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Dragon Gate USA presents Bushido: Code of the Warrior 2011 live on iPPV on WWNLive. With a distinct theme of Dragon Gate veterans against DGUSA homegrown talents, this promises to be a unique event headlined by a pair of championship matches. Chuck Taylor cashes in his right to book any match he chooses to take on Open the Freedom Gate Champion YAMATO, while the D.U.F. of Arik Cannon & Sami Callihan challenge Open the United Gate Champions Cima & Ricochet a.k.a. The Spiked Mohicans. In addition to these are four other DG vs DGUSA matches including BxB Hulk vs Johnny Gargano, Akira Tozawa vs Rich Swann, Masato Yoshino vs AR Fox and PAC vs Brodie Lee. All this plus ECW legend Sabu taking on Pinkie Sanchez in a South Philly Street Fight and more!
– Matt Waters here folks, here to keep you updated on part 2 of DGUSA's final triple shot of the year. The show is due to start at 5.30pm EST but the feed should start a little earlier, so stay tuned.
Pre Show: Uhaa Nation & BJ Whitmer vs. The Scene
This match was in progress when we joined it as a part of the pre-show. Uhaa Nation tagged into the bout and absolutely decimated The Scene, at one point hitting an incredible standing shooting star and a Hero's Welcome. Whitmer tagged back in, locked the Peruvian Necktie onto Scott Reed and got the tap-out victory.
– Brodie Lee laid out BJ Whitmer with the big boot after the match, leading to a stand-off with Uhaa Nation. Brodie left smiling, and then the faces left together.
AR Fox vs. Masato Yoshino
In the first of several DG veteran vs DGUSA homegrown encounters, Masato Yoshino got a submission victory over AR Fox. Fox got off to a fantastic start, taking Yoshino down and then using his daredevil antics. Yoshino would of course regain control but Fox did manage a couple of scares, most notably a big 450 Splash. Yoshino recovered though and hit his signature combination of the Torbellino and the Sol Naciente. Fox tried to scramble for a rope but passed out and the referee stopped the match quickly. The match seemed to be exciting, but unfortunately the feed had to be restarted mid-match a couple of times as nobody was getting any sound. Hard to discern much, but it seemed that Fox was using the element of surprise to his advantage, but when Yoshino regained his composure he won without too much trouble.
– After the match Cima & Ricochet attacked to send a message before tomorrow's singles encounter between the DG veterans. PAC made the save, so Ric brought out Brodie Lee.
PAC vs. Brodie Lee
In the second veteran vs homegrown match, PAC got the victory over the much larger Brodie Lee with the British Airways. They told a great power vs speed story, though Brodie made it clear PAC wasn't the only one who could fly, snapping off a running hurricanrana and a huge suicide dive! PAC then tried to use Brodie's style against him but was outmatched in a brawl, so he returned to the speed and high-flying that brought him to the dance in the first place. The tactic proved far more successful the second time around as he ducked and dodged the short-tempered Lee and wore him down with several big kicks. Knowing Brodie could absorb more punishment than most, PAC wisely didn't go for a cover after a Shooting Star Press, and immediately followed up with the 360 variant for the win. Akira Tozawa made his presence felt throughout the match, attacking PAC on the outside several times, but it wasn't enough to stop the high-flyer from getting the win.
– Akira Tozawa tried to attack PAC after the match but he saw it coming. “RONIN BABY!” Rich Swann beat-boxed his way to the ring accompanied by Johnny Gargano and high-fived PAC. He challenged Tozawa to a rap battle but Tozawa instead elected to sing and once again it was beautiful. Swann superkicked him at the end to start their match.
