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By Sean Radican, Torch columnist
RADICAN'S DGUSA FEARLESS PPV REPORT
PREMIERS MARCH 5, 2010 ON PPV
PHILADELPHIA, PA
"Fearless" debuts on March 5 on Indemand, The Dish, TVN, Viewers Choice, and Bell cable systems.
Lenny Leonard and Phil Colvin introduced the show and previewed the main event of Open the Freedom Gate Champion BxB Hulk vs. Dragon Kid
1 - - MIKE QUAKENBUSH & JIGSAW vs. SUPER CRAZY & CIMA
Super Crazy and Quackenbush started things off with some mat wrestling before CIMA and Jigsaw tagged into the match. CIMA took a swipe at Quackenbush on the apron before taking down Jigsaw and applying a leg submission. Quackenbush eventually ran into the ring without consequence and worked over CIMA with Jigsaw. Super Crazy then came into the ring without a tag and nailed Quackenbush with a forearm to the head. All four men ended up in the ring, but Quackenbush and Jigsaw cleaned house and the crowd applauded.
Crazy ended up cutting off Jigsaw and nailed him with a pair of thunder sticks. The ref tried to stop him and he hit the ref with the thunder sticks as well. CIMA taunted Quackenbush and held out Jigsaw's hand towards him before spitting in Quackenbush's face, but the ref prevented him from entering the ring. Crazy tagged in and continued to work over Jigsaw. Jigsaw fired back and DDT'd Crazy and CIMA at the same time before tagging in Quackenbush for the hot tag.
Crazy and CIMA ended up on the outside. Quackenbush and Jigsaw got a running start and nailed them both at the same time with stereo flip dives and the crowd applauded. All four men went at it in the ring moments later. Crazy and CIMA hit stereo powerbombs on Quackenbush and Jigsaw. Crazy got a nearfall on Quackenbush with a sitdown powerbomb. CIMA went for a superkick on Quackenbush, but he got out of the way and CIMA ended up hitting Crazy instead. Quackenbush then rolled up Crazy for the pin.
After the match CIMA attacked Quackenbush and Jigsaw, but they ended up hitting stereo superkicks on CIMA to send him to the outside.
WINNERS: Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw
STAR RATING (**3/4) – This was really slow at times, but the finishing sequence featured some really nice double team maneuvers from CIMA & Super Crazy. The crowd was really into the final minutes as well.
Davey Richards cut a promo on Mochizuki. He talked about Mochizuki beating him for the FIP title in Japan. He said tonight would be different because Mochizuki was on his turf. Richards promised to win the title.
2 - - TJP vs. GRAN AKUMA
The action cut right to the ring. TJP slapped Akuma right across the face to start the match. Akuma slapped him back and both men exchanged blows as the bell rang. TJP was awesome on the first Evolve show. Akuma bailed to the outside, but TJP caught him napping and nailed him with a dive through the ropes. Akuma cut off TJP when they got back into the ring, but TJP took him down with a big kick. TJP then slickly locked in a modified sharpshooter, but Akuma got the ropes. TJP went for a springboard dive moments later from the apron, but Akuma cut him off and tossed him back into the ring.
Akuma worked a leg lock back inside the ring. TJP tried to slap his way out, but Akuma rolled over and applied more pressure on TJP's leg. Akuma locked in a cravat submission with TJP's arm trapped. TJP finally fought free and nailed Akuma with a dropkick. TJP then charged at Akuma and both men spilled over the top rope to the outside. Both men rolled back into the ring and exchanged blows from their knees. Both men stood up and began exchanging kicks, but TJP took Akuma down with a flying knee. Akuma rolled up TJP from behind as he went up top, but TJP kicked out. Akuma kicked TJP right in the head for a nearfall. After a series of counters, Akuma nailed TJP with both of his knees to TJP's chest, but he kicked out at the last second and the crowd applauded.
Both men exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. TJP told Akuma to bring it. Both men hit some brutal looking strikes, but neither man would go down, Akuma nailed TJP with a lariat, but TJP rolled him up when he went for the cover for another nearfall. These two are really putting out a nice effort so far. They look really slick with their exchanges. TJP came off the top with a sunset flip and transitioned right into the figure 4 death lock for the submission victory.
WINNER: TJP
STAR RATING (***1/4) – That was a really great ten minute match. Both men put together some nice spots and built up to some big exchanged. Their transitions from move to move were slick and innovative. TJP appears to be on the verge of having a big year in 2010. He was very good here and in Evolve.
