DRAGON GATE
KOBE WORLD PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL 2018
JULY 22, 2018
KOBE WORLD KINEN HALL, HYOGO, JAPAN
Watch: Dragon Gate Network
Meet Our Previewers:
- Michael Spears (@fujiiheya): A host of Open the Voice Gate, Five Star Match Game Dragon System Champion, and random Dragon System-related columnist. Somehow is 2nd in the VOW G1 pick-em at time of publishing when he has watched exactly three NJPW matches since Wrestle Kingdom.
- Case Lowe (@_InYourCase): Voices of Wrestling’s official young boy. Now a legal adult and soon to be a sophomore in college. Current duties include cooking meals for the other writers, mopping the floor and reviewing Dragon Gate major events and the occasional New Japan or US indie show.
- Taylor Maimbourg (@tamaimbo): Taylor is happy to join the DG regulars for his second Dragon Gate preview. You can usually find him in the world of New Japan previews or making frequent guest appearances on Wrestling Omakase.
Pre Show
Yuki Yoshioka vs. Kota Minoura
Michael: During Dragon Gate’s down periods, it’s following the rookies that keep me in the promotion. It’s probably a function of me being a baseball fan that I find following prospects so rewarding. Yoshioka’s been solid since returning from injury, but is firmly last in his class (who knows when or if we’ll see Takeshima again). With guys like Oji Shiiba and Minoura around, it’s time for him to start to step it up. He’s getting to have two matches on a Kobe World. Minoura’s still too raw to forecast how he’ll end up.
Prediction: Draw
Excitement Level: 5
Case: Kota Minoura just debuted at the July Korakuen show. Dragon Gate never unveils a rookie that lacks potential, it’s just a matter of what they do with it. Because he’s so young to the company, the question isn’t whether or not he’ll win, as I see zero chance of that happening, but rather will Yoshioka be able to pull off a victory. There’s a chance that Minoura can outlast a Yoshioka onslaught and cause the match to go to a draw.
Prediction: Yuki Yoshioka
Excitement Level: 4
Taylor: The first few matches of a rookie are always exciting to me, as we start to learn exactly what kind of wrestler they are. Minoura enters a company going through a lot of change, and it will be interesting to see if the possible changes happening closer to the top of the card reverberate all the down to the rookies at the bottom. Minoura will be across the ring from Yuki Yoshioka, who has developed in a solid hand, but has not done much to stand out. I’m hopeful that he starts to step it up more, but I’m not sure that will happen in this match across the ring from a just recently debuted wrestler.
Prediction: Yuki Yoshioka
Excitement Level: 5
Gamma, K-ness., “brother” YASSHI, Problem Dragon & Shachihoko Boy vs. U-T, Kaito Ishida, Shun Skywalker, Hyo Watanabe & Yuki Yoshioka
Michael: It’s your annual Island of Misfit Toys getting everyone on the show opener. You’ve got four much older guys with most of Gamma, K-Ness. YASSHI and BOY having wrestled since the other side was still in pre school. If you add up all the experience on the U-T team, you’d probably end up with as much as Mondai Ryu, and much less than the rest of his partners. The big thing coming out of the OG disbands is what will happen to Ishida. His neck injury in 2017 stalled his development so the next few months will be the time to figure out what is he in the DGE era. I spent a paragraph talking about years wrestling and Ishida, because there is absolutely nothing to this match or to my excitement of it.
Prediction: Gamma, K-Ness., “brother” YASSHI, Problem Dragon, & Shachihoko BOY
Excitement Level: .5
Case: Yoshioka will be pulling double duty, thanks to an injury from Oji Shiiba. This match is full of scrubs. Somehow, U-T is my favorite worker in this match. Maybe he and K-Ness will work extra hard and this will be something memorable, but the fact that this match has been slopped together like this says a lot about the Dragon Gate undercard. These are not stars. These are dorks. It’s not that this will be a bad match, but there’s nothing that gets my blood pumping.
Prediction: Gamma, K-Ness, “brother” YASSHI, Problem Dragon, & Shachihoko BOY
Excitement Level: 1
Taylor: A “get everyone on the show match” with every wrestler with nothing to do being thrown in together. The U-T led side is of much more interest to me, as with younger wrestlers like Minoura debuting, it is now time for them to start moving onto the next stage of their wrestling careers. Skywalker started that transition earlier in the year by participating in the King of Gate tournament, but it will be interesting to see how Hyo develops. This match also has a handful of ex-Over Generation members, and as is always the case post-disbandment, it will be interesting to see if this match and this show give us any hints into the future of the former OGs. The most interesting case is Kaito Ishida, who has seemingly stalled out a bit and could really use the kick that joining a new unit usually provides.
