September 1, 2012 – Osaka, Japan

Open the Dream Gate Champion: CIMA
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: Akira Tozawa, BxB Hulk & “Naoki Tanisaki”
Open the Brave Gate Champion: Dragon Kid
Open the Twin Gate Champions: Shingo Takagi & YAMATO
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: Johnny Gargano
Open the United Gate Champions: CIMA & AR Fox

The show starts with the Zetsurins in the ring. CIMA hypes the PPV and his Dream Gate defense against Naruki Doi. Gamma says that after the PPV the Dream, Brave, and Twin Gate titles will all be held by the Veteran Army, and that CIMA, Masaaki Mochizuki and Don Fujii could win the Triangle Gate belts tonightFor his part,, he is recruiting someone new to come in and help the Veteran Army. It will be someone from Osaka, but not Magnitude Kishiwada. CIMA asserts that he and his buddies will win the Triangle Gate belts tonight. That brings out the champions, Mad Blankey. They rag on the Vets and claim they’ll keep the belts. The segment ends with no violence, but “Naoki Tanisaki” reminds CIMA that he’s pinned him in the Summer Adventure Tag League finals. I wonder if we’ll ever get to see that match.

Chihiro Tominaga {A} & Super Shenlong {A} vs. Shachihoko BOY {MG} vs. Kotoka {MG}
Kotoka and Tominaga start. Tominaga misses a dropkick and Kotoka hits an elbow. Kotoka dropkicks Shenlong for 2. BOY puts on a chinlock but Shenlong gets to the ropes. Kotoka hits a back kick for 2. He puts on a camel clutch. Shenlong gets to the ropes. He hits a leg lariat. BOY hits Tominaga with a springboard enziguiri. Tominaga puts on the armbar in the ropes. He hits a dropkick for 2. Kotoka suplexes Shenlong for 2. BOY hits a Finlay Roll and Kotoka hits a double stomp for 2. BOY hits a moonsault for 2. Kotoka elbows Tominaga. He hits a suicide dive. Shenlong rolls BOY up for 2. He gets a small package for 2. He gets a crucifix pin for 2. He gets another, deeper crucifix for the win at 6:06. I dig the multi-pins-eventually-leading-to-a-pin-fall finish. The rest of the match was run of the mill rookie stuff.
Rating: **¼

YAMATO {A} vs. Naoki Tanizaki {J}
They trade holds to start. Tanizaki hits an elbow. He hits two facebusters and a legsweep for 2. YAMATO hits a facebuster. He hits a headbutt. He hits a dropkick for 2. Tanizaki hits the FH. He hits a weird DDT, which I’m pretty sure was a botched suplex. YAMATO blocks the Casanova and hits a dragon screw. He hits a dropkick and an exploder for 2. Tanizaki blocks the Galleria and hits two DHs. He hits a kneelift and the Casanova. He hits another Casanova and a pair of spinning back heel kicks for 2. He hits the reverse Implant for 2. YAMATO blocks the Implant. He hits a spear for the win at 9:34. So YAMATO’s B-level offense beats nearly all of Tanizaki’s arsenal, a move designed to keep YAMATO strong after his Dream Gate loss, and probably a sign of how much hope Tanizaki has of winning his feud against Mad Blankey.
Rating: **½

Ryo “Jimmy” Saito {J} & Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee. {J} vs. Mondai Ryu {MB} & Cyber Kong {MB}
Kong and Ryu attack with weapons before the bell. They hit Horiguchi with a double shoulder tackle. Saito outfights them. Horiguchi hits the topé con hilo. Saito hits a double stomp. MARAHA! ISAPPA! Saito puts on a chinlock. Ryu gets to the ropes. Saito hits a legdrop for 2. Kong takes out Horiguchi’s leg on the apron. He breaks a yellow box over Horiguchi’s knee, getting 2 for Ryu. Ryu dropkicks the leg. Kong works the leg. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. A group of fans wears mock Ryu masks. Kong clubs Horiguchi’s leg. He hits an elbowdrop to the leg. He puts on the Stretch Muffler and Ryu hits a dropkick for 2. Horiguchi leg a leg lariat. Saito cleans house. He suplexes Ryu for 2, and tricks Kong into elbowdropping the masked man. Saito blocks Kong’s splash with his knees, hurting himself and Kong. Saito slams Kong. He puts on the Cycling Yahoo but Ryu makes the save. Saito hits a German suplex and the Superfly Splash for 2. Kong lariats both opponents. He splashes Horiguchi for 2. Horiguchi gets the Backslide from Heaven for the win at 10:20. Ryu’s offense is so dull I tuned out of the match when it happened. The rest of the match was probably fine, but this particular team, with purposely bad heel Ryu and “loser” Kong, is such a bore.
Rating: *½

