Ultimo Dragon, Don Fujii & Gamma vs. Bokutimo Dragon, Ryo Saito & Punch Tominaga
They were on the same side on the last Korakuen. Now they stand across the ring from each other. Ultimo. Bokutimo. Who is the one true Dragon? The answer remains ambiguous after this fated encounter, as they seemed content with mirroring each other for most of the match but the epilogue hinted at potential discord. Gripping storytelling, as always. **1/4
Keisuke Okuda & Yosuke Santa Maria vs. Genki Horiguchi & Kennichiro Arai
I’m stuck watching this show through shady means because the award-winning Dragon Gate Network is actively terrible at keeping its content accessible. Thus, I’m missing the whole finish of this match. It might be better off this way because the Maria forced kissing spots and Araken’s tired heel shtick had already used up all of my patience.
Shun Skywalker, Kota Minoura, Jason Lee & La Estrella vs. Kaito Ishida, KAZMA SAKAMOTO, Diamante & Hiphop Kikuta
This is what I’ve signed up for. The Masquerade sprints are always the most reliable thing on all these DG house shows and this one was no exception. Lightning-fast pace, ingenious triple teams, car crash dives. These are the things that I need from Dragon Gate. Also, wild lucha shit. Estrella and Diamante have some truly next-level chemistry and I could watch them do their thing all day. The spotlight inevitably ended up on Skywalker and Ishida who previewed their upcoming title match in pretty grand fashion. Loving the youth-centric theme of Shun’s reign and from what we saw here, this next defense should be a blast. ***1/4
Masaaki Mochizuki & Takashi Yoshida vs. Eita & BxB Hulk
I skipped the late January tag tournament, so this was my first look at the Mochi/Yoshida team and let me tell you that this is the most wholesome thing in wrestling right now. Yoshida’s over-earnest pre-match promo, the ‘’SEMPAI!’’ calls when he waits for the hot tag, Mochi calling him ‘’Yoshida-kun’’. Pure gold. The match was pretty solid too until the mandatory R.E.D fuck finish. Old man Mochi can still hit a springboard dropkick with the best of ‘em and Yoshida cleaning house on his former heel buddies was a great time. Looking forward to this Twin Gate match. **3/4
Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka & U-T vs. Ben-K, Shuji Kondo & Kagetora
To be honest, my expectations for this one were out of control. The Natural Vibes dance hyped me the fuck up and I thought U-T/Kondo would reignite their blood feud from last year. Unfortunately, a lot of the match was bogged down in generic beatdowns and U-T/Kondo stayed mostly civil with each other. The action did pick up big time during the second half though. Lots of impressive strength spots from Ben-K and the usual high-speed intricacies from the rest of the cast. Kagetora never fails to blow my mind with that flying elbowdrop outta’ nowhere. I’m also happy to report that little U-T is a perfect fit for your favorite Indica-flavored boyband. ***
YAMATO & Dragon Kid vs. KAI & SB Kento
Not much in the way of a wrestling match here, but I’m digging the story. KAI and YAMATO fuckin’ hate each other while SB Kento is a mask-ripping prick and needs to be taught some humility by Dragon Kid. The early DQ/restart was a fun trick to add some fuel to the fire. Already liking the new unit that was formed post-match as YAMATO and Kitto hooked up with BENSUKE (Ben-K + Keisuke Okuda). Good shit. **1/4
