Before you read this review, you should definitely go Check This Out. It’s a series of videos called “The Grapefruit Chronicles,” put together by my good friend and former reviewing tag team partner Brad Garoon. They’re highly entertaining and creative, and he deserves more viewers for his hard work.

International Centre – Mississauga, Ontario, Canada – May 8, 2010

Previously on Dragon Gate USA

Jimmy Jacobs is feuding with Jon Moxley, and as a result Lacey got beat up. Mike Quackenbush is feuding with YAMATO and Kamikaze USA.

You’ve Finally Done Something Right

We open the show backstage with Johnny Gargano. He talks about how the Japanese stables all want an American representative. He says that makes him Dragon Gate USA’s hottest free agent, and that he will make his decision after watching the show tonight.

MATCH #1: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Akira Tozawa

Mochizuki represents the Warriors stable, while the debuting Tozawa represents Kamikaze USA. Tozawa strikes first with a hard chop to the chest. Mochizuki comes right back with a series of kicks to take Tozawa down. Back on his feet Tozawa engages in a strike battle and wins it with a dropkick that sends Mochizuki to the floor. Tozawa follows him out with a dive. Mochizuki comes back and whips Tozawa into the ring post, but then misses a running knee strike, crashing right into the steel. Back in the ring Tozawa goes right to work on the injured knee. Mochizuki fights back and dumps Tozawa to the apron, and then kicks him to the floor. He follows Tozawa out and delivers more kicks. He follows up with a shinbreaker on the apron, and then delivers a hard running kick right to the knee. The veteran Mochizuki locks on a variation of a Texas Cloverleaf and Tozawa reaches the ropes. Mochizuki responds by countering an enziguiri to the Ankle Lock. Tozawa once again has to reach the ropes. He is able to fight back with a jumping hip attack but then is able to hit a back senton. Persistence pays off. Mochizuki fights back with some kicks, including a hard shot to the chest for two. He goes for Twister but Tozawa fights it off. He tries it again but Tozawa reverses to a bridging German Suplex for a close near-fall. Tozawa goes for another one but Mochizuki lands on his feet. Mochizuki goes for a kick but Tozawa ducks and gets a quick rollup for two. Tozawa runs at Mochizuki and gets his head taken off with a kick to the face. Mochizuki follows up with Ikkakugeri, and then a running kick to the midsection for two. Tozawa makes one last gasp but Mochizuki hits him with the Shin Saikyou High Kick for the win at 9:50. That was a fun opener and a good showing for Tozawa. Mochizuki still rules.
Rating: ***

Play-by-play man Lenny Leonard and color commentator Chikarason are backstage to promote tonight’s double main event – CIMA & Dragon Kid versus YAMATO & Shingo, as well as BxB Hulk defending the Open the Freedom Gate Title against Masato Yoshino.

MATCH #2: Gran Akuma vs. Tyson Dux

Akuma is accompanied by Kamikaze USA leader Jon Moxley. They start off with some chain wrestling, as Dux controls the arm. Akuma fights back as they trade holds, neither man gaining sustained control. They trade some more moves and wrestle to a standoff. Now they get aggressive with kicks and forearms. Akuma hits a low dropkick and then locks on a half Boston Crab. Dux reaches the ropes but Akuma is relentless in going after the leg. The crowd gets behind Dux and he grabs Akuma with a Yo-Yo Suplex. Both men are down. When they get back up Dux thwarts Akuma’s attacks and unloads with chops. Dux hits a short DDT for two. Akuma fights back with kicks to the chest and a snap mare driver for two. He goes up top but Dux counters with a superplex. Dux tries to hang on for the Brainbuster but Akuma blocks it. They do the Fish out of Water spot and Akuma grabs an Oklahoma Roll with a handful of tights to steal the victory at 8:32. That was a solid match with a good story, and Dux being as over as he was kept the crowd into it.
Rating: **¾

