Toryumon Gym

Toryumon Reunion Vol. 2

June 3, 2022

Korakuen Hall – Tokyo, Japan

Watch: Dragongate Network

Two and a half years after the first, Toryumon reunites once again. The circumstances are much different than early 2020, so we have differing lineups and adaptations due to Covid.

The show started off with the original Toryumon Japan ring announcer Punch Tahara giving us the line up, and then G.W.D. hit to bring out M2K for the opening promo. Masaaki Mochizuki introduced the original M2K members with their debuting member Masaharu Eto, DRAGONGATE FUTURE Class of 2022. Mocchy then discussed how he wanted retribution for 2004, when his main event opponents Aagan Issou ejected him from the unit, bringing them out. 

“brother” YASSHI brought up how inappropriate it was that a young boy would be debuting in this match, which provoked Mocchy into revealing the real reason he chose Eto. He was not a normal rookie, and in fact, Masaharu Eto wasn’t his real name. It’s Ryoto Mochizuki, the real-life 20 year old son of Masaaki’s. M2K was now M3K (pronounced M-San-K as three in Japanese is San). For the last two years of training, the first second generation Dragon System wrestler was hiding in plain sight. The first father son pairing in Dragongate is here. 

On top of that bombshell, Masaharu Eto was a reference to the senior Mochizuki all along. During the Mochizuki contra Mochizuki feud of 2002, Masaaki was going to have to rename himself Masaaki Eto if he lost as a reference to his home neighborhood in Tokyo (he obviously couldn’t be Masaaki Tokyo with Magnum around). The second syllable in Masaaki, Aki, means Fall, where Haru in Masaharu means spring.

The fact that Dragongate after having second generation wrestlers in Strong Machine J and the Iihashi Brothers now has their first son of a roster member debut is big. The fact that Masaaki Mochizuki, one of the greatest wrestlers not just in Dragongate, but all-time, has a son that is now wrestling in his home company is enormous. I was extremely impressed with Ryoyo’s composure in this incredibly intimidating moment. M2K were the original rudest of the rudes, their creation in April of 2002 took Toryumon from his founding era through the end of T2P vs Toryumon. At least for this segment, Ryoto knocked it out of the park both in his physical charisma and short introduction, and the company should be excited about the response for its first ever second generation Dragon System wrestler.

Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi & CHANGO went to a No Contest with Hisamaru Tajima, Masahiro Takanashi & milanito collection a.t.

Z-Brats interfered after Genki Horiguchi’s rubber band attack for No Contest. Horiguchi brought up that no one in Z-Brats was in Toryumon and they didn’t read the room in their invasion plans. The Toryumon and Z-Brats sides were even so they were thinking six on six, but Ultimo came out, said milanito doesn’t count so it’d be 5 on 6, so lets make it a 4-way 6-man and one fall. He also declared that since he lives in Mexico where they can cheer, so everyone can cheer for this match because he was not beholden to the laws of Japan.

Kid and Horiguchi, are members of the first-ish and second classes of Toryumon Japan. Takanashi represented the ninth class, CHANGO the eleventh class, Milanito the thirteenth and Tajima was the first-ever Toryumon Gym scholarship student who was most affiliated as the would-be ace of Toryumon X. Essentially this was a Toryumon X reunion with two original era students.

This was still really in the opening stages when Z-Brats interfered. Other than face offs and milanito doing the Paradise Lock, this match was barely out of the gates when Z-Brats got involved.

4-Way 6-Man Tag

Shun Skywalker, Diamante & HYO Def. Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi & CHANGO, Hisamaru Tajima, Masahiro Takanashi & milanito collection a.t., & KAI, BXB Hulk & SB KENTo

This was one fall to a finish. HYO rolled up Genki Horiguchi with the Neko Tamashi.

The combined opener was a fun jaunt with old friends and then showing how the modern Dragongate style adapts to traditional Lucharesu. Every time I see Masa Takanashi, I really wish he stuck around in Toryumon and didn’t end up in DDT as he fits in to nearly every ring style possible. As Milano clearly is never going to wrestle again, it was nice to get his mini. I figured Z-Brats would have some heavy involvement in this reunion as R.E.D.did two years ago and the company found creative ways to inject modern Dragongate into this show. This didn’t last very long, but between the aborted opener and the new 4-way, I thought the match was fun and didn’t overstay its welcome. ** 3/4

Ryo Saito & Kanjuro Matsuyama Def. Konomama Ichikawa & Shachihoko Machine

Matsuyama pinned Ichikawa by laying directly on top of him after a Tiger Suplex.

