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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Dragon Gate USA Uprising 2010 Review

October 24, 2011 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Dragon Gate USA Uprising 2010 Review  

Johnny Gargano starts the show with a backstage promo about wanting to join one of the Dragon Gate stables…this was a far goofier Gargano than the one you see today in DGUSA

Akira Tozawa vs. Masaaki Mochizuki
Tozawa was making his DGUSA debut this weekend…Mochizuki was back for the first time after losing the FIP Title in Davey Richards’ last DGUSA match

The crowd is red hot and using those annoying-as-hell thunder sticks…Tozawa hit a suicide dive early to the delight to the crowd…Mochizuki came back with some kicks…Mochizuki then gave Tozawa a shin-breaker on the apron, which probably sucked to take…Mochizuki worked over the leg after that…Tozawa fought back but Mochizuki locked in an ankle lock…Tozawa then made the ropes and hit a back senton (after missing a running headbutt three times)…Mochizuki came back with a Yakuza kick and a running kick to the chest…Tozawa came right back with a bridging German Suplex but Mochizuki kicked out…Mochizuki nailed a Sick Kick, and both men went down…Mochizuki eventually knocked out Tozawa with a high kick for the win

A really strong opener that the crowd was really in to…Tozawa made a strong impression on the DGUSA audience, and Mochizuki looked strong going into his title shot against BxB Hulk at Enter the Dragon
Match Rating: ***1/4

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jon Moxley (w/ a woman) [No DQ]
Moxley’s valet was never identified, unless you count Lenny Leonard referring to her as a random “brawd”…Jacobs got a strong reaction coming out, but nothing as close as the Japanese stars from the first match

Moxley jumped Jacobs before the bell, and the match started…Jacobs went for a slingshot dive, but Moxley grabbed his foot and slammed him into the apron…Moxley then worked over Jacobs around the ring…Moxley held Jacobs around the ring post as the valet bit Jimmy…Jacobs came back with a plastic garbage can…Jacobs went for a suicide dive; Moxley caught him, but Jacobs reversed it into the End Time…Moxley then dropped Jacobs on the rail crotch first…Jacobs came back with a jumping body press over the rail…Jacobs got a wrench, but Moxley got it and choked Jacobs with it and did just general damage to Jacobs’ face with it…Jacobs locked in End Time again, but Moxley reversed it into a release suplex…Moxley followed that up with a snap DDT…Jacobs came back with a springboard RKO; Jacobs went for a spear, but he got sent into a chair…Black Hole Slam by Moxley got a two count…Jacobs locked in End Time again, but Moxley’s valet saved him…Jacobs then speared the valet…Jacobs hit Sliced Bread #2, but Shingo and Yamato ran in and attacked Jacobs, which allowed Moxley to steal a win…BxB Hulk ran out after the match to save Jimmy from more trouble…Hulk offered Jacobs a World-1 shirt, but Jacobs declined

This was a fun brawl, but it was nothing special, especially compared to the matches these two would have down the line
Match Rating: **1/2

Chikara Sekigun (Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw) vs. World-1 (PAC & Naruki Doi)
PAC is treated much more of an attraction here as a opposed to being a character that the promotion wants to be one of the faces of the company like today

PAC and Quack did a great sequence to start the match: just beautiful to watch…the two teams went back and forth for a while with some crisp action…eventually, Doi sent Quacksaw to the outside, and PAC hit his amazing Corkscrew Asai Moonsault…Doi followed that up with a senton to Quack who was draped on the middle rope…PAC then hit a corkscew shooting star on Quack and a slingshot RKO on Jigsaw…Doi hit a 5 million slaps on Naruki Doi, but Jig wacked Doi with a kick and a brainbuster: 1…2…NO!…PAC with a shooting star on Jig, but Quack made the save…Quack hit a spinning 2K1 bomb on PAC but Doi made the save…PAC then hit Shooting Star Dropkick (yes, that’s what he did) on Jigsaw, followed by a F-5 and sliding kick by Doi for the win

An excellent fast paced match, with action that can only be seen in North American by watching DGUSA…there were a couple of times where the lack of selling bothered me, but they had the crowd with them the entire way
Match Rating: ***3/4

Quackenbush cuts a promo after the match where he says that they respect Doi and PAC, but they don’t respect Yamato…he wants Yamato to get his “scruffy rear-end” to the ring…Quack challenges Yamato to rally his troops, so that they can have a proper battle to settle their score…Quack and Jig are promptly attacked by Akira Tozawa and Gran Akuma from behind…Yamato gave them low blows for good measure…Quack and Jig struggled to get out of the ring afterwards

