wrestling / Video Reviews
Views from the Hawke’s Nest: DG USA Open the Ultimate Gate 2010
Loading...Jimmy Jacobs and Paul London cut a promo in the back. They had a great odd couple dynamic and should be a regular tag team.
Chikara Sekigun (Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw) vs. Susumu Yokosuka & Genki Horiguchi)
Quack and Genki did a stellar sequence to start the match. In general, the match was very good in the beginning with lots of fun action. They then did an unnecessary heat segment, with Jigsaw’s leg being targeted. Quack made a hot tag. The teams went back and forth. Yokosuka kicked out of the Quackendriver III, and Quack then got to kick out of the Jumbo No Kachi. Quack couldn’t survive the Mugen though.
Yokosuka has some momentum going into his world title match tomorrow.
The first few minutes of the match were absolutely delightful. The match would have benefited and stood out more from just doing that for a few more minutes and then going home instead of turning into a standard independent wrestling match (hashtag run-on sentence). The match was still good and all, but it could have really stood out and been better.
Match Rating: ***
There was an hilariously emo video of Yoshino looking dramatic while Doi stretched.
YAMATO vs. TJP
This was a non-title affair.
YAMATO got the advantage after suckering TJP in with a handshake offer. He then worked TJP over for a bit and somewhat focused on his left leg. There was a sequence where everyone took a low blow (even the referee). Then after avoiding a superplex, TJP made a comeback. YAMATO got an ankle lock and then transitioned into a sleeper. YAMATO then hit a sleeper suplex/brainbuster combination that TJP somehow kicked out of. YAMATO applied a sleeper again to win the match.
This match was fine, but YAMATO did not seem motivated at all to do anything special here.
Match Rating: **1/2
There was ANOTHER emo video. Yoshino looked like he hadn’t moved, but Doi was now replaced by BxB Hulk.
Jimmy Jacobs & Paul London vs. Jon Moxley & Brian Kendrick
London was not really digging the “blood feud” vibe that these crazy cats were going for, man. After Moxley gave Jacobs a Dynamite Suplex that caused them to both land badly. London wrestled himself in the ring because Spanky was hesitant to get into the ring. London then got on the microphone and convinced Spanky to finally get into the ring with him. Spanky ended up giving London repeated low blows to cut him off. London then got worked over for a while. Jacobs eventually made the hot tag. London recovered and got involved again. There was some back and forth action until Spanky caught Jacobs with a small package: 1…2…3
London and Jacobs tried to put Moxley through a table after the match. Spanky pulled London off and tried to get him to stop. Teddy Hart then showed up and yelled at everyone. He then took of his shirt and wiped out Jacobs and Moxley with an unbelievable Asai Moonsault. London and Spanky then attacked Teddy. I guess London decided to be friends with Spanky again? London took out Teddy with a tope suicida. Teddy then hit them with a plancha. I would LOVE to see an interview between everyone involved in this sequence to see if they could explain what was supposed to happen here and why.
The wrestling itself was fine and fairly entertaining. London’s presence was the most compelling aspect to me. I think London brings something truly unique to a wrestling show, and the major companies of today are foolish for not utilizing his talents. That being said, this whole thing just never came together. The post-match sequence was incredibly bizarre and nonsensical. No idea what they were even going for.
Match Rating: **3/4
Masato Yoshino vs. Shingo Takagi
This might be the most intriguing Yoshino singles available during this time period, but I have a feeling it will not add up to much.
Yoshino went after the left arm early on. Takagi fought back and got control. Yoshino came back and started going after the…right arm. And back to the left arm. And back to the right arm. Maybe he’s trying to go after both? They started going back and forth, hitting their trademarked movez. As you might be able to tell, I’m not really feeling this one. Yoshino eventually applied Sol Naciente Kai to make Takagi submit.
Jon Moxley came out and brought Takagi to the back.
This match just felt like a waste of time. At least it set Yoshino up for a Freedom Gate title shot (a concept that DG USA got wrong A LOT during its existence).
While this match featured action performed at a technically superior level to most things on this show so far. I think I found it even less engaging than everything else so far. I’d certainly take Paul London playing a moonchild over this.
Match Rating: **1/2
The Young Bucks cut a backstage promo introducing Jack Evans as their trios partner.
BedxBreakfast Hulk(c) vs. Naruki Doi [Open the Freedom Gate Championship]
BxB Hulk is an awful babyface singles main eventer. He’s a fantastic heel singles main eventer. Can you guess which one he was here?
They took their time to get going in this one. They traded control for a while. Doi avoided a Phoenix Splash and hit a weak Bakutari Sliding Kick for a nearfall. Hulk hit the FTX for a nearfall. Could have sworn that was the EVO, but I could never remember Hulk’s movez. Doi hit the Doi Fives/Bakutari Sliding Kick combo for a very weak nearfall. They kept going back and forth. Hulk eventually hit a bunch of strikes and then finished Doi with H Thunder.
This match fell incredibly flat with me. While you could argue that Yoshino attempted to tell a story of going after Takagi’s arms to set up the finish (I would argue he executed it poorly), this match had *nothing* keeping it together other than the notion that it was important because it was for a belt. I don’t know what happened here, but these two guys looked like they would have preferred to be doing anything but wrestling. The crowd responded in kind with the appropriate amount of apathy.
Match Rating: **
Jack Evans & The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. Warriors (Cima, Dragon Kid, & Gamma) (w/ Genki Horiguchi)
This could overcome the very weak environment that they will be working in. The teams went back and forth for a while early on. The Warriors eventually isolated Evans and worked him over. He escaped, and Nick made a hot tag. The babyfaces hit stereo moonsaults off the stage. The match broke down and the teams went back and forth for a while. Dragon Kid blocked Matt’s 450 portion of MBFYB, and Matt then got an onslaught of big movez from the Warriors. Cima eventually finished him with Meteora.
This was a satisfying main event overall, given the quality of the show. It’s probably one of the weaker DG USA trios matches (back when there were actual Dragon Gate wrestlers in the company), but I was entertained throughout.
Match Rating: ***1/4
We saw Jon Moxley talk at Shingo Takagi. He suggested Takagi has been losing so much because he’s gotten lazy. That caused Takagi to slap him. Moxley then hid behind Christina Von Eerie as he exited the room. They might as well have just shown us the clip of The Dark Knight where The Joker offers to kill “The Batman” for the mob if they give him half his money and then just photoshop Moxley’s face onto The Joker’s. It was that derivative of that.
Check out some of your favorite Dragon Gate wrestlers in free matches!
PAC & Masato Yoshino vs. Naruki Doi & Ricochet
Akira Tozawa vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.
YAMATO vs. Cesaro
Masaaki Mochizuki & Don Fujii vs. Jado & Gedo
YAMATO vs. Jushin Liger
Akira Tozawa vs. Johnny Gargano
Masato Yoshino vs. Ricochet
Masato Yoshino vs. AR Fox
Masato Yoshino vs. Sami Callihan
YAMATO vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
BxB Hulk vs. Gedo
Akira Tozawa vs. El Ligero
Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Cage
Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Arik Cannon
Akira Tozawa & Christian Rose vs. The Kentucky Buffet (Matt Cage & Alex Castle)
Akira Tozawa vs. Davey Vega vs. Gary Jay vs. Dingo vs. JT LaMotta vs. Super-Electro
Akira Tozawa vs. Mat Fitchett
