April 19, 2012 – Kobe, Japan

Open the Dream Gate Champion: CIMA
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito & Jimmy Kanda
Open the Brave Gate Champion: Ricochet
Open the Twin Gate Champions: Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy Kagetora
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: Johnny Gargano
Open the United Gate Champions: Masato Yoshino & Ricochet

The show starts with hype for the upcoming CIMA vs. Cyber Kong match for the Open the Dream Gate Championship at Dead or Alive. They show CIMA beating PAC in the last defense of the title, and Kong beating Naruki Doi to win the CIMA Royale 3 and earn his title shot.

Also on the PPV, Jimmy Susumy & Jimmy Kagetora will defend their newly won Open the Twin Gate titles against the reformed MochiFujii. The Veteran Army soldiers earned the shot by beating the Jimmyz in a six-man tag match with Dragon Kid. They’d initially asked for a Triangle Gate shot but Kid didn’t want to be in the match so they took a Twin Gate shot instead.

Speaking of Kid, he’ll be challenging Ricochet for the Open the Brave Gate Championship at Dead or Alive on the strength of that same six-man tag match win. Logic need not apply.

They show clips of Mondai Ryu {MB} vs. Chihiro Tominaga from their dark match on April 7th. Kzy distracted Tominaga, allowing Ryu to hit a low blow and get a roll up for the win. After the match Ryu cut off some of Tominaga’s hair and challenged him to a hair vs. theme music match. YAMATO and Takagi showed up to get Tominaga’s back.

Masato Yoshino {W1}, Ricochet {W1} & Eita Kobayashi vs. Akira Tozawa {MB}, BxB Hulk {MB} & Cyber Kong {MB}
Kong’s rocking that Dream Key. Tozawa hits Kobayashi with a bicycle kick to start. He hits a shoulder tackle. Kobayashi hits a dropkick. Hulk kicks Yoshino’s face. Yoshino hits a head scissor takedown. Kong tosses Ricochet around. Ricochet hits chest kicks. He hits a hurricanrana. Yoshino hits a suicide dive. Kobayashi puts Tozawa in a half crab. Yoshino hits a basement dropkick for 2. He and Kobayashi hit stereo chops. Ricochet hits a senton for 2. He and Yoshino hit a double suplex. Ricochet hits a standing moonsault for 2. Kong cleans house with lariats. Hulk hits a spin kick on Kobayashi for 2. Mad Blankey gangs up on Kobayashi and sprays cold spray in his face. Tozawa hits a senton for 2. He and Hulk pepper Kobayashi with kicks for 2. Kong hits an elbowdrop for 2. Tozawa hits an elbowdrop and Hulk hits an axe kick for 2. Kobayashi powers up and chops Hulk. He misses a dropkick. He hits a running elbow. Yoshino hits the Sling Blade. He hits Kong with a vertical suplex. Ricochet hits a corkscrew plancha. Yoshino catches Tozawa with a sunset flip for 2. He’s the first guy in forever to be successful in doing that, so of course Tozawa immediately comes back with the running knee. Yoshino puts on From Jungle. Hulk makes the save. Ricochet hits an enziguiri and the Ace Crusher for 2. Hulk hits the Mouse. He hits an axe kick and a senton for 2. Ricochet hits a back flip kick and the Superdrol. He hits a standing SSP for 2. Yoshino hits the Torbellno. Kobayashi hits the moonsault for 2 when Tozawa pulls him off and hits a German suplex. He hits a bicycle kick. Kong hits the double kneedrop. He hits a diving elbowdrop for 2. Hulk hits the uranage onto Tozawa’s knees for 2. Kong hits the Cyber Combination for the win at 12:22. Kobayashi got to look good and Mad Blankey got to be killers again. Good things all around, and again Yoshino looked more motivated than he’d been since losing the Dream Gate title.
Rating: ***¼

King of Chop! Round 1
King of Chop matches will see wrestlers exchange chops until one of them quits. If neither wrestler quits after three chops each then the crowd will decide the winner.

CIMA vs. Jimmy Kagetora: CIMA wears a glove on his chopping hand. Kagetora’s chops seemed to be more effective, and the crowd lets him advance.