Shingo Takagi {A} vs. Jimmy Kanda {J}
Takagi powers Kanda to the ropes to start. He hits a shoulder tackle. Kanda hits an elbow. He hits another for 1. Takagi hits a suplex. He beats the crap out of Kanda against the apron. He hits a double stomp and a DDT. Kanda blocks MADE IN JAPAN and hits the Flapjack. He hits a suicide dive. He hits a springboard elbow. He hits a butterfly suplex. Takagi counters the Jon Woo to a DVD. He hits a lariat to the back. He hits a kneedrop. Kanda hits an exploder. He hits another. He hits a German suplex for 2. The crowd wants Candy! He hits the Jon Woo and the flying elbowdrop for 2. Takagi hits a lariat and the Sliding Bomber for 2. He hits MADE IN JAPAN for the win at 10:18. They used the exact same formula for this match as they did in the YAMATO vs. Tanizaki match, where Kanda threw everything at Takagi and the big man won by stringing together just a bit of offense. It was about as entertaining, too.
Rating: **½

Naruki Doi {W1} & Masato Yoshino {W1} vs. Super Shisa {MG} & Masamune {OP} vs. Dragon Kid {Z} & Gamma {Z}
Doi, Shisa and Gamma start. Doi and Shisa fight over a wristlock while Gamma watches. Shisa gets booted over and over. Doi and Gamma hit a double shoulder tackle and do the WARRIORS Uuuu. Masamune hits Kid with a side slam. Yoshino hits a supercharged dropkick. Kid hits a dropkick. Shisa puts on an abdominal stretch. Gamma hits a dropkick. Doi hits Shisa with a neckbreaker for 2. Yoshino hits a double stomp to the arm. Gamma and Kid work Shisa’s arm as well. Shisa puts Yoshino in the Romero Special until Gamma pins Shisa for 2. Gamma gives Shisa the Osuikougeki. He gives it to Kid by accident. SPEED! MUSCLE! Shisa hits a splash and Masamune hits a senton on Kid. Masamune hits a snap suplex for 2. Kid hits the 619 on Doi and the Messiah on Masamune. Gamma boots Yoshino off the apron and Shisa hits a suicide dive. Gamma hits the Bermuda Triangle! Masamune hits a topé. Gamma starts his own chant, which I feel is like giving yourself a nickname. He spits in Yoshino’s face. Yoshino hits Kid with the elevated facebuster. Everyone gangs up on Kid. Yoshino hits the shotgun senton for 2. Doi saves Yoshino from the Yoshi Tonic with an Ace Crusher. Masamune hits a fisherman suplex for 2. Gamma hits the Flashback. He canes Shisa. Kid hits the Skyscraper Frankensteiner. Gamma hits a superkick. Shisa gets a roll up for 2. Gamma hits the Gamma Special. Masamune hits a neckbreaker. Yoshino hits the Sling Blade. Gamma hits the Axe Bomber. Shisa hits the Yoshi Tonic for 2 when Gamma makes the save. Yoshino hits the Torbellino for 2. He hits a suicide dive. Doi blocks the Yoshi Tonic and hits Shisa with the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick for the win at 19:00. Everyone got to look good here, though the Kid/Masamune issue wasn’t really addressed at all in favor of Doi’s story taking precedence.
Rating: ***¼

And then, as if they read what I was typing, Kid and Masamune brawl after the match. They go to the back, but before Gamma can leave, Ryu and Kong attack him with whips. He runs to the back, leaving his fate unknown. After interviews from Doi, Masamune, and Kid, we see that Gamma survived. He argues with Ryu, setting up a six-man tag for Korakuen Hall, where Ryu will team with Kong and Tozawa, while Gamma will team with Stalker Ichikawa and the mystery partner he mentioned earlier. Scramble Bunkhouse Style.

