DGUSA Enter the Dragon 2010

July 25, 2010 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

CIMA tries to get the crowd excited about DGUSA’s anniversary, but Johnny Gargano interrupts him. He says he knows that CIMA is looking for an American to make the WARRIORS an international stable, and he wants to be that guy. CIMA’s response has the token “Are you serious?” that I really hope becomes a staple of these Engrish promos. Gargano slaps him. CIMA demands they have a match!

CIMA {W5} vs. Johnny Gargano
They slug it out to start. Gargano hits an enziguiri. He hits a suicide dive. Back in the ring he hits a dropkick to the back for 2. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. CIMA hits a double stomp. He hits a senton. He works Gargano’s leg. He spanks Gargano before putting on the Romero Special. Gargano bites CIMA’s hand to escape. He hits a kneedrop on the arm. CIMA hits the sodomy dropkick. He hits the Venus. The crowd loves them some CIMA. Gargano comes through the ropes with a spear. He hits a back heel kick. He tries the WARRIORS pose but the crowd boos him. He puts on a surfboard stretch. He gets a roll up for 2. He hits a side Russian legsweep for 2. CIMA hits the Superdrol. He assesses the situation and hits a double stomp for 2. He gets a sunset flip for 2. They trade double knee kicks. Gargano launches CIMA into the turnbuckle. He hits a superkick for 2. CIMA hits the superkick. They avoid each other’s finishers until CIMA hits the Perfect Driver for 2. He hits a basement dropkick and the Tokarev. He hits the Schwein and the Meteora for the win at 11:54. I loved Gargano using CIMA’s offense against him down the stretch. That combined with CIMA’s nuanced ring general strategy really took this from what would have been a totally average match to something memorable and beneficial for Gargano. After the match CIMA shakes everyone’s hand except Gargano’s. I guess he doesn’t get to be a WARRIOR.
Rating: ***¼

In the back Drake Younger shows off his scars. He talks about the battles he’s faced in his life. He’s excited about the opportunity to fight Naruki Doi on PPV. He knows that everyone will respect him after his match tonight.

Next up is a flashback to the beginning of the Kamikaze vs. CHIKARA feud. At the very first show YAMATO hit Quackenbush with a low blow and took Quackenbush’s student Gran Akuma under his wing.

Chuck Taylor vs. Ricochet vs. Arik Cannon vs. Adam Cole
He and Cannon start by fighting over an armbar. Taylor comes in and hits Ricochet with a dropkick. Cole hits a shoulder tackle. He hits a dropkick and a suicide dive. Ricochet hits Cannon with a head scissor takedown. Cole kicks his face. Taylor comes out of nowhere with a topé con hilo. Ricochet hits the craziest Space Flying Tiger Drop I’ve ever seen. Taylor hits him with a reverse superplex, aided by Cannon hitting a sunset bomb. Cannon hits Cole with a turnbuckle exploder. Cole hits a northern lights suplex for 2. He hits a thrust kick. Cannon hits a lariat for 2. Taylor hits Sole Food. He hits a big boot for 2. Ricochet hits a hurricanrana and a standing SSP for 2. Cole hits a neckbreaker for 2. Ricochet hits the Backslide Driver. He tiger flips off Cole to hit Taylor with a DDT. Cannon hits Cole with the Total Anarchy for 2. Cole hits Ricochet with a wheelbarrow suplex onto the apron. He hits Cannon with a crossbody for 2. He hits the Collateral for 2. Cannon hits a sick brainbuster for 2. He hits Ricochet with a spinebuster. He misses a moonsault. Cole hits the Panama Sunrise. Taylor hits a missile dropkick. Ricochet hits the Chocolate Rain (which is the same as the Meteora, so I’m shocked he’d use it in DGUSA) but misses corkscrew 450 splash. Taylor hits the Awful Waffle for the win at 9:42. If you like the more polished 2002 ROH midcard spotfests then this is for you. It felt totally over-choreographed but everyone brought their A game and they put on a good dance. It’s matches like this however that make you appreciate just how good the Dragon Gate wrestlers are at hiding the cooperative nature of these matches.
Rating: ***¼

Backstage Kamikaze USA has something to say. Jon Moxley is going to reward Gran Akuma for helping YAMATO take the first shot against CHIKARA Sekigun a year ago. YAMATO tells the CHIKARA “bean sprouts” that he will break them.

