Date: July 20th, 2015
Location: Kobe World Hall in Kobe, Japan
Announced Attendance: 9,650 (Super No Vacancy Full House)

I don’t dip into Dragon Gate too often but as the summer Kobe World Hall event is their biggest show of the year, I figured it was time I checked back in.  Lots going on here, as four titles are being defended with Yoshino and T-Hawk in the main event.  We also get to see Ricochet and Sydal which I am sure will be fun.  Here is the full card:

- Super Shisa, Shachihoko BOY, and Mike Sydal vs. U-T, Kotoka, and El Lindaman
- Kanda, Mr. Kyu Kyu Naoki Tanizaki Toyonaka Dolphin, "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa, and Yosuke ♥ Santa Maria vs. K-ness, Cyber Kong, Ryu, and Tominaga
- Open The Brave Gate Championship: Akira Tozawa vs. Eita
- BxB Hulk and Big R Shimizu vs. Shingo Takagi and Masato Tanaka
- Open The Triangle Gate Championship: CIMA, Don Fujii, and Gamma vs. Horiguchi, Susumu, and Jimmy "Ryo" Saito vs. Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, and Kzy
- Open The Twin Gate Unified Tag Team Championship: Naruki Doi and YAMATO vs. Ricochet and Matt Sydal
- Open The Dream Gate Championship: Masato Yoshino vs. T-Hawk

I’ll try not to make this too long, let’s see how that goes.  The file is six hours long which means I can’t easily ‘jump back’ if I miss a move… so it will probably just stay missed. I know who all the wrestlers are but if I mis-type someone's name in the play by play please don't hold it against me.

Super Shisa, Shachihoko BOY, and Mike Sydal vs. U-T, Kotoka , and El Lindaman
Kotoka and Shachihoko BOY start off things and trade holds with no one getting an advantage, so they tag in Sydal and U-T.  U-T hits a dropkick, his teammates run in and everyone attacks Sydal in the corner.  Lindaman comes in and spears Sydal and covers him for a two count.  Shisa is Irish whipped but he puts both Kotoka and U-T in a submission hold at the same time.  Irish whip by Shisa to U-T, drop toehold, and Shisa puts U-T in a surfboard while his teammates put his other opponents in submission holds as well.  Shisa uppercuts U-T a few times but U-T kicks him back and hits a missile dropkick.  U-T tags in Lindaman as Shachihoko BOY is also tagged in, and Lindaman judo throws him out of the ring.  U-T and Kotoka sail out of the ring with tope suicidas, Lindaman gets on the apron as Kotoka hits a swandive crossbody onto Shisa into the ring for a two count.  Shisa kicks Kotoka back but Kotoka snaps off a DDT for two.  Kotoka’s friends come in the ring and Shachihoko BOY is triple teamed.  Cover by U-T, but Shachihoko BOY kicks out at two.  Lindaman picks up Shachihoko BOY and slams him to the mat but Sydal breaks up the cover.  Lindaman and Shachihoko BOY trade waistlocks and Shachihoko BOY hits a standing Shiranui.  Sydal comes in and hits the Yogasault onto Lindaman, but the pin is broken up.  Shachihoko BOY comes in and he dropkicks Kotoka. He then levels U-T with a heel kick before going out to the apron and hitting in Asai Moonsault onto both of them.  In the ring, Shisa and Lindaman pair off and Lindaman rolls up Shisa for two.  Shisa ducks a lariat attempt by Lindaman and he nails the Yoshitonic for the three count!  A good way to start off the show, I’d say it was fast paced but that is kind of Dragon Gate’s style so that won’t really be a surprise.  But everyone got a brief moment to shine, even though it was a bit short. But a solid way to kick things off.

