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RADICAN: A preview of what Dragon Gate USA is offering when the "Enter the Dragon" PPV airs Aug 13, 2009 - 1:30:53 PM
DRAGON GATE USA
"ENTER THE DRAGON" PPV PREVIEW
TAPED FOR PPV ON JULY 25, 2009
DEBUTS ON PPV SEPT 4, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, PA
BY SEAN RADICAN, TORCH COLUMNIST
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: After getting an EXCLUSIVE look at this show before it airs on PPV, I have to say this is the best wrestling show I've seen all year. I haven't written out my review yet, but I watched the entire PPV and was amazed from start to finish at the unique and innovative matches featured on this show. This PPV different than anything you will see from any promotion. The crowd is red hot from start to finish and this show really felt like the start of something special.
WHO TO WATCH FOR
After watching the PPV, there were so many things that stood out to me, but if I just had to single out a few performances, I would talk about Dragon Kid, Shingo, Yamato, and The Young Bucks.
DRAGON KID: Dragon Kid is the modern day Rey Mysterio. He is just amazing to watch and his look grabbed my attention right away. I love his mask and flashy ring gear. Watching him fly around the ring against Yoshino with the crowd going nuts was a lot of fun.
Check out the video below for a taste of what you'll see from Dragon Kid on this show!
YAMATO: What a great heel Yamato is. His facial expressions during the opening contest against BxB Hulk were excellent. His post-match attack on Mike Quackenbush after the insane 8 Man CHIKARA tag came across really well because of the way he carries himself. I'm already looking forward to the Yamato-Quackenbush feud in DGUSA because of this angle.
SHINGO: Shingo has come a long way since his stint in ROH a couple of years ago. He has a unique look with a fantastic hair cut that just captures you when watching him on television. His power moves are awesome too and when you see him catch Doi in the seated position, dead-lift him, and powerbomb him to the mat in the main event, you'll be reaching for your remote to rewind what you just saw. He's a great talent that you won't see anywhere else, but in DGUSA.
THE YOUNG BUCKS: I've been a huge fan of Matt & Nick Jackson's work in PWG, but what they brought to the table on this PPV was truly amazing. They worked a frenetic pace in a piping-hot ECW Arena and delivered what I consider to be their best performance to date against CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka. The Jackson brothers stole the show with state-of-the-art double team maneuvers and the crowd was never hotter on this PPV than they were during their match. They remind me of the best parts of the Rockers and The Hardy Boyz all rolled into one with the potential to be better than both of those legendary tag teams.
MATCHES YOU HAVE TO SEE
CHIKARA 8 MAN TAG (Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw & Fire Ant & Soldier Ant vs. Hallowicked & Amasis & Gran Akuma & Icarus) : The crowd just ate up this match from start to finish. CHIKARA has its own unique style and these 8 guys really tore it up with a modern day Lucha style match. It's hard to pinpoint one guy that stood out here, but these guys pulled off so many innovative maneuvers at a breakneck pace that I've never seen before.
SHINGO vs. NARUKI DOI: The show did a good job of building up this match from start to finish, as both men were talked about frequently by the announcers and a couple of cool video packages that showed Shingo and Doi getting ready for the match in their respective locker rooms really did a good job of making the main event stand apart from the other matches. Their match was absolutely fantastic with some brutal exchanges. Shingo wowed me with some of the unique power moves he pulled off that you just don't see anywhere else. Although Shingo lost, he came across like a real star and set himself up to be a top challenger to Doi in the future.
CIMA & SOSUMU YOKOSUKA vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS: This is a high-end match of the year candidate. The Philly crowd was red hot all night, but I don't think they ever got as hot as they were for these two teams going back and fourth at a breakneck pace. The double team maneuvers, fast-paced action, and molten-hot crowd will make your jaw drop.
FINAL WORD: I'll have my full review up during the week the show is set to air, but anyone who likes great wrestling is going to love this show. You won't see anything like it from any other promotion and the crowd takes this show up another level. This is a must-buy PPV on Sept. 4 for all wrestling fans. Be ready to expose yourself to some great wrestling featuring some of the most unique and innovative talent from all across the world.
Until the PPV airs on Sept. 4, here's a video preview of "Enter the Dragon" to get hold you over.
Contact Sean Radican at PWTorchSean@Gmail.com. Sean Radican and co-host Derek Burgan record the Radican Audio Showcase each and every week. It is available exclusively to PWTorch.com VIP members at PWTorch.com/members.
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
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