291March 9, 2013 – Nagoya, Japan

Open the Dream Gate Champion: CIMA
Open the Triangle Gate Champions: Naruki Doi, Rich Swann & Shachihoko BOY
Open the Brave Gate Champion: Dragon Kid
Open the Twin Gate Champions: BxB Hulk & Uhaa Nation
Open the Freedom Gate Champion: Johnny Gargano
Open the United Gate Champions: CIMA & AR Fox

The show starts with Nation accosting a cameraman for filming him while jumping rope.

Some time later, the Veteran Army and Mad Blankey have a five-rope tug of war to decide who will face who in singles matches later in the evening. Akira Tozawa matches up with CIMA. Uhaa Nation almost pulls Masaaki Mochizuki across the ring in matching up with Nation. Mondai Ryu gets Don Fujii. HUB will take on Kzy. Dragon Kid and BxB Hulk will get the main event.

Shingo Takagi {A} & Super Shenlong {A} vs. Jimmy Kagetora {J} & Kotoka {MG}
Shenlong and Kotoka start. Kotoka attacks Takagi and Shenlong goes at him from behind. Takagi tags in and takes Kotoka out with a shoulder tackle. Shenlong hits Kagetora with a dropkick. Takagi press slams Kotoka onto the apron. He hits short-armed clotheslines. He hits a diving elbowdrop for 2. Kagetora dropkicks Shenlong’s leg. He puts on a leglock. Kotoka hits a back elbow for 2. Kagetora ties Shenlong in a knot. Kotoka hits a bodyslam for 2. He goes after Takagi, which turns out to be a huge mistake. Kagetora smacks Shenlong. Shenlong hits a dropkick. Takagi cleans house. Kagetora hits an enziguiri and the Ace Crusher for 2. Kotoka hits Shenlong with a basement dropkick. Kagetora hits an enziguiri. Kotoka hits a double stomp. Kagetora hits the diving elbowdrop for 2. Kotoka misses a double stomp. Takagi hits a back suplex. He hits a powerbomb for 2. Kotoka hits a bulldog. Shenlong hits the Skyhigh for 2. Takagi hits the Pumping Bomber for 2. Shenlong hits the diving Skyhigh for the win at 10:44. It was a bit of a bummer to see Kotoka’s fire get put out here, but it’s building his underdog persona going into his singles match with Takagi, so there may be hope for him yet.
Rating: **¼

Jimmy Kanda {J} vs. Stalker Ichikawa {Z}
Ichikawa points out that he was Kanda’s debut opponent 15 years ago, so he wants a serious fight. They fight over a wristlock to start. Kanda gives Ichikawa props for keeping up with him. He hits a shoulder tackle. Ichikawa walks on Kanda’s back as things start to get silly. Kanda ignores Ichikawa’s offense. Ichikawa blocks the Jon Woo with the Kancho. He runs the ropes. Kanda dares him to do it without help, but Ichikawa ends up crotched on the top rope. Kanda hits a side slam for 2. Ichikawa hits the Kancho and a head scissor takedown. He hits the 619 and gets la magistral for 2. Kanda hits a snap suplex for 2. Ichikawa hits a low blow but bungles the German suplex. Kanda hits the Jon Woo for the win at 5:57. Cute match. Kanda’s big fifteen-year anniversary match is quickly approaching, so I’ll forgive this bit of uselessness.
Rating: *

YAMATO {A} vs. Mr. Quu Quu Naoki Tanizaki Toyonaka Dolphin {J}
They fight over a wristlock to start. YAMATO hits an enziguiri and a dragon screw in the ropes. He puts on the Figure 4 Leglock. Dolphin reverses it but YAMATO gets to the ropes. YAMATO hits a dropkick for 2. He goes for an STF but Dolphin bites his hand. YAMATO dropkicks the leg. Dolphin hits the FH. He hits the legsweep for 2. He puts on the Octopus Stretch. YAMATO gets to the ropes. He avoids the DH and hits a dragon screw. He hits the running dropkick and exploder for 2. Dolphin blocks the Galleria. YAMATO blocks the Casanova. Dolphin hits the kneelift. He hits the DH. He hits the FH and a DDT for 2. He hits the Casanova for 2. YAMATO blocks the Implant and gets a roll up for 2. He hits the hurricanrana for the win at 12:31. I guess that’s a new finisher for him, as he’s won with it a few times now. The match was pretty boring until the home stretch, sadly, as I love both of these guys.
Rating: **½