Akira Tozawa vs. Rich Swann
Charisma explosion! The Dragon Gate veterans win-streak was broken thanks to Rich Swann and a surprise crucifix pin after a frantic mat exchange. Swann used the surprise superkick that started the match to control the early moments but Tozawa soon recovered and took advantage of Swann's inexperience to dodge a dive attempt. That was really the story of the match, with Tozawa pummeling Swann with strikes and Swann occasionally popping off some big agile attacks, only for Tozawa to counter or evade moments later. Swann forced Tozawa into a vulnerable position after countering the delayed german suplex into a roll-up and after several near-falls from both men on the mat, Swann caught Tozawa unawares with the crucifix and got the biggest win of his career. The finish inadvertently looked pretty believable as Tozawa seemed to struggle to find position after kicking out of a previous Swann pin, so when he got rolled he seemed surprised. Swann used some interesting new attacks, most notably a handspring standing Phoenix Splash, but this should have been a little longer in my opinion.
– BxB Hulk heads to the ring and silently stares at Johnny Gargano who responds by removing his shirt and calling for the bell.
Johnny Gargano vs. BxB Hulk
One night before his Freedom Gate title shot, Johnny Gargano made another DG veteran tap out to the GargaNo-Escape, this time the first ever Freedom Gate champion BxB Hulk. Gargano was faring very well early, but Hulk used a reasonably blatant low blow to stop his momentum dead. Hulk unleashed multiple stiff strikes on Gargano, showing no mercy, and incorporating the ropes and guard rail into his creative and brutal assault. Hulk showed veteran poise, surviving several Gargano flurries of fast paced chain moves and using his signature brutal kicks to keep control. Gargano finally managed to avoid Hulk and hit the Lawn Dart, a Superkick and the Hurts Donut. BxB kicked out but Gargano used his momentum to immediately lock in the GargaNo-Escape for the win. The finish felt like it came a little out of nowhere and Hulk really dominated the match, but heading into his huge title match Gargano looked dangerous by being able to snatch victory when seemingly in the jaws of defeat.
South Philly Street Fight
Pinkie Sanchez vs. Sabu
ECW legend Sab
u defeated Pinkie Sanchez in a South Philly Street Fight thanks to a chair-assisted Camel Clutch. This started slow and to minimal crowd reaction in comparison to the four matches that preceded. It was actually a little sad to see them making an effort and getting very little love. It took a thrown chair and a dive to the outside from Sabu to wake the crowd up. In fact pretty much the only time the fans were making noise was when chairs were being used. After a few skirmishes on the top rope and around a table, Sabu hit the Arabian Skull Crusher through the table and locked on the Camel Clutch. Pinkie wouldn't tap out, so Sabu placed a chair on his back and sat on it, reapplying the hold and getting the win. There was nothing bad about this match but the crowd not being into it hurt things, and Sabu all but refused to sell for Pinkie.
– The D.U.F. attack Sabu after the match. AR Fox tries to make the save but is overwhelmed. Jon Davis saves the day however, dominating Cannon & Callihan and then throwing Pinkie clean out of the ring! The faces pose ahead of their six-man tag tomorrow night.
Open the Freedom Gate Title Match
Yamato vs. Chuck Taylor
For 60 seconds, Chuck Taylor was the Open the Freedom Gate champion. After hitting his devastating finisher the Awful Waffle, Taylor pinned Yamato for three, but the champion's foot was on the ropes. The ref called for the bell and handed Taylor the belt, but upon seeing the foot on the ropes, he consulted Johnny Gargano who had a difficult choice to make. Telling the truth, the match was restarted and after a frantic exchange, Yamato managed to retain with a Cut-Throat CBV for the submission victory. Yamato was toying with Taylor early on, completely out-wrestling him until Taylor used some elusiveness and shenanigans, attacking Yamato's leg. Up until the false finish, the story of the match was that Yamato was simply too versatile for Taylor, who kept trying to adapt his strategy. When Taylor went to the mat, Yamato out-wrestled him. When he used speed, Yamato out-ran him. When he threw strikes, Yamato hit him back harder. It seemed like a combination of power and dirty tactics might get the job done, but nothing worked better than the Awful Waffle. Unfortunately thanks to Gargano's honesty, Taylor had no more bombs left to throw, and despite somehow surviving the Gallaria, he soon found himself on the mat and in a Cut-Throat CBV and was forced to tap. Taylor fared far better than some may have expected and the false finish was a genuine surprise and poured a gas canister of fuel on the fire that is Ronin's disintegration. Furthermore, Rich Swann provided commentary and refused to pick a side. The late drama was a stroke of booking genius and bumped what was a decent match into a must-see event. Taylor rocked a (very) mini playoff beard, while Yamato was sporting his recently shaven head, which made him look just plain weird. It didn't detract from anything, just an observation.
