April 25, 2010 – Fukuoka, Japan
Championship rundown:
Open the Dream Gate Champion: YAMATO
Open the Twin Gate Champions: Shingo Takagi & Cyber Kong
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii & Akebono
Open the Brave Gate Champion: Tigers Mask
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: BxB Hulk
The show starts with a video of YAMATO making Don Fujii tap out in a Triangle Gate title match while the referee was distracted. YAMATO demanded a rematch, but they’ll have to get through the WARRIORS, who also want a shot at the belts. The title shot may not be against Fujii and the Zetsurins however, because the Deep Drunkers get a shot before anyone else on Dead or Alive.
YAMATO {K}, Akira Tozawa {K} & KAGETORA {K} vs. CIMA {W5}, Gamma {W5} & Genki Horiguchi {W5} [Number One Contenders Match]
Winner gets the champions on May 13th in Tokyo. YAMATO and CIMA start and fight over a wristlock. Horiguchi hits KAGETORA with a head scissors takedown. CIMA hits a senton. He puts on an abdominal stretch. KAGETORA hits a hiptoss to escape. Horiguchi runs in to apply the hold. KAGETORA pulls his hair to escape. Horiguchi slams Tozawa and hits an elbowdrop. CIMA suplexes KAGETORA and YAMATO while holding Tozawa in a leglock. Horiguchi hits the topé con hilo. He hits YAMATO with an enziguiri. YAMATO hits an exploder for 2. He avoids a double stomp but not a kick to the head. CIMA hits a double stomp out of the corner for 2. YAMATO puts on the sleeper hold. Horiguchi makes the save. YAMATO hits CIMA with a facelock suplex for 2. Tozawa misses the Apron Kara Tozawa. CIMA hits a senton. Gamma canes KAGETORA and YAMATO on the apron. He canes Tozawa, leaving him open for the Superdrol from CIMA. Gamma hits the…
for 2. Tozawa hits Horiguchi with a running elbow. He hits a pumphandle slam and KAGETORA hits the flying elbowdrop for 2. YAMATO punts Horiguchi’s face and hits a brainbuster for 2. KAGETORA hits the Genkonitteki for 2. Gamma superkicks Horiguchi by mistake. KAGETORA hits the Hangetsu. Horiguchi comes back with the Backslide from Heaven for the win at 8:28 shown of 14:40. The finish came out of nowhere, but the idea was to make Horiguchi look like a valuable member of the team. The match was brief, but entertaining in the time it was given.
Rating: ***
After the match Horiguchi brings up the four-on-four elimination match the WARRIORS have coming up against World-1 on PPV. Dragon Kid is out of the match because he’s fighting Tigers Mask for the Brave Gate Championship. Horiguchi brings out Ryo Saito to take his place! Saito is wearing his Do Fixer (branded trunks and I <3 Do Fixer shirt) gear but with a really weird goth haircut. He excitedly says hello to CIMA, Gamma and Horiguchi, but he doesn’t recognize Dragon Kid. The WARRIORS tell him to take off the shirt, but he has a Typhoon shirt on underneath! Horiguchi asks him to be on the WARRIORS team on PPV, but Saito wants to think about it. Horiguchi tries to persuade him but Saito runs to the back. The WARRIORS chase after him. That was hilarious.