MATCH #3: No DQ Match – Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley throws his female companion at Jacobs to get the match underway. Since Jacobs would never hit a woman, that gives Moxley the early advantage. Jacobs goes for a back body drop and shrugs off Moxley’s kick to the chest and hits a lariat. Moxley fights back and slugs Jacobs down in the corner. He gloats about it so Jacobs comes back and stomps Moxley down in the corner. The match spills to the floor, and Moxley sweeps Jacobs’ legs off the apron. Moxley hurls Jacobs back-first into the ring post, and then the random broad at ringside helps out by biting Jacobs’ ear. Jacobs fights back and pulls Moxley into the ring post. He chases after the broad but gets cut off by Moxley. The first weapon brought out is a big blue trash can, and Jacobs hurls it at Moxley’s face. Moxley fights back by throwing Jacobs’ face into the ring post. He throws a chair into the ring and then goes up top, which proves to be a mistake as Jacobs gets a hold of the chair and whips it at him. That sends Moxley back to the floor and Jacobs follows him out with a dive right into the End Time! Moxley counters by dropping Jacobs nuts-first on the barricade, and then boots him into the crowd. Jacobs fights back with a chair and then dives over the barricade to wipe Moxley out. He throws Moxley back in the ring and brings in a wrench. Moxley takes it away from Jacobs and chokes him with it. He hits a bodyslam and then uses the wrench to punish various parts of Jacobs’ face. Jacobs fights back and gets control of the wrench and drills Moxley between the eyes with it for a two-count. He wedges a chair between the top and middle turnbuckle and then charges Moxley but gets caught, so Jacobs cleverly turns it into the End Time. Moxley counters that into a release suplex for two. He then puts on an STF, and when Jacobs powers out of that Moxley hits a DDT but it only gets one! Jacobs comes back and tries a Contra Code but Moxley pushes him off so he hits the springboard Ace Crusher off the second instead. He goes for a Spear but Moxley moves and he crashes into the chair in the corner. Moxley gets a two-count. He goes for the Hook and Ladder but Jacobs counters with a victory roll for two. Moxley tries a TKO but Jacobs counters to the End Time again. Random broad comes in the ring to break it up, and she ends up taking a Spear for her troubles. That allows Moxley to try the Crossface Chicken Wing, but Jacobs counters to the Contra Code! That brings out Shingo and YAMATO, who hit a Death Valley Driver/Superkick combination, allowing Moxley to get the pin at 10:45. The finish felt cheap but it did put heat on Kamikaze USA and gives Jacobs reason to seek a rematch, so it’s a plus overall. These two have good chemistry together.
Rating: ***

Kamikaze USA continues the attack after the bell, until Open the Freedom Gate Champion BxB Hulk comes out to make the save. Hulk clears the ring and then offers Jacobs a spot in World-1. Jacobs considers it but then refuses.

MATCH #4: Naruki Doi & PAC vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw

Doi & PAC are representing World-1, while Quackenbush & Jigsaw are representing CHIKARA. PAC and Quack start the match with some chain wrestling. The pace quickens and PAC uses his agility to counter Quack’s technical ability. That works out pretty well for him, as he levels Quack with a dropkick. Jigsaw joins the fray and Doi follows suit. They go back and forth and wrestle to a standoff. On the next exchange Doi takes control and is able to tag PAC in, and they both work on the masked man. After a few minutes Quack comes in and takes control, and Jigsaw makes a speedy recovery. Quack and Jigsaw now go to work on PAC. That doesn’t last too long before Doi gets a hot tag. Doi is able to handle both Quack and Jigsaw, setting them both up in the corner and hitting the Dai Bosou! That sends the CHIKARA team to the floor, and PAC wipes them out with an impressive dive. Back in the ring Doi tries to go to work on Quack, but he’s made a recovery. Doi is able to trap Quack between the ropes and hit a running back elbow, a shotgun dropkick, and then the flipping senton to the back. He hits a Rydeen Bomb for two, and PAC follows up with a standing corkscrew press for another two. Jigsaw makes the save and they cut away to Quack on the floor, so maybe somebody blew a spot or something. Meanwhile Jigsaw has made the comeback and hits a Rack Bomb on PAC for two. Doi makes the savage and lights Quack up with a series of slaps to the face. Jigsaw and Quack come back with some contrived looking stuff as this match is getting hard to keep up with. All four men are flying around the ring. Jigsaw hits Doi with a bridging German Suplex and PAC breaks it up with a shooting star press for two. PAC actually hits a Shooting Star Dropkick on Jigsaw, and Doi follows up with the Doi 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick to get the pin at 14:03. Doi and PAC make a really fun team, but it was just more of the same from Quack and Jigsaw. They’re not even in the running for best team in the world if you ask me.
Rating: ***¼

After the match Quack cuts a promo and says they respect Doi and PAC. He then calls out YAMATO and challenges him to finish their feud. YAMATO comes out, and that distraction allows Gran Akuma and Akira Tozawa to sneak in the ring and attack them from behind.

