Keisuke Okuda © vs. Kaito Ishida – Open The Brave Gate
In the same vein as their Brave Gate match in Osaka, which means it was a total blast. They kept the energy and violence cranked up to 11 but added some nifty callbacks for all the true observers of wrestling out there. Ishida’s obsession with leg destruction played a bigger role this time around and they used the subplot wisely to protect Okuda’s Shoto. With the deadliness of the choke sleeper firmly established in the previous match, there was a real sense of danger to the ending stretch in this one.
Quite enjoyed the Tiger suplex/Sleeper war of attrition that ensued. In other news, Ishida’s new dreads might be the most amazing look of 2020. He feels even more like an insufferable little shit now and it already seems to be helping him lean into the dickishness. That tree-of-woe battering in the corner was a peak asshole moment in a match with a whole lot of ‘em. If you think Dragon Gate is only is only about flips and extremely good cardio, it might be a good idea to check out this feud. ***3/4
Battle Royal
How do you get Super Shisa to come back for one match and not even have him do a headstand? Come on. This didn’t have much of a purpose other than getting the whole roster on the show, but I’m never gonna say no to a bit of Stalker Ichikawa comedy fun.
Ryo Saito & Boku R Shimizu vs. Taketo Kamei & Madoka Kikuta
Dragon Gate’s commitment to the elevation of their prodigious children warms my cold dead heart. Again, both Kamei and Kikuta looked like a million bucks bringing the fight to the fierce anime warriors of Team Boku. Wholesome Brave Gate champ Okuda marking out for their new double team spots on commentary was a fun way to get them over. 8 minutes of completely pleasant undercard wrestling. Everything came together nicely for the finish and there were some genuinely inspired near-falls before the kids picked up the big W. What’s next for these two? I’d be down for a Twin Gate challenge. ***1/4
Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, Genki Horiguchi & TARU vs. Susumu Yokosuka, Yasushi Kanda, K-ness & Taro Nohashi
So, this whole TARU thing. If this is a one-off nostalgia deal, then we’re cool. If there are plans to keep the man around as a weirdo veteran undercard act, then we might have a problem. Other than the outsider presence, this was the usual DG old men undercard match. Lots of nutshots and yellow tape shtick to filll up the time, with a decent amount of Actually Good Wrestling to wrap things up. Nohashi (aka. Arakencito) stealing the show with the Praying Quebrada was the clear highlight. **3/4
Dragon Dia vs. Dia Inferno
The incredible Dragon Dia theme live performance deserved a fuller, more satisfying match. This was far from bad, but it felt more like a prologue than a proper first chapter in the WAR OF THE DIAS. The new age Darkness Dragon/Dragon Kid chemistry they’ve been exploring in the buildup was still on point and DD nearly dying for your sins on that crazy ass Quebrada was all good stuff, yet the abrupt mask ripping finish gave the match an incomplete feel. Putting on my fantasy booker hat for a minute, I would’ve had them do this match at Korakuen and then let them run wild for Kobe World. **3/4
Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Toru Owashi vs. Kzy, Strong Machine J & Punch Tominaga
Damn you, copyright laws, for robbing us of KOBE WORLD SANDSTORM. There were no real stakes or story here but I still weirdly enjoyed it? Fast-paced, crisp action with everyone looking sharp. Special guest T2P OG Owashi using his DDT lucha spots in a non-comedic setting went way better than expected. Meanwhile, Kzy is one of the few guys on the roster who can match Yoshino’s speed, so all of their exchanges looked terrific. Speaking of old Speed Star, I’m glad he’s is delaying his retirement until next year. The guy deserves a proper ovation for his final match. Plus, judging by his recent performances, it’s not like his body’s about to give out on him. Marked out for his mid-air dropkick counter for Punch’s slingshot spear. There’s lightning in the god damn jungle. ***1/4
YAMATO & Kota Minoura vs. BxB Hulk & KAI – Open The Twin Gate Decision Match
Of all the last minute COVID reshuffles on this card, this is the one that hurt the most. I was fully invested in the Minoura/Jason tag run and having it end this way is such a bummer. That being said, YAMATO/Kota do have a cool father and son vibe going for them (DG version of Shiozaki/Kiyomiya) and the match still turned out rock-solid. KAI put in his best performance since turning heel and seems to have found the ideal partner in the Hulkster. They clearly have a lot of fun being evil assholes together. As usual, Minoura played a compelling babyface in peril and brought the sweet suplexes for all you suplex fanatics out there. PS – Holy shit at the sandwich superkick from Hulk/HAI. Poor YAMATO got splattered. ***1/4
Takashi Yoshida, KAZMA SAKAMOTO & SB Kento © vs. Masato Yoshino, Dragon Kid & Kagetora vs. Ben-K, Yosuke Santa Maria & U-T – 3-Way Tag Match – Open The Triangle Gate
COVID booking strikes again. As much as I respect Double Duty Yoshino for stepping in, I was really looking forward to U-T and King Kong Kondo continuing their Korakuen beef. With one of the main hooks tossed out of the window, the spotlight shifted back to the improbable rise of SB Kento. The good: his new bleached hair goes a long way in differentiating him from H.Y.O. The less good: him getting back to back submission wins for R.E.D. again felt like too much too soon. The rest of the action was just the kind of 3-way criss-cross craziness you’d expect from this kind of match, albeit with more heel shenanigans than usual. There clearly have been more memorable Triangle Gate matches at Kobe World, but considering the last-minute pandemic change of plans, I’ll take it. ***1/2
Eita © vs. Shun Skywalker – Open The Dream Gate
This came pretty close to greatness, but the finish left me cold. Could’ve used another 5 minutes to reach peak Kobe World Main Event territory. Other than that, there was a lot to like. The heel/face dichotomy was perfect and made me realize how much I had missed masked wrestlers in top babyface main event settings. This is the stuff that got me into Japanese wrestling in the first place.
Shun looked energized by his trip to Mexico, flying all over the place and radiating superhero charisma. The ideal foil for the various scumbag antics of Eita, who continues to be the best possible version of Jay White. Same type of rudo strategizing, but with better placement of interference spots and vastly superior offense. The Minoru Suzuki-esque forearm, mask ripping and BRUTAL Moonsault counter were all deliciously evil. Sign me up for a rematch between these guys any time, as I’m pretty sure they have a full-on epic in them. ***3/4