Dragon Kid was shown warming up backstage for the main event while some music soothing music played.
Jimmy Jacobs and Brian Kendrick came out for their match. Kendrick took the mic and said they were similar because they were both artists in the ring. Kendrick said he made phone calls to people about Jacobs to get ready for their match. He said he called Lacey and she agreed to appear in his corner.
3 - - JIMMY JACOBS vs. BRIAN KENDRICK (W/LACEY)
Jacobs ran at Kendrick and speared him before confronting Lacey. Kendrick jumped Jacobs from behind and they brawled to the outside. The action resumed inside the ring where Kendrick caught Jacobs with a big dropkick in the corner. Kendrick locked in a sleeper hold with a body scissors, but Jacobs managed to get to his feet and send Kendrick to the floor. Jacobs tried to follow up with a springboard dive to the outside, but Kendrick got out of the way. Kendrick tossed Jacobs right back into the ring and nailed him with a superplex, but Jacobs kicked out at 1. Jacobs fired up and went on the attack. Kendrick managed to nail Jacobs with a superkick out of nowhere and he followed up with a rollup for a 2 count.
Jacobs blocked sliced bread #2 and nailed Kendrick with an elbow off the ropes. Kendrick managed to block the contra code, but Jacobs caught him with the end time. Lacey ran into the ring and Jacobs released the hold. Lacey kissed Jacobs, which allowed Kendrick to nail Jacobs from behind. Kendrick then hit the sliced bread #2 for the pin.
Jon Moxley came out and celebrated with Lacey and Kendrick. Jacobs got on the mic after the match. He said Kendrick might have gotten Lacey, but Kendrick's Taylor was good enough for him. Kendrick got on the mic and said he could beat him up, but instead he would break his heart. Kendrick was about to kiss her, but Moxley ended up nailing Lacey with a clothesline. The crowd chanted "thank you Moxley," which isn't the reaction they were going for I would guess.
WINNER: Brian Kendrick.
STAR RATING (**1/2) – I enjoyed this match. It was solid in the ring, but the storyline aspect was really intriguing with Lacey getting involved at the beginning. I liked Jacobs's fiery comebacks and the developments with Kendrick's character were well done. This could be the beginning of a really good feud in DGUSA.
BxB Hulk was shown getting ready for the main event backstage with the Open the Freedom Gate Title with the same soothing music that played during Dragon Kid's earlier backstage segment.
4 - - DAVEY RICHARDS (w/KYLE O'REILLY) vs. MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI – FIP World Hvt. Title match
Richards and Mochizuki both missed kick attempts during the early minutes of the match and came to a stalemate. Richards got the upper hand and worked over Mochizuki's arm. Mochizuki ducked a charge from Richards and then kicked him off the apron. Richards and Mochizuki went at it on the apron moments later. Richards went for a kick, but Mochizuki got out of the way and Richards ended up kicking the ring post. Mochizuki grabbed a leg lock on the mat. Richards fought to break free and eventually ended up getting the ropes. Richards fired back with a kick to Mochizuki's face off the apron. He went up top and nailed Mochizuki with a missile dropkick. Richards continued to favor his leg, but still managed to nail Mochizuki with a handspring kick for a 2 count.
Richards got Mochizuki in the kimura, but he wouldn't tap. Mochizuki eventually got the ropes and the crowd lightly applauded. Richards went for a suplex to the floor, but Mochizuki fought back and nailed Richards' leg with a kick while it was trapped in-between the ropes and the turnbuckle. Richards went for a kick, but Mochizuki caught it and applied the ankle lock. Mochizuki grapevined Richards's leg and he teased tapping out, but ended up reaching the ropes. Richards no-sold several kicks from Mochizuki. Both men traded kicks, but Mochizuki ended up suplexing him to the mat. He then followed up with a running kick to Richards's head for a 2 count.
Richards managed to send Mochizuki to the floor and hit a ridiculous suicide dive to the floor. He made contact with Mochizuki, but ended up landing several rows into the crowd. The crowd woke up for that spot. Mochizuki landed on his feet after a Richards suplex attempt. Mochizuki nailed Richards with a German with a bridge, but Richards managed to get the kimura out of nowhere. Mochizuki struggled, but managed to get the ropes again. Both men traded kicks, but Richards went down after a high kick to Richards's head. The announcers said Mochizuki won their previous contest with that very same kick. Mochizuki nailed Richards with several kicks, but he wouldn't go down. Mochizuki finally nailed him with a running roundhouse kick for a 2 count.