MATCH #5: Rip Impact vs. Johnny Wave

Leonard is in the ring and says that these two guys impressed everyone in the tryout this afternoon, so they get an opportunity here. Before the bell can even ring, Brodie Lee comes out and takes the referee out with a huge boot to the face. Lee then turns his attention to Impact and Wave, and demolishes both of them. He declares himself the biggest and the baddest in DGUSA.

For more info on Dragon Gate USA, please visit www.DGUSA.TV.

They Did It To Us Again!

Quack and Jigsaw are in the bathroom together (uhhh…) and they are complaining about how Kamikaze USA Did It To Them Again. Quack proposes a big tag team match to end the feud.

MATCH#6: CIMA & Dragon Kid vs. YAMATO & Shingo

YAMATO is the reigning Open the Dream Gate Champion, and he and Shingo represent Kamikaze USA. Masaaki Mochizuki accompanies CIMA and Dragon Kid, and they represent Warriors. Kid and YAMATO start the match with some chain wrestling. As the pace quickens Kid gets a headscissors to send his larger opponent to the floor. CIMA and Shingo take their places and the crowd is very supportive of the Warriors. They immediately start throwing heavy strikes at each other. Shingo grabs CIMA in a belly to back suplex. He and YAMATO work on him briefly until CIMA comes back and makes the tag. CIMA and Kid go to work on YAMATO’s arm. Moments later CIMA switches it up and goes to the leg. Shingo comes in the ring and breaks it up, and YAMATO slides to the floor so Shingo can take his place. Once again the Kamikaze team can’t stay on offense too long, as CIMA and Kid send Shingo to the floor and hit the assisted double stomp on the guardrail. Back in the ring Kid goes to work on Shingo, hitting a hard dropkick to the face in the corner. Shingo fights back with a hard chop and a bodyslam. He hits a knee drop and then makes the tag. YAMATO hits a dropkick for two and CIMA breaks it up. Kid is isolated in the Kamikaze half of the ring. Shingo pulls Kid to the floor and drops him chest-first on the apron. CIMA comes over to object and gets thrown into the barricade and a chair to the gut for his troubles. YAMATO and Shingo whip Kid into the guardrail and YAMATO hits him with the big blue trash can before throwing him back in the ring. Kamikaze USA is in clear control of this match, wearing down the smaller Dragon Kid. Shingo impressively military presses Kid and drops him on the canvas. He follows up with a senton for two. Kid finally fights back with another headscissors and makes the tag. YAMATO tries to cut off CIMA’s house afire but it’s not happening. Not tonight, brother. Kid recovers and hits Shingo with the Bermuda Triangle!

That leaves CIMA and YAMATO in the ring. They go back and forth and CIMA hits the Superdrol and then the Perfect Driver but YAMATO kicks out at two. YAMATO comes back and tries the Choke Sleeper but CIMA counters with a Saito Suplex. CIMA goes for Schwein but YAMATO counters to the sleeper. Kid breaks that up. Shingo is back in as well, and Kid locks him in the Octopus. He powers out of it and drops Kid with a side suplex. Kid comes back with the springboard stunner for two. Shingo comes right back with a hard powerbomb and CIMA breaks that up. CIMA hits YAMATO with a double stomp but then misses a missile dropkick. Kamikaze is back in control of the match, working CIMA over. YAMATO blasts him with a kick to the head and a brainbuster but it only gets two. Shingo hits a gutbuster and then goes up top. Kid puts a stop to that, allowing CIMA to recover and hit Venus. CIMA and Kid then hit the super rana and YAMATO has to break up the cover. Kid hits YAMATO with a swinging DDT, but Shingo immediately takes his head off with a Pumping Bomber. Shingo goes for another one but Kid ducks it and CIMA hits Shingo with a superkick, allowing Kid to get a crucifix pin for two. Whew. Shingo hits a Death Valley Driver on Kid, and then CIMA grabs him with a guillotine choke DDT. YAMATO comes in and hits a Spear and goes for Galleria but CIMA counters it. An awesome series of reversals ends with Shingo accidentally hitting YAMATO with a Pumping Bomber! CIMA hits Shingo with an enziguiri and Kid follows up with the Ultra Hurricanrana but it only gets two! Shingo grabs Kid with the Made in Japan but it only gets two! CIMA looks concerned about Kid’s neck. YAMATO takes CIMA to the floor. Shingo hits Kid with a Pumping Bomber in the corner and then hits Stay Dream to get the victory at 22:24. I love everything about Shingo and YAMATO, and Dragon Kid has gotten seriously great since I first saw him in ROH five years ago. This match got all kinds of awesome down the stretch and did a great job building heat between Shingo and Dragon Kid.
Rating: ****¼

