DRAGON GATE
KING OF GATE
JUNE 1, 2017
KORAKUEN HALL – TOKYO, JAPAN

Translations: IHeartDG.com / Watch: NicoNico (Guide on Ordering via NicoNico)

CIMA, DRAGON KID, EITA & GAMMA DEF. GENKI HORIGUCHI, JIMMY KANDA, JIMMY KNESS J.K.S., & DON FUJII

This was my favorite opener in recent memory. Other than Gamma and Horiguchi, who I forgot were in this match until the very end, everyone worked hard. It was great seeing Kanda and Kness have a chance to shine in Korakuen. It looked like Kness was going to actually pin Eita with his signature Hikari no Wa, but Eita kicked out at a deep two. Jimmy Kanda would eat a pin moments later on a Crucifix/Dropkick combo from CK-1. Very fun way to kick things off. ***1/2

EL LINDAMAN & TAKASHI YOSHIDA DEF. KZY & YOSUKE SANTA MARIA

Kzy continues to make the most of these minor undercard opportunities. He brings everyone up with him. There was a portion of this match that wasn’t terribly bad as much as it was dreadfully boring, but once Kzy got hot, everything about this match picked up. His valiant and entertaining effort was all for not, however, as Lindaman was able to pin his former romantic interest, Yosuke Santa Maria, with a Tiger Suplex for the win. **3/4

KING OF GATE 2017: C BLOCK
NARUKI DOI DEF. TAKEHIRO YAMAMURA

I was surprised that this match got 15 minutes. Yamamura started things off with a huge dive to the outside, but struggled to maintain control after that. Doi worked him over for a lengthy period of time before Yamamura even attempted a comeback. While I wasn’t crazy about Doi’s heat portion, I greatly enjoyed Yamamura’s comeback.

Dragon Gate has done an amazing job with Yamamura. A month prior, he picked up a bizarre submission victory over CIMA. It was another moment that established Yamamura as a major threat, but it didn’t come across like Yamamura was clearly better than CIMA. This match tried to establish that Yamamura was on the same level as Doi. The latter portions of this match were fantastic, as the two traded strikes with neither being able to take full control of the match. Yamamura came up short on this night, eating a Bakatare Sliding Kick just after the 15 minute mark. This was another effective loss for Yamamura. He gained something from this. ***1/2

KING OF GATE 2017: A BLOCK
BIG R SHIMIZU DEF. YAMATO

Three minutes! That’s all it took for Big R Shimizu to pin the current Open the Dream Gate champion. He jumped YAMATO before the bell, and although YAMATO had a few moments of hope, Shimizu barely broke a sweat, dropping the champion with two consecutive Shot-Put Slams before pinning him. Korakuen was shocked, as was I. This was awesome. ***3/4

MASATO YOSHINO, KOTOKA, & BEN-K DEF. MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI, RYO SAITO, & JIMMY KAGETORA

These MaxiMum vs. Jimmyz tags continue to deliver at an unbelieveable level. MaxiMum’s unit mates compliment each other so well. Yoshino being in there with a big man, either Ben-K, Big R, or both, is a great combination. Add in Doi, who has chemistry with the aforementioned three, and then Kotoka, who, despite the inevitable future of becoming a fall post for the team, has been ridiculously exciting in all of these matches, and you have maybe the most exciting unit since the formation of Monster Express. They work together on an unreal level.

Kotoka was the star of this match. He bounced off of The Jimmyz and Mochizuki for the entire match. He’s shown glimpses of greatness in the past, but I think he’s on the best month-long run of his career. He’s finally put it together as an exciting, underdog babyface that can surprise anyone on the roster. On this night, it was Ryo Saito, who ate a double stomp to the face for the three count. Outstanding match. ****1/4

“Kotoka admitted that he has been injured a lot recently, but with how often Horiguchi loses, that makes him the weakest. After more arguing, the two sides agreed to settle things in all out war. Yoshino said that even though they only had 5 members to the Jimmyz 6, they would gladly fight under those terms. DoiYoshi was more than enough to make up the difference. Saito was livid over losing to that jobber Kotoka. He disagreed that MaxiMuM would have a chance under 6 on 5 rules with their 3 greenhorns. It would be more like 6 on 2. He said Kagetora would bow out, and it would be 5 on 5. Yoshino agreed, and proposed having the match under Naniwa Elimination Rules. GM Yagi set the match for the July Korakuen, but was adding one stipulation of his own. To decide who was the weakest link between Kotoka & Horiguchi, he was naming them as captains and adding Captains’ Fall rules to the match.” IHeartDG.com

KING OF GATE 2017: B BLOCK
JIMMY SUSUMU DEF. T-HAWK

I was not a fan of their prior match, which was the King of Gate 2014 finals. This felt very similar. Despite being two wrestlers that are actively very good, they do not work towards each other’s strengths. T-Hawk showed no fire in this match. He was a caricature of a hard-nosed, “strong style” fighter, but without the charisma to make it work.

T-Hawk constantly needs to be reinvented. Whenever he makes a change, whether it be his unit alignment or physical appearance, he suddenly becomes interesting for a brief period. That luster quickly wears off. I’m bored of T-Hawk in VerserK. Maybe Jimmy T-Hawk would excite me. Anything other than his current state would light my insides on fire with excitement. For the time being, however, he’s a bore, and one who was nearly decapitated with a Jumbo no Kachi. **3/4

KING OF GATE 2017: D BLOCK
SHINGO TAKAGI DEF. BXB HULK

Every single time these two wrestle, it’s top notch. These two have chemistry that is unmatched. Since 2005, BxB Hulk and Shingo Takagi have created some of the most entertaining, engaging, and creative bouts that I have seen in professional wrestling.

The story tonight was the two battling the time limit. These two have gone 60 minutes in the past, and during their last meeting back in 2014, the two went just over 35 minutes. Tonight they were confined to a 20-minute time limit, and it took a unique brand of cheating from Takagi. He was pesky. His cheating in this match was not that of a brute, or a gym class bully, but rather a petrified man afraid that his arch rival might upstage him. Shingo Takagi can’t stomach losing to BxB Hulk, because BxB Hulk is everything that Shingo Takagi is not.

This was phenomenal wrestling. The hate, the athleticism, and the story told was something to behold. These two, unlike Susumu and T-Hawk, bring out the best in each other. Hulk and Takagi do their best work against each other, and this was just another example of that. ****1/2

“Hulk asked Takagi if he really was satisfied with taking shortcuts and fighting like a coward. After more arguing and fighting, GM Yagi intervened. He set up a YAMATO & Hulk vs. Takagi & T-Hawk tag match for the July Korakuen. Takagi was pleased with that idea. Even though they now looking to next month, he demanded no one forget this month and the Shingo Takagi main event victory. Another main event. He has been in how many in a row now? Not YAMATO, not Doi or Yoshino. He was the main event. He was going to win King of Gate and get Dragon Gate back onto his path.” IHeartDG.com

Final Thoughts:

I greatly enjoyed this show. With the lone exception of Yokosuka vs. T-Hawk, everything delivered. The opener was exciting, Big R squashing the champion was exciting, MaxiMum continuing to deliver was exciting, and the main event, of course, was exciting. Dragon Gate still feels like it’s missing something, but this was another positive step in the right direction.