Wrestling

Dragongate Rainbow Gate (June 4) Outcomes & Assessment

June 6, 2024
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DRAGONGATE
RAINBOW GATE
JUNE 4, 2024
KORAKUEN HALL – TOKYO, JAPAN

Watch: Dragon Gate Community

The present started with Dragon Child, Kagetora, Naruki Doi, Susumu Yokosuka, & YAMATO chopping a promo within the ring. The fivesome famous that henceforth, they’ll be often called PARADOX. The unit, which follows an extended lineage of veteran-themed models within the historical past of the corporate, is not going to have matching gear, though it does seem that they’ll be utilizing purple as a keynote coloration going ahead. 

MADOKA KIKUTA DEF. LA ESTRELLA 

Estrella, who has been wrestling in North America as a consultant of Dragongate for the final two years, returned on June 2nd as an entrant within the conventional Kobe Sanbo Corridor-based Dragon Scramble Battle Royal. Estrella, to the shock of many, ended up successful that match. 

Right here’s the factor with Estrella: he’s finally a non-factor to the promotion. He’s a little bit bit like Darko Miličić with the Detroit Pistons of the early 2000’s. If Estrella was Dragongate’s solely latest dojo export, the promotion can be in serious trouble. The 2004 Pistons have been loaded with younger, thrilling expertise, that means that Miličić being a bust didn’t find yourself mattering. The identical is true for Estrella. Dragongate has produced ISHIN, Mochizuki Junior, and Ryoya Tanaka, simply to call a number of, within the years which have handed since Estrella’s debut. They need Estrella to be good, however nothing about his efficiency goes to vary the day-to-day of the promotion at this level. 

I at all times like to say that previous to Estrella’s debut (a debut and gimmick that was designed by Ultimo Dragon), Estrella was a high-level grappler. Folks inside the firm have been shocked when this child was handed a “high-flyer” gimmick. If this match was any indication, it looks as if this time round, they’re going to let Estrella play with a extra grappling-intensive method to see if he can garner any momentum. I used to be greatly surprised by a few of the energy strikes that he threw within the path of Madoka Kikuta. Particularly, I preferred the large backbreaker that he related with. 

Sadly, even with Estrella’s new method, Kikuta was too dominated. He cleaned the masked man’s clock with a hip assault after which planted him with the discus lariat for the win. **3/4 

EL CUCUY, MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI, & ULTIMO DRAGON DEF. DON FUJII, SHUJI KONDO, & TORU OWASHI 

The jury continues to be out on El Cucuy, however man, did I benefit from the visible of him, Masaaki Mochizuki, and Ultimo Dragon standing subsequent to at least one one other. It had the power of a WAR six-man tag group. Provided that Mocchy and Ultimo have been on this match, it may’ve fairly actually been a WAR six-man tag group. 

Cucuy is a humongous luchador who comes over by the use of the California-based Professional Wrestling Revolution, had spent the final month working in MARVELOUS earlier than making his DG debut in Korakuen Corridor. There’s one thing inherently charming about Cucuy that makes me wish to see extra. We would hit some extent the place Cucuy is extra “enjoyable” than “good” and in Dragongate, that attraction tends to put on off quick as a result of almost everybody on the roster is at the very least “good”, however for proper now, I’m into it. 

Within the opening moments of the match, Cucuy and Don Fujii traded offense, resulting in Cucuy making an attempt a working senton on Fujii. The wily veteran moved out of the way in which, sending Cucuy back-first into the mat, which triggered the ring to interrupt. This subject was solely made worse when in a while, Cucuy tried a moonsault from the highest rope however was despatched crashing into the mat once more when Shuji Kondo moved out of the way in which. 

A damaged ring is objectively the funniest factor that would’ve occurred in Cucuy’s debut. 

His aspect ended up selecting up the win, as Mochizuki submitted his ex-partner Fujii with the Bukogatame, a transfer that he hasn’t received a match with in over 20 years. 

This was an pleasurable automotive crash. ***

MOCHIZUKI JUNIOR RETURN MATCH
MOCHIZUKI JUNIOR DEF. YASUSHI KANDA 

After a 4 month tour to the UK, Dragongate’s first second-generation wrestler is again house. Along with his return, Junior did one thing that maybe no different Japanese wrestler in historical past has performed: he returned from a UK tour and didn’t get fats. 