Naruki Doi {W1}, Masato Yoshino {W1} & Rich Swann {W1} vs. Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee. {J}, Jimmy Susumu {J} & Ryo “Jimmy” Saito {J}
Doi and Horiguchi start, as always. See any other review of a Jimmyz vs. World-1 match to read about what happens next. In a twist, nobody pulls out Horiguchi’s hair. Saito hits Yoshino with a hurricanrana. Yoshino hits a dropkick and a suicide dive. Swann hits a dropkick. He pokes Saito’s eyes. SPEED! MUSCLE! Susumu hits a knee to Yoshino’s gut for 2. Swann hits mounted punches. No matter how much he shouts, this crowd doesn’t love him. Saito hits a double stomp. MARAHA! ISAPPA! SUKA! Swann hits a double Ace Crusher on RyoSuka, and dives out after them. Doi goes after Horiguchi’s hair. Yoshino double stomps the ponytail. Doi hits the hanging senton for 2. Horiguchi hits a head scissor takedown on Yoshino. Doi tries to smack him with the elastic band, but it backfires. Saito and Susumu do the RyoSuka thing. Susumu gets into an ill-fated chop battle with Yoshino before giving up and hitting a backbreaker. Yoshino puts on the Coumori. Saito hits Doi with an overhead suplex. Doi gets a roll up for 2. He hits a dropkick. Swann hits a Frankensteiner. Yoshino hits a Michinoku Driver for 2. Susumu hits Swann with the super exploder. Horiguchi hits a swinging DDT for 2. Susumu hits a lariat. Saito hits a dragon suplex for 2. Doi hits Horiguchi with a neckbreaker. He hits the Doi 555. Yoshino hits the Torbellino. Doi hits the Bakatare Sliding Kick for 2. He and Swann hit the Die Sky for the win at 16:00. That’s more like it. This rivalry is pretty much bad-match proof. They kept it fast-paced and fun, and just different enough to make it worth watching.
Rating: ***½

CIMA {Z} vs. Akira Tozawa {MB}
Both factions are at ringside from this match forward. CIMA hits a dropkick before the bell. Ryu trips him and Tozawa hits the double suicide dive. He puts on a chinlock. CIMA hits a back suplex to escape. Tozawa hits a dropkick. He hits a back suplex for 2. He hits a jab in the corner. CIMA misses a senton and Tozawa connects with one. He hits another senton. He hits a chair shot and another senton for 2. CIMA hits the Superdrol. He hits a pair of double stomps for 2. Tozawa avoids the Mad Splash and hits the running knee. He hits a brainbuster for 2. CIMA hits a powerbomb and the Miniora. Kzy stops him from hitting the Meteora and Tozawa hits a superplex for 2. He hits a German suplex for 2. CIMA hits a superkick. Tozawa hits the Ganki for the win at 8:40. There may have been some rope-assistance for Tozawa at the end there, but he basically squashed CIMA in this match. If he doesn’t get a title shot then something is seriously wrong.
Rating: ***

Nation runs in and attacks CIMA. Mochizuki makes the save with a missile dropkick to start their match.

