| 1 | 11.09.2022 | arrancar | 7.0 | DG's best PPV in 2 years. This was a really well-rounded show, with inoffensive and fun lower-card matches, some quite good mid-card matches, and then some even better matches at the top of the card, also featuring the company's best match in about 2 years. Opening 6-man tag was solid all around. Nothing spectacular but lots of decent stuff. **1/2. Kagetora & Tanizaki vs K-ness & Kotoka was more decent but mostly low-level work, just with slightly better wrestlers. **3/4. Susumu vs Ricochet was quite good. Ricochet had his exciting acrobatic attacks and great bumps, while Susumu had his impactful strikes and power moves. Very strong chemistry, with their unique styles making for some nice exchanges and spots. ***1/4. Doi, Swann & Syachihoko vs Fujii, Hub, and Mochizuki was a pretty run-of-the-mill but still good Triangle Gate match. Syachihoko's extended face-in-peril segment was somewhat entertaining, but the match picked up with Doi and Swann's energetic comeback, at which point Syachihoko became more endearing when he returned far fresher as the struggling but durable underdog. The various 3-man spots were all typically well-executed, though not especially creative or explosive. Their rapid run-on spots and exchanges were all good, with all 6 men working hard. Doi's work to hold out against Hub and suddenly steal the win with a flash pin was really fun. ***1/4. Kid vs Yoshino was pretty good. Nothing revolutionary but well-worked, with lots of impressively smooth, speedy, and agile exchanges and some spectacular individual spots. I liked the story of Yoshino's slight strength and size advantage against Kid's agility and acrobatics advantages, leading to many exciting interactions that mixed their styles together. Their individual flurry attacks and rapid run-on counters were always impressive and paired with great bumping (even if their general selling, as expected, was pretty minimal). ***1/4 - ***1/2. Hulk & Uhaa vs Shingo & Yamato was easily MOTN. All 4 worked extremely hard, all with great technique and explosiveness to their offence. They worked a great pace and hit many exciting spots and sequences in the 2nd half, yet they still took time to build-up their interactions to prevent the match feeling just like a mindless spotfest. Great stuff. ***3/4 - ****. Cima vs Tozawa was definitely too long but ultimately still pretty good, and definitely better than their Kobe World match the prior year. The first 2/3rds were pretty dry because of how purely technical- and beatdown-based it was, but I at least appreciated their moments of strong real-time selling, and they picked things up in the final 1/3rd with lots impactful bomb trades and spectacular spots. It wasn't anything too creative or thoughtful, but it was speedy, impactful, and filled with enough twists and turns to remain pretty exciting, though it typically went very overkill on finishers and kick-outs. ***1/4 - ***1/2 |
| 5 | 23.06.2013 | STRIGGA | 8.0 | Die Show beginnt mit einem wunderbaren Six Man Tag zwischen den Jimmyz und einem gemischten Team, das viel Spaß machte. Das zweite Jimmyz Team gegen K-ness und Kotoka war ebenfalls ein solides, recht kurzes Tag Match. Mit Ricochet vs. Susumu gab es das erste Highlight der Show. Ein sehr schnörkelloses, sauber herunter gewresteltes Singles Match mit gutem Finish. Das Triangle Gate Titel Match wusste zu überzeugen, genau so Yoshino vs. Dragon Kid, wobei ich mir bei letzterem eine klarere Matchsotory gewünscht hätte. Das beste Match der Show war das Match um den Twin Gate Titel mit zwei sehr motivierten und guten Teams. Der Main Event war ebenfalls gut, aber leider gab es irgendwann einen Move-Overkill, mit dem Dramatik erzeugt werden sollte, was bei mir aber nicht klappte. Dennoch insgesamt eine wirklich gute Show mit vielen Highlights. Die großen Shows von Dragon Gate sind im Grunde immer stark. |
#