Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi & U-T vs. Gurukun Mask, Syachihoko Boy, Punch Tominaga & Ho Ho Lun
About what you’d expect from an opener between Natural Vibes and the DG Job Squad. The soul-crushing lack of production of these big shows makes it difficult to get into the comedy, but Kzy’s contagious enthusiasm can’t be denied for long. This is why the dude remains one of the best in this company. You always feel what he feels. Even on these single-camera shows. This also had a drop-dead gorgeous Quebrada from deep sea legend Syachihoko Boy and Susumu busting out a top-rope Exploder for no reason. Why not! **1/2
Kaito Ishida, BxB Hulk & Diamante vs. Ultimo Dragon, Bokutimo Dragon & Boku Kagetora
Kage took Ryo Saito’s spot here due to fever/COVID precaution. This tells me that everybody wants to be apart of Team Boku. As they should. I’ll always welcome any attempt at spicing up midcard matches with creativity, but the Bokutimo/Diamante mask switch story didn’t quite land. The noise restrictions kind of muddied up the tone, as it was initially played for laughs but then the no contest finish made it feel weirdly serious? I dunno. **
Ben-K vs. Hip Hop Kikuta
The sad irony of Benjamin Kaye putting in his best performance in months while jobbing for a one-year rookie. While this was far from great, both guys played their role well and told a story that made sense. Kikuta going after the shoulder following the corner-post bump and Ben putting the kid over as a thick-hipped monster were both things that worked. The ice-cold atmosphere sucked any possible excitement out of the match, but this obviously was a step in the right direction for Kikuta. No idea what’s next for Ben-K though. **3/4
YAMATO, Keisuke Okuda & Dragon Kid vs. Kota Minoura, Jason Lee & La Estrella vs. Eita, KAI & SB Kento – 3-Way Tornado Tag Match
This started off more like a low-rent Royal Rumble than a classic DG multiman epic, but it eventually got to a good place. Minoura was kind enough to provide plenty of fine suplexes and Estrella broke out his usual high flying, but the real highlights came from guys currently embroiled in proper hate feuds. DK/SBK is a particularly cool learning experience for everyone’s favorite cap-wearing little shit as he gets to flex his heel muscles while bumping and catching for high-difficulty aerial offense. ***
Masaaki Mochizuki & Takashi Yoshida © vs. Yasushi Kanda & Kennichiro Arai – Open The Twin Gate
The well-oiled Southern tag structure of the MOCHIDA title win from a few weeks ago was missing here, but the match still delivered thanks to motivated performances and ingenious double team spots. As random as Kanda/Araken looked on paper as challengers, they worked well together and had some fun tricks up their sleeves. Meanwhile, Yoshida’s overly sentimental relationship with ‘’sempai’’ Mochi still gets me going. I just wish they had milked the leg work on Mochizuki for a while longer to get the most out of that big hot tag. ***
Shun Skywalker © vs. KAZMA SAKAMOTO – Open The Dream Gate
There was nothing blatantly wrong with this, but I can’t say it ever grabbed me in the same way Shun’s last defense against Ishida did. Weirdly enough, both matches followed an extremely similar pattern. Clear-cut superhero babyface/scumbag heel dynamic, limb work subplot, gradual high-flying comebacks with a lot of selling. Check, check and check.
It was all well executed and well laid-out: both guys looking sharp and giving solid performances. The two main pitfalls were that KAZMA never quite felt like a guy who could win this match and the whole ribs-focus story seemed more shoehorned in than anything. Bless Shun for selling the ribs for so long, but unlike Ishida, SAKAMOTO’s move-set doesn’t lend itself so well to limb matches. Still a fine wrasslin’ match that continued the recent trend of Very Good Shun Skywalker Main Events. ***1/2