Cut to Jimmy Jacobs in an empty parking lot; he challenged Jon Moxley to come and attack him without his Kamikaze USA goons

Lenny Leonard was in the ring and said that next, there would be a bonus match from people who competed in the pre-show seminar

Rip Impact vs. Johnny Wave
The match never got started as Brodie Lee just came out, booted the referee out of the ring and destroyed Impact and Rave…Lee cut a promo about being the baddest man in the locker room and that he will take on any opponent at any time…I believe this was Lee’s first PPV appearance, and this was a good way to introduce him

Quack and Jigsaw were in the bathroom (yes, a bathroom)…Quack said that, now they understand the rules (after months of cheap attacks from Yamato), and that they are going to bring the biggest tag team match, because it is time to end this feud

Kamikaze USA (Shingo & Yamato) vs. Warriors (CIMA & Dragon Kid)
Yamato was the Dream Gate champion at the time…Shingo’s mullet was also almost completely regrown, thankfully…Shingo and Dragon Kid were in the midst of a feud after Shingo turned on Kid a couple of months earlier

The two teams went back and forth for a while at the beginning…eventually, Kamikaze isolated Dragon Kid to get the heat…Kid eventually hit a hurricanranna on Shingo and made the hot tag to CIMA who ran wild on Kamikaze USA…Dragon Kid hit an Asai Moonsault on Shingo and CIMA hit a back stabber on Yamato…Kid then locked in an octopus on Shingo, but he stood up and hit a side slam on Kid…Shingo then hit a sweet one armed powerbomb on Kid but CIMA made the save…Yamato hit a brainbuster on CIMA but Kid made the save…CIMA put Shingo on his shoulders on the tope rope and Kid hit a SUPER HURRICANRANNA: 1…2…NO!-Yamato made the save…Shingo then came right back with a pumping bomber on Kid, which looked devastating…DVD by Shingo on Kid, but CIMA hit a guillotine DDT on Shingo, only for Yamato to spear CIMA …Shingo accidentally gave a lariat to Yamato, and then Shingo ate a Ultra Hurricanranna: 1…2…NO!…Shingo came right back with Made in Japan: 1…2…NO!…Shingo then hit a super DVD on Dragon Kid for the win…Kid sold being injured after the match

Another incredible tag match…maybe 1 or 2 too many nearfalls, but it was still pretty great
Match Rating: ****

Johnny Gargano then cuts another promo, where he not so subtlety criticized DGUSA for just being Japanese guys doing moves to other Japanese guys

BxB Hulk© vs. Masato Yoshino [Freedom Gate Title]
Yoshino earned this title match for no apparent reason as he was 0-2 in singles matches on DGUSA PPV at this point…this was Hulk’s 2nd PPV defense in DGUSA

Yoshino worked over Hulk’s arm early…Hulk came back with a springboard dropkick, but was nearly immediately cut off with a Slingblade by Yoshino…Hulk came right back with a Red Star Press…Yoshino then cut him off again with a tornado reverse DDT…Yoshino followed that up with his beautiful dropkick…Yoshino hit Lightening Spiral: 1…2…NO!…Yoshino went for Sol Naciente, but Hulk, reversed into a rollup for a nearfall…FTX by Hulk: 1…2…NO!…Hulk follows that up with a Super H Thunder: 1…2…NO!…Hulk followed that up with a kneeling superkick and EVOP: 1…2…3!

This was a good match, but it was fairly underwhelming for a DGUSA main event
Match Rating: ***1/2

Jon Moxley comes and distracts Yoshino and Hulk as Shingo and Yamato attack from behind…Jimmy Jacobs ran out and attacked Moxley with a suicide dive…CIMA than ran out and cleaned house with a BROOM~!…Akira Tozawa and Gran Akuma came out though to attack him…Dragon Kid the runs out and clears house…CIMA and Kid are left standing tall…why did Dragon Kid get any semblance of revenge already?

CIMA gets on the mic and says that he and Dragon Kid love Canada…CIMA asks if they come back, and the fans say yes…CIMA leads them in Dragon Gate chants…end scene

What about Johnny Gargano!

You can buy the DVD version of this show HERE

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The 411: While this show progressed several feuds (Jacobs vs. Moxley, Dragon Kid vs. Shingo, Chikara vs. Yamato), the show feels like a series of exhibition matches. There isn't anything necessarily wrong with that, but it doesn't make for an emotionally engaging show. That being said, the matches were a lot of fun with a red hot crowd, so the show is an easy recommendation. The DVD version of the show also has bonus features.
 
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]  legend

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TJ Hawke

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