With new hair, new gear, and an incredible physique, the Tokyo native reminded everybody in attendance why he’s considered so extremely by these within the know and his friends. Whereas I’m an enormous fan of the likes of Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, and Yu Owada, I personally imagine Junior has the very best upside inside his respective promotion. He’s a monster. He’s so good at all the things and he’s solely 22. His strikes all look crisp, his offense is strung collectively completely, and his face is constructed for expression. He’s not solely going to be a star, he’s going to be an enormous star and it’s going to occur before folks understand. Within the two years since his debut, I’ve despatched quite a few notes to pundits with extra sway and affect than me to attempt to get them aboard the Mochizuki Junior hype practice earlier than he’s carrying across the Dream Gate belt. I concern my notes have fallen on deaf ears. 

The Kanda match was not an excellent match, however it established Junior as a risk. It was the form of no BS return match that we’ll look again on in six months as the beginning of one thing large. I count on Junior to be a feared and profitable competitor in King of Gate and past. By this time subsequent 12 months, he might be headlining exhibits and difficult for the Dream Gate belt. 

He received after planting his former unit mate with a Modified Driver. ***1/4 

KAGETORA, NARUKI DOI, SUSUMU YOKOSUKA, & YAMATO DEF. BIG BOSS SHIMIZU, KZY, STRONG MACHINE J, & U-T 

The primary official match for PARADOX turned out to be a hit. The unit rolled into Korakuen, destroyed Pure Vibes, and left with out screwing round. Despite the fact that I believe it’s inherently dumb that the unit isn’t going to have matching gear and seemingly desires to forgo any kind of memorable branding, I’m all for this unit as a result of it retains Naruki Doi round and it retains him busy. When Doi went freelance in the direction of the top of 2022, I used to be afraid that he would slowly fade away from Dragongate (like Eita) or go to GLEAT (a destiny worse than dying). Doi, as a substitute, has been reinvigorated and has been working his ass off for the promotion in 2024. I really like that he’s as soon as once more been woven into the material of the promotion. I cherished the way in which he went after U-T on this match. I’ve a few dozen King of Gate wishlist matches for this 12 months, and Doi vs. U-T is totally on the checklist. 

I’m nonetheless scuffling with this concept that this can be a new period for Pure Vibes. I can’t inform if Sturdy Machine J “taking on” because the chief of the unit was meant to imply nothing from the leap, or in the event that they’re failing to execute the thought and thus it’s that means nothing. It’s onerous to take SMJ critically because the chief after they nonetheless do a dance centered round Kzy, Kzy recruited Flamita into Pure Vibes, and Kzy made a scorching tag on this match after the lengthy U-T beatdown. It’s not dangerous that it looks like Kzy’s unit nonetheless, as a result of Kzy was excellent at main Pure Vibes, however I do really feel like I’m lacking one thing. 

The ending stretch was tremendous scorching with Kzy and YAMATO going at it. Their chemistry stays a few of the finest in the whole promotion. YAMATO finally feels scorching, and like he may win the belt at this 12 months’s Kobe World. He planted Kzy with a Galleria to maintain up his momentum. ***1/2 

MINORITA RETURN MATCH
HYO & JACKY KAMEI DEF. KOTA MINOURA & MINORITA 

Minorita was within the midst of a killer run final August when he ruptured his ACL and went on the shelf. He was compelled to vacate his Triangle Gate belt and step away from a hoop that had handled him extremely effectively since his character modified from Takumi Hayakawa to Minorita. 

The majority of his return match was spent testing his injured knee. He was compelled to hit the ropes consistently as Large Hug goaded him into a number of chase-downs and fast-paced spots with the promotion’s two standout bantamweight stars. The excellent news for Dragongate is that exterior of the built-in ring rust that might be there for anybody that missed this period of time, Minorita regarded like he’d have the ability to return to the greatness that he as soon as wrestled at with ease. I used to be left feeling very inspired about Minorita’s future after this match was over. 