Naruki Doi {W1} vs. Drake Younger
Before the match they show clips from Doi’s awesome match against Bryan Danielson from DGUSA’s second show. So I guess they’re just highlights of the previous year and not strictly of the Kamikaze vs. CHIKARA feud. Younger is replacing the injured Dragon Kid in this match. Doi is wearing his “I’m injured” t-shirt, so between that and the fact that he’s wrestling Younger I’m not expecting much.. He powers Younger to the ropes to start. Younger sends Doi to the floor but misses a dive off the apron. Younger tweaks his knee so Doi zeroes in on it. He hits it with a running dropkick. He puts on a leglock. Younger gets to the ropes. Doi hits a dragon screw. He hits a trio of shinbreakers and a back suplex for 2. He hits another dropkick to the knee. Younger comes back with a crazy suplex. He hits a pair of elbows and a shoulder tackle. Doi hits an elbow. Younger avoids the Doi 555 and hits a lariat for 2. Doi hits an elbow and a dropkick. He hits the hanging senton. Younger hits a Death Valley Bomb for 2. Doi blocks Drake’s Landing and hits the Kill Switch. He hits the Dai Bosou. He hits the Doi 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick for the win at 8:44. Doi and Kid had an amazing series of matches a few years back and would likely have brought the goods here. Injuries suck.
Rating: **½

After the match Younger gets on the microphone and tries to put himself over as a guy who can take a beating. He tells the Dragon Gate stables to look no further than Drake Younger for an American representative. That’s enough to get Gargano out to the ring to attack Younger. He slams Younger’s face to the floor, busting him open.

Backstage CHIKARA Sekigun and Masato Yoshino have a message for Kamikaze USA. Mike Quackenbush says he recruited Yoshino because of their shared hate for YAMATO. I never bought that part of this angle, because in Japan Yoshino did beat YAMATO for the Dream Gate title, but there was never any hatred between them, just competitive trash talk. Yoshino’s promo ignores YAMATO completely, as all he talks about is how strong he is as Dream Gate Champion.

The next flashback comes from DGUSA’s third show. It’s the end of the Open the Freedom Gate Championship Decision Match. In it BxB Hulk defeated YAMATO to become the first champion.

BxB Hulk © {W1} vs. Masaaki Mochizuki {Z} [Open the Freedom Gate Championship Match]
This headlined the PPV because Shingo Takagi vs. Bryan Danielson couldn’t be shown on TV. Hulk dances in the ring while wearing a wig, two things that would have never happened in Japan at the time because Hulk had put a self-imposed ban on the dance and had honorably lost his hair to Takagi. He removes the wig after the dance. Mochizuki powers Hulk to the ropes and hits a cheap shot. Hulk hits a dropkick. He sends Mochizuki to the floor. He throws Mochizuki’s leg into the post. He dropkicks the leg. He puts on a leglock but Mochizuki gets to the ropes. Hulk puts on a modified cloverleaf but Mochizuki gets to the ropes. Mochizuki hits a chest kick. He blocks a leg lariat with the Sankakugeri. He hits the apron kick. Hulk misses a kick and hits the post. Mochizuki hits a shinbreaker on the apron. He kicks at Hulk’s leg. He puts on a leglock. Hulk gets to the ropes. Mochizuki hits a shinbreaker and kicks the leg. He puts on a figure 4 leglock. He has it on for a long time, even getting Hulk’s shoulders on the mat for 2 a couple of times. Hulk eventually gets to the ropes. Mochizuki hits a chest kick. He puts on the anklelock. He grapevines the leg but Hulk gets to the ropes.