Don Fujii vs. Rich Swann: This doesn’t seem like a fair matchup. Swann looks scared the whole time, and with good reason. He thinks about quitting after the second chop but the crowd convinces him to continue. The third chop is insane and Swann quits.

Eita Kobayashi vs. Mondai Ryu: Ryu steals the first chop, but it’s weak. Kobayashi destroys him. Ryu’s second chop is better, but Kobayashi’s is insane and Ryu throws in the towel.

Naruki Doi vs. Cyber Kong: Doi’s first chop is weak and he knows it. Kong levels him. The crowd gets behind Doi. Doi’s second chop is lame. Kong levels him again. Doi’s third chop is solid but Kong’s is better. The crowd is sympathetic for Doi but realistic and they give Kong the win.

Kotoka vs. YAMATO: Kotoka’s first chop does some damage. YAMATO’s isn’t amazing. Kotoka’s second is weak. YAMATO’s is strong. His third is strong as well, and he hurts his own hand pretty badly. The crowd gives it to YAMATO.

Super Shisa vs. Tomahawk TT: TT is looking a lot like “Naoki Tanisaki.” Shisa’s first chop is pathetic. TT’s is nasty. Shisa’s second is sad. TT’s catches Shisa’s throat. Shisa’s third bounces off of TT’s chest. The crowd gives it to TT. I like that the crowd is in on the gimmick.

Akira Tozawa vs. Masato Yoshino: They’re pretty evenly matched, but I’d give Yoshino the edge. The crowd agrees.

Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Shingo Takagi: This should be gnarly. Mochizuki makes Takagi take his singlet down. His first chop is out of control. Takagi’s is surprisingly disappointing. Mochizuki’s second isn’t great either. Takagi’s is a double chop and Fujii argues with Referee Yagi over its legality. Mochizuki’s third sounds like a gunshot. Takagi’s third isn’t as powerful, and the crowd rightly gives the win to the old man.

Jimmy Kanda {K} vs. Naruki Doi {W1}
Will either guy be tempted to go back to his evil ways here? Kanda forces Doi to the ropes to start. They trade armdrags. Kanda hits a chop, which aggravates Doi’s tender chest. LOVE! Kanda puts on a chinlock. LESS LOVE! Kanda hits a back elbow for 2. Doi hits a dropkick. Kanda hits the Manhattan drop. Doi blocks the Jon Woo with an elbow. I want a Jimmy Jumper so badly. Kanda goes for the Jon Woo again but has to settle for a powerslam. It gets 2. Doi hits a senton to the back. He hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for 2. Kanda hits the Flapjack. He hits an exploder for 2. He hits the flying elbowdrop for 2. Kanda goes for the Jon Woo again but Doi gets a schoolboy for 2. Kanda tries again but Doi gets a crucifix pin for 2. He gets the V9 Clutch for the win at 6:53. I actually loved this, as Kanda became obsessed with hitting the Jon Woo and Doi focused in on that obsession to get the win. The crowd was also really invested in both guys, as they’ve both gone from being great heels to fantastic fan favorites. Rich Swann’s dance to Doi’s music is also amazing.
Rating: ***

Don Fujii {Z} & Kotoka vs. Shingo Takagi & YAMATO
Fujii throws Kotoka into their opponents and Kotoka goes nuts. After a few seconds of success, Kotoka falls to Takagi’s bodyslam. Takagi hits a shoulder tackle. Fujii and YAMATO trade chops, a blatant tactical error for their upcoming tournament bouts. Fujii hits a clothesline to the floor. He hits a chop to the back. Kotoka hits a few of those. YAMATO knocks him out with a slap. Takagi hits a lariat. He hits the deadlift suplex. He and YAMATO hit a double chop. YAMATO puts on a half crab. Kotoka gets to the ropes. They trade elbows and face-screams. Kotoka hits a head scissor takedown. Fujii cleans house. He throws Kotoka into Takagi but Takagi catches him and hits a powerslam. Fujii hits the Rocker Dropper. Takagi hits a chokeslam. Kotoka hits a dropkick but it does nothing to Takagi. Takagi hits the DVD for 2. Kotoka hits YAMATO with a basement dropkick. Fujii hits a chokeslam. Kotoka hits the diving double stomp for 2. YAMATO hits a big boot and a brainbuster for 2. Fujii hits a lariat to the back. Kotoka hits an elbow. He gets a roll up for 1. Takagi hits the Alabama Slam for 2. He hits the Pumping Bomber for the win at 9:39. This was a decent amount of fun, discounting the awkward moments near the end. I’m not sure they’re ever going to use Kotoka as anything more than a jobber, but the little dude has good fire.
Rating: **½

King of Chop! Round 2

Jimmy Kagetora vs. Don Fujii: Fujii’s first chop makes Kagetora want to quit. Kagetora doesn’t get much against Fujii. The crowd gives it to Fujii.

