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BG Says: Dragon Gate Infinity 93
By Brad Garoon | August 20, 2008
The Pro Wrestling Festival PPV takes shape.
July 10, 2008 – Tokyo, Japan
The show starts with the announcement that because of CIMA’s injury he’ll be unable even to wrestle Stalker Ichikawa in their scheduled rehab match. Real Hazard attacked Ichikawa, with YAMATO taunting CIMA and talking his place in the match against Ishikawa. During the beat down in June, Ichikawa was surprisingly able to fight off YAMATO, and he even pinned him in a subsequent eight-man tag match.
Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa VS. YAMATO
Ichikawa is looking like an MMA fighter, wearing gloves and no boots. He starts in control with strikes. He goes for a cross armbreaker but YAMATO counters to a powerbomb. YAMATO puts on a rear naked choke. He releases and walks around the ring. The referee calls the match on account of Ichikawa being knocked out at 1:35. Not sure what the point of that was.
Rating: ¼*
YAMATO taunts CIMA after the match. CIMA is forced to run from YAMATO because of his injury, but Genki Horiguchi and Yasushi Kanda get involved and chase him into the ring. A beating seems inevitable. CIMA hits a desperation superkick on Kanda and starts to escape but Tokyo Gurentai and the rest of Real Hazard cut him off and bring him back to the ring. Kanda talks about getting his head shaved at the last PPV and says he’s going to shave CIMA’s head. Before too much hair can be shaved Shingo Takagi runs out and puts a stop to it. They ignore him and physically restrain him while they shave more of CIMA’s hair. Typhoon finally runs out to chase the heels from the ring. Anthony W. Mori is ready for his match against TAKEMURA, and he gets it going with a dive.
Anthony W. Mori VS. TAKEMURA
Mori makes a chair pile and goes for a suplex. TAKEMURA blocks and hits a bodyslam on the pile. The rest of the heels get some shots in on Mori. TAKEMURA hits a back elbow for 2. He hits a German suplex for 2. Mori grabs a triangle choke and holds onto it through a powerbomb. TAKEMURA hits a DVD to escape. He hits a clothesline in the corner. Mori gets a crucifix pin for 2. He hits a dropkick. TAKEMURA powers through and hits another clothesline. Mori gets Elegant Magic for the win at 4:13 shown of 6:24. Decent enough considering who was wrestling. The heels beat Mori down after the match.
Rating: *½
They show a video package highlighting the Twin Gate champs Ryo Saito & Susumu Yokosuka. They’ve been pretty much unstoppable, but Tokyo Gurentai have been causing them problems. After defeating a Tozawajuku team in a six-man tag match Gurentai attacked the champs. Taku Iwasa and Kenichiro Arai took offense, so a number one contenders match was made between the two teams.
NOSAWA Rongai & MAZADA VS. Kenichiro Arai & Taku Iwasa [Number One Contenders Match]
Everyone brawls to start. Rongai and Arai fence with chairs. Arai misses a dropkick but dodges a chair shot. He hits a springboard dropkick. Iwasa hits MAZADA with a shoulder tackle. Arai hits a double stomp over Iwasa’s knees. MAZADA hits a Manhattan drop and a clothesline. Rongai tags in and holds Arai for a dropkick from MAZADA. He and MAZADA crotch Iwasa against the post. They hit a double flapjack and a double wheelbarrow suplex for 2. Rongai hits Arai with a low blow. Arai hits a spinebuster. He drop toeholds MAZADA into Rongai’s crotch. He headbutts MAZADA’s crotch. Iwasa tags in and cleans house with clotheslines. Arai hits a double stomp over Iwasa’s knees for 2 after a cool psych out. He hits Rongai with a suicide dive. Real Hazard gangs up on Iwasa in the corner. When did they get there? Tozawajuku gangs up on Rongai in the corner. El Generico is in the group! Rongai and MAZADA hit a Shining Wizard and a German suplex on Arai. Kanda hits Iwasa with the blue box. TAKEMURA hits Arai with a superbomb, getting 2 for Rongai. MAZADA hits a fisherman driver for 2. Rongai nails Arai with a chair shot for the win at 7:31 shown of 10:25. Last week I said that the overbooking in the main event would have worked if it led to something. Here it led to the undeserving heels getting an undeserved title shot on PPV. It served a purpose, but a purpose that makes me sad all day.