They trade knees and high kicks. Hulk hits a missile dropkick. He hits an ax kick. He follows Mochizuki to the floor with a quebrada. In the ring he hits a legsweep and a senton for 2. He hits another ax kick. He hits the uranage. He misses a dropkick. Mochizuki hits an ax kick. He hit a Yakuza kick. He fakes a dropkick and hits a back kick. Hulk hits the First Flash for 2. He hits the Mouse and a lariat. Mochizuki blocks the First Flash with a legsweep. He hits a buzzsaw kick for 2. He hits the Twister for 2. Hulk blocks the Sankakugeri. He hits a leg lariat. Mochizuki hits a superplex. He hits the Twisting Ikkakugeri for 2. Hulk hits the EVO. Mochizuki hits the Illusion. Hulk hits a high kick. He hits a big boot. He hits an avalanche EVO for 2. He hits a phoenix splash for 2. He hits the First Flash for the win at 21:32. The anticlimactic nature of the First Flash makes me think the phoenix splash was supposed to finish Mochizuki. They spent a lot of time doing leg work that went absolutely nowhere. That said this was essentially two matches: a set up for a match that never existed and then an exciting back-and-forth contest between two kickers who never should have worked each other’s legs in the first place.
Rating: ***½

After the match a really horrifying looking woman confronts Hulk. Lenny Leonard (who was actually on his game tonight) says she was one of Hulk’s dancers in Phoenix. Hulk is shaken by her presence. Kamikaze USA uses the distraction to run out and attack the champion. Moxley gets on the microphone and tells Hulk that he’s running out of things to lose. Kamikaze wants his title. Takagi hits Hulk with the DVD (this is where the PPV went off the air). YAMATO goes for the Galleria on the title belt but Bryan Danielson comes out to put an end to the beating. Moxley calls Danielson bad names and tells the rest of Kamikaze not to bother with him until they can make money off of it. Danielson gives the Freedom Gate belt back to Hulk.

Our next flashback sees the original incarnation of Kamikaze USA, featuring Davey Richards instead of Jon Moxley, beating on BxB Hulk at DGUSA’s fourth show. CHIKARA Sekigun made the save. The brawl didn’t look like it was going to end so CIMA ran out to clean house with a broom.

Scott Reed vs. Rich Swann
The match never really gets going because after about two minutes of work Brodie Lee comes out to the ring and beats up both guys. He also takes out the referee and Reed’s valet. He gets on the microphone and says he’ll beat up women and children if they get in his way. The next time he comes to DGUSA he wants to fight a Japanese man.

The next flashback is from the WARRIORS vs. World-1 six-man tag match on the sixth show. It was a hell of a match, the second best in DGUSA history.

