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100 Percent Fordified: Dragon Gate USA Open The Golden Gate

December 2, 2012 | Posted by Kevin Ford
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100 Percent Fordified: Dragon Gate USA Open The Golden Gate  

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Los Angeles, CA – 1.27.2012

Championship Rundown
Open The Freedom Gate Championship: Johnny Gargano
Open The United Gate Championship: CIMA & Ricochet

Commentary is provided by Lenny Leonard. Chuck Taylor joins him for the last three matches.

The card for tonight was re-arranged due to Johnny Gargano’s back injury he suffered from EVOLVE 10, Rich Swann being unable to make the show, and Low Ki being added to the card.

Low Ki vs. BxB Hulk

Akira Tozawa is in Hulk’s corner. Ki takes Hulk to the mat and goes for a cross armbreaker. Hulk is able to keep Ki from applying it. Ki chops him against the ropes. He gets in some more strikes before applying a side headlock. Hulk rakes his eyes and stomps on the back of his head. Ki chops Hulk down for a two count. He also gets two with a butterfly suplex. Hulk gets the ropes to break a bodyscissors. He kicks his way out of a waistlock and hits Ki with an enzuigiri. He kicks Ki in the face for two. Hulk punches at Ki’s rib cage while putting on an abdominal stretch. Two consecutive axe kicks can’t keep Ki down. When Ki throws some chops, Hulk takes him back down with a spinwheel kick. He applies a single leg crab while also kicking Ki in the back and head. Ki enzuigiri’s his way free. He clobbers Hulk with a pair of diving forearms. He snapmares Hulk into a back kick for two. Ki kicks him in the back of his head for another two count. Hulk counters a whip to the corner with a spin kick to the head. Ki dropkicks Hulk to the corner. He hits the Ki Krusher and the Warrior’s Way for the pin at 10:51. This was a nice action-packed match to start the show off. Even if it is Low Ki, seeing such a one sided match with BxB Hulk was odd. It’s the right thing to do to establish Ki as a wrecking machine. They tease Tozawa vs. Ki after the match would we be killer if it comes to fruition. **3/4

Ricochet and CIMA are backstage. Ricochet wants to know what’s up with CIMA. Hulk and Tozawa jumped CIMA in Japan and kicked him out of the Blood Warriors. CIMA doesn’t want to discuss it now, and says they need to focus on the tag titles tonight. Ricochet does not seemed satisfied with this retort. Brad Garoon can tell you more about CIMA being jumped out of the Blood Warriors here.

Chuck Taylor makes his way to the ring. He tells the crowd that Rich Swann missed his flight so the Young Bucks/Ronin tag match is off. He asks for either of the Young Bucks come out for a singles match with him. Both Bucks make their way out and jump Chuck. PWG regular Scorpio Sky hits the ring to even the odds. He sends the Bucks to the floor, and it looks like we have a replacement for Swann.

Chuck Taylor & Scorpio Sky vs. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson)

The Bucks get pummeled in opposite corners. Matt thinks he’s smart by evading to the floor, but Taylor tope con hilo’s after him. Sky headscissors Nick across the ring. Aky and Taylor volley Nick between them with punches. Taylor’s beautiful dropkick takes Nick down. Sky whips him to the corner for two. He then gives a Nick a backbreaker and follows up with a dropkick. Nick brings Taylor to his corner so Matt can tag in and throw double axe handles at Taylor’s back. The Bucks bully Taylor in their half of the ring until he catches Matt with a dropkick and sends Nick to the floor. Nick drags Sky to the floor as well, but Taylor is able to hit a Death Valley Driver on Matt while Sky recovers. Sky tags in. He crossbody’s onto Nick and belly-to-belly suplexes Matt to the floor. He gives Nick a bicycle knee for two. Taylor blocks Nick’s knee strike with the Brodie Knee. Sky knees Nick as well, and Taylor follows with a quebrada for two. The Bucks send Sky to the floor. Nick double stomps Taylor and dives onto Sky. Matt drops Taylor with a tumbleweed Ace Crusher for two. Sky avoids some of the Bucks’ tandem offense. Taylor gives Nick Sole Food on the apron. Sky tope con hilo’s after him. Taylor armdrags Matt into a Half Crab. Nick superkicks Taylor to break the hold. Everyone is superkicked, except for Sky who gives Matt an Ace Crusher and turns it into a Dragon Sleeper. He blocks Nick’s superkick. However, he does end up taking a double tombstone piledriver. Taylor breaks the pin. Taylor gets sent out as the Bucks prepare Sky for More Bang For Your Buck. Sky sends Matt to the corner. He brings Nick down with a Leap of Faith. Matt superkicks Sky. Taylor hits the Awful Waffle. Nick breaks the pin. The Bucks manage to hit More Bang For Your Buck on Sky for the pin at 12:02. This was a lot of fun. Sky was more than a suitable enough replacement for Swann. I wish he and the Bucks were around in DGUSA more often. ***1/2

Jon Davis is backstage. He says tonight he will continue to Establish Dominance by taking out Caleb Konley. He hopes Fit Finlay is paying attention, because he still plans to face him down the line.