Cyber Kong vs. Eita Kobayashi: Everyone was picking one of these two to win the tournament. Kong’s first chop isn’t as powerful as expected. Kobayashi’s does some damage. Kong seems to be out of energy as Kobayashi makes the sweat fly off of the big man. Kobayashi’s last chop is pretty nutty, and the crowd gives him the win. Kong has a gross welt on his chest.

YAMATO vs. Tomahawk TT: YAMATO’s chest took some punishment in the last match and he’s bruised up. He gets nothing off of his first chop and freaks out. TT nearly brings him to tears. YAMATO’s second chop is better. TT’s chops are killer. YAMATO’s third doesn’t do much and the end is inevitable. The crowd gives it to TT.

Masato Yoshino vs. Masaaki Mochizuki: Mochizuki puts a lot behind his first chop. Yoshino does the same and Mochizuki collapses. Yoshino pushes back against Mochizuki’s second chop, and probably regrets it. He gives it back to Mochizuki pretty well. Mochizuki’s last chop is nuts. It’s too close to call, so the fight must continue. After another exchange it’s still too close. Yoshino screws up his chop in double overtime, hurting his own hand and losing the bout. This is way more fun than it has any right to be.

Mondai Ryu {MB} vs. Chihiro Tominaga [Theme vs. Hair & Name Match]
They lock up and Ryu forces Tominaga to the ropes. Ryu comes back with a dropkick. Ryu pulls Tominaga to the floor, where Tozawa takes a few shots. Tozawa hits a bodyslam on the floor. Kong shaves off some of Tominaga’s hair. Ryu hits a chair shot. He hits a basement dropkick for 2. He draws something on Tominaga’s head. Tominaga starts to come back, so Ryu pulls the referee into his charge. Ryu hits a spinebuster. Tozawa and Kong run in and attack. Ryu hits a low blow and chokes Tominaga with a chain. Tominaga bleeds from a pre-match face wound. Kong empties cold spray into Tominaga’s face. Tominaga hits a dropkick. He goes after the arm. Ryu goes to the eyes. Tominaga hits a dropkick off the top for 2. Ryu hits a running knee. He hits a dropkick for 2. Ryu goes to the eyes again but Tominaga fights back and hits a headbutt. He hits a superplex for 2. He hits a triple jump moonsault for 2. He puts on the cross armbreaker but Ryu gets to the ropes. Tozawa hits a cheap shot. Ryu misses a salt attack. Mad Blankey attacks en masse. YAMATO and Takagi attack Ryu in response. Tominaga puts on the cross armbreaker. Ryu tries hard to escape but he taps out at 12:28. This was pretty boring, but the crowd likes Tominaga a lot, so there’s potential there. Maybe not for Ryu.
Rating: *¾

After the match YAMATO puts over Tominaga’s skill and resolve. He invites Tominaga to fight with them officially. Tominaga accepts. He says that he doesn’t think the theme he just won from Ryu is appropriate for him, but he has a friend he wants to give it to. The original Super Shenlong comes out. Tominaga calls him Super Shenlong 3, so it’s obviously a new guy and not Shinobu, even though he’s dressed like Shinobu’s version of the character. YAMATO asks if his secret identity is what he thinks it is, but it’s never revealed that it’s really Yosuke Watanabe. YAMATO and Takagi talk about the unit that is forming here. Takagi calls it Akatsuki. Tozawa comes out to cut a promo on the new group, setting up a Captain’s Fall Zombie Elimination match at Dead or Alive between Akatsuki and Mad Blankey.

