he gets chopped to shreds, with Davis totally no selling any offence coming back in his direction. This goes on for several minutes, with Davis savagely laying waste to his diminutive opponent…even though he continually refuses to stay down. It goes on for so long that in a weird way it almost starts to work. Jon looks like a hard-hitting, merciless bastard, and Pinkie starts getting real support as glutton for punishment who doesn’t know when to quit. Sanchez scales the ropes, only for the DCFC member to absolutely kill him with a jumping forearm to the spine. Somehow he still hits a flying ass attack from the top rope for 2! He then tries a basement headscissors…only to see it countered into a KNEELING powerbomb. Capture Jackhammer wins the match for Davis at 08:59. Except that wasn’t the planned finish and everyone looks amateur as f*ck by standing around arguing about it – including Davis. Even Leonard and Naylor have no clue what is happening. Eventually Davis wins (again) with the 3 Seconds Around The World.
Rating - * - I didn’t hate this as much as I expected. Until that botched finish, it was actually my favourite Jon Davis performance thus far in DGUSA. Pinkie took a hell of a beating and was really putting Davis over hard. I also found Sanchez strangely personable, and love the idea of him trying to ‘earn his stripes’ to join a group of outsiders like Cannon and Callihan. Unfortunately the messed up finish was seriously embarrassing. Watching Davis and the ref argue about it was farcical, and the fact that they decided to continue with the planned finish even when EVERYONE KNEW they’d f’d up was completely laughable. I’m not entirely sure who’s to blame, but it was genuinely one of the most cringe-worthy things I’ve seen in more than ten years of McXal’s Reviews.
Just as at Open The Southern Gate, Davis has the same ‘deer in the headlights’ expression, telling you everything you need to know about how bad he feels after another pretty abysmal night in a DGUSA ring. Poor Pinkie doesn’t enjoy his post-match either, as the DUF assault him…
AR Fox contemplates another impressive showing in DGUSA, without registering a victory. He knows tomorrow night’s scheduled match with Akira Tozawa is the biggest opportunity of his career.
Johnny Gargano vs Austin Aries
At Mercury Rising, A-Double ambushed Ronin. Seemingly set to quit DGUSA, he called out the three members of Ronin in an apparent effort to put them over…but it was all a set-up. He had secretly joined Blood Warriors and assisted CIMA, Doi, Ricochet and Brodie beat down their long-time rivals. Tonight Gargano wants some payback on the ‘Greatest Man That Ever Lived’. Aries is so confident he orders Brodie Lee to return to the locker room, so he can face Gargano man-to-man.
The sound system breaks during Gargano’s entrance, so he has to walk to the ring in silence. Man this show has had some seriously amateur issues. Aries basically messes around for the first few minutes, clearly not taking his opponent remotely seriously. Gargano looks all kinds of pissed off, so rides Austin on the mat to make a statement. Everything Aries does is laced with ego, as he repeatedly goes to methodical, mat-based set-ups almost so he can notch his gun and prove his dominance over the ‘inferior’ Ronin talent…but every time Johnny seems to have a response. Gargano dodges the headscissors-escape dropkick and slaps him so hard he has to leave the ring. The insults aren’t finished, as he also gives Aries a headscissors-escape dropkick of his own! Chops and strikes next, before he counters Austin’s traditional rebound elbow strike with a neckbreaker…into GARGANO ESCAPE! Aries rolls into the ropes instantly, but the veteran is now completely frustrated in a match he thought he could dominate. ELBOW SUICIDA NAILED, before he whips Aries into the stage! Looking for some payback from Mercury Rising, he rips the magnetised ‘Dragon Gate USA’ strip off the ringpost to whip Aries with. Running punt to the steel railings on the stage scores as well, leaving the Blood Warrior in full retreat. ARIES SUPLEXES GARGANO OFF THE RAILING INTO AN ENTIRE ROW OF CHAIRS AND FANS! As he tries to roll away, Austin rests him prone over the railings again then hits him with a TOP ROPE AXEHANDLE TO THE STAGE! Gargano’s right shoulder has been taped all match, so like an asshole Aries starts working it. POWER DRIVE ELBOW TO THE SHOULDER! He kicks lumps out of Johnny’s legs as well rendering him wholly unable to muster any serious offence. He limps around trying to throw clotheslines with the good arm…so Aries slaps on an armbar. Tree Of Woo countered with an Ace Crusher though before Gargano brains his opponent against all four top turnbuckles. Slingshot Spear dodged, so he hits a discus lariat (with the good arm) instead! His shoulder appears too weak to hit the Hurtz Donut, so he stomps the back and lands a jumping neckbreaker (again using the good arm) instead for 2. SLINGSHOT SPEAR TO COUNTER THE HEAT SEEKING MISSILE! IED COUNTERED TO THE LAWN DART! Both of those were absolutely fantastic! DVD ON THE APRON BY ARIES! Despite looking near-unconscious, Johnny gets a foot up to block the Heat Seeking Missile again though. The shoulder is so weakened he can’t execute the Gargano Escape though! ELBOW DUEL! They are smoking each other…in almost total silence. God this crowd is awful. Roaring Elbow…countered to HURTZ DONUT…FOR 2! Aries tosses him back with the shinbreak back suplex, and puts his boots through his face with the IED. BRAINBUSTER GETS 2! 450 Splash COUNTERED WITH AN ARMDRAG INTO THE TURNBUCKLES! GARGANO ESCAPE! The shoulder is too weak! KICK OF DEATH! BRAINBUSTER AGAIN! Aries wins at 26:00