A trailer for “Chasing the Dragon” is shown. You can read my review of that show here and purchase the show here.

Masato Yoshino vs. Naruki Doi

Speed Muscle explodes! Neither guy gets control in the opening exchange. Yoshino gains momentum by running the ropes and sends Doi to the floor with a headscissors. He dropkicks Doi’s arm as he re-enters the ring. Yoshino focuses his attack on Doi’s arm after that. He gets two with a crucifix pin. Doi comes back with a neckbreaker. He puts on a chinlock. Yoshino gets to the ropes to break it. Doi puts him in a tree of woe for a dropkick and the Dai Bosou. A chop exchange ends when Doi rakes Yoshino’s eyes. Yoshino knocks him down with a back elbow. He puts Doi in the Coumori. Upon release he comes back in the ring and hits the Sling Blade for two. Doi hot shots him on the top rope and dropkicks Yoshino for two. He goes for the Doi 555. Yoshino lands on his feet and hits a dropkick. He stomps Doi’s arm. Doi traps Yoshino in the ropes and dropkick him in the chest. As Yoshino dangles on the second rope, Doi comes off the top with a Swanton Bomb. He hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Yoshino fights Doi off the top rope. He comes down with a dropkick for two. He locks on From Jungle. Yoshino rolls him up for two. Doi gets two himself with a Rydeen Bomb. Another chop battle breaks out. Doi catches Yoshino with the Doi 555 and a Bakatare Sliding Kick for two. Yoshino blocks the Muscular Bomb with the Lightning Spiral. He brings Doi to the top rope for a super Lightning Spiral. Doi fights back, but gets taken down with a super Sling Blade. He manages to kick out. Yoshino catches him with another Lightning Spiral and yet Doi kicks out after that as well. The Ude Yoshino leads to him putting on Sol Naciente. Doi escapes and hits a Tiger suplex for two. Doi slaps the crap out of Yoshino. Yoshino takes him down with the Torbellino. He puts on Sol Naciente Kai. Doi submits at 17:50. That built really well and was much better than I remembered when I watched the show when it was originally broadcast. Yoshino and Doi obviously work well together, and even though I feel Yoshino needs to freshen his act up, he and Doi brought the goods here. ***1/4

Caleb Konley is shown backstage with two ladies and Larry Dallas. Dallas wants Konley to make a “scene” tonight.

AR Fox makes his way to the ring. He was originally supposed to team with The Young Bucks to take on Ronin. He challenges Sami Callihan, who attacked him at EVOLVE 10 and put his mentor Sabu through a table, to a tables match in order to exact some revenge. Callihan accepts.

Tables Match
AR Fox vs. Sami Callihan

Fox tope con hilo’s onto Callihan as he comes down the aisle. Callihan bicycle kicks him to the back, but Fox flies back out with a flying forearm. Fox then hits a springboard 450 splash to the floor. Fox misses a suicide dive, landing stomach first onto the guardrails. Callihan chokes him with his jacket. He brings a table into the ring. He throws that table into Fox who was recovering in the corner. Callihan slams Fox onto the underside of the table. Fox kicks out Callihan’s legs when he tries to set up the table. He hops over the table for a cannonball senton. He comes off the top rope with a legdrop on the apron. Callihan moves out of the way causing Fox to crash and burn. Callihan throws a chair onto Fox. Callihan places a guardrail on the ring apron and another guardrail. Callihan backdrops Fox onto it. In the ring Fox fires up from Callihan’s slaps. He gives Callihan a Code Breaker which sees Callihan land on the barricade. Fox bends the guardrail with the kick flip moonsault! Fox props up a table in the corner and places Callihan against it. Callihan recovers and crotches Fox on the top rope. Callihan looks to powerbomb Fox through the table, but changes his mind and powerbombs him onto the guardrail instead! He then props up the table against the guardrails. He powerbombs Fox through the table for the win at 10:12. Both of these guys have a good thing going in their feud. Callihan seems to excel when it comes to brawling and when he’s fighting from behind, and we got both of those things here. I really like the direction this feud is headed and look forward to more matches between these two. ***1/4

Masaaki Mochizuki and Jimmy Susumu are backstage. We get a translation, which basically has Mochizuki lamenting the fact that he lost his Dream Gate title to CIMA at “Final Gate 2011”, but plans to win the United Gate belts with Susumu tonight to make up for it.