Akira Tozawa © {MB}, BxB Hulk © {MB} & “Naoki Tanisaki” © {MB} vs. CIMA {Z}, Masaaki Mochizuki {Z} & Don Fujii {Z} [Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match]
I suppose since we didn’t get to see the Summer Adventure Tag League finals, this pseudo rematch will have to do (with MochiFujii subbing in for Gamma and Magnitude Kishiwada). The Veterans attack before the bell. Hulk dropkicks Mochizuki. Mochizuki hits the apron kick. CIMA hits a shoulder tackle on Tozawa. They miss senton and dropkick attempts. “Tanisaki” and Fujii trade chops. Fujii misses an elbowdrop but hits a shoulder tackle. Mochizuki hits a back kick. “Tanisaki” hits a bodyslam. Tozawa puts on a chinlock. CIMA makes the save. Mochizuki and CIMA trade turns kicking Tozawa’s chest. CIMA puts on a leglock. Fujii and CIMA hit a double shoulder tackle. Tozawa slugs Fujii. Hulk kicks the crap out of Fujii. Fujii hits a back heel kick. Mochiuzki hits the Kakato Otoshi. Fujii hits the Sumo Sack Slap. CIMA puts on an abdominal stretch. Hulk hiptosses to escape. Tozawa hits a bodyslam for 2. CIMA grabs his goatee to escape. Fujii dares all of Mad Blankey to chop him, but has trouble absorbing “Tanisaki’s” chops. That’s a nice spin on an old spot. “Tanisaki’ takes on all three opponents as chop challengers and dominates them. He hits Mochizuki with a delayed vertical suplex for 2. Hulk and Tozawa kick Mochizuki. Hulk hits a roundhouse kick for 2. He puts on a half crab. Mochziuki hits “Tanisaki” with the Sankakugeri. He hits Hulk with a chest kick. CIMA dropkicks “Tanisaki.” He hits a snap suplex. He hits a suicide dive on Tozawa. Fujii slams Hulk off the top. Hulk hits a missile dropkick. He hits a senton for 2. Mochizuki kicks Tozawa’s head off. CIMA hits “Tanisaki” with a superkick. “Tanisaki” hits the cross-legged suplex. Mochizuki hits a missile dropkick. He and CIMA hit stereo Ikkakugeris. Fujii and Mochizuki hit a double chokeslam for 2 on “Tanisaki.” Hulk hits CIMA with the Mouse. He and Tozawa hit the back suplex/missile dropkick combo for 2. CIMA blocks the Night Ride but can’t stop Mad Blankey from attacking en masse. The Veterans do the same to Hulk. CIMA hits the Schwein for 2. Mochizuki hits a big boot. Fujii hits the avalanche chokeslam. CIMA hits the Meteora but Kong pulls him to the floor. Fujii can only get 2. Mochizuki hits the topé Masaaki. Fujii hits the Axe Bomber and a powerbomb for 2. Ryu trips him. Fujii accidentally takes out the referee and Kong hits the Cyber Combination. Tozawa hits a German suplex for 2. “Tanisaki” hits the Night Ride for the win at 20:53. The finish was fun, as were the updated Fujii-chop spots. That’s enough to make this memorable for now, but I doubt I’ll remember it a week from now. I still want to see the SATL finals.
Rating: ***½

Tanizaki attacks “Tanisaki” after the match, biting his head open. He challenges Mad Blankey for the Triangle Gate belts. “Tanisaki” says he has to put his name on the line if he wants the Jimmyz to get a shot. Tanizaki agrees to the stipulation. The match will happen at the Dangerous Gate.