Rating - **** - Gargano has come from nowhere to become one of DGUSA’s biggest attractions. It shouldn’t be any real surprise that Aries was utterly brilliant from start to finish in this: acting like a real prick in the opening portion then working an existing shoulder injury like an asshole, which effectively won him the match because all of Johnny’s finishers need him to use his arm. The real surprise is just how good Gargano has become at wrestling these top guys. His battle with CIMA at Open The Southern Gate was tremendous, and once again he delivered the goods in abundance here. His selling of the shoulder was, on the whole, extremely strong and a real contributing factor to the contest. I loved how he put over Aries’ shenanigans in the opening minutes, where he prowled the ring not as a ‘fiery underdog’ – instead giving off an aura of supreme confidence. Everything he did reeked of ‘I’m on your level, and I’m going to prove it’. It’s unfortunate this one had to happen in front of a pretty lifeless crowd because it was pretty special.
SIDENOTE – Once again I am left to criticise a rather poor Boston-area crowd for DGUSA, and ponder why they came back to this market after it bombed when they ran Fall River at the end of 2010. However, I thought I’d stop and praise DGUSA for something – their choice of venue. I may not always like them (I didn’t like the Ace Arena for United Finale, and the Presidential Ballroom in Atlanta looked a bit pokey), but the one thing this company always seems to do is select a pretty unique setting…and let you SEE IT on the DVD release. So many wrestling companies select super-similar buildings to run each of their events – and once they’ve got the same stage, black drapes and lighting rigs that they use for every event in place it means every show looks basically the same. Most ROH shows take place in darkened, square rooms for instance. Since WWE started using the same stage/Titantron set-up for all Raw, Smackdown and minor ppvs it’s felt like you could be ANYWHERE. And I understand the merits of that – it’s important that you have consistency and are able to reliably ensure your product always reaches a certain standard on TV, DVD or ppv. Which is why, coming back to DGUSA, I praise them for their choice of venue. It may look a bit silly not having any kind of entrance set-up for this event…but it’s certainly unique. This Boston venue, with it’s big stage and steel railings right near the ring LOOKS cool, and they’ve tried to show that on the DVD rather than hide it. When every event they run takes place in a unique space, or building set-up it really does help make their shows feel memorable or ‘special’. ..and adds to the personality of the event. Even the ones with bad crowds like tonight.
SIDENOTE – Ahead of the main event, it’s disappointing that the commentators have made no effort to explain (nor even mention) the pretty sweeping changes to the faction landscape in Dragon Gate since we were last together for the WrestleMania weekend shows. Kamikaze/Kamikaze USA is disbanded. Jon Moxley is gone (no mention of him at all tonight). World-1 have been forced to split up too. Blood Warriors are a rampaging menace in both the States and Japan, and Junction Three has been formed in an effort to bring them down. Given the fact that Yoshino, Pac, YAMATO, Mochizuki and Yokosuka (as well as possibly Rich Swann) are all members of J-3, I really hope both Leonard and Naylor provide plenty of information throughout the main event.
Masato Yoshino/Pac vs YAMATO/Akira Tozawa – Open The United Gate Title Match
In Japan World-1 were forced to disband after losing a Triangle Gate Title match to the Blood Warriors. Desperate to rid Dragon Gate of the evil Blood Warriors faction, members from three different groups banded together to form a new stable – Junction Three. YAMATO, Yoshino and Pac are all members of that faction. However, their personal ambitions remain the same so their arch rivals are pushed to the back of their minds as they all look to leave with the United Gate belts. YAMATO and Tozawa reunite, having briefly fallen out thanks to Jon Moxley. Kamikaze USA is done (as is the Kamikaze faction in Japan), and they are teaming together having earned each other’s respect with a hard-fought battle over the Freedom Gate Championship in Atlanta. These are basically the final shows of Tozawa’s extended American tour, before he returns to DG in Japan. He’d love to head back to his homeland with some DGUSA gold around his waist.