Prediction: Gamma, K-Ness, “brother” YASSHI, Problem Dragon, & Shachihoko BOY
Excitement Level: 2
Ryo Saito vs. “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa
Michael: SaiRyo’s someone that I either really love his shenanigans (playing Sumo with Don Fujii, acting like a Middle School Vice Principal) or I check out immediately (his never ending storyline with Shingo Takagi). The rookie stuff was fine, it never was the big focus of a card, and gave him a storyline for KING OF GATE. Stalker’s here because the usual legends that would put up with his hijinks are elsewhere on the card. That’s probably more of an indictment of this all-time bad Kobe World card than anything else we’re going to write today.
Prediction: Ryo Saito
Excitement Level: 1
Case: Ryo Saito’s character arc after Dead or Alive has been fascinating. I liked his young boy act, then I hated it, but by the time the gimmick concluded, I loved it again. His hard work pays off with a singles match against Stalker Ichikawa. With all the legends on this show, it’s a shame that Saito is being thrown into a Stalker singles match, but here we are. I’m sure it will be fine.
Prediction: Ryo Saito
Excitement Level: 2
Taylor: Like both Michael and Case, I have run hot and cold on Saito post-Dead or Alive, and I would probably go into a Saito Kobe World singles match with trepidation, but he’s facing Stalker Ichikawa, and I love Stalker, so I’ll probably end up having a great time with this match. Will it be a high quality MOTY-type singles match? Not a chance. But I always enjoy watching Stalker, and with this match pretty low on the undercard, I’m sure they’ll keep this short and sweet.
Prediction: Ryo Saito
Excitement Level: 4
Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match
Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka & Genki Horiguchi © vs. Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida & Masato Tanaka (ZERO1)
Michael: Here’s something to sink my teeth into. This Natural Vibes champion team has been the highlight of the company in the DGE era: An incredibly flowing trios team that meshes incredibly well, an unit that’s light-hearted fun, and a dance that can remind the old heads of the halcyon days of Do FIXER. Kzy’s last twelve months was one of the few highpoints of Dragon Gate’s year with solid matches and a steady push that led to an outstanding Dream Gate challenge along with his first unit leadership. Antias, is well Antias. VerserK VersioN TwO has had little direction or purpose since it was christened this January, and a challenge team of Kanda/Yoshida and new assistant Tanaka doesn’t give me much hope for it. At least in this iteration, Antias has been an abject failure and the worst heel unit since Deep Drunkers (and you can argue that Deep Drunkers was even better than it). Like Case, I’m excited to see Masato Tanaka’s reaction from Dragon Gate’s hometown crowd and I’m also interested in how he matches up against the NV team, Susumu in particular.
Prediction: Natural Vibes
Excitement Level: 6
Case: At the very least, I’m intrigued by this. I can’t believe that Masato Tanaka is working a Dragon Gate proper show and is aligned with a unit. He wrestled on Kobe World 2015 with Shingo vs. BxB Hulk & Big R Shimizu, but this time, he is fully aligned with Antias. Unfortunately, for as good as Tanaka still is, he is partnering with Yoshida and Kanda, two of the blandest wrestlers going today. Kanda, especially, has been an eyesore lately. Tanaka might not have any help with him, but the unit squaring off against him will surely do their damndest to put on the best match possible. Kzy has had an incredible year, and I have no doubt that Yokosuka and Horiguchi will put on a worthwhile performance. This is the Dragon Gate that Shingo wants vs. the Dragon Gate that the fans want. Kzy represents hope and a bright future, while Tanaka is a hardcore wrestler and an outsider that some native fans simply don’t care about. I am as interested in the crowd reactions as I am who wins and loses.
