Results courtesy of Dean Burbage and The Wrestling Observer
Dragon Gate “Return of the Dragon” PPV taping. The Arena in South Phila.
Looks to be biggest crowd DGUSA has done here due to Danielson. About 675 in the building, and almost that many degrees inside.
Show opened with CIMA coming out. He cut a promo and the crowd was really into his double arms pose.
Johnny Gargano came out to accept CIMA’s open challenge. CIMA won with the schwein and the double knees off the top in about eight minutes. A restrained opener and an effective use of both guys at this stage of their respective careers. About ***1/4.
Chuck Taylor beat Adam Cole, Erik Cannon (who looks like a WCW Cruiserweight version of Ben Rothwell), and Lince Dorado when Taylor pinned Dorado in about 10 min with his suplex-into-a-piledriver. 2003 ROH scramble-style match where the guys did every move not-yet-invented, one immediately after the other. Everything hit and the crowd loved it. It also basically killed the crowd for the rest of the first half of the show. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but a fun match.
Naruki Doi beat Drake Younger in a nothing match. Younger’s one of CZW’s best guys, but absolutely no one wanted to see this match. It hurt Doi’s star aura being in with Younger. Opponent was originally Dragon Kid.
Younger cut a promo after saying he could take an ass-whipping and is game to join one of the DGUSA factions, but Gargano attacked him.
BxB Hulk vs. Masaaki Mochizuki. BxB came out to do his dance in a wig that made him look like Annette Benning in the Kids Are All Right. He wrestled with the shaved head.
Crowd was really with it at points, but quiet at others. Something with the finish was severely messed up; Hulk hit the Phoenix Splash and the ref counted three as if he didn’t think it was the finish. The bell rang lightly; Hulk just picked Mochizuki up and headkicked him for a second pin. ***1/4
Jon Moxley, Shingo, and YAMATO attacked BxB. Bryan Danielson (huge pop) made them back down. They then teased Danielson wanted the belt.
Rich Swann beat Seth Reed with a double-jump 450 in 3 minutes. Swann looked impressive. Brodie Lee (very over) then laid waste to both, Reed’s valet, and got into it a little with a fan. He challenged a “Japanese Man” for next time.
Masato Yoshino & Mike Quackenbush & Hallowicked & Jigsaw beat
YAMATO & Akira Tozawa & Jon Moxley & Grand Akuma in a great elimination match. Moxley has it, and Tozawa was hilarious playing to the crowd. Not as smooth as the classic DG multiple-men matches, but excellent. Order of elimination: Hallowicked, Moxley (DQ), Jigsaw, Akuma, and then Quack & Yoshino subbed YAMATO & Tozawa simultaneously. About ****1/4.
Advertised as a “PPV Dark Match” … Bryan Danielson (sans Final Countdown) vs. Shingo. Match of the year candidate, on the level of Danielson/Doi from last year. About 30 min… crowd was more into Danielson than the back-and-forth of the match, but crowd was on fire. Danielson won with a crossface after transitioning from a triangle from the bottom. Danielson joined BxB Hulk’s group after the match and they cleared house of Shingo & YAMATO. At least ****1/2.
Danielson was in magnificent shape and they closed the night by playing “Final Countdown”.
-Dean Burbage