I used to be not, nevertheless, inspired by the look of Jacky Kamei. In-ring, he’s nonetheless the most effective wrestlers on the planet and must be talked about alongside the likes of Kaito Kiyomiya and Shun Skywalker, a tier under Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay, however his Large Hug gear that he debuted on this present sucks. The haircut is okay, however the outsized overalls did him no favors. He took a step again by way of coolness and it’s essential that the corporate work out a technique to repair his gear instantly. He can’t go into World with ill-fitting gear. It distracted me the whole match. 

Minorita actually turned it on down the stretch as Hyo and Kamei upped the depth. It was nice seeing Minorita land a Deadlift German on Hyo, however it wasn’t sufficient to place the Courageous Gate Champion away. Nothing was, in reality. Minorita fell in his return by the use of Hyo and his Samson Driver end. ***1/4 

INTERNATIONAL DREAM EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
DRAGON DIA, DRAGON KID, FLAMITA, & NINJA MACK DEF. ISHIN, JASON LEE, KAI, & SHUN SKYWALKER 

One thing I’ve come to like about Dragongate during the last 5 years is the flexibility they possess to do “particular characteristic” matches – matches which are loosely in canon, however characterize one thing bigger inside the skilled wrestling world. I might level to Ultimo Dragon’s debut with the promotion as the very best instance of this, with Dragon Dia’s BOSJ sendoff final month being the latest instance of this. They’ve developed a technique to pay tribute to the previous without having or not it’s drenched in nostalgia. It’s refreshing and it’s one thing that solely them and AEW appear to do. 

This didn’t have the emotional weight of Ultimo Dragon’s debut or within the case of AEW, Sting’s retirement, however God it was numerous enjoyable. Everybody performed their half completely. 

A variety of eyes have been on Ninja Mack, who made his first look in Dragongate since Gate of Origin 2022 the place he teamed with Dragon Child in a tag match towards Diamante & Shun Skywalker. Mack didn’t impress me in any respect in that match. He’s the textbook definition of “hit and miss” with me, and that match was a significant miss. The excellent news is that he couldn’t have been an even bigger hit on this match. He jogs my memory of younger Shun Skywalker, circa 2017. Skywalker spent that 12 months primarily wrestling in multi-man tags together with his contemporaries Hyo and Yuki Yoshioka. These two would do numerous the troublesome work in these tags whereas Skywalker would spend the whole match constructing to after which ultimately touchdown an enormous moonsault to the ground. If Skywalker nailed his large dives, the match can be match. If he botched, which he did typically in these days, the match would go away a foul style in your mouth. The identical goes for Ninja Mack. He occurred to nail all the things on this match – the Ninja Bomb, the Ninja Particular, and quite a lot of seemingly unnamed, asinine acrobatic strikes that solely he may do; all the things he did was excellent. 

I can’t assist however really feel like in a previous period of the promotion, Mack would’ve been a extremely wanted import for Dragongate. Whereas he isn’t the pure match that NOAH’s Alejandro is, this match made me intrigued by what else Mack may accomplish inside Dragongate. 

Mack wasn’t the one masked man that crushed it on this match, although. I don’t know what’s gotten into Flamita, however he’s again and he’s again in a very large means. His return to Dragongate on the finish of Could couldn’t have gone higher. He matches like a glove in Pure Vibes and he seemingly matches like a glove towards everybody on the roster. Flamita is wrestling with pace and precision that I haven’t seen him wrestle with in almost a decade at this level. He’s effectively conscious that he has a golden alternative to be again with DG and he’s taking advantage of it. 

The discourse during the last six years of this promotion’s historical past has been largely dominated by doomsdayers who’ve reacted harshly to each departure that the corporate has been hit with. In the long term, Dragongate acquired the upperhand on CIMA and Stronghearts. Shingo Takagi wanted to maneuver on and his post-DG run has been immaculate. Names like Kaito Ishida and Kazma Sakamoto have did not seize any of the magic that was there of their DG run. It’s obvious that the promotion has been greater than okay when confronted with all of those departures, however it’s undoubtedly a pleasant feeling that Dragongate has been in a position to restore a small piece of their historical past with Flamita coming again into the fold. Had he remained in GLEAT, matches like his traditional vs. Susumu Yokosuka in 2014 would spiral away into the void. He’s again, he looks like household, and he’s wrestling at probably the very best stage of his profession. His chemistry with Shun Skywalker made the hair on the again of my neck rise up. That’s the form of stuff that I need increasingly of. 

