From The Shelf – Dragon Gate Summer Adventure Tag League 2016 (Part Two)

Dragon Gate Summer Adventure Tag League – Part Two

8-14-16
Hyogo, Japan

Block A-Yosuke Santa Maria & El Lindaman vs. Naruki Doi & brother “YASSHI”
Doi and YASSHI attack to start but Lindaman dumps Doi to the floor and follows with a summersault plancha to come back. Maria dropkicks YASSHI to the floor and she goes for the crossbody off the top to the floor but YASSHI moves. Super Bomb by Doi to Lindaman gets 2. Doi grabs a half crab but Lindaman fights to the floor to break. YASSHI works over Maria and Doi comes in to hit a swinging neck breaker for 2. Doi and YASSHI hit double dropkicks to the legs of Maria and Doi grabs a Figure-4. Maria rolls to the ropes to break. YASSHI works over the leg of Maria and Doi hits a standing summersault senton onto the leg for 2. Doi cranks the bad leg and Maria fights her way to the ropes to break. Maria finally comes back with a springboard dropkick and Lindaman gets the tag. He cleans house on YASSHI and he hits a fireman’s carry driver for 2. Maria fires away on Doi but Doi takes her down with a power bomb. Brainbuster by YASSHI gets 2 as Lindaman saves. YASSHI goes up and misses a flying splash off the top. Corner dropkick by Maria and she follows up with the standing leg drop for 2. Crucifix Bomb by Maria to YASSHI gets 2. Reverse DDT by Doi to Maria and Lindaman fires away on Doi. Lindamn takes Doi over and catches YASSHI with a German suplex for 2. YASSHI goes low on Lindaman and Doi grabs a Boston Crab. YASSHI hits a diving head butt while Lindaman is still in the hold but Lindaman is still able to fight to the ropes. German suplex by YASSHI gets 2 as Maria saves. Maria catches YASSHI with a bridging cradle for 2. Tombstone by YASSHI to Maria and Doi hits Doi 555 to Lindaman. Lindamna comes back with a cross arm breaker attempt. Doi counters back into the half crab and Lindaman gives!!!
Winners- Naruki Doi and brother “YASSHI” ***1/4 ( A much better outing for both team than they have had so far in this tournament. Doi and YASSHI were perfect villains to play off of Lindaman and Maria and made Maria the perfect baby face in peril in this match. Everything here was solid but never went into that second gear and they probably did a bit too much at the finish but I appreciate the leg work and the battle for the half crab paying off for Doi at the finish. )

Block B- Dragon Kid & Eita vs. Big R. Shimizu & Akira Tozawa
Tozawa and Eita grapple to start and we reach a stalemate. Shimizu trucks Kid and Tozawa grabs a chin lock on Kid. Kid makes the ropes to break and Shimizu hits a suplex. Kid fires away and Eita comes in to work a cravat on Shimizu. Shimizu rams Eita repeatedly into the corner to break and Tozawa tags in. They trade blows and Tozawa drills Eita with a straight right. Tag to Shimizu and he hits a fall-a-way slam for 2. Boston Crab by Shimizu but Eita fights to the ropes to break. Big splash by Shimizu gets 2. Eita catches Tozawa with a missile dropkick and Kid finally tags in. Springboard hurricanrana sends Shimizu to the floor and he and Eita hit stereo dives to the floor!!! Back in, Tozawa hits a bicycle kick on Kid but Kid answers back with a Stunner. Octopus by Kid but Shimizu breaks it up. Dropkick to the leg by Eita to Shimizu and but Shimizu comes back with a spine buster for 2. Shimizu trucks Kid and Eita and he hits Sky High on Kid for 2. Tozawa goes up but Eita stops him and follows up. He holds Tozawa up for the super Frankensteiner off the top and Eita follows up with a flying knee strike for 2!!! They go up and Tozawa takes Eita off the top with a superplex. Tozawa goes up and hits a back senton off the top. Shimizu follows up with a flying splash off the top for 2 as Kid saves. Samoan Drop to Kid by Shimizu and Eita catches Tozawa with a super kick. Tozawa answers back with a release German suplex but runs into the Dragonrana from Kid!!! Numero Uno by Eita to Tozawa but Shimizu is able to break it up!!! Shimzu and Eita trade counters, ending in Shimizu drilling Eita with a lariat. Eita counters the Chokeslam into Numero Uno!!! Tozawa tries to break it up but Kid grabs him and Shimizu is forced to tap!!!
Winners- Dragon Kid & Eita ***3/4 ( Easily the best match of the tournament so far, this was a blast. The early portion was sloppy but once Shimizu started tossing around Kid and Eita it finally set the tone for the match. Shimizu got to look like a total best and Kid and Eita had to resort to their speed and incredible counters to try and contain the big man while simultaneously trying to fend off the feisty Tozawa.)

