April 15, 2009 – Tokyo, Japan
The Triangle Gate belts are on the line tonight, so here’s the championship rundown:
Open the Dream Gate Champion: Naruki Doi
Open the Twin Gate Champions: Gamma & Susumu Yokosuka
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: Shingo Takagi, Taku Iwasa & Dragon Kid
Open the Brave Gate Champion: CIMA
On the last episode of Infinity we saw the start of an issue between Real Hazard and the Zetsurins. Real Hazard, up to their old tricks, interfered in Kenichiro Arai’s matches against Masaaki Mochizuki and Don Fujii over the course of the two-night Akebono-centric shows. Rather than take on the veterans himself, Arai is letting Real Hazard’s premier team of YAMATO and Ryo Saito fight his battle.
Masaaki Mochizuki {Z} & Don Fujii {Z} vs. YAMATO {RH} & Ryo Saito {RH}
Mochizuki and Fujii don’t even wait for YAMATO and Saito’s entrance, as they run to the back to find them. Mochizuki pairs up with YAMATO and Fujii with Saito, brawling into the stands. Fujii gets some guy in a sumo outfit to chop Saito. I wonder if that’s Dragon Gate’s equivalent to that fan that dresses up like Hulk Hogan at indy and WWE shows. In the ring Mochizuki hits Saito with a vertical suplex and YAMATO with a stiff kick to the back. Fujii hits both opponents with clotheslines and low blows. Mochizuki nails Saito with a stiff kick to the head. Fujii hits an elbowdrop for 2. He chops Saito’s neck. Saito goes for a charge but his leg is banged up allowing Mochizuki to run up and puts on the anklelock. Arai and Genki Horiguchi try to interfere but Fujii knocks them both from the ring. Yasushi Kanda throws Saito the blue box and he lays both opponents out with it. YAMATO puts Mochizuki in the sleeper hold but Mochizuki bites his hand to escape. YAMATO powers through a few kicks so Mochizuki puts him in the sleeper hold. YAMATO escapes in the same manner as Mochizuki. Mochizuki hits a sick dropkick. YAMATO hits a brainbuster. YAMATO puts on the sleeper hold but Mochizuki hits a pair of low blows to escape. Saito hits Mochizuki with a low blow. Mochizuki grabs the sake bottle from Arai and beats Saito with it for 2 when Arai takes out the referee. Arai throws the referee in front of a Fujii avalanche. Fujii kills everything in sight with lariats in response. Saito rolls Fujii up and all of Real Hazard jumps on top while Horiguchi physically forces the referee’s hand to count 3 at 8:15 shown of 10:36. Saito’s selling was great and the exchange between YAMATO and Mochizuki was so much fun. The finish was totally absurd, but I enjoyed it within the context of this feud.
Rating: ***
After the match Saito celebrates until the lights come out. When they come back on Dark Hulk is in the ring, and he puts another huge beating on Saito. This time YAMATO saves his teammate, hitting Hulk with a German suplex. He challenges Hulk to a match on the PPV, citing Saito’s involvement in the Twin Gate division and the fact that he’d already taken down one mentor in Shingo Takagi in a singles match.
Earlier in the evening Masato Yoshino pinned Cyber Kong in a six-man tag match. He calls out Kong, Takagi and KAGETORA to have a four way match with him on PPV.
Also earlier in the evening Anthony W. Mori made Stalker Ichikawa tap out in a 3 way match for the Open the Owarai Gate title. Mori also got the most fan support and thus retained the belt. I didn’t realize he’d won it. Ebessan comes out after the match wearing a motorcycle helmet, and challenges Mori for the belt when Dragon Gate comes to Korakuen Hall on May 15th.
Also on the show the Young Bucks (aligned with WARRIORS 5) defeated Naruki Doi and m.c.KZ (with KZ taking the fall), and Akira Tozawa and Kenshin Chikano defeated Susumu Yokosuka and RYOMA when Tozawa killed RYOMA with a German suplex. Nice to get the whole show shown, at least in clips.