Jimmy Kanda, Mr. Kyu Kyu Naoki Tanizaki Toyonaka Dolphin, "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa, and Yosuke ♥ Santa Maria vs. K-ness, Cyber Kong, Mondai Ryu, and Punch Tominaga
Everyone brawls to start as was assumed would happen, with K-ness and company controlling things.  Tominaga and Yosuke start in the ring, chops by Yosuke and he grabs Tominaga low.  Yosuke goes off the ropes but Tominaga ducks the lariat.  Hip attack by Yosuke and they tag in Tanizaki and K-ness.  K-ness trades chops with Tanizaki, Ichikawa walks in the ring but he doesn’t help much.  Ichikawa applies a wristlock to K-ness, his teammates all come in the ring and put all their opponents in wristlocks, and all four of them go to the corners to walk the ropes.  It doesn’t work out for them as Ichikawa stays in with Tominaga, as Tominaga chokes Ichikawa in the corner with his boot.  Ryu comes in and dropkicks Ichikawa, double Irish whip to Ichikawa and he eats a double boot.  Body press by Kong, but the cover is broken up.  Tominaga toys with Ichikawa, Ichikawa hits a headbutt but Ryu trips Ichikawa from the floor.  Tominaga is tripped as well, allowing Ichikawa to hit a tilt-a-whirl headscissors.  Ichikawa tags in Kanda but Kong clubs everyone, he goes off the ropes but he eats a triple dropkick.  Ichikawa sails out of the ring with a tope con hilo, Ryu is slid into the ring and is double teamed by Tanizaki and Kanda.  Ichikawa gets on top but he literally falls short of the diving crossbody, leading to him getting quadruple teamed. Not sure where his teammates went.  Brainbuster by K-ness, but the pin is broken up.  Ryu picks up Ichikawa and slams him, Kong goes up top and he delivers the diving elbow drop for a two count.  Tominaga circles Ichikawa but Tominaga avoids his charge and hits the Oil Check.  Kanda comes in and dropkicks Tominaga into the corner, then Tanizaki hits a knee.  Elevated leg lariat by Yosuke, but K-ness breaks up the cover.  Ichikawa grabs Tominaga and they trade waistlocks, Tominaga holds Ichikawa for Kong but Ichikawa moves and Kong lariats Tominaga by accident.  Bauer German Suplex Hold by Ichikawa, and he gets the three count!  Ichikawa won a match, how about that. But I didn’t really enjoy this one as much as the last match, it was almost too much going on to really get into.  I think Yosuke is funny but he didn’t get to really do any of his shtick, there just wasn’t enough time.  Mostly random carnage until it ended, not unwatchable but nothing memorable.

(c) Akira Tozawa vs. Eita
This match is for the Open The Brave Gate Championship. Eita is looking a bit crazy these days.  They trade shoulderblocks to start, armdrag by Eita and he delivers a dropkick. Tozawa boots Eita out of the ring, he goes off the ropes but does a fake dive. Eita comes back in and Tozawa kicks him, Irish whip by Tozawa and he hits a big boot.  Tozawa charges Eita again but this time Eita moves and Tozawa goes into the ring post.  Eita starts working on Tozawa’s arm with various twists and strikes, Eita picks up Tozawa and he hits a sit-out front suplex for a two count cover.  Eita chops Tozawa against the ropes, Irish whip to the corner but Tozawa fires out of it with a big boot.  Eita falls out of the ring, Tozawa goes off the ropes and sails out after him with a tope suicida.  Back in the ring Tozawa chokes Eita with his boot, chops by Tozawa in the corner and he covers Eita for two.  Tozawa picks up Eita and stomps him down into the corner and he chokes him with his boot.  Scoop slam by Tozawa, he goes up top and he hits a high senton for a two count.  Tozawa applies an armbar, he picks up Eita but Eita hits a springboard dropkick.  Tozawa rolls out of the ring but Eita follows close behind with a tope con hilo.  Eita rolls Tozawa back in and he hits a missile dropkick, jumping elbow by Eita in the corner but Tozawa avoids the next one.  Eita kicks Tozawa back and delivers a dropkick followed by a standing moonsault for two.  Irish whip by Eita but Tozawa reverses it and hits an elbow.  Vertical suplex by Eita and he hits an inverted Olympic Slam for another two count.  Tozawa boots Eita but Eita trips him and slingshots back into the ring before applying a double armbar.  Tozawa gets a foot on the ropes to break the hold, back up Eita kicks Tozawa a few times but when he goes up top he is joined by Tozawa.  Superplex by Tozawa and he elbows Eita, but Eita elbows him back and they trade blows.  Overhead suplex by Tozawa but Eita quickly rolls him up for two.  Snap German suplex hold by Tozawa, he grabs Eita but Eita blocks the Package German.  Tozawa goes off the ropes but Eita hits a superkick, Eita rolls Tozawa to the mat and goes for the arm again but Tozawa wiggles away.  German suplex hold by Tozawa, but Eita gets a shoulder up.  Tozawa gets Eita in the package hold and delivers the Package German Suplex Hold, picking up the three count victory!  Tozawa is still your champion!  This was enjoyable but didn’t seem very focused.  Eita worked the arm for three or four minutes, but aside from two quick submission attempts later, it was never sold or brought up again.  So I don’t know what Eita’s plan was of winning, it felt like Tozawa was in control for the bulk of the match.  I was waiting for Eita to get a believable near fall but it didn’t really happen.  The action was very crisp as both are quality, it was more the layout that didn’t really sync up for me.  Mildly Recommended

