Ben-K vs. Shun Skywalker

[7.0] "These guys went balls-to-the-wall, the personality of young, prime athletes testing-their-limits reminding me of what Takeshita/Endo did a few years-back in Ryogoku, and it's only the finish that kept-this from being an '8' in my book. 3 3/8"

[8.0] "Had the makings of a great match but the unfortunate injury and the inaction of the ref/management does put a damper on it for me."

[3.0] "It was a pretty standard Dragon's Gate main event, and I even liked some of the wrestler sequences and Ben-K's single-mindedness, and I thought it was the first match he'd ever played where he really looked like a hero. But in this match, there were unnecessarily many stupid spots aimed at the head, Ben's ear was bleeding from the very beginning, and later blood began to appear on the hairline. If you don't pay attention to this, then the match is really good, but all this led to an annoying botch, because of which contender was unconscious. And then we come to the most terrible thing: Shun, not realizing that his opponent has passed out, begins to jump on the knocked-out person, and does it more than once. Wrestling moves should only be made on a person who can control their body, breathing, and reflexes to avoid injuries, both minor injuries and injuries that can cost lives. The referee doesn't seem to notice this, and when Ben is not kicked out, he gives the command to continue the match. If everything that had happened before could be attributed to an accident, then after it became clear that Ben-K wasn't all right, it became a real irresponsibility and a mess. Shun needed to insist on 3 pins, but instead he climbed back on the rope. I felt incredibly sorry for the injured Ben, just because he didn't deserve to be treated like that. The match should have been stopped or ended, but both the champion and the referee made one stupid decision after another. A sad ending."

[6.0] "This followed the standard Dream Gate match structure, with both men going through an extended feeling-out phase while throwing out a few minor signature moves every now and then to keep the crowd's interest. This work was fine, but there wasn't any clear or super engaging story to accompany it, plus the vocally restricted crowd really highlighted the match's slow pace. I eventually came to enjoy Skywalker's work, since he showed off his impressive mix of high-flying attacks, strikes, and now submission holds, all of which he executed with flawless technique and a degree of creativity. Things finally kicked into another fear after both men came off that long spot on the turnbuckle, which was when they both started hitting their offence with far more speed, explosiveness, and hatred. Ben-K's athleticism and physicality finally shone at this point. It's obviously a great shame what happened to Ben-K with his accidental KO. That really put a stain on the match, especially as it was only JUST getting really good. I do think Yagi and Skywalker should have called the match early after Ben-K failed to kick out of the moonsault (which, if we're being honest, is the first moment anyone truly knew Ben-K was seriously knocked out and not just doing his usual fantastic late-match selling), but I don't think Skywalker going for a final moonsault to try finish the match in somewhat proper fashion put Ben-K in any serious danger. The dude was already knocked out, so I doubt he would have felt anything from the simple torso-on-torso splash he received. And we now know Ben-K is fine and recovering well, so it doesn't look like any real harm was done. Could DG have done better in this instance? Yes, but they didn't act nearly as terribly as the safety police are claiming. Anyways, the match was fine for about half its length, then started getting good in the second half, with the last few minutes starting to get REALLY good, but then a freak accident caused it to go completely off the rails. Oh well. At least there's a great story for when they eventually have their rematch. ***1/4"

[0.0] "This was mostly a fine display of the typical contemporary Japanese main event style, which is stale, but it's not like they're going to stop. However, I have to give this a zero because I cannot in good conscience praise any match with dumbass shoot headbutts, which look and sound like ass and are more dangerous than they're worth, and the inexcusable ending, in which Ben was knocked out, the ref didn't count the three (THIS is why referees should count pinfalls as a shoot, ) and Shun evidently needed to get his shit in despite his opponent being unconscious. Disgusting. Everything wrong with modern wrestling that doesn't involve the McMahon family."

[6.0] "Shun Skywalker as champion is honestly really boring, he does nothing for me, match was fine I guess"

[10.0] "Great Match And The Best In Shun's Carer So Far IMO, Big History Between The Two And It's Great To See This Match In A Big Show, Highly Recommended"

[9.0] "Aside from a very concerning finish, this was an emotional war. Both guys literally beat the hell out of each other as a gesture to beginning of the new era of Dragon Gate."

[1.0] "This was so so boring, just the most stereotypical formulaic main event and then THE SPOT happened and Shun Skywalker just went for the second moonsault? The ref just counted 2 as if Ben wasn't clearly unconscious? ! This is horrible wrestling on all fronts"

[8.0] "Shun's KO of Ben-K was SICK. Thankfully, Ben-K is okay but with Yagi not counting the three, like he should've, this can leave a bad taste in your mouth regardless. I don't blame anyone for that either. It was a sickening punch that left Ben-K motionless. I, however, am a bit of a sadist so it doesn't bother me or leave me with any negative feelings after the match. The rest of the match was super great. There was a great feeling of fight and struggle throughout the match. It was a very physically demanding match - Shun channeled his inner Shibata with a brutal headbutt at one point - that left severe bruises and swelling around each other? s face and body. The slow, methodical pacing complemented the action really well as it allowed the stiff strikes and power moves. Also giving time for the tension to be set and gradually grow as the pace eventually did. Obviously we didn't get to have the proper closing stretch but this was a great match without it. Glad Ben-K is okay. He put in an excellent performance before that knockout. Shun looked strong as well but his shining spot got cut due to the obvious. ****"

[9.0] "Absolutely brutal match. The beginning was bit boring but slowly it got better. That nasty headbutt on top turnbuckle was not the worst bump there. Holy shit! That Shun Skywalker's Clothesline knocked Ben-K out cold. He was unconscious and still was recieving heavy beating. Ref screwed up the 3 count pinfall at the end, because Ben-K was supposed to kick out. There was no other way for Skywalker to give Ben some time, repeat his finished and hit again, but even after that Ben was still on another planet. Shun Skywalker won, but I don't think it was supposed to go that way."