This was a standard Dragon System comedy match with the original comedy team of Ichikawa & Shachi versus GM SaiRyo & thirteenth class Toryumon X student Matsuyama. As this is a reunion show, Saito revisited his Cycling Enthusiast character of the era and Shachi was full blown Machine and not with his Shisa Boy affectations.

Everyone played off each other and did their greatest hits. We got the double rope walk with butterflies from Matsuyama and Ichikawa. SaiRyo and Matsuyama’s team broke down and the General Manager relentlessly attacked his partner with paper fans. Four person kanchos. Basically, four great comedy wrestlers had a really fun comedy match that didn’t overstay its welcome (an issue that Ryo Saito comedy matches tended to have). ** 1/2 

The Arai Brothers (Kenichiro, Chuichiro & Koichiro) Def. Doi’s Starting Three (Second Doi, First Shimizu & Catcher Yoshida)

Koichiro pinned Yoshida after a Doi Bakatare Sliding Kick turning on his team.

The Arai Brothers are a fictional Toryumon family consisting of Toryumon second class graduate Kenichiro Arai, ninth class graduate Koichiro (better known now as Taro Nohashi of Michinoku Pro), and eleventh class graduate Chuichiro (now known as Amigo Suzuki of Secret Base). Naruki/ Second Doi (fifth class) put together his starting lineup yesterday during the Dragongate show. Big Boss Shimizu is a former first basemen and Takashi Yoshida a former catcher.

Ho Ho Lun asked an important question in the pre match with everyone wearing baseball jerseys “Is this actually going to be a wrestling match?” Well, it was a wrestling match with baseball characteristics. This straddled the line between outright comedy and an actual wrestling match. It was here that everyone became aware that Ultimo Dragon cannot unilaterally change the clap crowd rule that’s set to expire. 

Whenever we get to see Koichiro Arai/Taro Nohashi, I instantly want to see him more in a Dragon System ring. Sure he’s busy with Michinoku Pro stuff and helping future Dragongate wrestlers out during their middle school career day, but he’s an absolute delight in the ring and fits into his old home tremendously well.

Second Doi couldn’t get along with his team throughout the match. You picked your squad, bud, the only person to blame is yourself. After constantly colliding with Shimizu and being frustrated with Yoshida, Doi clocked Yoshida with the Bakatare and Koichiro capitalized. Gold Class had to run and defend Doi in the post match as Shimizu and Yoshida were understandably angry. From now, there would be no more fun and games. I had a blast with this one. *** 1/4 

For Possession of Dragon Dia’s Skateboard

Don Fujii Def. Dragon Dia

Everyone’s favorite AARP card holding kleptomaniac won with a flash inside cradle after a skateboard shot.

It’s time for everyone (else) to collectively put respect on Don Fujii’s name. For a prolonged angle this was hilarious and excellent. After stealing Dia’s skateboard yesterday, Don Fujii has been cruising. He doesn’t really know how to skate, he actually seems to be confusing Dia’s Deck for a surfboard. So he puts on elbow pads and a helmet to fall over. He loves the new skateboard so much he replaced Dia’s face on the grip tape.

Dia was beside himself and we saw an anger we haven’t seen outside of Dia Inferno. Fujii wiped out on his way to the ring and got knocked off the apron as the bell rang to start an early count out. Don Fujii infuriated the Open The Brave Gate champion, and he escaped the match with possession of the skateboard after throwing Dia into the referee, smashing the board over Dia’s back and rolling him up. 

In the post match, Dia cut an impassioned promo demanding the skateboard’s return and another match. Don Fujii wouldn’t do it, so Dragon Dia offered to put his hair up for it. GM Ryo Saito spoke from experience when Don Fujii stole his bicycle 22 years ago and didn’t want Dia to fall to the same fate of being a Skateboard Brother. Finally GM SaiRyo was convinced, and on July 7th he set a lucha de apuestas, Cabellera contra Skateboard with SaiRyo as the special referee. 

This was an entertaining prolonged angle. ** 1/2 

Before the scheduled semi main event between Ultimo Dragon and Hajime Ohara, Ultimo grabbed the microphone from Punch Tahara. Ultimo and Ohara have had singles matches all over the world dating to the UD:06 days (Ohara was an eleventh class member). They agreed last night to have a teamed match, but they did not agree to both wearing similar colors. Ohara called out his Kongoh teammates Tadasuke and Hi69, but Ultimo had partners of his own, calling out Crazy Max members SUWAcito (Kagetora, ninth class) and TARU!