BxB Hulk and Big R Shimizu vs. Shingo Takagi and Masato Tanaka
Hulk and Takagi begin the match and start trading elbows, Hulk flips around and he hits an armdrag.  Dropkick by Hulk and Takagi rolls out of the ring.  Tanaka and Shimizu come in the ring and trade chops, they both go for shoulderblocks but have no luck. Shimizu finally knocks over Tanaka, Takagi comes in but he is shoulderblocked to the mat as well.  Shimizu tags in Hulk, snapmare by Hulk and he dropkicks Takagi in the back of the head.  Hulk knocks down Takagi with a high kick and stomps him down in the corner before tagging in Shimizu.  Double Irish whip to Takagi and he is double teamed, Hulk kicks at Takagi but Takagi gets away and lariats Hulk out of the ring.  Shimizu runs in but he falls out of the ring too, and Tanaka meets them out there as he pulls out a table.  Tanaka puts Shimizu on the table, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a plancha through the able.  Takagi grabs Hulk and throws him hard into the ring post, Tanaka gets a piece of table and he hits Hulk in the leg with it while his leg is against the ring post.  Takagi gets into the ring with Hulk as Hulk is isolated, Tanaka comes in and he elbows Hulk in the corner.  Elbows by Tanaka but Hulk kicks him back and they trade blows.  Takagi comes in the ring and he hits a knee drop, double Irish whip to Hulk and he is dropped with a double armdrag.  I don’t understand why Shimizu doesn’t come in to help.  Finally he does but is promptly thrown back out, Tanaka puts Hulk near the corner and he hits a tornado DDT for a two count.  Takagi elbows Hulk into the corner but Hulk kicks him back and hits a missile dropkick.  He makes the hot tag to Shimizu and Shimizu shoulderblocks Tanaka before slamming Takagi.  Shimizu hits a double lariat vertical suplex on both of his opponents, Irish whip by Shimizu to Takagi but Takagi knees him.  Vertical suplex by Shimizu but Takagi back bodydrops out of a powerbomb attempt.  Takagi and Shimizu trade strikes, big lariat by Shimizu but Takagi snaps off a backdrop suplex.  Spear by Shimizu and both wrestlers tag in their partners. 