Rating: **¼
It’s time for the Dragon Gate Digest. First up is El Generico’s induction into Tozawajuku. He led a team including Akira Tozawa & Shinobu to victory over Gamma, Horiguchi & Kanda. Also on this show Masaaki Mochizuki & Don Fujii defeated Dragon Kid & PAC. And finally the Twin Gate champs defeated Naoki Tanisaki & m.c.KZ in a match with a crowd that was eager to see KZ get the win.
Shingo Takagi, Cyber Kong & YAMATO VS. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & BxB Hulk
They play up the upcoming title match between Takagi and Hulk in the pre-match video, showing clips from their draw last week. Hulk and Takagi start. They trade strikes in an exchange that Hulk wins. Takagi hits a back suplex. Hulk regains control with kicks. Takagi hits a sleeper suplex for 2. Kong and Yoshino come into the match. Kong hits a press slam. Yoshino dropkicks his knee. Doi and YAMATO tag into the match. Doi stacks YAMATO and Takagi in the corner and hits the Dai Bosou. Kong hits him with an avalanche and the Cyber Cutter for 2. Doi hits an elbow and a dropkick in the ropes. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. Hulk and Takagi tag into the match. Hulk hits the uranage but misses a moonsault. He hits a legsweep and a senton. Takagi goes for the EVO but Hulk hits an inverted DDT for 2. Takagi hits a DDT. He hits the Gallon Toss for 2. Hulk hits the EVO on the apron. Yoshino hits YAMATO with a sleeper slam. He dropkicks Takagi and hits a senton on YAMATO. Hulk hits a standing shooting star press for 2. Kong elbowdrops Takagi by mistake. Takagi and Kong come back with the Doomsday Device on Hulk for 2. YAMATO hits Hulk with a brainbuster for 2. Takagi hits a clothesline in the corner. He hits the second rope Original Falconry for 2. He hits clotheslines on Hulk and Doi. Yoshino hits a Blue Thunder Bomb. Doi hits the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2. He and Yoshino hit a Torbellino Bomb for 2. Hulk kicks Takagi’s head off for 2. Kong helps YAMATO hits Yoshino with an exploder. Kong hits an avalanche and the Pineapple Bomber for 2. Takagi hits the Blood Fall for 2. He and Hulk trade strikes. He hits the Pumping Bomber. Hulk hits the FTX. Takagi hits a Cactus Clothesline. Kong hits Doi with an avalanche. Yoshino puts on From Jungle but Kong escapes with a powerbomb. YAMATO hits the Galleria for 2. Yoshino hits Kong with an impressive backdrop. Kong hits a lariat for 2. He hits the Cyber Bomb for the win at 14:15 shown of 24:53. Sure these six-man tags are interchangeable, but they’re also an absurd amount of fun.
Rating: ***¾
So now the PPV has pretty much taken shape. Here’s the card:
~Akira Tozawa, Yuki Ono & El Generico VS. Super Shisa, Shisa BOY & K-ness
~Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa VS. The Great Sasuke
~Taku Iwasa & Keni’chiro Arai VS. Cyber Kong & TAKEMURA
~Open the Brave Gate Match: m.c.KZ VS. Genki Horiguchi
~Open the Twin Gate Match: Ryo Saito & Susumu Yokosuka VS. NOSAWA Rongai & MAZADA
~Open the Triangle Gate Match: YAMATO, Yasushi Kanda & Gamma VS. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Naoki Tanisaki VS. Dragon Kid, Anthony W. Mori & PAC VS. Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii & Magnitude Kishiwada
~Open the Dream Gate Match: Shingo Takagi VS. BxB Hulk
Topics: Dragon Gate Reviews |