Prediction: Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, & Genki Horiguchi
Excitement Level: 7
Taylor: Just like when MaxiMuM debuted, the debut of Natural Vibes has given Dragon Gate a little juice at the time they need it the most. Led by Kzy, they’ve had some exciting matches, and I was happy to see them win the Triangle Gate, bucking the recent tradition of new units losing their first few title matches. It also helped that they were going up against MaxiMuM, who has proven that they have a lot of very strong combinations (both tag and six man) that they can send out to the ring on any given night. Unfortunately, their next challenge is less strong. I fall on the side of being intrigued by the addition of Masato Tanaka to Antias, but it would take an extraordinarily talented wrestler to get me interested in a team that has Yasushi Kanda and Takashi Yoshida. It’s a shame, because on a big show like this, I think Tanaka could probably have a match of the night candidate in a singles match or a tag with someone like Eita. Having Tanaka on the show is a bit of a departure from the usual Dragon Gate formula, so I head into the match a bit more unsure of the outcome than usual. It would make most sense to me to keep the titles on Natural Vibes, but with Tanaka joining Antias as an official member, maybe it makes sense to give him a title and make him look strong right out of the gate.
Prediction: Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida and Masato Tanaka
Excitement Level: 6
Open the Brave Gate Championship Match
Dragon Kid © vs. Eita
Michael: Remember how much fun that Kagetora Brave Gate reign was last year with that rivalry with Takehiro Yamamura? Also, remember a few years before that when Akira Tozawa decided that he was the Eternal Brave Gate champion after having an incredible match with Kzy for the belt? That was really great! This feud really isn’t. Eita’s the living product of Dragon Gate’s ills over the last few years: unmotivated, seems like he wants to be elsewhere, and just doing things because it should be something he’s doing. Dragon Kid appeals to the oldest fans, but those are the fans that remember his incredible matches in 2003, and that was fifteen years ago and this isn’t THAT Dragon Kid. DK’s unaffiliated now and who knows where he’s going to go. Eita’s Antias’ Number Two, in theory, and that unit needs something, really anything. This is happening. I bet it’ll be okay (Eita’s Kobe World track history leaves a lot to be desired after the first breakup of T&E). I just struggle to care much about it.
Prediction: Eita
Excitement Level: 2
Case: This will (hopefully) be the conclusion of a very long Dragon Kid vs. Eita story. Dragon Kid did his best to mentor Eita, but the dark side has too much appeal for the youngster. Eita turned his back on Dragon Kid, and here they are. There’s 0% chance Dragon Kid retains. Eita needs to spike him, wipe his hands, and move on. Push the Brave Gate into a new era. Do something new. I respect the story they’ve told here, but like most things in Dragon Gate, I’m over it.
Prediction: Eita
Excitement Level: 5
Taylor: For months and months, T-Hawk, Eita and Lindaman seemed to toil around in Antias, neither progressing nor regressing, but very rarely providing the type of match quality and excitement expected from the higher level wrestlers in a unit. T-Hawk and Lindaman solved the problem for heading for China with CIMA, but Eita stayed behind, and if anything, with T-Hawk and Lindaman gone, Eita’s issues now have an even bigger spotlight. Eita had a superb 2016, but since then has floated along, making almost no impact on a show to show basis. But there’s always hope (for me at least). Defeating Dragon Kid and winning the Brave Gate might be a way to kickstart Eita back to his old and better ways. It’s not like having the Brave Gate on Dragon Kid is lighting the company on fire. His reign, like the last few before him, has been fine, and that’s about it. At a time of transition for Dragon Gate, I will always advocated taking the bigger risk and the bigger chance, and that is putting the title on Eita and seeing what happens.
Prediction: Eita
Excitement Level: 5
International 6 Man Tag Team Match
Kagetora, Yosuke♡Santa Maria & Flamita vs. Naruki Doi, Jason Lee & Bandido
Michael: This is a potentially a banger of a match that is a waste of all six of these wrestlers. Doi’s been the most popular person in the company off-and-on since he left VerserK. Lee has been the most adaptive gaijin in the promotion since PAC. Bandido’s verging on an super indie breakout that started with his first Dragon Gate tour. Kagetora, permanently underrated and just floating out there. Maria, see Kagetora and add in the fact that they never seem to decide if she’s dropping the comedy parts of her gimmick or being forced into that role. Flamita has felt a lot more exciting over the last year in Dragon Gate, and at least he’s not doing his “OH I NEVER LOST THE BRAVE GATE” challenge for the eighth time. So DGE decides to throw all six of them into a somewhat random tag and I’m left wanting. Don’t get me wrong: I think highly of all six and think all of them will put on one of the best matches of the night. Still, I’m certain there is a much better use of them than this match.
