DRAGONGATE
KING OF GATE 2020 – NIGHT FIVE
MAY 23, 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.

BONUS MATCH
SUPER SHISA & HO HO LUN DEF. JIMMY & PROBLEM DRAGON 

The bonus matches are a platform for guys not in the tournament to get some reps in. Jimmy, who’s been stationed in Japan even while shows have been halted, has put on a ridiculous amount of muscle mass. After watching this match, it’s clear that Jimmy doesn’t entirely know what to do with all of that muscle mass. His timing was slightly off, his dives were slightly off, and he just looked off. He will figure it out, but this was a rough performance for him. 

Super Shisa, on the other hand, was a pleasure to watch.  He should’ve been in King of Gate. Low stakes with no crowd – he should’ve been in the tournament. Have him lose to YAMATO, I don’t care, but the more Super Shisa content, the better. He planted Problem Dragon with a Yoshi-Tanic for the win. **1/2 

KING OF GATE 2020 B BLOCK SECOND ROUND
KAITO ISHIDA DEF. KEISUKE OKUDA 

Given the limited resources that we’ll have to work with when it comes to year-end voting this year, I think Kaito Ishida vs. Keisuke Okuda needs to be considered for feud of the year. These two have torn each other apart whenever they’ve gotten the chance this year. They had a very violent, arena-wide brawl on DG’s first empty arena show. Here, in a featured singles match, they ripped into one another with forearm strikes, brutal kicks, and a clever finish that will only prolong the feud. 

There was very little offense in this match other than kicks and punches. Okuda has adapted well to the normalities of the DG house style, but he’s clearly very comfortable dumbing things down and trading strikes with Ishida. That’s when he’s at his best. He and Ishida went to the floor to brawl. As the ring announcer hit “18” on the 20 count, Okuda hopped up onto the apron, attempted a running kick to Ishida, but Ishida grabbed him, pulled him down, and slid in the ring, right before the 20 count. Okuda was left standing on the outside with no resolution. His hate for Ishida blinded him yet again. Had he just gotten back in the ring, he could’ve won the match. He went for a kick, though, and it ultimately cost him. I loved the way this match was laid out. ***1/2 

KING OF GATE 2020 B BLOCK SECOND ROUND
NARUKI DOI DEF. KAI 

Doi won his first round match in four minutes. This battle against KAI was longer, but worked with a similar frantic pace that made his first encounter so exciting. KAI, when he was introduced to Dragongate, was an eyesore. He didn’t look like the other wrestlers, he wasn’t as good as the other wrestlers, and I didn’t want him anywhere near the product. Nearly two years later and KAI has developed into a fine roster member. He’s the Takashi Yoshida of babyfaces. Used correctly and with the right opponent, he can deliver a quality match. That’s what happened here. 

He and Doi threw bombs at one another. KAI has the size and strength advantage over the current Dream Gate champion, but Doi ultimately has quickness that is tough to manage. A V9 Clutch, just like he used against Shimizu, caught KAI by surprise and he was rolled up for the three count. The champion lives to fight another day. Once this match got going, it got really heated. In front of a crowd, this could’ve been great. ***1/2 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Both of the block matches today were very good for different reasons. Ishida vs. Okuda was a sprint with clever booking, Doi vs. KAI was a war of attrition with the simple decision being the right one. This, top to bottom, has been the most enjoyable King of Gate day so far. I really enjoyed how quick this show felt. Recommended.