Dragon Gate The Final Gate 2021 - 26/12/2021
Don Fuji, Kagetora, Masaaki Mochizuki & Yasushi Kanda vs. Ryu Fuda, Shoya Sato, Takuma Fujiwara & Takumi Hayakawa
Old Gen vs New Gen is always fun. Don Fujii's involvement helps tenfold as he gets more brutish than usual. I like to imagine that he hates every single one of the young boys in the Dojo but he can't show it in training so he does it here instead. Mochizuki blasted them with kicks with a few of them throwing kicks right back. Fun opener. ***
Shun Skywalker vs. Kota Minoura
It's lengths lie in its storytelling than the actual wrestling sequence which has more mirrored twists and twirls than actual moves. There was a lot of aggressiveness to the match in the way they laid out the match - a lot of elbow exchanges which show the underlying tension between the two. Shun Skywalker definitely looks like he is turning heel but what is interesting is him refusing R.E.Ds help. He isn't like them, he's Shun Skywalker. The finish itself mirrored that too. Shun taking off his own mask in order to cause a DQ reeks of pettiness and desperation. Shun was willing to give up his own partner's mask to save his own but he's willing to take off that prize possession just so he doesn't lose to Minoura, which was looking very likelier by the second. That's a fascinating character study in the making. ***1/2
R.E.D. (BxB Hulk, Eita & Kaito Ishida) vs. Natural Vibes (BIG BOSS Shimizu, Jacky Funky Kamei & Kzy) vs. HIGH-END (Ben-K, Dragon Kid & Keisuke Okuda)
Awesome triple team tag bout. No titles on the line so this was pure Dragon Gate wrestling that mixed in intricate high flying wrestling with comedy, all while pairing people together. My favourite pairing had to be when Eita and Kzy were in the ring. Their exchanges were magic but I appreciated the 3 way Roman Knuckle spot that had Hulk on his knees before he kicked his way out of it. Kamei was the lowest guy in the match but he had his spots. He made himself a nuisance in Eita's side which is always a positive for the match. Straight out fun match. ****
Open The Dream Gate Title Match: YAMATO (c) vs. KAI
KAI wins the Dream Gate Title! KAI fit into Dragon Gate way more than anyone expected of him coming in but for him to rise to this spot is still a shock. He was a perfect opponent for YAMATO, and this seemed like a perfect way to bring the feud to its climax but KAI winning the title changed things entirely. The no ropes match, for me, was the better match but this was very good on its own merits. It was purely two men who hate each other fighting each other to the bitter end. In classic big match Dragon Gate form, there were kick outs at one, big finishers but shockingly no R.E.D interference. KAI won this clean. How can YAMATO bounce back? ***3/4
DDT Never Mind 2021 In Yoyogi - 26/12/2021
KO-D Openweight Title Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Yuji Okabayashi
I found their D-Ou match to be somewhat underwhelming while still being good but this delivered on those previous expectations. Okabayashi usually is best in short doses so the 40 minute run time worried me but he really stepped up, as did Takeshita, to produce some magic spots. This felt like a true Heavyweight clash that can often be a lost art in wrestling. This was able to mix that style with high intensity pacing that allowed the match to flow beautifully. It's a constant series of bone crunching exchanges before the match transitioned into being built around Takeshita's Plus Ultra. Great match. ****1/4
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