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Ultimo Dragon & Crazy Max (TARU & SUWAcito) Def. Kongoh (Hajima Ohara, Tadasuke & Hi69)

Ultimo pinned Ohara with the Asai DDT.

Tadasuke was a Toryumon Gym student, a part of the ghost fifteenth class that ended up being the Dragongate Trueborns consisting of Shingo Takagi, BXB Hulk, Akira Tozawa, Katsuo and YAMATO, but he left and ended up in Osaka Pro. Hi69 has no Dragon System link, but was from Michinoku Pro which is a branch of the overall Lucharesu family tree dating back to Gran Hamada. 

There was a lot of noticeable awkwardness about Hajime Ohara’s inclusion on the show. Ohara was noticeably left off from the first Toryumon Reunion and had previously very little interaction with the Dragongate side of Toryumon. Surrounded by scandal, the emergence of previous DV claims reached international fans this year due to Rionne Fujiwara’s substack about Rionne’s time in Smash and Wrestling New Classic. His home company seems aware and fine about the allegations (they went around in Japan years before they reemerged and he’s been in NOAH through several ownership changes), but Dragongate is keeping him quarantined with his mentor.

Although TARU, SUWAcito, Hi69 and Tadasuke were involved in the match, this really felt like an audible. Maybe Ultimo didn’t want to work a singles tonight and they scrambled to make it a trios, but the match still stayed completely about Ultimo and Ohara. The work was solid, it was really cool to see Ultimo hit the Asai DDT at his age. *** 1/4

M3K (Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Mochizuki, Yasushi Kanda & Ryoto Mochizuki) Def. Aagan Issou (Shuji Kondo, Toru Owashii, “brother” YASSHI & Shogo “Jet” Takagi)

Ryoto Mochizuki scored the pinfall in his official debut after Masaaki Mochizuki hit the Twister on Jet.

Anyone who has even a cursory awareness of the Dragon System knows who M3K were as M2K. The Rudest of The Rude. Double Countout Committee. Sukajan Jackets and Razor Scooters. Aagan Issou were the fourth big rudo unit after Crazy Max, M2K and Do’Fixer. All four members were Toryumon 2000 Project students and were fired from Dragon Gate in late 2004/early 2005 for rampant insubordination.

Many second generation wrestlers crumble beneath the expectations placed on them for being the son or daughter of a famous wrestler. Ryoto Mochizuki thrived. Some young wrestlers would be intimidated in being thrust into a scenario where they team with a legendary team. Ryoto Mochizuki fit into M3K like a glove. This match was mostly based around him proving he deserved the attention the promotion placed on him. Ryoto’s offense, clearly reminiscent of his father’s, looked believable and crisp. His selling was the crux of the match and it’s clear there’s a bright future ahead of him if he continues to keep this up. It wasn’t an earth shattering first match for Ryoto, but given the circumstances an unmitigated accomplishment

The remainder of the match was a successful playing of the hits and turning the clock back almost 20 years. We got the classic M2K offense and taunts. Jet did four sets of Jet Punches until Ryoto kicked him down. YASSHI grabbed three different groins of Mochizukis. It was everything the long time fans in Korakuen Hall and around the world wanted. *** 3/4 

After the main event, Masaaki Mochizuki put an end to the grudge he had with former Aagan Issou for ejecting him from the unit. He was so pleased with M3K that he wants it to continue going forward. They had the Iihashis and Strong Machine J, but now they have a true father-son combo going forward.

Ultimo came out in third different mask of the night and remarked how nice it was to have Ryoto around and how funny of a trick Mocchy pulled off with his son. He liked the idea of M3K but not really three Mochizukis. Ultimo wanted to rename Ryoto, and decided Ryoto would be called Mochizuki Jr going forward because it worked out so great for Dory Funk Jr. After feigning that he was going to back, Ultimo Dragon announced that El Hijo Del Santo, Lucha Libre legend, would be appearing at Kobe World Kinen Hall on July 30th and 31st for Ultimo’s 35th Anniversary and the 2022 Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festival!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Thumbs Way Up for this second Toryumon reunion. Like the original, this wasn’t a show all about the ring work, it was reviving a bygone era. Everything was a lot of fun and it had a lot of purpose for the Dragongate proper roster with the debut of Ryoto Mochizuki/Mochizuki Jr. and the introduction of the next generation of M2K: M3K.