Block B- Shingo Takagi & Cyber Kong vs. BxB Hulk & YAMATO
Shingo backdrops Hulk to start but Hulk comes back with a series of kicks, finishing off Shingo with a spinning heel kick. Tags to YAMATO and Kong. YAMATO knocks Kong to the floor and he brings Shingo into the ring to work him over. YAMATO and Hulk take turns working over Shingo and Hulk hits an axe kick. YAMATO and Shingo trade blows and Shingo catches both him and Hulk with a flatliner/DDT combo. Kong and Shingo clothesline them to the floor and they work them over on the floor. Back in, Shingo hits the slingshot double stomp on YAMATO and Kong hits a back senton for 2. Swinging neck breaker by Shingo to YAMATO and he throws some knees at YAMATO. Kong hits a big splash onto YAMATO and YAMATO begins to trade blows with Shingo. YAMATO cuts Shingo off with a dropkick and Hulk tags in. Hulk fires away with kicks and he hits a springboard dropkick knocking Shingo to the floor. Hulk sweeps the legs of Kong into the standing corkscrew press for 2. Second rope lariat by Kong to Hulk and he hits a Jackhammer on Hulk for 2. Kong and Shingo accidently collide with each other, allowing YAMATO to catch Kong with a slam. Dropkick to the back/exploder suplex combo by YAMATO and Hulk gets 2. Double clothesline by Kong and Shingo hits the Ally-Oop on Hulk for 2. Shingo goes up and hits the backward flying elbow drop. Kong follows up and hits the regular flying elbow drop for 2. Kong goes up and they hit the Doomsday Device on Hulk for 2 as YAMATO saves!!! Corner dropkick by YAMATO to Shingo and he hits the kick to the head. Brainbuster by YAMATO gets 2. Springboard spinning heel kick by Hulk gets 2. Gallrea by YAMATO but Kong immediately follows with a release half nelson suplex. Screwdriver to Hulk and YAMATO catches him with an enzuigiri. Kong blocks the hurricanrana and hits the power bomb. Pumping Bomber by Shingo and Kong follows up with one of his own for 2!!! Made in Japan by Shingo gets 2 as Hulk saves!!! Northern Lights Driver by Hulk to Shingo but Kong catches him with a lariat. YAMATO catches Kong with the sleeper and Kong starts to go out but the time limit expires!!!!
Match ends in a 20 Minute Draw **** ( Well, I spoke too soon. This was easily the best match of the tournament so far. The first half of this was the Shingo Takagi show, as he completely carried the load on his squad and made the first half interesting. The final stretch was phenomenal, filled with incredible drama and some of the sequences toward the finish had the epic feel to them that I felt during the YAMATO/Shingo match in Kobe. I loved the way they pulled off the draw too, with YAMATO just moments away from making the monster pass out but time just wasn’t on his side.)

8-21-16
Fukuoka, Japan

Block B- Masaaki Mochizuki & Futa Nakamura vs. Shingo Takagi & Cyber Kong
Nakamura actually attacks Shingo to start!!! They trade blows and Nakamura overpowers him. Kong overpowers Mochizuki and Mochizuki slams him and follows up with a kick to the back. Double clothesline by Kong and Shingo nails Nakamura in the back with a chair. He suplexes Nakamura on the floor and back in, Kong hits a back senton. Suplex by Shingo and he hits a knee drop for 2. Slam by Shingo and he hits a back senton. Kong follows up with a big splash for 2. Nakamura comes back with a back drop and he catches Shingo with a Spear. Tag to Mochizuki and he catches Shingo with a springboard dropkick. Shingo cuts him off with a swinging neck breaker and Mochizuki answers back with an Yakuza kick. Nakamura and Mochizuki throw some kicks and Nakamura grabs a gut wrench submission. Kong breaks it up and he catches Mochizuki with a lariat for 2. Nakamura catches Shingo in the Anaconda Vice but Kong breaks it up with a release German suplex. Shingo slams him and follows up with a falling elbow drop off the second rope. Flying elbow drop by Kong gets 2 as Mochizuki saves. Shingo throws some lariats and he hits a Saito suplex for 2. Pumping Bomber by Shingo gets 3.
Winners- Shingo Takagi & Cyber Kong ***1/4 ( Solid match. Loved that Nakamura was the focus of the entire match, as he tried so hard to prove his strength and his abilities but bit off more than he can chew from two of the biggest and toughest men in the promotion. Good storytelling that shined a big light on Nakamura who continues to show that he will become a big star down the line for the promotion. )