Masaaki Mochizuki {Z} vs. Uhaa Nation {MB}
Nation hits a powerslam. Mochizuki rams Nation’s leg against the post. Nation shoves him away. Mochizuki hits leg kicks. Nation hits a bicycle kick. Mochizuki puts on an anklelock. Nation gets to the ropes. CIMA attacks from the apron. Nation hits an avalanche and shakes out his leg. He hits a leaping lariat. Mochizuki hits big boots. Nation hits pump kicks. Mochizuki hits the SicK Kick for 1. He gets a roll up for 2. He hits a back heel kick for 2. Nation hits a deadlift suplex. He hits a double powerbomb for 2. He hits the Uhaa CombiNation for the win at 4:32. Mochizuki controlled the match, probably both to protect Nation and as a trade off for losing in under five minutes. Either way, this was really shaky, and I’m a little worried about what a Nation vs. CIMA title match would look like.
Rating: *½

Don Fujii {Z} vs. Mondai Ryu {MB}
Fujii hits a lariat to start. Kzy helps Ryu take control. Ryu whips Fujii into the exposed turnbuckle. Fujii returns the favor twice. He hits a chokeslam for 2. Ryu takes out the referee. He salts Fujii for 2. Fujii hits a lariat for 2. He hits the Nice German for the win at 3:02. This was nothing.
Rating: ¾*

HUB {Z} vs. Kzy {MB}
HUB attacks Kzy for his interference. Kzy pulls on HUB’s tail. HUB whips him. He takes off Kzy’s jumper and whips his chest for 2. Kzy puts on the Testicular Claw. He whips HUB with his own tail. He dumps the masked man on the apron. He hits the double legdrop. He hits a senton for 2.He hits a back elbow for 2. HUB whips Kzy’s face and throws him across the ring. He hits the DH and a superkick. He hits the Black Magic and the Jackhammer for 2. He puts on the anklelock. Kzy attacks HUB from behind. He hits a plancha. He hits a suplex for 2. He hits the Beat Bomb for 2. HUB blocks KZ Time and hits a lariat for 2. Kzy blocks the Armageddon and gets a roll up for 2. He hits a low blow. He hits the B-Boy. He hits KZ Time for 2. HUB blocks the Impact and hits a few elbows. He hits another lariat for 1. He hits the Shining Wizard for 2. He hits the Armageddon for the win at 9:56. Kzy literally controlled this entire match. I have no idea why the protected the little guys so much, but they did so look for some kind of push for him. Or not, I actually give up trying to figure out what Dragon Gate is going to do with the lower card guys.
Rating: **¾

Dragon Kid {Z} vs. BxB Hulk {MB}
Kid hits a leg lariat to start. He hits a head scissor takedown. Hulk blocks the 619. He hits the EVO from the apron to the floor in one of the nuttiest spots I’ve ever seen. Kid beats the count at 19, and then retreats back to the floor. Hulk follows him and drags him into the ring. He hits a dropkick to the back. Kid hits a back heel kick. Hulk hits a high kick to stop any momentum from building. He hits a senton for 2. He puts on an abdominal stretch. Kid gets to the ropes. Hulk hits a fall away slam for 2. He hits the axe kick for 2. Kid hits a cartwheel kick and a head scissor takedown. He hits the 619 and the Bermuda Triangle. He hits a dropkick for 2. Hulk hits the Mouse. Kid hits a stunner for 2. Hulk hits the uranage but misses a senton. Kid puts on the Christo. Hulk hits a side slam to escape. He hits an axe kick for 2. He hits a spin kick for 2. Kid blocks the EVO but eats an enziguiri. He hits the Messiah for 2. Hulk blocks the Ultra Hurricanrana but Kid hits the Bible for 2. Ryu trips Kid. Fujii trips Hulk. Blankey attacks Kid. The Veterans attack Hulk. Hulk hits the axe kick on Kid for 2. He hits the First Flash but Kid uses the force to get himself to the apron and hits the Ultra Hurricanrana for the win at 12:35. That finish was WICKED! These two rocked it here. Almost everything felt like it could be the finish, and after such a dramatic beginning, that made this whole main event engaging. These guys have amazing chemistry.
Rating: ***¾

Tozawa says that the losses in tonight’s series don’t matter because he pinned the Dream Gate Champion. CIMA brushed that off, but admitted that he lost and that Nation is dangerous. He thanks the Veteran winners for bailing himself and Mochizuki out, and then says that when Gamma returns the Veterans will all be successful at Dead or Alive.