Prediction: Kagetora, Yosuke♡Santa Maria, & Flamita
Excitement Level: 4
Case: When I look at the card closely, it hits me that this match has to be in the running for MOTN on paper. Flamita is newly energized with a new workout plan, Jason Lee is Mr. Consistent, and Naruki Doi has really had a great year. Unfortunately, this match means nothing, and despite having a fancy name, the match could be a midcard match on a Korakuen Hall show. Instead, it’s landing in the second half of Kobe World. Hopefully Kagetora shows up, because I have no doubt the other 5 will.
Prediction: Naruki Doi, Jason Lee, & Bandido
Excitement Level: 5
Taylor: This match on paper looks pretty random, but on a card that has some bigger holes than usual, I’m not going to complain too much about getting six great wrestlers together in one ring. The Triangle Gate title match can usually be counted on to bring the fast-paced excitement to any card, but with the match containing both Kanda and Yoshida, I’m not sure it will fit that bill this time. So, that slot may fall to this match. Flamita and Bandido have continued to make huge strides in terms of in-ring skills, and I’m excited to see what they do across the ring from each other. The stakes in this match are pretty low, but if the Triangle Gate match fails to bring the heat, I’m sure that this match will more than make up for it.
Prediction: Kagetora, Yosuke♡Santa Maria & Flamita
Excitement Level: 7
Masaaki Mochizuki, Tatsumi Fujinami & Hiro Saito (Both Dradition) vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara (Fujiwara Gumi), Don Fujii & Punch Tominaga
Michael: The Dragon System has always brought people in for their Kinen Hall shows. It’s usually to entice general puro fans in Hyogo to go to a card they usually wouldn’t and it’d bolster sales for their biggest show of the year. So you’d get random like Minoru Suzuki showing up with zero context, or someone like Tenryu or Sasuke/Hokuto who have a storyline. So this year we get Fujinami, Fujiwara and Saito, combined age of a billion, with the most talented person on the earth around the age of 50 in Mocchy, timeless Don Fujii, and a random Punch Tominaga so we know this is going to be another lighthearted match. I don’t care about this and this is the one of a few Japanese shows I watch live each year and I will probably make breakfast during this match.
Prediction: Mochizuki, Fujinami, & Saito
Excitement Level: 0
Case: Ugh. I don’t like this match. I’m annoyed at this match. I love Mochizuki, and I get that he has old guy pals and they’re going to get booked with him, but we saw Fujiwara go in 2016 and it wasn’t pretty. That match was carried by Masakatsu Funaki, while this time it has to rely on Hiro Saito, Punch Tominaga, and an old and beaten down Tatsumi Fujinami. Fujinami is one of my favorite wrestlers ever, but I don’t want him on this show. I’m sure Fujii will chase someone around the building and it will be gif-worthy, but will this match really be good? I guess we’ll see. This card is something else.
Prediction: Mochizuki, Fujinami, & Hiro Saito
Excitement Level: 4
Taylor: I was hoping that Shingo would bring back some All Japan flavor from his time in the Champion Carnival, but booking ancient guys in multi-man tags is not the flavor I was looking for. If you thought the last match had no stakes, this one might have negative stakes. What is a Dragon Gate’s fan hook into this match? Why should I care about this match? I have no idea, and the fact that this match is third from the top is wild to me. There’s nothing else in this company you could have booked here?
Prediction: Mochizuki, Fujinami and Hiro Saito
Excitement Level: 2
Open the Twin Gate Championship Match
“Big Ben” Big R Shimizu & Ben-K © vs. YAMATO & BxB Hulk
Michael: According to if Hulk can turn back the clock to before he destroyed his body against Shingo Takagi, this can be a very special match. Big Ben gel like many of the other famed Twin Gate team like DoiYoshi, Yokosuka Ichoume and YAMADoi. They also have a powerhouse edge that’s been absent in this division outside of random Cyber Kong reigns and the Zetsurin days. There’s also the ongoing discord in MaxiMuM that’s playing out with Shimizu being an insensitive idiot and getting on Naruki Doi’s nerves every show. I don’t think that’s playing out yet, but I am incredibly excited for how one of the best tag team wrestlers in Dragon System history, YAMATO can play into the bombastic style that Big Ben has pioneered.
