L. Anne Carrington sent this review in:
After hearing all the hype of Dragon Gate USA’s ?Untouchable? pay per view, I took the liberty last night to check it out for myself. For the low price of $19.99, I can say with confidence that it was money well spent to watch some great wrestling ?a cost of twenty dollars less and minus the filler fluff of the average PPV, in fact.
Independent wrestling, for the most part, tends to focus more on the wrestling aspect, and DGUSA didn?t disappoint. Japanese wrestlers vs. American athletes was a fine concept and I was glued to my screen the entire time. Even at home, I could hear fans who attended the show live get into each match.
Here is a brief rundown of last night’s matches:
Dragon Kid defeated Masato Yoshino. This was an excellent way to start things off. The match lasted nearly fifteen minutes, with lots of action. Both contenders complimented each other very well throughout the contest before Dragon Kid emerged victorious with a crucifix.
A recap from DGUSA’s last PPV aired with Mike Quackenbush, complete with subtitles. An amusing touch between matches.
Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw defeated YAMATO and Gran Akuma. I wasn?t very familiar with Jigsaw until last night, but this match showed that Quackenbush hasn?t lost his touch in the wrestling ring. At first, it appeared as if the heel team was going to be dominant, Hallowicked appeared for the save. Another long match with some good spots.
Viewers got a brief glimpse that the next event will be in Philadelphia to name the first DGUSA Champion. From what I?ve read on the DGUSA website about this upcoming event it’s shaping up to be a stellar event.
Naruki Doi defeated Bryan Danielson in a non-title match. One of the longest events of the night (around twenty minutes, give or take a few), this match needed no introduction. In my book, this was match of the night. The two contenders also worked fantastically with each other to unfold and tell a story. Great submission styles used, very few high spots, and minimal risks. The crowd loved it as much as I did.
Another promo touted the upcoming show in Philadelphia before introductions for the final match. Brian Kendrick wore a variant of his WWE white jacket and wasn?t unlike his prior company’s heel character.
A segment backstage showed Yoshino and Dragon Kid in a brief altercation. Viewers were advised to check the DGUSA website for additional details. I have no idea why that scene was cut in just as the last match was about to get underway.
CIMA defeated Brian Kendrick. Even though I enjoyed the rest of the PPV immensely, I was disappointed to find this bout had been cut short. The match was underway when we were returned from the backstage segment. CIMA won the match with a double knee drop and then the pin. The match may have lasted less than five minutes. The good side is at least Kendrick finally saw singles action in a pay per view event.
Davey Richards defeated Shingo. Richards played to the crowd very well and was a top-drawer performer, even selling a knee injury by Shingo early in the match. The fans sounded off their approval with an almost thunderous sound when Richards went for a suicide dive and ended up in the crowd. The moment came across splendidly on television, so I could almost imagine what it would be like live. Toward the end, Richards hit an outstanding Shooting Star Press for a near fall, but scored victory with a submission. Fans seemed to have the most enthusiasm for this contest, and rightfully so.
An ad was shown for the Dragon Gate website. I would rather have seen Richards celebrate his victory, but business is business.
Ryo Saito and Genki Horiguchi defeated The Young Bucks in a non-title match. This was another good match with lots of time devoted to it. The Bucks were robbed of the win when Horiguchi blew mist into the eyes of Matt Jackson, and hit double cross. Nick Jackson tried to break the pin, but failed. Could this be the beginning of a solid feud in the near future?
Aside from cutting the Kendrick/CIMA match for PPV purposes, ?Untouchable? was one of the best PPV’s I?ve watched. In the entire two hours, it was all about wrestling. No senseless drama, no drawn-out promos, just a lot of cut and dry in-ring action, the way wrestling shows should be done. DGUSA has the potential to be a very strong wrestling promotion with an array of talented athletes. ?Untouchable? will also be released on DVD, and is certainly worth the investment for those who love more wrestling and less time wasted on drama and promos.
Rating: 9/10
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