Hulk boots Tanaka, high kick by Hulk and he hits a leg sweep.  Standing corkscrew senton by Hulk, but it gets a two count.  Hulk goes for a pump handle but Tanaka gets way and hits a snap DDT.  Takagi comes in but Hulk kicks them both back, Hulk ends up on the apron and hits a swandive heel kick on Takagi.  Shimizu comes in and he hits a body avalanche on Takagi in the corner, Samoan Drop by Shimizu but it gets a two count.  Airplane Spin by Shimizu and Hulk kicks Takagi while he is spinning around.  Shimizu grabs Takagi and hits a sit-down powerbomb, picking up a two count.  Tanaka comes in and lariats Shimizu and Hulk, he hits a brainbuster on Hulk and goes up top, but Shimizu grabs his leg.  Hulk joins Tanaka up top but Takagi grabs him from behind so that Tanaka can hit an avalanche cutter for a two count.  Takagi charges Hulk in the corner and hits a lariat, Takagi hits one also and Takagi puts Hulk on the top turnbuckle.  Superplex by Takagi and Tanaka follows with a diving body press for a two count.  Tanaka goes for the Sliding D but Hulk ducks, he doesn’t duck Takagi’s elbow but Shimizu breaks up the cover.  Elbows by Tanaka to Shimizu and he delivers the Sliding D.  Takagi picks up Hulk but Hulk slides away and hits a high kick.  Lariat by Takagi but Hulk hits a pair of scissors kick, he goes for a Buzzsaw Kick but Takagi catches it and hits a lariat for a two count.  Takagi waits for Hulk to get up and levels him with a lariat, Hulk powers up but Tanaka comes in and hits a Sliding D.  Takagi picks up Hulk and drops him with the MADE IN JAPAN, but Hulk barely kicks out of the cover.  Takagi goes off the ropes and takes off Hulk’s head with a Pumping Bomber, cover by Takagi and this time he gets the three count! This was good, Hulk was the one that really stuck out here as he was bumping like a mad man.  It had a bit of my turn/your turn in the last few minutes but nothing excessive, and it felt like it was anyone’s game even though Hulk was the clear underdog.  It wasn’t spectacular as the middle lulled quite a bit, but overall I enjoyed it.  Mildly Recommended

(c) CIMA, Don Fujii, and Gamma vs. Genki Horiguchi, Jimmy Susumu, and Jimmy "Ryo" Saito vs. Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, and Kzy
This match is for the Open The Triangle Gate Championship and is an Elimination Match.  Nine wrestlers? Yea I am not killing myself on this one.  One wrestler from each team is legal at a time, just to add to the chaos.  Horiguchi, Kzy, and Gamma begin the match but it is a slow start as they throw in some comedy spots. The next three come in and take things more seriously but still nothing is accomplished and the next three enter the match. Having this as a constant three way seems restrictive as the first few minutes had really no flow to it.  It is like two wrestlers take turns wrestling while the other watches, then they take turns in that manner.  But no real damage is being done.  The action spills out to the floor as they battle all the way up into the bleachers, getting really far away from the ring.  They return after a bit with Fujii and Saito being the legal men and they trade chops back and forth.  Gamma and Susumu come in as they all chop Fujii, then Mochizuki and company all come in to chop Fujii too.  Fujii chops everyone as this goes on for a bit, then Susumu is triple teamed.  Fujii punches Kzy and hits a big lariat, he puts Kzy on the top turnbuckle and tosses him back down to the mat before CIMA comes in.  Gamma spits water on Kzy’s face (which is gross) as the assault on Kzy continues until he fights back against CIMA, Susumu wonders in so I guess he is the other legal man but Kzy kicks back everyone before his teammates finally start helping.  CIMA and Gamma hit tope suicidas out of the ring, then Horiguchi and Kzy hit stereo tope con hilos. Mochizuki goes next with an ugly pescado, then Susumu flies out also.  Fujii goes out to the apron and jumps onto the pack, and all nine wrestlers are down outside the ring. 