YAMATO {K}, Akira Tozawa {K}, John Moxley {K} & Gran Akuma {K} vs. Masato Yoshino {W1}, Mike Quackenbush {CH}, Jigsaw {CH} & Hallowicked {CH} [Elimination Match]
Everyone brawls to start. Quackenbush starts to get the better of YAMATO but Moxley attacks him from behind. Quackenbush fights back and sends all of Kamikaze to the floor. He dives out onto them (and his masked partners) with a quebrada. Yoshino hits Tozawa with a supercharged dropkick. Hallowicked armdrags Akuma around the ring. He hits an Iconoclasm for 2. Jigsaw hits a double stomp. He hits the Michinoku Driver for 2. Tozawa hits a butt butt. Moxley hits a Hero Suplex for 2. YAMATO hits Jigsaw with an elbow. Akuma puts on an octopus stretch. He gets a clutch for 2. He misses a moonsault, almost taking out YAMATO in the process. What the hell was that?! A terribly contrived set-up sequence leads to Jigsaw hitting a super hurricanrana. Hallowicked cleans house. He hits Tozawa with the Rydeen Bomb for 2. Tozawa hits a butt butt. Hallowicked hits a big boot for 2. Tozawa hits a backdrop driver. Kamikaze gangs up on Hallowicked in the corner. YAMATO hits the Galleria to eliminate Hallowicked at 8:00. Jigsaw hits Tozawa with a double stomp and Akuma with a DDT for 2. Akuma is just way off here, getting himself into position and standing around like a moron so that we all know wrestling is fake. Quackenbush and Jigsaw double-team Akuma. The heroes gang up on Moxley in the corner. Yoshino hits the shotgun senton. He hits a suicide dive. Jigsaw hits Moxley with a brainbuster for 2. Moxley comes back with a crossface chicken wing suplex for 1. Not the time to no-sell, Jigsaw. Jigsaw hits a superkick. Moxley hits a lariat for 1. The crowd doesn’t care about you enough for this crap dude. Moxley hits Jigsaw with a chair. The referee disqualifies him at 10:40. Jimmy Jacobs runs out and spears Moxley. He brawls with Moxley through the crowd. YAMATO hits Jigsaw with the Galleria to eliminate him at 11:08. Quackenbush tries to catch YAMATO with a flash pin but can’t get more than 2. Yoshino hits Tozawa with the Sling Blade for 2. Tozawa misses the Apron Kara Tozawa but hits a senton. He hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. Akuma hits Quackenbush with an inverted Superdrol for 2. He hits the Falcon Arrow. He hits a frog splash for 2. He hits a gutbuster. Quackenbush counters the Yoshi Tonic to a powerbomb to eliminate Akuma at 14:20. YAMATO hits Yoshino with a big boot. Yoshino avoids the punt and hits the Ude Yoshino for 2. He hits the Lightning Spiral for 2. Tozawa hits Quackenbush with the Ganki for 2. Quackenbush hits YAMATO with the BTS for 2. YAMATO hits the brainbuster for 2. He puts on the sleeper hold and hits a suplex. Tozawa hits the German suplex for 2 when Yoshino makes the save. YAMATO counters the Ude Yoshino to the Galleria for 2. He puts on the sleeper hold. He hits a low blow. Quackenbush hits YAMATO with a low blow. Yoshino hits the Torbellino and puts on the Sol Naciente. Quackenbush catches Tozawa with the CHIKARA Special. Both YAMATO and Tozawa quit at 18:34. I normally really like Akuma but he really dropped the ball in this one, looking like he couldn’t care less about what was going on and generally just crapping up the joint. He wasn’t the only one at fault, as most of the match was messy and difficult to follow. The finish was disappointing too, as the formerly strong Kamikaze USA now looks like a bunch of quitters and idiots.
Rating: **¾

Outside Jon Moxley is freaking out. Jimmy Jacobs is starting to get to him. He doesn’t want Jacobs involved in his business all the time. He tells Jacobs not to go down this road. This is his last warning.

The next flashback is from Uprising. Takagi nails Dragon Kid with MADE IN JAPAN, which DGUSA used to explain Kid’s absence off of this show. Takagi won the match, which also included CIMA and YAMATO, by hitting Kid with the STAY DREAM.

Shingo Takagi {K} vs. Bryan Danielson
The crowd is very excited to be seeing WWE castoff Danielson wrestle Dragon Gate’s best. Danielson powers Takagi to the ropes to start. Takagi returns the favor and goes for a cheap shot. The crowd is 100% behind Danielson. Danielson starts to control so Takagi bails. Back in the ring they knuckle up. Danielson controls the arm. Takagi hits a shoulder tackle. Danielson hits a dropkick. He works Takagi’s shoulder. Takagi trades strikes for Danielson’s European uppercuts. Danielson kicks the arm. He hits a shoulder breaker for 2. He puts on the Romero Special. He hits three more shoulder breakers. He hits a butterfly suplex and puts on a cross armbreaker. Takagi gets to the ropes. He hits the dead lift suplex. He whips Danielson into the barricade. He paints Danielson’s chest red with a chop. He hits a double stomp. He hits a fistdrop and puts on a chinlock. He hits a kneedrop for 1. He works Danielson over in the corner. He hits a gutbuster and a DDT. He hits a senton for 2. He puts on the body scissors. Danielson counters to the kayak. The sweat flies as Danielson hits European uppercuts and Takagi hits chops. Danielson hits a leaping knee. He hits a running elbow. He hits a clothesline. Takagi bails so Danielson hits a baseball slide. Takagi falls into the crowd so Danielson dives after him. Back in the ring Danielson hits a dropkick off the top. He’s all fired up. He hits a chest kick for 1. Takagi hits a lariat to the back. He hits a side suplex. He hits another for 2. He hits a powerslam for 2. He puts on the Manriki! The crowd isn’t used to Takagi dusting off his old finishers so they don’t really react, but I’m bugging out. Danielson gets to the ropes.