Both men battled on the rope, but Richards got a running start after Mochizuki sent him to the mat and nailed him with a German superplex. Richards went up top and nailed Mochizuki with a SSP for a 2 count. Richards immediately locked in the kimura submission. Mochizuki wouldn't tap. Richards went for the DR driver, but Mochizuki blocked it. After a series of counters, Richards caught Mochizuki with the cross arm breaker. Mochizuki eventually countered it into the ankle lock. Richards managed to escape and hit the DR driver, but Mochizuki kicked out. Richards got the cross arm breaker again. Mochizuki escaped, but Richards caught him with a triangle and Mochizuki eventually tapped out.
WINNER: Davey Richards to become the new FIP World Hvt. Champion.
STAR RATING (***3/4) – This was really good with both men picking a body part and working it throughout the match. The crowd wasn't into this like I would have expected them to be, which was odd because this was really good. They did a lot of nearfalls near the end, but overall this was really good outside of the quiet fans in the building.
Mike Quackenbush was shown talking to Jigsaw backstage. Quackenbush said they didn't like Gran Akuma & Yamato. Jigsaw said the people would find out that they weren't just the best American team in DGUSA, but that they were simply the best tag team in DGUSA.
5 - - MASATO YOSHINO & NARUKI DOI vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS vs. SHINGO & YAMATO – Three Way Elimination match
Matt, Shingo, and Yoshino started things off. They did a three way submission spot and began wrestling at a rapid-fire pace before coming to a stalemate. Doi, Yamato, and Nick then entered the ring. Yamato was hesitant to engage in the action and let Doi and Nick go at it. Doi and Nick then worked together to take down Yamato, but Doi turned on Nick right away. They did a four way submission and Shingo nearly tried to apply a submission on Yamato, but he went to the other end and put a sharp shooter on Nick at the end of the chain. Shingo then applied a sharp shooter and turned everyone over. That was awesome!
Yoshino ended up helping the Young Bucks suplex Shingo & Yamato as the wrestlers continued to put together some cool looking multi-man spots. Yamato & Shingo began working over Nick. Yamato locked in a variation of the crossface on Nick. Shingo ran into the ring and knocked everyone else off the apron, but Nick got the ropes. Shingo & Yamato ended up brawling with the Young Bucks on the floor before Yamato tossed Nick back inside the ring and continued to work him over. Matt finally tagged in and went at it with Yoshino & Doi. Matt took out Doi and hit a variation of the code red on Yoshino for a nearfall. Yoshino fired back and locked Matt in the octopus, but Nick made the save.
The Young Bucks ended up working together on Shingo and hit a drop kick/ big splash combination for a 2 count. Shingo no-sold a double superkick from the Young Bucks and took them both down with a double clothesline. The Young Bucks hit the more bang for your buck on Yamato moments later, but Shingo made the save. After several minutes of chaotic action, Yoshino hit a lightening spiral on Nick for the first elimination.
Yoshino & Doi immediately took out Shingo. Yamato ran into the ring, but got double teamed for his troubles as well. Doi & Yoshino hit the sling blade on Yamato, but Shingo made the save. Shingo went for a powerbomb on Yoshino, but he turned it into a rollup for a nearfall. Shingo & Yamato hit a DVD/boot to the face combo, but Doi broke it up. Doi and Shingo went at it. Doi nailed Shingo with a long series of unanswered forearms. Yamato ended up running into the ring and charged at Doi, but he got out of the way and Yamato spilled to the floor. Yoshino slammed Shingo to the mat and locked in a nasty arm trap submission. Shingo struggled, but eventually tapped out.
WINNERS: Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino
STAR RATING (****) – This was awesome. There were so many great multi-man spots during the first fall that it was hard to recap everything. Shingo's five way sharp-shooter was awesome. Doi's series of unanswered forearms to the side of Shingo's head was also a memorable spot. Watching this action was a huge adrenaline rush. It was fantastic.
Dragon Kid and BxB Hulk made their entrances for the main. Hulk had two dances with him, but they weren't very good at all. The announcer then did the formal introductions for the main event.