Fujii, Saito, and Mochizuki are the legal men, Susumu comes in and gets Dragon Kid on his shoulders but Dragon Kid slides away and hits a top rope hurricanrana on Susumu.  Susumu come back with lots of lariats until Dragon Kid plants him with an Ultra Hurricanrana for the three count!  Susumu’s team is eliminated.  CIMA comes in and he eats a Bible from Dragon Kid, front flip piledriver by Kzy and Mochizuki hits the triangle kick.  Cover by Mochizuki but Fujii breaks it up.  Fujii lariats Mochizuki, Dragon Kid goes for an Ultra Hurricanrana on Fujii but Fujii catches him and hits a powerbomb.  Kzy and Gamma come in and Gamma levels Kzy with a lariat.  Kzy quickly covers Gamma but it gets two, Fujii does the same to Fujii but it is broken up.  Gamma picks up Kzy and Fujii lariats him, chokeslam by Fujii on Kzy but it gets a two count.  Kzy is triple teamed in the corner, Gamma positions Kzy as CIMA goes up top and CIMA nails the Meteora. Cover, but it is broken up.  CIMA grabs Kzy and hits the Crossfire, but Kzy kicks out of the pin.  CIMA goes up top again and hits a second Meteora, and this time he gets the three count!  I can’t with a clear conscious recommend this match. For a 28 minute match not a whole hell of a lot happened, there was just a lot of time killing and meaningless action for the first three/fourths of the match.  The best part was the second fall even though it was only three minutes long as it felt like what you would have expected from these guys.  But I can’t recommend a match for three minutes.  This one was long just for the sake of being long I think and overall isn’t worth the time investment.

(c) Naruki Doi and YAMATO vs. Ricochet and Matt Sydal
This match is for the Open The Twin Gate Unified Tag Team Championship.  Sydal and YAMATO start off and begin with some wristlocks, headlock by Sydal but YAMATO gets out of it and applies one of his own.  Sydal gets out of that and he hits a springboard hurricanrana which sends YAMATO out of the ring.  Ricochet and Doi are tagged in and they have a fast paced exchange with Ricochet dropkicking Doi out of the ring.  YAMATO comes in and Ricochet tags in Sydal, Sydal snaps YAMATO’s back and kicks him in the leg.  YAMATO gets away and tags in Doi, and Doi stretches Sydal.  Doi tags YAMATO back in and YAMATO starts working over Sydal’s arm but Sydal manages to tag in Ricochet.  Ricochet gets YAMATO on his back and drops him to the mat, cover by Ricochet but it gets two.  Ricochet goes for a suplex but YAMATO blocks it and rakes his eyes.  YAMATO tags in Doi, Ricochet punches Doi and he tags in Sydal.  Doi is double teamed, cover by Ricochet but YAMATO kicks out.  DDT by Doi to Ricochet, Sydal runs in but Doi kicks him in the chest.  Doi tags YAMATO and YAMATO applies a chinlock to Sydal, slingshot elbow drop by Doi and YAMATO knocks Sydal into the corner.  YAMATO catapults Sydal to Doi so that Doi can hit a cutter onto YAMATO’s knees followed by a senton.  Cover, but it gets a two count. 

Double Irish whip to Sydal, drop toehold by Doi and YAMATO delivers a brainbuster for another two.  Sydal is thrown into the corner but he kicks Doi back, YAMATO grabs Sydal but he knees out of the suplex attempt.  Sydal hits a hurricanrana on Doi and he makes the hot tag to Ricochet.  Ricochet hits jumping elbows to both his opponents and then makes YAMATO do a DDT to Doi.  They fall out of the ring, Sydal comes back in and hits a flipping tope con hilo.  Ricochet then goes off the ropes and sails out onto Doi and YAMATO as well, Ricochet slides YAMATO back into the ring and they trade elbows.  YAMATO kicks Ricochet in the face near the corner, he goes off the ropes but Ricochet hits a jumping kick of his own followed by a suplex.  Ricochet gets YAMATO on his shoulders but YAMATO wiggles away, YAMATO goes off the ropes but Ricochet hits a cutter.  Sydal comes in the ring and they both kick YAMATO before hitting a standing moonsault/shooting star press combination.  Doi comes in but Sydal drops him to the mat.  Sydal goes off the ropes but Doi catches him with a sitdown slam for a two count cover.  Doi picks up Sydal, Sydal elbows away and hits a quick Yoshitonic for a two count.  Sydal kicks Doi in the leg, YAMATO comes in and holds Sydal so that Doi can dive off the top turnbuckle with a front flip senton.  Sydal goes for a standing moonsault but Doi gets his feet up. Sliding kick by Doi, cover, but Ricochet breaks it up.  YAMATO grabs Sydal and hits a pump-handle slam, Doi gets on the second turnbuckle but Ricochet jumps up with him.  Doi pushes Ricochet off but then Sydal goes up with Doi and hits a back flip suplex for a two count.  Ricochet and Sydal both kick YAMATO, leaving both of their opponents on the mat. 