Open the United Gate Title Match
Arik Cannon & Sami Callihan vs. Cima & Ricochet
The Spiked Mohicans retained their titles by overwhelming Arik Cannon with their big signature moves, with Ricochet ultimately pinning him with the 630. Brodie Lee interfered early but BJ Whitmer ran him out of the building, evening the odds again. This was really just an exhibition of the Spiked Mohicans' greatness, as they completely outworked the D.U.F. from start to finish, and whenever one was in trouble, the other made the save. Sami did surprise Cima at one point with a Stretch Muffler after playing possum, but Ricochet immediately broke it up. When Cannon got involved the challengers fared a little better, managing to sustain some offense for a little while, but ultimately the champions just turned up the heat, threw Sami to the outside and unloaded on Cannon with running knees, the 818, Schweinn and an almost botched 630 for the win. The biggest problem with the match was that the crowd was in the Spiked Mohicans' corner for almost all of it, which somewhat ruined the dynamic, as they didn't cheer DUF's shenanigans or boo the champions' scrub tactics, completely taking the heat off some of the important moments. Cannon's hot tag was a lukewarm one at best for example. Things did pick up a bit near the end, but the result was in no doubt whatsoever. Perhaps Yamato/Taylor should have gone on last, but Chucky needs to high-tail it to Cibernetico so I understand if that played a part in the match order.
– After the match Ricochet cuts a promo that doesn't get a lot of heat, Cima calls a man in a Junction 3 shirt gay, and then says the Eagles suck to close the show.
Show Review
This is one of the best middle shows you'll ever see. I say that because while nothing was amazing, everything was decent at worst and really good at best. But the job of this show wasn't to be amazing, it was just to be entertaining and help build towards tomorrow night and it accomplished that in a big way, particularly the Open the Freedom Gate match, with Ronin threatening to explode at any moment. Taylor didn't have a career-defining match, but it was far and away better than many could have hoped, and the false three count finish was a wonderfully thrown curve ball. The main event wouldn't have gotten away with going on last if this was the final show of the weekend, but it was perfectly fine here, and showed off the fact Dragon Gate/DGUSA have one of if not the best tag team in the world right now in the Spiked Mohicans. The veteran vs homegrown matches were all fairly fast paced and well worked, with the youngsters getting a chance to shine. Swann upsetting Tozawa was huge for him given how many matches Tozawa has won in both the US and Japan in the last few months, and Gargano knocking off BxB would make a logical final stepping stone for the title as he's now beaten Cima, Doi and Hulk via submission, and could not look more deadly right now.
PAC vs Brodie Lee was the most exciting match of the night, but the drama of Taylor and Yamato was awesome, and Gargano and Hulk worked each other perfectly. None of the matches were bad but if I had to pick one for worst of the night it would go to Sabu and Pinkie, but the crowd were more at fault there than the wrestlers.
If you've got the money to spare I'd have no hesitation in recommending this show to whet your appetite for tomorrow night's big DGUSA 2011 finale.
Quick Results:
Pre show: Uhaa Nation & BJ Whitmer d The Scene
Main show
Masato Yoshino d AR Fox
Pac d Brodie Lee
Rich Swann d Akira Tozawa
Johnny Gargano d BxB Hulk
Sabu d Pinkie Sanchez
Open the Freedom Gate Title Match: Yamato d Chuck Taylor
Open the United Gate Title Match: Cima & Ricochet d DUF (Arik Cannon & Sami Callihan)