Prediction: Big Ben
Excitement Level: 9
Case: If the International Six-Man lets me down, this will almost surely be the MOTN. Big Ben has ruled ever since forming. Other than Kzy, the duo of Ben-K and Big R have been what has kept me coming back to Dragon Gate. I love what these two do. I have thought for years now that Big R is one of the 10 best wrestlers in the world. He always delivers something compelling. This match should be no different. Big R and YAMATO have shown what great chemistry they have in the past, and yes, BxB Hulk still exists. Maybe he can be thrown around for a little bit by Ben-K. That, I would be into. I am genuinely excited about this match, which is a nice feeling. God, I hope it delivers.
Prediction: Big Ben
Excitement Level: 9.5
Taylor: I am a bigger BxB Hulk fan than most, so this match has me pretty jazzed. Dragon Gate has had some bad luck in the past year or so, but they have really hit gold with Ben-K. Ben-K started as a rookie with a ton of potential, but has really taken off in 2018, and his team with Big R has been one of the most exciting aspects of Dragon Gate’s year. I have almost no doubt that this match will deliver in spades, and I’m excited to watch Big Ben’s size and power counteracted by YAMATO and BxB Hulk’s speed and quickness. YAMATO had some struggles with his Dream Gate run, but ever since he lost the title he has really been something to watch. On a card that seems to lack truly impactful matches, this match is going to have a heavy burden to bear, but Dragon Gate has picked an excellent foursome to produce a stellar match.
Prediction: Big Ben
Excitement Level: 10
Open the Dream Gate Championship Match
Masato Yoshino © vs. Shingo Takagi
Michael: This is a match that will determine what era Dragon Gate is entering going forward. It’s reminiscent of the 2008 Kobe World main event of Takagi versus BxB Hulk where they fought for the Dream Gate in a decision match after an hour-long draw and CIMA’s neck injury that forced him to vacate. Takagi’s been very vocal about wanting to take control of the company and fashion it something like the FMW that he loved of his childhood. Yoshino’s now publicly office (and possibly the president after Toru Kido gives up the seat in a few years), and has been one of the most protected people in the company over his entire career. Not to go overboard in NOAH-like puns, but Dragon Gate is a ship on a wild voyage. It recently took on a bunch of water, lost both its captain and first mate along with some of the most talented young crew. Most importantly, it doesn’t know what what path it should sail. Should it continue on the journey they’ve been on for almost 20 years? Should they slightly modify it, and go the new first mate’s direction? Or should they do something completely radical, listen to the angry boatswain, and go to places completely uncharted? Shingo’s the most interesting guy in the company, but I’m reluctant towards them doing a 2015-6 retread so quickly when the big money match for them can be Yoshino versus Doi.
Prediction: Masato Yoshino
Excitement Level: 10
Case: What a mess this is. Yoshino is the standard bearer. He is the chalk pick. He is John Cena in the peak of his colorful t-shirt run. Picking him is always going to be the safe bet. Takagi is the rogue pick. There is a feeling that if he were to win, Dragon Gate would look drastically different when the calendar flips over to August. He could change the way the promotion feels. Dragon Gate has been treading water for so long now that it is fair to say that they are not in a downward spiral, but this is simply an era of the promotion that is not very good. They have been plagued by injuries, yes, but creatively the promotion is not what I have wanted it to be in a very long time. I’m not into FMW-cosplay Shingo, but Shingo represents something different, and now more than ever, that is what I want from Dragon Gate. I don’t know if there’s a right answer to who should win this match, but I’m 60/40 in thinking Shingo is the guy right now.
Prediction: Shingo Takagi
Excitement Level: 8
Taylor: If there has been any benefit to the ugly Dragon Gate split, it has been that Shingo has been wrestling more outside the company, and has really re-established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Anyone who watched Dragon Gate already knew that, but with limited appearances outside the company in year’s past, the world-at-large didn’t get the chance to see it. In terms of Dragon Gate, outside of Yoshino/Doi, I’m not sure there’s a bigger possible match, and that doesn’t even take into account the fact that the match may very well determine the future of the company! Shingo has strong feelings about the way the company should go, but outside of a few Twitter interactions, it’s not clear how much support he has for the changes he wants to put in place. I’ve been pretty bored by all of Dragon Gate’s 2018 output, so I would prefer to see a radical change and see what happens, but the idea of throwing a gigantic Yoshino/Doi title match out the window to try something else does seem risky. The good news is that I’m positive that the match will be great, and the one-two punch with the title match will probably mean the show is guaranteed to end on a high.
Prediction: Masato Yoshino
Excitement Level: 10