Did You See That?

Somewhere backstage, Johnny Gargano is really impressed with what he just saw. He’s still wondering which group he’s going to join.

MATCH #7: Open the Freedom Gate Title Match – BxB Hulk vs. Masato Yoshino

Hulk has been the champion since 11.28.09 and this is his fourth defense. These two are stablemates in World-1, so this is a friendly title defense. They start off with some chain wrestling but it doesn’t take long for the pace to pick up. These are two of the fastest wrestlers in the company, so this one should get hard to call at some point. They go back and forth and Yoshino traps Hulk in his version of the Tarantula. Back in the ring Yoshino goes to work, targeting the arm. After several minutes Hulk comes back with a kick to the gut and then a springboard missile dropkick. Hulk sweeps the legs and hits the standing moonsault for two. Yoshino comes back and hits Sling Blade for two. He goes up top for the missile dropkick but Hulk avoids it, but can’t avoid From Jungle. Hulk escapes and hits a kick to the head and the BxB Star Press for two. He goes up top for a moonsault but Yoshino avoids it and hits the Ude Yoshino for two. Yoshino follows up with the shotgun missile dropkick for two. Hulk tries to fight back but Yoshino hits the Lighting Spiral for two! Yoshino hits Torbellino and goes for Sol Naciente but Hulk counters to a cradle for two! Hulk comes back and hits an enziguiri and the FTX for two. He takes Yoshino up top and blasts him with a spinning heel kick and then hits Avalanche EVO for another two-count. Yoshino ducks a kick and comes back with a crucifix bomb for two. Hulk comes right back with Mouse, a kick to the face, and a superkick for two. He follows up with EVOP to get the pin at 15:04. That felt more like a semi-main event than an actual main event. But that’s still really good, so that’s not really a negative thing. And knowing now what happens after the main event I can see why they did it this way so it’s all gravy.
Rating: ***¾

Jon Moxley and Kamikaze USA come out. Shingo and YAMATO throw Yoshino to the floor, and then focus their attack the Open the Freedom Gate Champion. Jimmy Jacobs comes out to throw Moxley out of the ring and then wipe him out with a dive. CIMA comes out with a broom. Gran Akuma and Akira Tozawa come out to attack him. Dragon Kid comes out to make that save. CIMA and Dragon Kid stand tall. Chikarason announces that Masaaki Mochizuki is the new #1 Contender to the Open the Freedom Gate Championship as we fade out.

~BONUS DISC~

“Uprising” PPV Preview & Promo Spots

This is about 12 minutes worth of previews and promo spots for the event. It’s nice to have these on the DVD, because I’m bad about watching this sort of stuff when they first put it out.

BONUS MATCH #1: FRAY! featuring Kyle O’Reilly, Cheech, Cloudy, Brodie Lee, Xtremo, Brent B., Anthony Fiasco, and Phil Atlas

