For an event that has been getting ridiculously high reviews lately, I came to the conclusion that it was my turn to check out what all the hype of Dragon Gate USA‘s debut show was all about. Being a huge fan of the CHIKARA product, I must say that one of the main reasons I decided to put down twenty bucks for this pay-per-view is because of the eight-man tag team showcase. I also thoroughly enjoy Naruki Doi and Shingo’s work, so seeing those guys main event a PPV in the United States is definitely something  I figured was worth giving a look at.
It should be noted that this show was taped at the Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 25th, 2009 in front of a crowd that was close to one thousand people. Lenny Leonard, former Ring of Honor commentator, and Leonard F. Chikarason, the CHIKARA Director of Fun, are at the commentary booth to call the action for tonight’s big DGUSA debut event. Dawn Marie of all people is the ring announcer.
YAMATO defeated BxB Hulk via pinfall (Gallaria) – Daizee Haze and a woman who is supposedly Bobby Dempsey’s sister are out there and ready to dance with BxB Hulk for the greatest entrance in wrestling today. Technical wrestling to start with everything from wristlocks to headlocks. YAMATO is apparently extremely sound in the mixed martial arts style, as he was once a fighter before becoming a professional wrestler. BxB Hulk doesn’t care for the submissions and goes straight back to YAMATO with some vicious kicks. Both men brawl on the outside with YAMATO getting the better of it by slamming Hulk’s knee into the guardrail. YAMATO continues to work over the knee and clearly enjoys every minute of making BxB Hulk suffer. BxB fires back with a beautiful kick to the side of the head, but YAMATO knocks him back down to the floor with some stiff kicks of his own. Hulk cartwheels his way out of a hold and delivers with a picture-perfect dropkick. Hulk backflips off YAMATO and nails a lariat for good measure. Standing moonsault only gets two. Forearm exchanges that YAMATO barely gets the better of for the count of two. A spear out of nowhere from YAMATO, but he only gets two again. YAMATO rolls the pin into a cloverleaf, but BxB gets to the ropes. Crossface from YAMATO, but Hulk makes it to the ropes once more. Crowd is totally digging this. EVO blocked and YAMATO goes for the Gallaria, but BxB catches him with a headscissor. Powerslam from Hulk off the top onto the canvas, but he can’t capitalize with a cover. Slaps, kicks, and a punt to cap it all off from BxB Hulk. BxB signals for the EVO again and nails it. One, two, no! Scoop slam and Hulk misses a phoenix splash at the last second. YAMATO stalks him and crushes him with a brainbuster. Another two count. Loud “BxB Hulk” chant from the crowd at this point. YAMATO finally manages to plant Hulk with the Gallaria to score the pinfall in about fifteen minutes. Seriously, the best professional wrestling opener I have ever seen. In my eyes, totally worthy of being a main event. ****.
Naruki Doi is shown wrapping his wrists in tape backstage, as a commentator explains Doi’s background and how he is the current-reigning Open The Dream Gate Champion. The same is done with Shingo. The winner of tonight’s main event will earn the right to be called the “top dog” of Dragon Gate.
Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant, and Soldier Ant beat Hallowicked, Gran Akuma, Icarus and Amasis via pinfall (Jig ‘n Tonic) – Did Dawn Marie just call Quack “Lightning Quackenbush”? Crowd is absolutely explosive for this match and I couldn’t be anymore excited to see it, myself. Hallowicked is a tecnico (“babyface”), but is in the rudo (“heel”) corner because he was selected in a random drawing. Fire Ant and Amasis start things off with some excellent chain wrestling. As soon as one wrestler hits the floor, another guy is tagged in. Fire Ant is taken out with an armdrag and here comes Quackenbush. Amasis is out, too, and in comes Icarus to a chorus of boos. Quack with a huge backbreaker on Icarus and Hallowicked is in now. Quack catches Hallowicked with a backslide, but only gets two. Monkey flip out of nowhere by Quack and Hallowicked fires back with a hurricarana. Quack tags out to Jigsaw and Hallowicked does the same with Akuma. Here comes Soldier Ant. Now, Hallowicked’s back in. How can you keep up with these eight guys? Rydeen Bomb by Hallowicked on Soldier, but that only gives him a count of two. Amasis gets the tag and continues to club away on Soldier Ant. Akuma is back in and delivers some stiff kicks to the chest. Cheetah Swipe only gets two. Icarus in now and the crowd wants none of it. Chikarason gives us a history lesson on how Hallowicked and Icarus were once known as a tag team called the “Night Shift”. Soldier tries to make a tag, but Icarus knocks all of his partners off of the apron. Soldier finally makes the tag to Quackenbush. Chop and a sweep of the legs. Double knees by Quack, but he only gets two. Jawbreaker, enziguri, small package! Two! Hallowicked tosses Quack to the outside and in comes Jigsaw. Jigsaw with an armdrag to the floor and he goes for a tope, but Akuma catches him with a kick at the last second. Wow, this is awesome! Akuma buries a kick into Jigsaw and works in a beautifully-executed submission hold on Jigsaw. Rydeen Bomb by Hallowicked, but again, only two! The pharaoh is back and he and Jigsaw exchange multiple strikes. Diving clothesline by Amasis, but only for two. Akuma works back on Jigsaw with some kicks to the sternum. Powerslam and powerbomb combination by F.I.S.T., but Jigsaw kicks out at the last second! Jigsaw takes out F.I.S.T. on the outside with a dive. Fire Ant and Hallowicked are in there now. Spinning headscissors by Fire and he follows it up with a stunner. Fire looks for the cover, but Akuma