Jon Davis vs. Caleb Konley

Larry Dallas and two women (Buggy Nova and one named Shane) are in Konley’s corner. Headlocks are reversed. Davis snaps off an armdrag and gets two with an Oklahoma Roll. Konley shoves Davis to show he’s not afraid. Davis does not appreciate Konley’s back chop. He gives Konley a powerslam, causing him to roll to the floor. Davis throws some chest kicks against the guardrails. Konley sends Buggy Nova and Larry Dallas into Davis’ path. Buggy steps out of the way and Dallas gets decked. Konley basement dropkicks Davis and sends him back first into the ring post. He does more damage to Davis’ back in the ring. Davis catches him with a Manhattan Drop. Konley throws a sole butt and a knee. He tries a huracanrana put gets powerbombed to the corner. Konley comes back with a superkick to the knee. Davis gets his knees up to block a quebrada. He levels Konley with a lariat. The Pounce and 3 Seconds Around The World send Konley packing at 6:28. I love watching Davis destroy people. That said, he should have looked even more dominant than he did. *1/2

The Young Bucks are backstage. They take credit for the large crowd tonight and seem interested in the United Gate titles. I sure hope they come back.

PAC vs. Akira Tozawa

This is a rematch from “Mercury Rising 2011” which PAC won. BxB Hulk is in Tozawa’s corner. The crowd is split as both after neither guy gets a clear advantage in the onset. Tozawa dropkicks PAC to the floor. PAC knocks him down with a shoulder block when he gets back into the ring. He huracanrana’s Tozawa to the floor. PAC suplexes him and applies a headscissors. He slingshots into a double stomp. He tries a springboard crossbody but Tozawa gets his knees up for a gutbuster. Tozawa delivers two sentons. He has a cut above his eye and I’m not sure how that occurred. Tozawa ends a forearm exchange by clawing PAC’s eyes and bringing him to the corner. He snapmares PAC into a modified bow and arrow transitioning into a half crab. PAC gets the ropes. He sends Tozawa to the corner. He tries for a springboard move and gets the ropes dropkicked out from under him. Tozawa kicks PAC to the floor. He goes for a suicide dive, but PAC miraculously catches him and delivers a Northern Lights suplex on the floor. He then hits an Asai moonsault. In the ring, PAC tosses Tozawa in the air causing him to come crashing down. He hits a bridging Northern Lights suplex for two. Tozawa lights up PAC with chops in the corner. PAC eggs Tozawa on, so Tozawa gives him a straight right hand. PAC sunset flips him, but Tozawa rolls through and nails a Shining Wizard. He bicycle kicks PAC to the corner. PAC responds with one of his own. Tozawa Saito suplexes him. PAC gets up and catches Tozawa coming off the ropes with a German suplex. PAC goes up top. Tozawa follows and German suplexes him! PAC somehow kicks out. Tozawa decides to bring PAC back up to the top rope. PAC elbows him to the mat. He attempts the 360 Shooting Star Press. Tozawa gets his knees up. Tozawa misses two enzuigiri’s and PAC German suplexes him for two. Tozawa bicycle kicks PAC and hits a German suplex. A deadlift German suplex only gets him two. He ends up hitting the High Tension suplex for the pin at 20:08. What an awesome back and forth match between two of the top talents in DG. This was really exciting, really fun and had some excellent call backs to their initial encounter from last year. PAC won last year with the German suplex off the ropes, but after hurting his knee in the Asai moonsault he couldn’t use it and thus ended up failing to win in the rematch. These guys are bonafide stars. ****

Open the United Gate Championship
Spiked Mohicans (CIMA & Ricochet) vs. Junction 3 (Masaaki Mochizuki & Jimmy Susumu)

