November 24, 2007 – Sapporo, Japan
Kotaro Suzuki © & Ricky Marvin © VS. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino [GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match]
I would guess that Doi and Yoshino are getting this shot on the strength of unifying the Dragon Gate’s new Open the Twin Gate and IJ Tag Team titles. Suzuki and Doi start. They lock up and Doi powers Suzuki to the corner. They trade holds in an exchange that sees Doi largely dominate. They knuckle up and Doi hits a cheap shot. He puts on a headlock and knocks Marvin off of the apron. Marvin rushes back in and helps Suzuki sandwich Doi’s face with dropkicks. Suzuki hits a tombstone piledriver for 2. He swings Marvin into Yoshino. Marvin follows Yoshino to the floor and kicks his face. He gets back in the ring and springboards out onto Yoshino. In the ring Suzuki puts Doi in an abdominal stretch and rolls him up for 2. He hits a back suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock. The camera pans to Marvin who must have hurt his ankle on the dive because he frantically unlaces his boot. Yoshino gets in the ring and puts Suzuki in a chinlock. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special and tags to Doi. Doi hits a back elbow for 2. Yoshino tags in and hits a double sledge to Suzuki’s arm. Doi tags in and repeats the attack. Yoshino tags in and hits a double stomp to the arm. He works the arm and neck as trainers tend to Marvin’s leg. Doi tags in and ties Suzuki up in the ropes before hitting a dropkick. Yoshino tags in and they hit a double dropkick to Suzuki’s back. Suzuki comes back with a dropkick to both. He puts Doi on Yoshino’s shoulders and then trips Yoshino, forcing him to powerbomb Doi. He hits the Tiger Feint Kick on Doi and a reverse suplex on Yoshino. He hits a knee kick and a German suplex on Doi for 2. Doi comes back with the Vertebreaker for 2. What the hell? Yoshino tags in and hits the Sling Blade for 2. He puts on the Cristo but Suzuki rolls him up for 2. They trade pin attempts but neither can get the win. Suzuki hits a powerbomb for 2. He hits Doi with another tombstone piledriver for 2. Marvin hobbles back up to the apron. He tags in and the crowd livens up a little bit. He hits a dropkick with his good leg for 2. He hits a one-legged vertical suplex for 2. He collapses after Doi hits an Irish whip. Doi stays on the bad leg. Yoshino tags in and hits his double stomp dropkick for 2. Suzuki tags in and hits palm strikes on everyone. He hits the Blue Destiny on Yoshino for 2 when Doi saves. He hits it again but Doi dropkicks him before he can go for the pin. Doi sets Suzuki up top as Yoshino keeps Marvin at bay. He hits the Doi 555 off the top for 2. Yoshino takes Suzuki down and Doi hits the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2. He lifts Suzuki’s dead weight up and hits the Muscular Bomb for the win and the titles at 17:39. The smaller crowd responded to Marvin’s injury angle with silence. Suzuki almost made this a one-man show in the second half of the match but when his no-selling kicks in all my good faith goes out the window. Marvin’s selling on the other hand was fantastic, and worthy of some praise. Not enough to make the match particularly entertaining unfortunately.
Rating: **¾