Pac apparently challenges for the Freedom Gate in two nights time, so is keen to start with Yamato so he can start wearing the champ down before that. Yamato struggles to lay a glove on him for several minutes, before finally simply running at him and putting a boot through his face! Tozawa tags in and shows real ring awareness as he continually stops Yoshino building up any speed on the ropes. Pac has to rescue his partner, exposing Yamato’s arm for the extreme hangtime flying double stomp. The pendulum swings back and forth, but the fluidity and experience of the champions persistently shines through. They are always looking to single out and isolate an opponent. Pac gets the first significant nearfall with an effortless standing SSP. SECOND ROPE SSP GETS KNEES! Yamato forces his way into the contest and makes a beeline for Pac whilst he’s still wounded from that. Realising this is his chance to do some damage before the Freedom Gate showdown, as well as potentially win the United Gate Title too, he orchestrates a major isolation and beatdown of the Englishman. Pac has to survive a barrage of strikes and stretches from both Tozawa and Yamato before finally getting a hot tag to Yoshi – who quickly drops Akira with the Sling Blade. Colmillo throttles the Freedom Gate Champion too! Yamato kicks hard at his arm then tosses him overhead with a violent suplex for 2 though. He stays on the arm, in a nifty receipt for earlier when Yoshino tried to work his arm. From Jungle briefly locked in, although it’s clear Yoshino’s arm has now been weakened. RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY PAC! BACK DROP DRIVER BY TOZAWA! BRAINBUSTER BY YAMATO…for 2! Pac blocks the Doujime Sleeper then holds Tozawa in place so Yoshino can hit the missile dropkick senton combo. CORKSCREW PRESS OFF YOSHINO’S BACK by Pac! Yamato dodges another aerial assault from Yoshino then feeds him into a bicycle kick from his explosive young partner. SPRINGBOARD DOOMSDAY KNEE STRIKE GETS 2! KICK OF DEATH/EVEREST GERMAN COMBO! STILL 2! Yoshino is having to fight for his life against the challengers at this point. He frantically blocks Galleria, but slumps to the mat in a near unconscious state…then eats Shining Wizard from Tozawa. SPEAR FROM YAMATO TO PAC! ALL FOUR DOWN! Pac and Akira are the first two up, f*cking killing each other with strikes. Pac hits the SNAP GERMAN SUPLEX! SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH! Tozawa kicks out! Lightning Spiral blocked…Everest German blocked! TORBELINO! LIGHTNING SPIRAL! TOPE SUICIDA ON YAMATO! RED ARROW ON TOZAWA! The champions retain in a hard-fought 24:26
Rating - **** - 2011 has thus far been a really great year for tag team wrestling in DGUSA, and this may well have been my favourite 2-vs-2 DGUSA match all year. By this point it’s obvious that when you put four of the big name, international fly-ins together in a main event setting you’re going to get something great, and this one was particularly strong. You had Tozawa trying to prove he belongs with all these main event players, Pac trying to make a statement before he challenges for the Freedom Gate, Yamato looking to prove he is ‘the man’ in DGUSA, and of course all the inherent drama and tension that comes with a high profile title defence such as this. It seems a little predictable and clichéd to pick this for my MOTN ahead of the gruelling and highly intelligent Aries/Gargano battle, or the stiff war between Mochizuki and Callihan…but this one trumped them both.
Pac gives YAMATO warning that he’ll be taking the Freedom Gate belt from him, and Yoshino promises the fans (who finally came to life during the main event) that they will be back in Boston.
In his locker room Austin Aries gloats about his win over Gargano, then looks forward to facing Susumu Yokosuka tomorrow night. CIMA has given him orders for that one…and they don’t necessarily involve winning.
Tape Rating - *** - Once again DGUSA proves that even their minor or lesser shows are still far better than what many other promotions could ever dream of. The crowd sucked something fierce, and there were a number of elements which combined to make this one feel extremely amateurish at times. However, when the Dragon Gate boys are in town the roster is so strong that, even when things do go wrong there is SO MUCH TALENT on the shows that they are still hugely enjoyable. As usual, when the big DG bring-ins aren’t involved and the small fry from the American indy scene are left exposed we got some skippable content and mixed results though. Jon Davis still looks woefully out of place in this company for instance. But doesn’t that make it even more special when guys like Rich Swann, Ricochet, Sami Callihan or Johnny Gargano rise out of that mire and prove themselves to be truly outstanding talents in their own right? Swann/CIMA and Ricochet/Yokosuka were extremely solid. Callihan/Mochizuki and Gargano/Aries were absolutely fantastic. There are guys like AR Fox, Tony Nese and Arik Cannon behind them just waiting to step up as well. Even on a night like this, when some of the glaring faults of the DGUSA product are exposed – low draws, poor crowds, filler American talent, technical glitches etc – you’ll see significantly more good than bad. It’s what makes DGUSA consistently such an enjoyable promotion to watch.
Top 3 Matches
3) Masaaki Mochizuki vs Sami Callihan (****)
2) Austin Aries vs Johnny Gargano (****)
1) Masato Yoshino/Pac vs YAMATO/Akira Tozawa (****)