In the long run, Flamita drilled ISHIN with a superkick after which a Flam Fly for the win to maintain the momentum rolling earlier than his Courageous Gate match towards Hyo. ****

OPEN THE DREAM GATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BEN-Okay DEF. LUIS MANTE (c)

Luis Mante did not make his fourth profitable protection of the Open the Dream Gate Championship on this bout. Ben-Okay now joins the likes of CIMA, Masaaki Mochizuki, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi, Shingo Takagi, Shun Skywalker, Susumu Yokosuka, and YAMATO as multi-time Dream Gate Champions. 

For Luis Mante, it was all concerning the chase, and Dragongate sadly ended his chase lengthy earlier than it was time to finish it. When Mante misplaced his masks at final 12 months’s Kobe World, many speculated that he would chase the Dream Gate belt into the winter and thru the spring earlier than lastly successful the belt at this 12 months’s rendition of Kobe World. As a substitute, Dragongate put collectively a sloppy, illogical three-way that had a sloppy, illogical end. Mante had two nice defenses throughout his time as champion together with his first protection vs. Shun Skywalker (who he ought to’ve beat to win the title) and his second towards Susumu Yokosuka, however Mante felt like second fiddle in his personal unit subsequent to Hyo and second tier on this firm in comparison with the likes of Skywalker, Kamei, and Jason Lee. Mante was a nice Dream Gate Champion. That’s the apt phrase. He was “nice”. Traditionally, it was higher than Naruki Doi’s first reign or Jushin Thunder Liger’s time with the belt, however nowhere close to what fellow foreigner PAC did throughout his time as Dream Gate Champion. 

Mante labored his ass off on this match and did what he may to assist foster in what may wind up being a traditionally vital run, as Ben will now go onto headline the twenty fifth Kobe World. He drilled Ben with a barrage of big head-drops that Ben got here away from every transfer wanting stronger and extra unstoppable. He additionally bought his ass off for the brand new champion, notably taking an enormous bump on the ultimate spear that ultimately received Ben the gold. 

The story of Ben-Okay is seemingly totally different based mostly on who you ask. Some have a look at him nonetheless because the muscle-head freak who turned heads as a younger boy and rose up the ranks of Dragongate sooner than almost anybody else in historical past. Others think about him to be a failure given his odd reign with the Dream Gate belt in 2019 and his subsequent begin/cease pushes. I’m unsure there’s a proper technique to outline Ben’s profession as he enters his eighth 12 months. He’s a complicated wrestler who has lived a complicated life. Jae did an excellent job explaining how Ben’s habits exterior of the ring had affected his profession contained in the ring, and the way getting his life collectively led him to being on this match. 

It could actually’t be overstated how totally different this model of Ben-Okay is in comparison with the man who received the title in 2019. Anybody with a more-than-basic understanding of Dragongate will let you know simply how essential the present closing promo is and what meaning to the promotion, and when Ben first received this belt, he was doing a gimmick during which he solely stated his identify as a result of he couldn’t lower promos. Within the 5 years since, he’s develop into a charisma machine who fairly frankly can’t cease chopping promos. The truth that he was in a position to finish this present with a coherent and thrilling go-home promo exhibits unbelievable development in comparison with the place he was at when he ended PAC’s reign of terror. 

Finally, the title change looks like the suitable transfer. Whereas I nonetheless have a problem with anybody not named Shun Skywalker holding the title (as a result of all principal occasion applications appear to run by Skywalker), Ben is a becoming champion who felt like a scorching commodity by the month of Could and into this title problem. Mante had peaked as a champion and would’ve been a notable threat to headline World. 

Ben is now a grown up and he’s doing grown up issues. 2019 noticed Ben-Okay enjoying champion, 2024, if he’s given the chance, might be the place Ben lastly acts like a champion. ***3/4 

Closing Ideas

I’m by no means going to let you know to not watch a present with an excellent match and an enormous title change. Whereas most of their Korakuen outings this 12 months have been stronger than this one was, this was nonetheless a worthwhile present that would pave the way in which for an enormous summer time.

Take heed to Voices of Wrestling’s Dragongate podcast: Open the Voice Gate!

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