Jimmy Susumu was formerly known as Susumu Yokosuka, losing that name due to a tag team stipulation in a match against Hulk and Tozawa. CIMA tries to prevent Ricochet not to do the Blood Warriors arm symbol. CIMA seems like he’s going to break a lock-up cleanly against the ropes, but overhand chops Mochizuki instead. Mochizuki kicks CIMA in the chest when he looks for a double knuckle lock. Mochizuki kicks him off the apron. He snapmares Ricochet into a back kick and tags in Susumu. Ricochet uses an alita and a dropkick to send Susumu to the floor. Susumu takes control and tags in Mochizuki who goes to work on Ricochet’s leg. CIMA tires to help out but also ends up in a leg submission. Both Mohicans make it to the ropes. Susumu does some damage to CIMA’s legs, so CIMA drives his knee into the mat. He does some more damage to his leg before tagging out. Ricochet hits a dropkick for two. Mochizuki tags in and pummels Ricochet in the corner. CIMA stomps down Mochizuki in his corner. Mochizuki’s swift chest kick turns the tide. Susumu holds CIMA so Mochizuki can kick him again. CIMA takes down Susumu and hits a rolling senton. Ricochet puts on a headscissors when he can’t get a pin off CIMA’s senton. He dropkicks Mochizuki off the apron just to be a dick. The Mohicans isolate Susumu until he blocks CIMA’s Venus with an exploder suplex. Ricochet flies in and takes one too. Mochizuki’s comeback seems cut off by CIMA from the apron, but Mochizuki takes him down with a Sankakugeri. He boots Ricochet in the face. Ricochet gets two with the Rickrack and a moonsault senton. Mochizuki wins a chest kicking contest with ease. He counters Ricochet’s enzuigiri with an ankle lock. CIMA tries to break it, but Susumu catches him with Ashi Yokosuka and puts on a figure four. Ricochet enzugiri’s out of his hold and saves CIMA. CIMA O’Conner Rolls Susumu for two. Susumu hits the Aikata for two. CIMA kicks Susumu down. He drops an elbow and Ricochet does a shooting star press off of his back. Mochizuki breaks the pin. Ricochet gives Mochizuki a lungblower into a Superdrol from CIMA. Ricochet’s standing shooting star press only gets him two. CIMA drives his knees into Mochizuki’s chest. He hits the Perfect Driver. Mochizuki kicks out. Mochizuki shrugs off an enzuigiri and delivers more kicks to Ricochet’s head. He boots Ricochet in the corner. Susumu clotheslines Ricochet and sets him up for Mochizuki’s Ikkakugeri. He hits the Sankakugeri into a powerbomb from Susumu. CIMA saves his partner at the last second. He absorbs a ton of Mochizuki’s chest kicks. Susumu clotheslines him in the head. CIMA shoves Mochizuki to the floor when he goes for another Sankakugeri. CIMA headscissors Susumu to the corner. Ricochet hits a 619 and CIMA hits the Tokarev. CIMA catches Mochizuki with the Schwein when he comes back in. Ricocheet hits the 630 splash. Susumu breaks the pin! Ricochet heads back up top. Susumu stops him initially. CIMA puts Susumu on his shoulders. Ricochet dropkicks him into CIMA’s Ocean Cyclone suplex. Mochizuki breaks the count. He and Ricochet fight on the floor. Susumu hits the Jumbo no Kachi twice. Mochizuki comes back in with the Sankakugeri. The Jumbo no Kachi!gatame from Susumu only gets him two. Ricochet enzuigiri’s Susumu to save CIMA from Mugen. CIMA gives him the Schwein for two. The Nakayubi and Meteora put him away at 24:04. This match was so awesome. All four guys went balls to the wall, built the match tremendously and put on a really exciting main event. They had some burn out with the finishers in the end, but that’s what happens sometimes when CIMA’s in a match. This was a tremendous main event to kick off the year. ****1/4

BxB Hulk and Akira Tozawa attack everybody but Ricochet after the bell. Low Ki comes out and gets in their faces. Ki wants to ensure the fans get their money’s worth at shows and plans to face the best DGUSA has to offer. He stares down Tozawa as he stands in the aisleway, teasing a match between them. He admires the colorful career Mochizuki has had and says he looks forward to standing across the ring from him one day. He acknowledges the incredible year 2011 was for Ricochet and how he was a championship reaper. He wants a chance to face off with him as well. CIMA is the one guy he seems to be the most focused on, as CIMA made his name as the icon of Dragon Gate as he was in ZERO-1. They shake hands and tease a match between them in Miami. Everyone but the Mohicans leaves. CIMA wishes the fans a Happy New Year and thanks them for coming. He and Ricochet stand tall with the United Gate titles as the show comes to a close.

Bonus Features include:

Johnny Gargano’s Long Road Back
The End of the Arena
Alternative Angle Highlight Video

The 411: This was an incredible show to start off DGUSA's 2012. The double main event is worth the price of the DVD alone, but every match on the undercard delivered as well. I'm interested in seeing where the stories are going, especially if the action stays this consistent. I very much recommend checking this show out. You can pick up this DVD from DGUSA's store or watch the show On Demand from WWN Live. You can check out all of my DGUSA, EVOLVE, ROH, and other non-CHIKARA reviews over at the 100% Fordified blog.
411 Elite Award
Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]  legend

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