Ricochet and Sydal go up to separate corners and they hit stereo shooting star presses, but the referee is pulled out of the ring on the cover.  Ricochet hits a tiger feint kick on YAMATO, 630 Senton by Ricochet but YAMATO barely kicks out of the cover.  Ricochet goes up top again but Doi knocks him down when he sets up for the double rotation moonsault.  Doi climbs up with Ricochet and he nails an avalanche tiger suplex.  Sydal gets in the ring but Doi knocks him into the corner.  Doi 555 by Doi to Ricochet and he delivers the Bakatare Sliding Kick, but Ricochet kicks out of the pin.  Ricochet kicks Doi back but Doi blocks Sydal’s hurricanrana attempt and YAMATO kicks Sydal out of the ring.  YAMATO picks up Ricochet but Ricochet slides away from him, big boot by YAMATO and he catches Ricochet with a piledriver.  YAMATO drags Ricochet to his feet but Ricochet hits a scoop slam piledriver.  Ricochet picks up YAMATO and nails the Benadryller, cover by Ricochet but Doi breaks it up.  Ricochet picks up YAMATO and goes for it again but YAMATO slides off and applies a sleeper.  Sleeper suplex by YAMATO, Doi runs in to hit a Bakatare Sliding Kick and YAMATO hits a Gallaria for a two count.  YAMATO picks up Ricochet and applies the sleeper, he hits another Gallaria and this time he picks up the three count!  Doi and YAMATO are still your champions. This was a really entertaining one, Ricochet is so much fun to watch that he almost overshadowed everyone else.  I like Sydal, but he almost didn’t exist here as Ricochet was doing most of the memorable stuff.  Really crisp and smooth from all parties involved and it didn’t have all the wasted time that the last match had.  The end stretch seemed to go a minute or so too long and I wish YAMATO had finished off Ricochet with a move he hadn’t already done several times, but overall I enjoyed it.  Recommended

(c) Masato Yoshino vs. T-Hawk
This match is for the Open The Dream Gate Championship.  They do wristlocks to kick things off, T-Hawk gets Yoshino to the mat but Yoshino gets back up.  Tie-up, T-Hawk pushes Yoshino into the ropes and he goes for a chop but Yoshino moves and hits a dropkick.  Big shoulderblock by T-Hawk but Yoshino kicks him back and applies a hanging necklock.  T-Hawk lands with his head hanging over the bottom rope, Yoshino goes outside the ring and nails a running kick.  Back in the ring Yoshino stomps on T-Hawk, he applies a hammerlock but T-Hawk gets a foot on the ropes.  Yoshino slams T-Hawk’s arm into the mat and he applies a submission hold but T-Hawk gets to the ropes again.  Yoshino throws T-Hawk into the corner and kicks him in the arm, Irish whip by Yoshino but T-Hawk reverses it and delivers a chop. Unfortunately it was with his bad arm so it hurts him also, another chop by T-Hawk and he applies a modified neck crank, but Yoshino makes it to the ropes.  Irish whip by T-Hawk and he hits a back elbow, cover by T-Hawk but it barely gets two.  T-Hawk pushes Yoshino into the corner and chops him before hitting a delayed vertical suplex.  Back up they trade strikes, T-Hawk picks up Yoshino and he plants him with a tombstone piledriver for a two count.  Irish whip by T-Hawk to the corner but Yoshino jumps over him and hits a dropkick.  T-Hawk rolls out of the ring, Yoshino goes up top and he hits a moonsault down to the floor.  Yoshino slides T-Hawk back in, Sling Blade by Yoshino and he covers T-Hawk for two. 