O’Reilly and Atlas start the match. They go back and forth at a fast pace in the early going. O’Reilly uses his striking and gum-chomping ability to try and wear Atlas down. Atlas fights back and hits a superkick and O’Reilly counters with a hard clothesline and both men are down. The next entrant is Xtremo. O’Reilly and Atlas get knocked to the floor and Xtremo follows them out with a dive. Back in the ring Xtremo and O’Reilly have a heated exchange. The fourth man out is Cheech. Now with four men in the ring they ratchet up the contrived spots. Brent B. is the next one out. I have no idea who he is. This is getting sloppy and a bit ridiculous. Somewhere in the midst of everything, Atlas hits Xtremo with the Career Killer #3 to eliminate him at 7:45. Cheech’s partner Cloudy is the sixth man in the match. They isolate Brent B. and double-team him to eliminate him at 9:16. O’Reilly and Atlas go at it again and O’Reilly locks on the Ankle Lock to eliminate Atlas at 9:42. The seventh entrant is Brodie Lee, and he cleans house. O’Reilly takes Lee down with kicks but then gets his head taken off with a clothesline and a big boot in the corner. Lee then hits O’Reilly with a Liger Bomb to eliminate him at 10:51. Up in Smoke knock Lee to the floor and Cloudy wipes him out with a dive. The final man in the match is Anthony Fiasco. I have never heard of him either. Lee quickly eliminates him with a big boot at 13:02. He hits another big boot on Cheech to eliminate him at 13:43. He finishes the match with the Truck Stop on Cloudy to get the win at 13:59. I’m a little surprised this even made the DVD.
Rating: *½

BONUS MATCH #2: Shingo vs. Matt Sydal, FIP Fallout 2006, Brooksville, Florida, 10.13.06

Shingo is accompanied by DP Associates Leader Dave Prazak as well as Mr. Milo Beasley. They start off with some chain wrestling and Shingo takes Sydal down to the mat. Shingo focuses on the arm, and Sydal counters by going after the leg. They get back to their feet and the pace quickens. Sydal hits a spinning wheel kick to send Shingo to the floor. Back in the ring Sydal takes Shingo down and locks on a headscissors. Surprisingly Sydal is able to beat Shingo down in the corner and looks dominant here. Shingo comes back with a spinning cobra clutch slam and takes control. Sydal tries to come back but Cyber Kong trips him from the floor, and then hits him in the head with his pineapple. Back in the ring Shingo remains in control, hitting a DDT for two. Shingo locks on a Scorpion Deathlock, and then pulls Sydal off the ropes to switch it into an STF. Once again Sydal reaches the ropes. Back on their feet Sydal fights back with an enziguiri and then the headscissors. He hits the Hog Log for two. Shingo comes back with the Orton DDT and hits a knee drop off the second rope for two. He goes up again but Sydal blocks him and takes him down with a rana for two. Sydal goes for the Shooting Sydal Press but Shingo avoids it. Cyber Kong enters the ring for some blatant double-teaming, which of course backfires. Even so Shingo traps Sydal in a neckbreaker and then goes for a Death Valley Driver but Sydal counters with a crucifix for two. Back on their feet Shingo goes for the Pumping Bomber but Sydal rolls over into an inside cradle to get the pin at 13:36. Did FIP have some kind of no disqualification stipulation in place, because Cyber Kong got right up in there? The match was decent enough but they didn’t quite pull off this finish. Imagine how good this match would be today.
Rating: **¾

BONUS MATCH #3: Susumu Yokosuka vs. Austin Aries, Wrestle JAM, Tokyo, Japan, 7.12.06

Yokosuka is the Open the Dream Gate Champion here. They start with some chain wrestling and Aries targets the arm. Yokosuka counters by going after the leg. Aries switches up his strategy and locks on a headscissors, which Yokosuka reverses to one of his own. After several attempts Aries is able to headstand out of the headscissors and hit the dropkick. Aries hits a bodyslam and a knee drop, and then tries the stupid slow motion knee drop, but Yokosuka avoids it. Yokosuka goes back to work on the knee, which Aries tweaks on a leapfrog. The champion is relentless, doing all kinds of damage to the knee. After several minutes Aries comes back with an STO and the Power Drive Elbow. Yokosuka comes back and dumps Aries to the apron, but Aries ducks a clothesline and hits one of his own. Aries follows in with the slingshot corkscrew press for two, and then hits a quebrada for another two-count. Yokosuka fights back with an exploder into the corner. He goes for a piledriver but Aries counters with a back body drop and then the side slam for two. Aries goes for the Brainbuster but Yokosuka counters with an inside cradle for two. Yokosuka then charges right into a clothesline, which gets two. Aries goes up top for the 450 Splash but Yokosuka knocks him down. Yokosuka hits a Super Exploder and takes a little time to recover. Aries decides to no-sell the move and hits the shinbreaker/belly-to-back suplex combo. He follows up with the IED for two. He tries the Brainbuster again but Yokosuka bocks it. Aries instead hits a rolling elbow for two. Finally on the third try Aries hits the Brainbuster and then lands the 450 Splash but Yokosuka kicks out! Aries is agog, leaving Yokosuka time to recover and hit the Jumbo No Kachi, but Aries kicks out! Yokosuka follows up with what I think is the Yokosuka Driver (I hate it when Leonard just says “plants him”) and then Mugan but Aries kicks out again! They trade lariats now and Yokosuka is able to hit a nasty Jumbo No Kachi! to score the pin at 13:36. This was a solid back and forth match, and both guys brushed off each other’s offense at about an equal level so it’s cool.
Rating: ***