6 - - BxB HULK vs. DRAGON KID (w/CIMA) – Open the Freedom Gate Title match
Kid got the upper hand during the early stages of the mach and stomped away at Hulk in the corner. Kid began working over Hulk's legs. Hulk fired back and nailed Kid with a kick to the mid-section. Hulk continued to work over Kid for several minutes and locked in a variation of the abdominal stretch, which he turned into a pinning combination for a nearfall. Kid fired back at Hulk with several forearms and then took him down with a leaping spin kick. Hulk fired back moments later and nailed Kid with a twisting moonsault from the standing position. Hulk continued to work over Kid's legs with a variation of the cloverleaf, but Kid got the ropes.
Kid fired back with a springboard stunner off the apron, but was slow to capitalize and Hulk managed to nail him with a spinning kick to the head. Kid fired back and went up top, but Hulk knocked him to the apron. Kid managed to drive Hulk's head into the turnbuckle before nailing him with a springboard hurricanrana. Hulk ended up on the outside and Kid nailed him with a moonsault off the second turnbuckle to the floor and the crowd applauded. Kid followed up with a springboard missile dropkick after tossing Hulk back into the ring for a 2 count. The crowd tried to rally behind Hulk, who eventually nailed Kid with a springboard spinning kick. Hulk then took Kid down and nailed him with the BB star pres for a nearfall and the crowd applauded.
Both men exchanged forearms in the middle of the ring. Kid managed to catch Hulk with a submission in the middle of the ring, but Hulk managed to slam him to the mat. Kid fired back and blocked a superplex attempt before hitting an ace crusher on Hulk. Kid then hit the dragonrana for a good nearfall. Kid went up top, but Hulk cut him off and slammed him to the matt with the EVO for a nearfall. Hulk hit another EVO for a nearfall. Hulk couldn't put Kid away and the crowd erupted. Hulk finally nailed Kid with a superkick and the EVOP for the pin.
WINNER: BxB Hulk to retain the Open the Freedom Gate Title
STAR RATING: (***3/4) – This was a really good main event. The crowd didn't seem to fully believe Kid could win the match, but these guys won over the crowd with the great action they put inside the ring. There were several good nearfalls down the stretch before Hulk got the convincing pinfall.
After the match Yamato, Gran Akuma, and Davey Richards hit the ring and beat down Hulk and Kid. CIMA tried to make the save, but Yamato kicked him to the floor. Shingo ran down to the ring and squared off with Yamato, but ended up nailing Kid with a clothesline. Shingo and the others then turned their attention to Hulk and choked him in the corner. Security ran down, but Akuma kept them at bay. Arik Cannon and Brad Allen ran down to the ring, but they couldn't overcome the numbers disadvantage. Several CHIKARA wrestlers finally ran down to the ring. Quackenbush and Yamato went at it and the crowd erupted. CIMA ran back into the ring and cleared the ring with a broom.
Overall score (8.0): This was a really good wrestling show from start to finish. There were no MOTYC on the show, but DGUSA began developing some storylines and still managed to deliver three really fantastic matches to end the show.
The undercard had a solid tag match, a really good singles match between TJP and Akuma, and an interesting storyline development between Jimmy Jacobs and Brian Kendrick. I see big things in 2010 for TJP. He's really starting to show signs of being capable being a main event player on the independent scene. His match against Akuma is going to surprise people.
The Kendrick-Jacobs storyline was also well done. They didn't deliver a great match in the ring, but they didn't have to as they set the stage for a lengthy feud in DGUSA that I'm looking forward to seeing play out. Kendrick's use of Lacey to get inside of Jacobs's head sets up some interesting possibilities.
The last three matches were outstanding. The highlight of the show was the Three Way Elimination Tag match. The Young Bucks, Doi & Yoshino, and Shingo & Yamato put on some amazing sequences when all three teams were in the match. This is something you're going to want to go out of your way to see.
The Richards-Mochizuki match was another really good contest, but the crowd just wasn't into it like they should have been. Their exchanges of kicks and submission work will have you glued to your TV if you decide to order this show.
The main event was really good, but I don't think the crowd bought into Dragon Kid as a top challenger to BxB Hulk. That being said, they delivered some fantastic action that woke up the crowd. The show closing angle with Akuma, Yamato, Shingo, and Richards forming an alliance also sets up some interesting possibilities down the line, despite Richards no longer being in DGUSA.
I highly recommend ordering this show. It's a very enjoyable show that is paced well. It's not the best DGUSA PPV, but the overall package is well-worth your $20.00.
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