Irish whip by Yoshino, reversed, and T-Hawk hits a running chop.  Irish whip again but this time Yoshino reverses it and hits a running chop of his own.  Yoshino goes off the ropes but T-Hawk hits a pop-up kick before slamming Yoshino to the mat for a two count.  Yoshino kicks back T-Hawk a few times, he jumps off the top turnbuckle but T-Hawk catches him.  Yoshino plants T-Hawk with a DDT, he goes up top and nails a missile dropkick.  Cover, but it gets two.  Yoshino picks up T-Hawk but T-Hawk spins away, From Jungle by Yoshino but T-Hawk gets out of it and hits a sitdown powerbomb for two.  Running chop by T-Hawk in the corner, he puts Yoshino on the top turnbuckle and joins him, T-Hawk elbows Yoshino out to the apron and Yoshino springboards off the ropes to knock T-Hawk back into the ring.  Chop by Yoshino but T-Hawk chops him back and they trade strikes, tilt-a-whirl armbar by Yoshino and he goes for his submission but T-Hawk rolls through it and hits a vertical suplex.  T-Hawk grabs Yoshino but Yoshino hits a back bodydrop, Yoshino goes off the ropes but T-Hawk elbow shim.  Yoshino catches T-Hawk with an overhead suplex, Ude Yoshino by Yoshino and he applies the Sol Naciente.  T-Hawk struggles for a moment and then manages to powerbomb out of the hold!  T-Hawk picks up Yoshino and goes for the BT Bomb, but Yoshino slides away and they trade chops.  Knee by T-Hawk, he gets Yoshino up and he drops him with the BT Bomb for a two count cover.  T-Hawk gets Yoshino up again but Yoshino grabs T-Hawk’s arm, T-Hawk gets Yoshino up anyway and he hits the Night Ride for  a two count.  T-Hawk picks up Yoshino and goes for the Night Ride, but Yoshino slides away. 

T-Hawk goes off the ropes but Yoshino catches him with a hard lariat, T-Hawk pops back up however and hits another Night Ride for another two.  T-Hawk picks up Yoshino and gets him on his shoulders for the Veracruz, but Yoshino blocks it and hits a crucifix hold for a two count.  They trade quick pins, T-Hawk goes off the ropes but Yoshino hits the Ude Yoshino.  He hits another one as T-Hawk seems unphased, but a third one does the trick.  Sol Naciente by Yoshino, and this time T-Hawk can’t powerbomb out of it.  Yoshino trips T-Hawk so he is flat on the mat, and he has no choice but to submit!  Yoshino is still the champion.  This match was definitely going for the epic feel, my only real complaint is just the spamming of the same signature moves.  I am all for fighting spirit but they both have other signature moves they can use at the end of matches, and yet Yoshino kept doing the Ude Yoshino while T-Hawk kept doing/going for the Night Ride.  Just a little variety is nice, I know it can be hard in a 30 minute match but it was just a bit too noticeable.  Otherwise I thought this was a great performance by both men, neither seemed to lose a step for the entire match and they kept it interesting from bell to bell.  It probably didn’t need to be 30 minutes but they filled the time pretty well until the very end.  The ending seemed to drag but I still enjoyed the match, lots of hard strikes and super smooth transitions.  Obviously a must for Dragon Gate fans but I think everyone will find something they like here.  Recommended

Final Thoughts:

This was a massive show by Dragon Gate, no doubt about that.  It opened well, lagged a bit in the middle (although nothing was bad), and ended with a bang with two great matches.  A few of them I think went long just because they wanted a big feel for the Kobe Festival, especially the Open The Triangle Gate Championship match, but at least the wrestlers are so familiar with each other that the chemistry led to really fun exchanges.  It may be a bit too much for normal people to sit through at one time (no, I am not a normal person) and it lacked what I would consider a true MOTYC, but overall a show you’ll probably want to check out.

Grade: B

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event reviewed on 7/21/15