DRAGONGATE
KING OF GATE 2020 – NIGHT TWO
MAY 16, 2020
KOBE LAPIS HALL
KOBE, JAPAN

Watch: Dragon Gate Network

Dragongate’s King of Gate tournament trudges along for another year, this time without fans. Instead of spanning across two different Korakuen Hall dates and shots in Kobe Sambo Hall, Sapporo, and Osaka, these matches are confined to Dragongate’s home base, Kobe Lapis Hall, which is where their studio show Prime Zone is filmed.

KING OF GATE 2020 B BLOCK
KAITO ISHIDA DEF. JASON LEE 

The Brave Gate scene, which has featured these two, Keisuke Okuda, and U-T when he’s healthy, has been the most consistent part of Dragongate over the last calendar year. Lee vs. Ishida was an obvious choice for King of Gate this year, given their in-ring compatibility and their recent rivalry. This was a small step below the YAMATO vs. Ryo Saito match from night one, but still a fine display in the empty arena setting. Ishida has been so over with live crowds as of late that I would’ve loved to have known what this match would’ve sounded like, but alas, we’re in an empty warehouse. 

Ishida’s viciousness when attacking Lee’s leg was delightful. Ishida, despite his small stature, is developing credibility that could eventually lead him to the main event scene. Ishida is the current Brave Gate Champion, but the idea of him submitting Ben-K, Kzy, or even Masaaki Mochizuki no longer seems far-fetched. On this night, his victim was Jason Lee, which is ultimately far less surprising. Lee tapped to Ishida’s deadly ankle lock. ***1/2 

KING OF GATE 2020 B BLOCK
KEISUKE OKUDA DEF. BXB HULK 

Keisuke Okuda pinned one-half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions followed a vicious looking Go 2 Sleep. Okuda has now been on the DG roster for a full year. When he signed on in early May 2019, he was stunningly different, aesthetically and as a wrestler. Naturally, his in-ring style sent him towards Masaaki Mochizuki and the Mochizuki Dojo. Ever since finding a unit last summer, Okuda has become a valuable member of the DG midcard and this win shows that his accession is far from complete. 

The opening match had an aura of youthful energy. Ishida and Lee used their speed to lead into their stiffness. Hulk is so broken down at this point that he has no speed. He’s able to stand and strike with the best of them, though, and so he and Okuda traded shots that were just as powerful as the ones from Ishida and Lee. Okuda has youth on his side, though, thus he was able to outlast Hulk’s blows and eventually get the win. I thought this was a thoroughly entertaining bout. ***1/4 

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KING OF GATE 2020 B BLOCK
KAI DEF. GENKI HORIGUCHI 

Genki Horiguchi attempted to roll up KAI with the Backslide From Heaven in this match and the lack of crowd reaction was genuinely the most jarring thing I’ve seen in an empty arena setting so far. I hope this is the only time I have to watch Horiguchi with no fans and no one sitting around ringside, because seeing him not get reactions for his signature moves sucked, quite frankly. I expect to hear the audience roar when he attempts his dreaded Backslide. Not having that made me incredibly sad. Not even KAI’s wacky rollup that he used to win could cheer me up, although I do love that DG’s adopted son, KAI, now has a win over the 2012 King of Gate champion in a King of Gate tournament. **3/4 

KING OF GATE 2020 B BLOCK
NARUKI DOI DEF. BIG R SHIMIZU 

Open the Dream Gate Champion Naruki Doi does not get paid by the hour. In the shortest match of the tournament thus far, he took out Big R Shimizu with the V9 clutch in just under five minutes. Doi seemed desperate to hit the Bakatare Sliding Kick early on in this bout, and when he finally did, it appeared that Doi had the match wrapped up. While attempting a second Bakatare, Shimizu countered, but Doi is the Dream Gate Champion for a reason, and he was able to evade Shimizu’s attack with the V9, giving him the win. None of the matches in this tournament have overstayed their welcome, but I must admit I do love the sub-five minute display from these two. It’s very digestible in the empty arena setting. ***

FINAL THOUGHTS

The four matches on Night Two clocked in at just over a half-hour of wrestling. You will not find a better thirty minutes of empty arena wrestling from any company in the world. None of these matches were notebook worthy, but every match told a story worthy of being told and the booking remains intriguing yet sensical. Thumbs up for King of Gate Night Two.