catches him. DDT by Fire Ant out of nowhere! Double dropkick in the corner by the Colony! Amasis splits out of the way, but gets nailed with a double kick from the ants. Ants Go Marching! Icarus breaks it up! Blu-ray DVD by Icarus onto Fire Ant, but Soldier comes in and crushes him with a saluting elbow. Hallowicked with the Go To Sleepy Hollow! Quack with a hurricarana and Soldier with a saluting headbutt from the top! Amasis looks to take out Jigsaw, but Quack takes his head off with a clothesline. QD3! Jigsaw up on the top, but Akuma puts a stop to it. Enziguri by Akuma and he catches Jigsaw with a moonsault! One, two, no! Akuma goes for the Rubik’s Cube, but Jigsaw fights out. Diving senton by Quack! Double superkick! Soldier with a dive! Quack with one of his own! Man, this is absolutely insane! Jig ‘n Tonic on Icarus! One, two, three! Jigsaw gets the win for his team in eighteen minutes! Wow! Wow! Wow! I think my match rating will speak for itself. This bout was seriously beyond being fantastic. ****¼.
Mike Quackenbush grabs a microphone and deems Dragon Gate and CHIKARA a “splendid combination”. Jorge Rivera is mentioned and how both promotions shared a common trainer in him. A brief “Skayde” tribute video plays that the crowd applauds for. Quack feels like there is a little “sibling rivalry” in the back and issues an open challenge to any of the Dragon Gate guys. Out comes YAMATO with an evil smirk on his face. YAMATO disrespects Jorge Rivera, CHIKARA, and quickly drills Quack with a kick to the nuts. Jigsaw makes the save and Akuma is out there, as well. Akuma nails Jigsaw in the balls out of the blue. Cheech, Cloudy, Fire Ant, Soldier Ant, and Lince Dorado are finally enough to clear the ring of Akuma and YAMATO. Great segment.
Dragon Kid defeated Yoshino via pinfall (Ultra Hurricanrana) – Naruki Doi comes out with Yoshino and Shingo is out with Dragon Kid, as well. Never been a huge fan of Dragon Kid’s attire, but he looks like a real badass in black. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Yoshino and Dragon Kid can fly off those ropes like no one else. Yoshino retreats to the floor and Dragon Kid fakes him out with a 619. Yoshino gets caught with a knee on his way back to the ring. Dragon Kid can’t capitalize, though, as Yoshino cleverly manages to work on the arm of his opponent. Yoshino keeps Dragon Kid on the mat with several unique submission holds. Dragon Kid fights back and attempts to go for the Ultra Hurricarana, but Yoshino pushes him down off the ropes. Déjà Vu! “That was awesome” chant from the crowd. Dragon Kid attempts a DDT off the top, but Yoshino fights out of it. Dragon manages to work his way back onto Masato Yoshino, though, and quickly rings him with a 619. Christo! Dragon lets go of the hold and attempts the Jesus Walks. Yoshino gets his legs up at the last minute, though, and blocks it. Missile dropkick by Yoshino! Lightning Spiral, but no! Dragon Kid catches him with a spinning DDT out of nowhere! Torbellino! I love that move. Stunner by Kid! Ultra Hurricarana gets the three in thirteen minutes. Fun match, but probably the weakest of the card thus far. A handshake is offered by Kid afterwards, but Yoshino shoves him back. ***½.
Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson beat CIMA and Sosuma Yokosuka via pinfall (More Bang For Your Buck) – Show of respect by both teams with handshakes all around. Oh, it looks like Quack will be calling the action in replace of Chikarason for the remainder of the show. Matt Jackson and Sosuma Yokosuka start it off first by sneaking in some quick pinfalls. Matt tags in Nick and Yokosuka tags out for CIMA. Sole kick by Nick onto CIMA and a frankensteiner to boot. Stereo dropkicks by the Bucks! CIMA with a springboard senton onto Nick, but he only gets a one count. The Bucks work on Yokosuka’s arm with some quick and excellent tag team manuveurs. CIMA tags in and stomps on Nick Jackson’s face. Tag by the Jacksons and another nice dropkick combo! CIMA targets Matt Jackson’s back with a series of kicks. Sosuma goes for a cover, but only gets two. Yokosuka with a headlock on the floor, but Matt reaches the ropes. Knee to the chest from Yokosuka onto Matt and Sosuma continues to pound him into the mat. CIMA and Sosuma Yokosuka bend the rules behind the referee’s back and that’s enough for them to make another quick tag. Wheelbarrow into a lungblower, but Nick breaks it up at two! Double stomp by CIMA on the guardrail onto Nick Jackson! CIMA drills Matt with a series of kicks, but the older Jackson brother uses it to fire himself up. Sliced Bread #2 by Matt! Nick comes in and takes Yokosuka to the floor with a dropkick. Matt holds the ropes down and Nick takes both members of WARRIORS-5 with a sky twister press. Spear by Matt and a moonsault by Nick, but the pin’s broken up. Double lungblower into the corner by CIMA! Sick! Yokosuka and CIMA deliver an assisted double stomp on Matt. CIMA then hurls himself onto Nick Jackson on the outside. Sosuma and Matt up on the top! Yokosuka nails him with an exploder suplex! One, two, no! Palm strike by CIMA onto Matt out of nowhere! Frog splash! Nick breaks it up! Rush Case Scenario! Two! Man, this is one crazy match. I think I need a breather. Yokosuka kills Matt with a lariat and CIMA follows it up with a Perfect Driver! He kicks out at the last second!  Sosuma sets Matt up into the corner and CIMA delivers with a coast-to-coast dropkick! “Dragon Gate” chants from the crowd. More Bang For Your Buck in seventeen minutes! It’s over! I have always liked the Bucks, but I think this match is definitely going to put them on the map. All four guys gave it their all and it completely showed. Breathtaking, to say the least. Matt, Nick, Sosuma, and CIMA all lift their hands into the air one last time. ****½.