Takagi catches Danielson in midair and hits an exploder. Danielson gets a roll up for 2. Takagi hits the Complete Shot. Danielson blocks the Blood Fall and kicks Takagi’s face. He elbows Takagi’s face over and over. Takagi hits the DVD out of nowhere. He hits a lariat in the corner. Danielson avoids a superplex and hits a Tree of Woe dropkick. He hits a back superplex for 2. He stomps on Takagi’s face and puts on the triangle choke. Takagi gets all pissed off and powers out. Danielson gets a crucifix pin for 2. He lays in the elbows and gets another crucifix pin for 2. More elbows but Takagi is unfazed. He hits carries Danielson to the corner, ignoring the elbows, and hits the STAY DREAM for 2. That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in a wrestling ring. They trade headbutts, just to gross everyone out. The crowd hates Takagi and loves Danielson. This is great! Takagi hits a knee to the gut. He hits a lariat and the punch to the face. He hits MADE IN JAPAN for 2. He hits the Pumping Bomber for 2. Danielson gets a small package for 2. He puts on the Cow Killer (feels good to type that again) and then hits a tiger suplex for 2. He goes back to the elbows. He goes for the Cow Killer but Takagi ends up on top of him for 2. Danielson hits a high kick and the Regalplex for 2. He puts on the triangle choke. Takagi tries to power out so Danielson elbows his head. Takagi falls to the mat and Danielson applies the LeBell Lock for the win at 29:15. This was a heavyweight style fight the likes of which you won’t usually see in the Dragon Gate universe. They fought the entire match as though it could end at any moment. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen two guys work so hard for so long. This match was so cool I literally had to wear sunglasses while watching.
Rating: ****¾

After the match YAMATO approaches Danielson. They get in each other’s face, but before they can come to blows Hulk runs out and attacks Takagi. Their fight gets in between Danielson and Takagi, causing everyone to fight. Kamikaze leaves before things get too intense. Danielson gets on the microphone and tells Hulk he heard that World-1 is looking for a new member. He asks to be that member. Hulk immediately accepts.

That was some crazy stuff. Let’s see what the bonus disc has to offer. The first three matches are from the Enter the Dragon 2010 preshow. The other two are from FIP in 2005. I wrote the FIP reviews years ago back when I cared about that company, so I apologize in advance if they suck.

Lince Dorado vs. Super Shenlong
They fight it out on the mat to start. Dorado hits a leg kick. Shenlong puts on a headlock. They trade armdrags. Dorado puts on a leglock. Shenlong hits a dropkick. Dorado hits a corkscrew crossbody. He hits a high kick. He puts on a surfboard stretch. He hits a senton for 2. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. He puts on a seated abdominal stretch. Shenlong hits a head scissor takedown. He hits a missile dropkick for 2. He hits the uranage for 2. Dorado hits a high kick and a crossbody for 2. He hits a knee kick and an Asai moonsault for 2. He hits a hurricanrana for 2. Shenlong hits a dropkick. He hits a swinging DDT for 2. With one minute to go in the time limit Shenlong misses a shooting star press. Dorado hits a shooting star press for 2. They trade elbows as the time limit expires at 10:00. This was like watching two guys play a wrestling video game. There were just a bunch of moves without much reason or rhyme. Blah. The crowd chants “overrated,” at Dorado, which is undoubtable.
Rating: **