Block A- Ryo “Jimmy” Saito & Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! vs. Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy Kagetora
Kagetora and Genki grapple to start and they reach a stalemate. Saito and Susumu trade chops and Saito hits a hurricanrana. Susumu answers back with a lariat and Kagetora and Genki clear house with missile dropkicks. Saito and Genki take turns working over the arm of Kagetora and Kagetora backs Saito into his corner to get separation. Susumu and Saito trade slaps and Saito cuts him off with a slam. Tag to Genki and he works the leg of Susumu. Kagetora comes in and Genki catches him with a Tornado DDT. Kagetora comes back with an enzuigiri to Saito and Susumu tags in. He works Saito over in the corner and Susumu catches him with a knee to the midsection. They trade blows and Kagetora cuts him off with a slingshot dropkick followed by the Shining Wizard for 2. Saito fights back and he catches Kagetora with an onverhead belly to belly suplex. Genki comes in and catches Susumu with a hurricanrana. Reverse DDT by Genki gets 2. Lionsault eats knees and Genki comes back with a hurricanrana. Suplex by Susumu and Kagetora catches Saito with a leaping clothesline. Hurricanrana by Saito and Genki presses Kagetora into a German suplex from Saito. Brainbuster by Genki gets 2!!! Saito leaps off the top but Susumu meets with a lariat. Enzuigiri/DVD combo by the champs and Kagetora goes up. Flying elbow drop onto Genki gets 2. They go up and Susumu takes Genki off the top with the Exploder superplex. Saito immediately follows with the big splash for 2 as Kagetora saves. 619 by Kagetora and Susumu throws some lariats at Saito. Saito comes back with a German suplex but runs right into Jumbo No Kachi. Two Dragon suplexes by Saito gets 2 and Genki gets the Backslide From Heaven for 2 as Kagetora saves. Gurumakakari by Kagetora gets 2 as Saito saves. Jumbo No Kachi by Susumu to Genki gets 2. Backslide from Heaven again by Genki gets 2. Cradle by Kagetora gets 2 and Genki rolls right into the Backslide From Heaven for 3!!!
Winners- Ryo “Jimmy” Saito & Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! ***1/2 ( Really fun match. Just a really enjoyable back and forward match between four men very familiar with one another. Everyone got a chance to get their usual stuff in and the final few minutes was a fun, frantic race to the finish and the veteran Jimmyz team scored the upset victory over the champs. )

