Open The Brave Gate Title Match: Genki Horiguchi (c) vs. Kagetora
Kagetora pinned Masato Yoshino the night prior and now he wins the Open The Brave Gate Title. This was a great weekend for him and he deserves it. Kagetora is so underrated outside of the Dragon System and maybe within it as well. Maybe. If it was anyone other than Genki Horiguchi, a one day title reign would be a little suspect but it doesn't hurt him too much and it served as a good transition from Okuda to Kagetora without doing a rematch. The match is pretty much the same length as the Okuda/Genki bout but it's paced much better so we got more out of it than the Okuda match. This was a match filled with quick flash pin attempts non stop. Occasionally there be a more impactful move thrown in but it was a fight to see who'd get the pin from a roll up or a back slide first. Kagetora won. ***
Open The Triangle Gate Title Match: MASQUERADE (Dragon Dia, Jason Lee & La Estrella) (c) vs. Aagan Iisou (Shuji Kondo, Toru Owashi & YASSHI)
Watching Aagan Iisou in 2004 and then in 2021 is amazing. There is virtually no difference. Everyone clicks, everyone is on point. They have so much chemistry together to make up for individual deficiencies. MASQUERADE brought the individual flair to even things out, with Dragon Dia, once again, standing out (eventually getting the win for his team) with aerial offence. I think he got a loose arm drag but it was fluid otherwise. Exciting six man action. MASQUERADE wins, keeping with the theme that the new generation is the superior one in 2021. ***1/2
Open the Twin Gate Title Match: Natural Vibes (KING Shimizu & Susumu Yokosuka) (c) vs. HIGH-END (Ben-K & Dragon Kid)
This was a nicely done, compact sprint. No real fluff involved, just heavy striking and displays of one ups-manship. They played off the history between the four (Shimizu/Ben-K and Susumu/Dragon Kid) well, with tests of strengths between the former Big Ben partners and Susumu and Kid running through a few of their key sequences. Susumu and Ben-K had their moments where they were blasting each other with lariats before Ben-K decided to hit a spear to Susumu. The closing stretch was frantic and exciting with it ending with Susumu pinning Dragon Kid with the World Liner.. A fitting end to the match. ***1/2
Open The Dream Gate Title Match: Shun Skywalker (c) vs. YAMATO
It's been roughly 4 years since YAMATO has been the Dream Gate champion and some title challenges never seemed like the right time for him but this seemed to be his time, much to the expense of Kzy, and he absolutely brought it for the occasion. And so did Shun Skywalker, not to give YAMATO sole credit. They had sublime chemistry together, which made every little thing all the more natural. The counters made sense and had a logical step for it, escalating the drama and struggle for the momentum all the more compelling. Shun’s overflowing confidence coming off beating Kzy was a refreshing role for him to come into but that was also a deciding factor in YAMATO toppling him. Shun had the gall to copy YAMATO’s biggest moves right after kicking out of them at one and thus took a little too much time to appreciate that, allowing YAMATO a moment to get ahead of him. YAMATO being a little ahead of Shun in speed and willingness meant YAMATO was able to escape Shun’s offence, except for the SSW which he shockingly kicked out for a great response from the crowd as its been very protected since Shun’s return. The selling made the closing stretch for me. They exhausted themselves with the constant movements and the damage they suffered in the match catching up to them and that made each move vital. YAMATO was finally able to pin Shun with two gallarias before he could collapse and rest. YAMATO seems to be slightly unpopular with some DG fans westside but with performances like these, I don't see why. Outstanding match. ****1/2
Retirement Match: Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi vs. R.E.D. (BxB Hulk & Eita)
The match is mostly just a collection of moments, such as Doi teasing a heel turn, met with the standard heel works over face routine. It was a good, pleasant send off for Masato Yoshino. It wasn't a particularly great match but the match isn't important. What was important was the handshake between Yoshino and Eita/Hulk. What else was important was the speeches from everyone, including Shingo Takagi, the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Good by Yoshino. ***1/2
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