DRAGON GATE
OPEN THE NEW YEAR GATE
JANUARY 16, 2018
KORAKUEN HALL – TOKYO, JAPAN

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

KAITO ISHIDA DEF. YUKI YOSHIOKA

A serviceable dark match to kick off the first Dragon Gate Korakuen of the year. Perhaps I am just wishfully thinking for poetic booking, but I would like to see Ishida move up the ranks in 2018, and wrestling in the dark match means he can only go up from here. **1/4

BEN-K, KOTOKA, JASON LEE, & GENKI HORIGUCHI DEF. K-NESS, KAGETORA, MONDAI RYU, & SHUN SKYWALKER

This was a good look at the DG undercard as we head into the new year. Ben-K has held gold, but his lack of experience relegates him back to openers. Kotoka is in a similar boat, although his career of inconsistency is what puts him here. Horiguchi, K-Ness, and Kagetora are still without units, Ryu is always going to be a fall post, Skywalker is a young boy, and Jason Lee has only been in the company for a hot minute. With the exception of Ryu, the sky is the limit for these men.

This was another Dragon Gate Opener; inoffensive, but only mildly interesting at best. The elastic band spot backfired on Horiguchi, Jason Lee continues to look more comfortable, and Shun Skywalker busted out a springboard frog splash that nearly went coast-to-coast. I am here for that.

Ben-K won using the Sodegarami, a submission that is essentially a full nelson, but done in the Crossface position. It looks nice. I hope he uses it more. I’ve never seen him win a match using it before. **1/2

Ben-K picked up a another big win. This Ben-K was not the Ben-K we all saw in 2017. Age and career length are irrelevant. For the sake of Dragon Gate he has to force his way to the top. Antias came out for a confrontation. T-Hawk got into a shoving match with Ben-K. He introduced the new and improved unit to the fans. Verserk was no more, they are now Antias. Lindaman ripped on Shimizu for his losing streak. Were they serious about putting someone in such a state in the main event against a group as powerful as Antias? 

TAKASHI YOSHIDA & YASUSHI KANDA DEF. BXB HULK & U-T

Southern style tag wrestling finds its way onto the Dragon Gate undercard. Yoshida and Kanda beat down U-T, U-T made a desperate tag to BxB Hulk, who cleaned house for a minute, but the strength and pressure of ANTIAS (formerly VerserK) was too much, as they grounded Hulk, and then focused their sights back on U-T, who ate a Powerbomb for the pin. **

SHINGO TAKAGI DEF. PUNCH TOMINAGA

This sub-five minute bout ended in disqualification after Punch plastered Takagi with a chair and then attacked the referee. It was far more entertaining than it had any right to be. Punch jumped Takagi as soon as he got in the ring, and these two proceeded to have a clumsy, out of control brawl that held my interest until the bell rang due to DQ. Takagi never looked like he was going to lose to Punch, but Punch managed to get in a healthy amount of offense, considering who he was squaring off against. I didn’t mind this at all. Due to the brief nature of this contest and the DQ finish, I gave this match NR.

YOSUKE SANTA MARIA, RYOSUKE SANTA MARIA, & HYOSUKE SANTA MARIA DEF. CIMA, GAMMA, & DON FUJII

Don’t watch this match in public. Or near children. Or near anyone, really. I’m not here to kinkshame, I’m just here to say that this wasn’t for me. NR

DEZMOND XAVIER & ZACHARY WENTZ DEF. FLAMITA & BANDIDO

“Xavier has a ton of momentum in AAW after this. If you’re a midwest indie that isn’t booking Xavier, you probably will be soon. He has the potential to be very, very good”

This was written by me, 18 months ago, when Dezmond Xavier squared off against Ricochet. It was Xavier’s first high-profile bout, and I knew from that moment that if he got regular bookings and stuck with it, he’d eventually become a big deal. Soon after, Zachary Wentz came into the picture, and I became desperate for these two to get a Dragon Gate tour.

They’re finally here, and if this match was any indication, they’re going to fit in just fine.

This was as good of a showcase as you’ll see. Everyone in this bout had their chance to shine, whether it was the Flamita/Bandido tower senton, or the ridiculous push-moonsault spot from the Midwest boys. I believe this is the start of Dragon Gate molding two raw talents into superstars. Xavier & Wentz are no different than a Matt Sydal, PAC, or Ricochet when they first debuted. They have all the potential in the world, and I can’t wait to see where they go.

Go out of your way to see this. Very few matches in 2018 will take place that are as fun as this. Turn your mind off, enjoy Korakuen losing their minds for spots they’ve never seen before, and buckle up for what could be the breakout year that Wentz & Xavier deserve. ****1/4

KZY & YAMATO DEF. MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI & SUSUMU YOKOSUKA

Perhaps it was due to the fact that this show was a single cam with no commentary, but something about this match just felt lifeless. I know these four are capable of so much more in the semi-main event for a Korakuen.

The important note about this match is that Kzy pinned Open the Dream Gate champion Masaaki Mochizuki, which set up a Dream Gate match at the Korakuen Hall next month. The finishing stretch of this match was excellent, as Kzy ran full ahead at Mochizuki, hitting a running Canadian Destroyer and then a charging uppercut for the victory.

This match was fine, but what it setup is the important part of this. I am all in on a Kzy vs. Mochizuki Dream Gate match. This will be Kzy’s first one-on-one Dream Gate challenge, as the only other time he was in a Dream Gate match was a 4 vs. 1 handicap match between then champion BxB Hulk and Mad Blankey, represented by Naruki Doi, Cyber Kong, Mondai Ryu, and of course, Kzy. ***1/4

Kzy celebrated yet another victory. This time it was different. Why? Because the man he pinned was Masaaki Mochizuki. The crowd got hot as soon as he said it, knowing what was next. He challenged Mochizuki to a Dream Gate title match. Mochizuki told him he has seen his winning streak and his momentum, but he had dismissed him as all talk with an over reliance on fluke flash pins. Today was neither of those things. He hit him right in the jaw and pinned him. The fans want it and he has earned it. His challenge was accepted. GM Yagi set the match for the 2/7 Korakuen. Mochizuki reminded him that while he might be feeling pretty good right now, this was just a tag match.

EL LINDAMAN, EITA, & T-HAWK DEF. BIG R SHIMIZU, MASATO YOSHINO, & NARUKI DOI

I liked this, but I didn’t love it. MaxiMuM typically cranks it up to another level in their main event matches, but this just failed to shift into next gear. I was ready for this match to pick up and really get going right when it ended. This 17 minute match did give us plenty of fun interactions between Big R and ANTIAS.

We’re at a point now where the Eita’s and T-Hawk’s of the world need to step up to the plate and knock these main event roles out of the park, and being in there with Big R is going to help them do that. He has quietly had some of the best in-ring years over the past few years, and it looks like 2018 will be no different. I really like what he and Eita can do in the ring.

Much like the prior match, this match was all about the finish. El Lindaman planted Big R in the middle of the ring with a Tiger Suplex for the win. Granted, Shimizu is nowhere near the level of a CIMA, Yoshino, or Mochizuki, but he’s a proven threat and a legitimate commodity on the roster, and Lindaman pinning him shows that Lindaman has risen up another rung on the roster. ***3/4  

Final Thoughts:

This was an okay Korakuen. There was nothing wrong with it (mileage may vary on the Yosuke Santa Maria match), but other than the Scarlett & Graves match, nothing jumped off the screen. Check out Wentz & Xavier tear it up and the main event, and then move on with your day. Thumbs in the middle for Dragon Gate’s Open the New Year Gate.