Shingo Takagi © {K}, Taku Iwasa © {K} & Dragon Kid © {K} vs. CIMA {W5}, Gamma {W5} & KAGETORA {W5} [Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match]
After successful title defenses against Real Hazard, World-1 and the Zetsurins, it was only logical that WARRIORS 5 would challenge Kamikaze for these belts. KAGETORA pinned Tozawa in a six man tag a couple episodes back, setting up this match. KAGETORA and Iwasa start. They fight it out at an incredible speed. Takagi and CIMA tag in. The crowd chants for CIMA so Takagi flips them off. Gamma comically abuses Iwasa with the cane. Kid hits CIMA with a hurricanrana on the floor. Takagi and KAGETORA brawl until KAGETORA surprisingly takes control. CIMA tags in and attacks Kid on the apron. Kid regains control of his team over KAGETORA, so Takagi runs in to get a few shots as well. CIMA holds Kid upside down and Gamma hits a cane shot to the groin. Gamma gives Kid the Osuikougeki. Kid comes back with a hurricanrana on CIMA. Takagi spears CIMA and beats him on the mat until KAGETORA makes the save. Iwasa helps Takagi hit a double wheelbarrow suplex for 2. KAGETORA knocks Takagi into Iwasa and kicks Takagi to the mat. CIMA hits the Superdrol. He hits Kid with a facebuster and dives onto him on the floor. Takagi clotheslines Gamma’s cane out of his hands but Gamma catches him with a surprise suplex. KAGETORA dropkicks Gamma by mistake and Takagi suplexes them both. CIMA catches Kid with a dropkick. Kid comes back with a stunner. CIMA hits another dropkick. He hits a double stomp for 2. Kid counters the Perfect Driver to another stunner. Gamma hits the Blitzen for 2. CIMA dropkicks Kid to the floor and hits Takagi with the Venus and Iconoclasm. KAGETORA hits a flying elbowdrop for 2. CIMA hits the Perfect Driver for 2. Kid hits CIMA with a super hurricanrana. Takagi and Iwasa hit a double turnbuckle powerbomb and the Doomsday Device on KAGETORA. Kid hits the Ultra Hurricanrana for 2. He hits Gamma with the Bermuda Triangle. KAGETORA counters MADE IN JAPAN to a roll up for 2. Takagi connects with his finisher for 2. Everyone is kicking out of that lately. Iwasa hits a lariat for 2. He hits the Noshigami for 2. CIMA and Gamma hit a double superkick on Iwasa. They hit the Schwein Special on Kid and Takagi. KAGETORA hits Iwasa with the Ikkitousan for 2. He hits the Genkonitteki for the win and the titles at 17:02 shown of 23:54. The way they had Takagi and KAGETORA and CIMA and Kid gunning for each other added a lot to this match. CIMA and Kid in particular showed fantastic chemistry. KAGETORA kicking out of all three opponents’ finishers was pretty silly though. After a performance like that how could he not be immediately in line for a Dream Gate shot. Iwasa was injured in this match (not surprising given the way he landed for that finish), and would be out for the next couple months.
Rating: ***½
Tozawa runs into the ring during WARRIORS 5’s celebration, runs his mouth and dropkicks CIMA and Gamma. Takagi, CIMA, RYOMA and Kenshin Chikano all get involved in the dispute, leading to two matches being made for the May 15th return to Korakuen: RYOMA vs. Chikano and an eight-man tag between WARRIORS 5 and Kamikaze. Real Hazard strolls out from the back and jaw jack some, leading to them getting added to the eight-man, making it a 12-man elimination match. Everyone but the WARRIORS 5 leave. CIMA introduces the Young Bucks as members of the team to the Korakuen fans and everyone celebrates the big title win to end the show.
Next week the tournament to decide the next Twin Gate challengers begins, and CIMA chokes out Dragon Kid in the street with a broom while wearing nothing but a diaper and stockings over his face.