CIMA {Z}, Masaaki Mochizuki {Z} & Dragon Kid {Z} vs. Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee {J}, Jimmy Kagetora {J} & Ryo “Jimmy” Saito {J}
Kagetora and Mochizuki start. Mochizuki hits a leg kick. Kagetora slugs him. Mochizuki hits the apron kick. Mee hits a dropkick on Kid. Kid hits an armdrag. CIMA dropkicks Saito and hits a plancha. He and Kid hit a double dropkick. Kid hits a pair of dropkicks for 1. Saito fights back and slams Kid. Kagetora hits an elbowdrop for 2. Saito hits a diving double stomp. MARAHA! ISAPPA! Once again the elastic snap backfires on the Jimmyz, as CIMA grabs it and uses it on Mee’s face for 2. CIMA does it again for 2. Kid puts on an abdominal stretch. Mee hits a hiptoss to escape. He hits CIMA with a head scissor takedown. Kagetora hits Mochizuki with a leaping lariat. CIMA wants no part of the Dancing Yahoo. He hits Saito with a double stomp and a senton for 2. Saito avoids the Perfect Driver and hits an overhead suplex. He puts on the Dancing Yahoo. Kid makes the save. He hits Mee with the Diamond Dust for 2. Mee ducks the 619 and hits a swinging DDT for 2. Saito hits the Superfly Splash for 2. Kid hits Kagetora with the Skyscraper Frankensteiner. Mochizuki hits a big boot. He and CIMA hit stereo Ikkakugeris. Mochizuki hits Kagetora with the Twister for 2. He hits the Illusion. Kagetora gets the Kagenui for 2. Mochizuki hits the Twister III for the win at 9:48. This was mostly played for comedy, with a nice burst of energy down the stretch. It was pretty one-dimensional in terms of Dragon Gate main events, however.
Rating: ***

After the match Mad Blankey attacks everyone. Kong gets on the microphone to promise victory at Dead or Alive against CIMA. TT takes the microphone and demands the King of Chop tournament finish up.

King of Chop! Round 3

Don Fujii vs. Eita Kobayashi: Kobayashi’s first chop sends sweat flying off of Fujii. His second actually makes the don react for the first time in the tournament. His third aggravates a welt on Fujii’s chest and he quits!

Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Tomahawk TT: Mochizuki puts a lot behind the first chop but TT doesn’t budge. TT’s first chop sends Mochizuki to the corner. Mochizuki’s second chop bounces off of TT. TT’s second chop levels Mochizuki and makes him think about quitting. Mochizuki’s last chop had momentum but doesn’t hurt TT. He knows he’s lost, so he goes out on his own terms.

King of Chop! Finals

Eita Kobayashi vs. Tomahawk TT: TT’s first chop forces The finals goes 10 rounds. Kobayashi across the ring. Kobayashi’s first echoes through the building and leaves a welt. TT’s second chop is as much a shove as anything else. Kobayashi’s second is as loud as the first. TT”s third completely outshines Kobayashi’s third. TT’s fourth is as loud as hell. Kobayashi’s fourth lands directly on a disgusting bruise forming on TT’s chest. TT reacts for the first time. His chest is a mess. His fifth chop lands like a bomb. Kobayashi’s is equally unnerving. Both guys’ sixth chops are hard to watch. Kong even asks if TT wants to throw in the towel. At this seventh round I’m cringing with each shot. Kobayashi’s hand might be in trouble. TT’s chest looks like it has been tattooed. The eighth round brings TT to one knee. Kobayashi’s chest is pretty red in the 9th round, but TT’s looks like he’s been tortured. The tenth round somehow sees TT hit his hardest chop and Kobayashi’s chest blister. TT collapses and writhes in pain. The crowd gives the win to Kobayashi. Given the state of both men’s chests I think they made the right call. This tournament was perverse fun.

Kobayashi is given the ability to ask for anything he wants in Dragon Gate. He calls CIMA to the ring. CIMA asks if he really thinks he can challenge for CIMA’s belt. Kobayashi doesn’t ask for a Dream Gate shot. Instead he says he wants to be in the King of Gate tournament, and he’s booting CIMA from the mix to do it. He also asks CIMA to take him to Mexico for training. CIMA tells him if he learns 100 words in Spanish in the next month then he can go. Kobayashi finishes his promo to end the show. If this kid doesn’t get hurt or freak out he’s going to be a big deal in Dragon Gate.

The show ends with a backstage segment featuring Akatsuki discussing their existence.