Shingo bows to the Japanese flag and begins doing push-ups in the back. The commentator notes that although Doi is the Open The Dream Gate Champion, the match tonight will be a non-title bout. We go over to Doi, as well, who is preparing to make his historic ring entrance. Doi kicks his legs around and appears to be more than ready to compete in the main event. It is noted that Naruki Doi versus Shingo is one of the biggest feuds in all of Dragon Gate today.
Naruki Doi defeated Shingo via pinfall (Muscular Bomb) – Call me crazy, but I think the Open The Dream Gate Championship is one of the coolest-looking titles in all of wrestling today. There’s just something about it that separates itself from all the other straps out there. Excellent counter wrestling to kick things off. Crowd is evenly split between both competitors, which definitely adds a bit of a special touch to the match. Hard chops by both, Doi and Shingo, that can be heard from all around the Arena. Shingo eventually takes him down with a knife edge. At this point, it looks like Shingo definitely has the power advantage. Lenny Leonard mentioned that they were both about equal in strength, but it’s hard to believe that from what I’ve seen thus far. Shingo holds Doi up for a thirty second-delayed vertical suplex and drops him down. Shingo charges into the corner, but Doi catches him with a kick. Both guys go off the rope and Takagi catches Naruki with a powerslam for a two count. Shingo attempts a suplex onto the floor, but Doi reverses it and dropkicks him into the ropes. Flipping senton onto the back of Shingo! Now, the “Doi” chants start picking up. Shingo with some jabs to the head of Doi, but Naruki takes him down by the legs. Shingo catches Doi in mid-air and throws him to the floor with a suplex variation. Knee off the top to the skull of Doi, but Shingo only gets two! Blood Fall! One, two, no! Forearm exchanges. Doi catches him with a Rydeen Bomb! Dai Bosou by Doi into the corner! Belly-to-back suplex off the top! Another two count! Huge lariat from Shingo, but Doi gets the shoulder up at the last second! Shingo goes for a pumphandle, but Doi wiggles out of it. Doi gets rocked with a few punches and Shingo follows it up with the Made In Japan! No sell! Doi 5! Bakatare Sliding Kick! Shingo gets his foot on the ropes at the last second. Naruki goes for the Muscular Bomb again, but Shingo blocks it into a driver variation. More forearm exchanges. Chop after chop after chop. Lariat! Elbow! Bakatare Sliding Kick! Tiger suplex! No! Another Bakatare Sliding Kick! More strikes from Doi. Bakatare Sliding Kick! Again, Shingo powers out at two! Muscular Bomb! One, two, three! Naruki Doi gets the win in a little over twenty minutes. Now, that was something special. Both guys managed to tell a superb story and the action inside that ring was simply mesmerizing. My personal favorite match of the entire show, but I can definitely see why others would want to choose a different match, instead. ****½.
I have been a wrestling fan for over five years now and have ordered over a dozen pay-per-views in the past few years. However, what I just witnessed may be the best show I have ever seen with my own two eyes. I’m usually a bit lenient with match and star ratings, but I can assure you that every match on this card was more than deserving of what I gave them.
For twenty dollars, you are given the opportunity to see some of the best wrestling in the world today. In particular, the CHIKARA showcase, the Young Bucks versus WARRIORS-5, and Naruki Doi versus Shingo were all splendid. Hell, from top to bottom, there was not a single bad match on this card. I can’t believe I was a bit hesitant about purchasing this pay-per-view in the first place. Seriously, “Enter The Dragon” is that damn good.
The event will be available on most cable providers until the end of the month, so definitely watch it while you can. If that’s not a possibility, then I’m sure the show will pop up on DVD in a month or two. If you have any opinions or questions about the PPV or this particular review, then please feel free to drop me a comment below or hit me up at royreynolds@4sternstaging.com with your thoughts. As always, I will do my best to return all messages.