Block B- CIMA & Gamma vs. YAMATO & BxB Hulk
Gamma throws some chops at Hulk to start and Hulk catches him in the Bow and Arrow so Gamma quickly escapes. Gamma and CIMA catch YAMATO with a double dropkick and Gamma hits a basement dropkick on Hulk. YAMATO catches him with a corner dropkick and he and Hulk double team CIMA. Hulk throws some kicks at Gamma and he grabs a half crab. CIMA breaks it up with an enzuigiri and YAMATO and Hulk now start double teaming Gamma. Axe kick by Hulk gets 2 and YAMATO works over Gamma. Tag to Hulk and he grabs a Cobra Clutch. He turns it into a T-Bone suplex for 2. Gamma comes back with an enzuigiri and he connects with a tilt-a-whirl head scissors on Hulk. CIMA comes in and hits a double stomp onto Hulk. He catches YAMATO with a suicide dive and comes back in with a missile dropkick on Hulk. Hulk throws some kicks and he sweeps the legs of CIMA before hitting a standing corkscrew senton for 2. Kicks to the chest by Hulk and CIMA comes back with an enzuigiri. Lungblower in the corner by CIMA and he and Gamma hit a top rope double stomp/dominator combo onto Hulk for 2 as YAMATO saves. High kick by Gamma but YAMATO immediately catches him in the sleeper. Gamma goes low to break and Hulk catches him with a springboard spinning heel kick. Dropkick to the back/exploder combo by YAMATO and Hulk gets 2. YAMATO goes up but CIMA stops him and follows up. Fisherman’s Superplex by CIMA and Gamma follows up with a lariat for 2. Dominator by Gamma and CIMA follows with the Backdrop Hold for 2 as Hulk saves. Dropkick by CIMA but Hulk comes back with one of his own. Gamma drills him with a lariat and CIMA hits the Perfect Driver. Double super kick to YAMATO and they go up. Stereo Coast to Coasts to YAMATO and Gamma hits the Air Raid Crash. CIMA misses the Meteora and Hulk hits First Flash. A second one by Hulk and YAMATO catches him with Gallarea for 3!!!
Winners- YAMATO & BxB Hulk ***3/4 (Another really fun match. It had a grittier feel to it that most of the flashy sequence heavy matches in the corner. CIMA and Gamma worked a really smart strategy of isolating and targeting Hulk but in the end they could not totally avoid YAMATO who is just at another level and racked up yet another big pinfall in this tournament. )

Block A- Masato Yoshino & T-Hawk vs. Naruki Doi & “brother” YASSHI
Yoshino catches Doi with a shotgun dropkick to start. T-Hawk trucks YASSHI and Yoshino throws some chops in the corner. Delayed suplex by T-Hawk gets 2. YASSHI takes Yoshino down by the hair and Doi begins to work him over. Doi whips Yoshino with a turnbuckle pad and he sends Yoshino into the exposed corner. YASSHI does the same and they both send T-Hawk into the exposed corner. Double dropkick to the legs of Yoshino and Doi grabs the Figure-4. Yoshino is able to fight to the ropes to force the break. Yoshino catches Doi with a dropkick and T-Hawk tags in. He fires away and YASSHI charges but misses and hits the post shoulder first. Moonsault press to the floor by Yoshino!!! Back in, T-Hawk catches YASSHI with the sit-out spine buster for 2. Spinning heel kick by YASSHI and he hits a basement seated senton in the corner. Doi slams YASSHI into T-Hawk in the corner and YASSHI follows up with a Brainbuster for 2. Yoshino catches YASSHI with a missile dropkick for 2. Inverted atomic drop followed by the standing Blockbuster by YASSHI. He goes up but T-Hawk stops him and Yoshino follows up. Doi catches Yoshino and they hit the Doomsday Blockbuster for 2. Yoshino catches Doi with a lariat and T-Hawk hits Splash Mountain for 2. Doi catches T-Hawk with a cradle for 2. He throws some slaps but T-Hawk presses him into a knee lift. Night Ride by T-Hawk gets 2!!! Yoshino grabs Sol Naciente but YASSHI breaks it up with the diving head butt. Tombstone by YASSHI and he hits a release Dragon suplex on T-Hawk. Bakatare Sliding Kick in the corner by Doi and YASSHI rolls him up for 2. A second Bakatare Sliding Kick by Doi gets 2. Doi 555 followed by a third Bakatare Sliding Kick by Doi gets 3!!!
Winners- Naruki Doi & “brother” YASSHI ***1/2 ( Really good main event and the best outing from Doi and YASSHI so far. They worked a great heel style match, using dirty tactics to gain the upper hand and it really let YASSHI put on his best individual performance to date. Yoshino and T-Hawk played their roles of making Doi and YASSHI look like killers to perfection and now the Verserk unit has all the momentum as the tournament moves to the closing stretch. )

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

This was a big step in quality from the first day double header. Both shows produced a fun collection of tag team matches and it semmed as though all the teams finally found their chemistry and defined their roles in the tournament and the results were more heated and more exciting contests. The YAMATO/Hulk vs. Shingo/Kong match was the standout as it blended the importance of the tournament with the animosity and hatred both teams shared with one another. I'm not thrilled with Naruki Doi & "brother" YASSHI being the leaders at this point but they have at least been built as an unstoppable force that hopefully a better team will conquer later in the tournament. These matches were incredibly fun to watch and this time around they're worth seeking out.