Cheech & Cloudy vs. Rexx Reed & Tommaso Ciampa
Ciampa got on the show by virtue of doing well at the tryouts DGUSA held earlier in the day. Reed and Ciampa attack before the bell. Cheech and Cloudy knock Reed to the floor and double-team Ciampa. Ciampa hits Cloudy with a facebuster for 2. Reed hits the Sliding D for 2. He hits a vertical suplex. He hits a senton for 2. Ciampa hits Cloudy with a lariat for 2. He hits a knee kick for 2. Reed hits an elbow. He misses a diving senton. Cheech tags in and cleans house. He hits Ciampa with a moonsault press. He hits Reed with a suicide dive. He hits Ciampa with a thrust kick and a baseball slide. Cloudy hits a double knee kick. Cheech hits a 619. Cloudy gets a jackknife pin for 2. He hits a hurricanrana after fixing what could have potentially been a nasty botched spot. He and Cheech hit Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Cheech and the Tidal Wave for the win at 5:39. Reed jumped around and took a lot of solid bumps for a big guy, and Ciampa was certainly motivated to prove his worth. Not bad at all, all things considered. After the match Brodie Lee comes out and attacks the winners.
Rating: **½

Sami Callihan vs. Jimmy Jacobs
They trade chops to start. Callihan gets fired up and hits a few elbows. Jacobs blocks the Stretch Muffler by hitting the satellite head scissors. He stomps a mud hole in Callihan. Callihan hits a lariat for 2. He puts on a chinlock. Jacobs hits a lariat. He hits a running chop. Callihan chops him back. Jacobs hits a sliding clothesline. He hits a dropkick in the corner for 2. Callihan hits a big boot. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Jacobs hits the spear for 2. He puts on the End Time but Callihan headbutts him and hits an exploder. He hits a dead lift powerbomb for 2. He puts on the Stretch Muffler. Jacobs gets to the ropes. Callihan clotheslines him to the floor. Jacobs hits the Contra Code onto a chair bridge on the floor. That was pretty cool. Jacobs hit his ankle on the barricade, so he’s slow to capitalize. He gets Callihan in the ring but only gets 2. Callihan blocks the spear with his knee. He misses a diving headbutt. Jacobs hits the Ace Crusher. He hits an avalanche DDT and puts on the End Time for the win at 9:41. This was billed as the main event of the pre-show and they wrestled as such. They tried to infuse drama and big-match action into a small amount of time. That was certainly accomplished.
Rating: ***

Austin Aries & Homicide vs. Bryan Danielson & Rocky Romero [FIP New Dawn Rising]
Danielson & Homicide start. These two were feuding in ROH at the time. They fight to Homicide’s corner where Aries takes a cheap shot. They fight to Danielson’s corner but Romero won’t take a shot. Danielson asks why so Romero shows him his Rottweiler T-shirt. Danielson gets a single leg takedown and works over Homicide’s leg. Homicide goes to the beard to break. Danielson puts on a headlock but Homicide rolls out. Romero tags in so Homicide tags to Aries because he doesn’t want to fight another Rottweiler. Homicide and Danielson both psych Romero up, so Aries has the referee psych him up. They knuckle up and Aries grabs a cravat. Romero reverses to a roll up for 2 but Aries stays with the hold. Romero reverses to a legvice but Aries reverses to a toehold. Romero makes the ropes. He puts on the Anaconda Vice but Aries makes it to the ropes. Romero puts on a full nelson and tags to Danielson. Danielson hits a series of bodyslams but goes for one too many and Aries hits his own. Danielson tosses Aries back first to the turnbuckle and stretches his back on the mat. Homicide tags in and goes to the mat with Danielson. He puts on a hammerlock and gets 2. Danielson comes back with a dropkick and Homicide bails. He brings a chair to the ring but Danielson gets a hold of it and throws it away. Romero tags in and finally fights Homicide. He gets a headlock takedown but Homicide reverses to a legvice. He puts on a headlock but Romero reverses to a legvice. Romero puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Homicide makes it to the ropes. Romero hits a hurricanrana and tries to hit the Lady of the Lake. Homicide tries to get around it but falls victim. He comes back with a guillotine choke and gets a roll up for 2. Aries tags in and they double-team Romero for 2. Aries hits a side slam for 2. Mark Nulty sucks. Aries hits an elbowdrop for 2. Homicide tags in and Mark Nulty drives me crazy with his awful commentary. Homicide hits a vertical suplex and tags in Aries. Aries goes for the brainbuster but Romero reverses to a crossbody for 2. They trade kicks and Romero tags to Danielson. They hit a double kick to the chest for 2. Danielson goes to work on the arm but Homicide breaks it up. Romero tags in and knocks Homicide off the apron before hitting Aries with a vertical suplex. Homicide tags in and pokes Romero in the eyes. He hits a belly-to-belly overhead suplex for 2. He sets Romero on the top turnbuckle but gets knocked down and dropkicked. Homicide hits a butterfly suplex for 2. He hits a back suplex for 2. He puts on an abdominal stretch but Romero hiptosses out. Romero puts on an octopus stretch but Homicide hits a side slam to escape. Danielson and Aries tag in and Danielson gets the airplane spin. He drops Aries and does it to Homicide, knocking Aries back down in the process. In his dizzy state he does it to Romero and dropkicks him after letting go. Homicide tags in but gets hit with a butterfly suplex. It gets 2 for Danielson. They clothesline each other down. Aries tags in and Homicide knocks Romero off the apron. Aries hits a back suplex and goes for the 450 splash. Danielson cuts him off and hits a superplex for 2. He goes for the Cow Killer but Aries comes back with a roaring forearm for 2. He hits the brainbuster for 2. Romero kicks Aries down but gets set on the top rope by Homicide. He fights him off and dropkicks Aries into Danielson who hits a German suplex. Danielson puts on the Cow Killer and Aries taps at 23:28. The match was fun all the way through, with the initial camaraderie and eventual dissension between Homicide and Romero, the dizzy segment after the airplane spins, and the solid action throughout.
Rating: ***½

Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong [FIP Attack of the Masked Fippers]
Danielson slaps Strong to start. Strong shoves him down and hits a shoulder tackle, prompting him to bail. Back in the ring they knuckle up and Danielson kicks Strong’s gut. He hits a European uppercut and puts on a chinlock. Strong escapes and Danielson bails, taking advantage of Strong after he gives chase. He goes after the arm but Strong comes back with an atomic drop. He chops Danielson down so Danielson bails again. Back in the ring Danielson asks for a handshake and Strong gives it to him, but he squeezes very tight and stomps on Danielson’s hand. He hits a hiptoss for 2. He hits a snapmare for 2. He puts on a headlock but Danielson escapes and gets a backslide for 2. Strong puts the headlock back on but Danielson escapes again and hits a back elbow. He hits a senton (the only time I’ve ever seen him use that) and hits the thigh stomp. He hits a kneedrop for 2. He puts on a chinlock and chokes Strong in the ropes. He distracts the referee and Prazak gets a few shots in. Strong tricks Danielson into crotching himself on the middle rope and then pulls the rope until Danielson falls off, getting 2. Strong hits a crossbody off the second rope for 2. Danielson hits a clothesline and a vertical suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Strong fights out and hits a monkey flip. Danielson bails and pulls Strong to the floor. He shoves Strong into the post and rolls him back into the ring. He stands on Strong’s throat but Strong comes back with a brainbuster. He goes for a slingshot splash but Danielson gets his knees up. Danielson hits a butterfly suplex for 2. He hits another senton for 2. Strong rolls him up for 2. Danielson stomps on Strong and pulls his nose. He hits a bodyslam and chokes Strong. He climbs the ropes but misses the diving headbutt. Strong hits a clothesline and a back elbow. He hits a dropkick for 2. Danielson goes to the eyes but Strong catches him with another clothesline. He hits the uranage backbreaker for 2. He hits a bodyslam and climbs the ropes. He misses a flying elbowdrop and Danielson puts on the figure 4 leglock. Prazak gives Danielson some added leverage but Strong turns the hold over and Danielson scrambles to the ropes. Strong gets a sunset flip for 2. They trade roll ups until Danielson climbs the ropes. Strong cuts him off and hits a superplex for 2. He hits the gutbuster but Prazak distracts him and Danielson hits the roaring forearm and a German suplex for the win at 22:06. This was about on the level of the FIP title match they would have in late 2006, which is to say it wasn’t up to the level of their ROH matches but still quite good by FIP standards at the time.
Rating: ***½