K-ness, Susumu Yokosuka vs. Takuya Sugawara {DD}, Kenichiro Arai {DD}, Yasushi Kanda {DD}, Kzy {DD} [Handicap Elimination Match]
A video package before the match makes it seem like this is the blow off match in this mini-feud. Yokosuka dives on the Drunkers to start. He and K-ness hit the SukaDora Knee on Kzy for 2. They hit lariats on Kzy and Arai. The numbers catch up to them. The Drunkers gang up on Yokosuka in the corner. Arai hits a spinebuster for 2. He misses the fainting headbutt. Yokosuka unloads elbows. He avoids a beer bottle attack and a blue box attack. Arai hits Kanda with the blue box by mistake. Yokosuka clotheslines the box into Arai and then hits him with the Jumbo no Kachigatame to eliminate him at 4:39 shown of 10:27. K-neSuka work over Kzy in the corner. Yokosuka hits a super exploder. K-ness hits the Kaishaku for 2. He hits the Shouryuukyaku. He puts on the Aoki Hikari until the bell rings. He releases the hold to find it was Arai that rang the bell. The referee gets knocked out in time for the Drunkers to gang up on K-ness in the corner. Kanda hits a blue box attack. Sugawara hits the Shiisanpuuta. Kanda hits the flying elbowdrop. Sugawara hits a red box attack. Kzy hits the Impact to eliminate K-ness at 7:43 shown of 13:29. Kanda hits Kzy with the John Woo by mistake. Yokosuka hits Sugawara with a lariat. He hits one on Kzy and another on Sugawara. Referee Yagi takes the blue box from Kanda and hits him with a lariat. Yokosuka eliminates Kanda with the Mugen at 8:40 shown of 17:29. Kzy kicks Sugawara by mistake. Yokosuka hits him with a low blow. K-ness runs in to hit the Shouryuukyaku and Yokosuka hits the Jumbo no Kachi to eliminate Kzy at 9:38 shown of 18:18. Yokosuka hits Sugawara with a lariat. He clotheslines Kzy off the apron. Sugawara gets a small package for 2. He hits the running elbow and a brainbuster for 2. He hits the Shiisanpuuta but foolishly doesn’t go for the pin. He goes for another but Yokosuka counters to a crucifix bomb for 2. Kanda hits a red box attack. K-ness tries to make the save but gets taken out. Saito runs out and breaks the blue box over Kanda’s head. He hits Sugawara with a dragon suplex. Yokosuka hits a hurricanrana for the win at 12:42 shown of 21:18. For those upset that K-neSuka dominated all of the Drunkers, it really took Yagi and Saito’s help to get it done. K-neSuka did not look like supermen here. Sadly, that also meant the match had no drama and the crowd was rightfully dead. The action wasn’t bad per se, but it wasn’t worth the time it was given.
Rating: **
The Drunkers try to attack after the match but the WARRIORS make the save. The WARRIORS again ask Saito to join them. Saito says no, and asks Yokosuka if they can reform their tag team. Yokosuka says no, saying he doesn’t trust Saito after the heel turn last year, and that he only reformed their team in late 2009 as a way of getting revenge on Saito. He’s happy being in K-neSuka. Saito is upset by this, but he agrees to join the WARRIORS. He still doesn’t recognize Dragon Kid, but he has enough of his wits about him to pose with the WARRIORS.
Shingo Takagi © {K} & Cyber Kong © vs. Masato Yoshino {W1} & BxB Hulk {W1} [Open the Twin Gate Championship Match]
Before the match they show Takagi pinning Hulk in the King of Gate finals. After that match in the back Yoshino backed Hulk and challenged Takagi to this match. Hulk hits Takagi with a big boot to start. Takagi fires back with a shoulder tackle. Hulk botches an armdrag. Fourteen minutes are going to get cut from this but that stays in? Hulk hits a hurricanrana and a dropkick. Kong hits Yoshino with a huge shoulder tackle. Yoshino hits the Sling Blade. Kong chops Hulk to the mat. Hulk hits a big boot and a leg lariat. Yoshino hits Kong with a supercharged suicide dive. Hulk hits Takagi with a missile dropkick. He hits Kong with a quebrada. Yoshino puts Takagi in the Courmori. Takagi comes back with the gutbuster and DDT. He misses the senton. He blocks the From Jungle and hits a sit-out powerbomb for 2. He blocks the super Sling Blade and hits a delayed superplex. Kong knocks Hulk off the apron as Takagi gets 2 on Yoshino. Kong hits an elevated elbowdrop on Yoshino for 2. Yoshino hits Kong with a miracle backdrop. Hulk hits Takagi with the Mouse. He blocks the Blood Fall and kicks the crap out of Takagi. Hulk blocks the STAY DREAM and hits a leg lariat. He hits an avalanche EVO for 2. Takagi ducks the First Flash. Kong hits an avalanche. He hits the Cyber Combination for 2. He hits a powerbomb for 2. He hits Yoshino with a lariat. Yoshino ducks the Pineapple Bomber and hits Another Space. Takagi catches him with the DVD. Kong hits Hulk with an avalanche and Takagi hits a lariat. They hit the Doomsday Device for 2. Takagi hits a Pumping Bomber but Hulk stands strong. Hulk kicks the arm. Takagi hits another lariat. He hits MADE IN JAPAN for the win at 10:51 shown of 24:47. This was a lot of fun but it never hit that high octane level I was hoping for. The heavy clipping also made what was probably a drawn-out and dramatic finish into an out of nowhere win for Takagi.
Rating: ***¼
After the match K-ness and Yokosuka come out to challenge the champions for the belts. The match will happen in Korakuen Hall on May 13th. That show will be featured on Infinity 176.