BONUS MATCH #4: Shingo & YAMATO vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Katsuhiko Nakajima, Summer Adventure Tag League III, Tokyo, Japan, 8.26.09

This is the finals of the tournament, and I think both teams are suitably awesome. Mochizuki and YAMATO start the match for their teams. YAMATO scores the first takedown and targets the leg. Mochizuki counters by going after the arm. They get back to their feet and YAMATO shrugs off a couple of Mochizuki’s kicks, and gets punched in the mouth for it. That was awesome. Shingo and Nakajima tag in and Shingo hits an immediate Pumping Bomber and a cocky cover gets two. He hits a jumping knee drop for another two-count. YAMATO takes his turn working Nakajima over as well. After several minutes of abuse and double-teaming, Nakajima comes back with some kicks to Shingo’s elbow and then locks on a Fujiwara Armbar. Mochizuki comes in and unleashes some kicks. They double-team Shingo now, viciously attacking the arm. They work him over for a few minutes until Shingo impressively suplexes both of them at the same time and then makes the tag. YAMATO hits Nakajima with a Spear and then drills Mochizuki with a Saito Suplex. He locks on the Ankle Lock and Mochizuki reaches the ropes. The match breaks down a bit and the referee loses control. YAMATO drills Mochizuki with a brainbuster for two. Nakajima comes back with a simultaneous Flatliner/DDT on both opponents. He kicks YAMATO to the floor and then focuses his attack on Shingo. He goes back to the arm but Shingo comes back with a Death Valley Driver and then a lariat in the corner. Shingo hits more lariats and the Made in Japan but Nakajima kicks out. Nakajima comes back with a victory roll for two. Mochizuki makes his way back in the ring and they kick Shingo down. YAMATO comes back in and they do the waistlock reversal spot with Shingo getting confused and accidentally hitting YAMATO with a clothesline. Nakajima hits Shingo with a brainbuster and a bridging German Suplex but it only gets two! Mochizuki hits Shingo with the Shin Saikyou High Kick but YAMATO breaks up the cover. He follows up with Ikkakugeri, and when he goes for the same on Shingo he gets caught and dropped with the Stay Dream! This one is getting quite difficult to call. YAMATO and Shingo focus on Mochizuki, and Shingo hits him with a Pumping Bomber for two. YAMATO then hits him with Galleria but he kicks out! Nakajima brushes off a Shingo lariat and hits a Saito Suplex and they go out to the floor. YAMATO and Mochizuki trade strikes and YAMATO is able to lock him in the Sleeper! Shingo keeps Nakajima at bay and Mochizuki passes out at 19:27. That was awesome stuff and even just seeing it as a one-off and not in context of the tournament it felt like a big deal. These guys are awesome.
Rating: ****

“Uprising” Highlight Package

Another standard feature, this is about six minutes of highlights from the event, sans commentary of course.

The Pulse: Chalk up another win in the pay-per-view column for Dragon Gate USA. The last two matches are terrific (especially the semi-main event tag team match), and there’s some good stuff on the undercard too. I like the overall storyline of factions forming and looking for American representatives, and I especially like how Jimmy Jacobs and Johnny Gargano are figuring into it. It also seems that DGUSA is getting into a groove as a promotion of their own, rather than just being Dragon Gate In The USA. Plus there’s a four-star match on the bonus disc, which is always nice. You can purchase this DVD right here.

Tags: BxB Hulk, Cima, DGUSA, Gabe Sapolsky, Masato Yoshino, shingo