DGUSA live event report
June 5, 2011
New York City
Report by Ian Elimeliah, PWTorch reader

This was a hot crowd. I got to the show six hours early and got to meet some of the DGUSA wrestlers. Jon Davis, Larry Dallas, Jonny Gargano, AR Fox, Rich Swann, Brodie Lee, and everyone else really couldn't be nicer. Larry Dallas came out hours early to hand out flyers and play with the fans, then Rich Swann came out to mess with Dallas.

(1) Masato Yoshino beat Ricochet via submission. Ricochet and Yoshino worked great together, but Yoshino really got to showcase his skills. Real exciting match and Yoshino caught my attention - simple look with amazing skill. I wish he had Ricochet's charisma. This match included some great back-and-forth action that had the crowd poppin' (YO-SHI-NO!). Yoshino eventually won via Sol Naciente (straight jacket triangle choke). I thought Ric should have won, though.

(2) AR Fox beat Pinkie Sanchez via pinfall. This, when looked back upon, will be a classic match-up. I really enjoyed this match. Pinkie has such Japanese flair coming from a Latin background; it's real refreshing to see in-person and in wrestling in general. AR Fox had everyone behind him instantly, almost Cena-like. The two had a great back & forth with a nice tribute to Muta Pink Mist for AR. Both combatants seemed like they couldn't lose, but Pinkie took an amazing loss via Lo Mien Pain. AR Fox is an amazing high-flyer who should be on TV!

(3) Jon Davis won the Fray! match. This was fun in-person. A big moment was Jon Davis coming toe-to-toe with Ahtu testing each other's strength with shoulder blocks. Of course, big Tony Nese gave Davis his toughest competition. Nese and Davis have been having some great one-on-one matches in recent months. At the end of the match, I noticed the "F." t-shirts in the front row clapping loudly for Jon Davis. I forget the name of Davis's finisher, but it's a sick bomb. DCFC's Jon Davis is a site to see. He moves like a luchador and squashes people like ants. Just another reason to see DGUSA/EVOLVE in-person.




[Intermission]

(4) DUF (Sami Callihan & Arik Cannon) beat Masaaki Mochizuki & Susumu Yokosuka via submission. Fans need to be introduced to Sami Callihan. I'm new to Arik Cannon - he hasn't been on the last few shows - but Sami is kicking someone's ass on New York/N.J. shows I attend. Mochizuki and Yokosuka were amazing and Arik was a good "Shannon Moore" to Sami's "Matt Hardy v2.0." Sami showed off his beastly chops and forearms. Sami looks like he's murdering people with his chops. Mochizuki and Yokosuka were brilliant kicking and flying everywhere, but the Muffler Strech was too much for Yokosuka.

(5) Ronin (Rich Swann & Johnny Gargano & Masato Yoshino) beat Blood Warriors (CIMA & Austin Aries & Brodie Lee in a six-man elimination tag match. This was a great match. Rich Swann has this rap for their team "Ronin" that cracks me up, but Swann connects so well with the crowd when he's rapping. Johnny has "it" to me. Johnny also connects with the crowd. Good or bad, Gargano gets a response. Yoshino came out for a second match to help Ronin due to the missing future mega-star Chuck Taylor. CIMA, Austin Aries, and Brodie Lee also came out. Aries and Brodie yelled to the people who cheered at them, telling the fans to hate them.

As for the actual match, great back-and-forth in and around the ring. CIMA eliminated Yoshino via Jorge Clutch. Unfortunately, Brodie Lee hurt his knee on a big boot in the corner to Rich Swann, who quickly covered Lee and the match went on. CIMA eliminated Swann via Meteora, Gargano eliminated CIMA via Gargano Escape, and after the dust cleared, Gargano and A Double were the last two left. Aries and Gargano made it feel like it was a whole new match. Amazing technical work by Aries. Gargano is the underdog you want to see win. Solid in-ring work by both combatants, but after a great ping-pong match of moves, Gargano got the win with the Gargano Escape. The Crowd popped and it was a great feel-good moment for Gargano to beat a former ROH Champion via submission.




(6) Open the Freedom Gate champion YAMATO beat PAC via pinfall to retain the DGUSA Title. YAMATO is a great talent, but PAC is such a stand-out with his athleticism and creativity. His back-and-forth with YAMATO was a sight to see. Both were countering like a video game. I'm impressed by YAMATO, but PAC is a true star. YAMATO eventually caught PAC with the Gallaria for the win. I really thought PAC should have gotten the win, but that makes for an even better re-match between the two.

After the show, there was a fun in-ring Karaoke party. Guys like Pinkie Sanchez and Austin Aries got on the mic to sing and chill with the fans. I got to tell PAC my thoughts and he really appreciated it. I got to talk to a lot of the talent and wished Brodie well wishes.




I must say this was independent pro wrestling at its best. Even though the Internet PPV stream was terrible, the Talent and Producers worked very hard on a solid show using a new technology that hasn't been perfected. Gabe Sapolsky's group of EVOLVE/DGUSA wrestlers are some hard working, hard hitting, fun characters to see in-person and follow online.

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