RADICAN’S DGUSA’S MERCURY RISING: OPEN THE ULTIMATE GATE PPV REVIEW
TAPED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA
APRIL 2, 2011

DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2011 premiers May 27 on most cable systems and the Dish

1 - - JIMMY RAVE vs. JOHNNY GARGANO

Rave looks to be in much better shape than he was in TNA. The match started with both men exchanging holds on the mat. Gargano got the advantage for a couple of minutes, but Rave fired back with a clothesline and worked over Gargano on the mat with some nice submission holds. Rave set up Gargano on the apron, but Gargano caught him with a spear through the ropes. Rave tried to fire back, but Gargano sent him down with a series of elbows. Gargano hit a dive through the ropes onto Rave moments later and followed up with a senton off the apron and the crowd popped. Both men battled on the apron moments later, but Rave caught Gargano with an STO. Rave escaped the Gargano escape and locked in the crossface, but Gargano got out of it. Both men then hit double clothesline and they were down on the mat. Gargano fired back with a combination maneuvers capped with a twisting neck breaker, but Rave kicked out at the last second. Rave fired back with a running knee strike moments later, but Gargano kicked out at the last second and the crowd applauded. Gargano hit a suplex and the hurts don’t it, but Rave kicked out. Gargano then locked in the Gargano escape for the submission.

Winner: Johnny Gargano

Star Rating: (***1/4) – This was a good sixteen minute battle between both men. They were given enough time to tell a satisfying story with both men countering each other with submissions and big moves throughout the match. Rave looked good here and with some solid booking behind him, he could be a player in DGUSA this year.

2 - - A.R. Fox vs. Rich Swann vs. Arik Cannon vs. Lince Dorado vs. Silas Young vs. Sami Callihan – Six Way Freestyle

The action was crazy during the early stages of the match with wrestlers running in and out of the ring. Dorado looked good hitting some nice springboards on Cannon. Swann tried to do some high-flying, but got caught and dumped to the mat by Young. Young hit his headstand into a springboard moonsault onto Dorado, but Callihan broke up the sure pin. After a series of moves from everyone, Young hit a handspring senton over the top to the outside to take out all of his opponents. Fox then followed up with a springboard 450 onto everyone on the outside. Dorado then went up top and hit a corkscrew moonsault off the top to the outside and the crowd came to their feet and went nuts.

Cannon and Callihan went at it. Swann and Dorado tried to interfere, but ate stereo suplexed. Fox tried hit luck, but was also dispatched by Cannon. Young ran into the ring, but Cannon wiped him out with a superkick. Both men then squared off before leaving the ring together. Dorado and Swann exchanged blows, but Dorado ended up taking him out with a code red DDT for a nearfall. Dorado went up top but missed a shooting star leg drop. Swann then wound himself up and hit a standing 450 for the win.

Winner: Rich Swann

Star rating: (***) – This was a good variation of DGUSA’s signature match. The storyline elements were good with Callihan and Cannon leaving the ring together. Ronin picked up their second straight win of the night with Swann getting the win here after Gargano won the opener against Rave. If you love high-flying, you’re really going to love this match. It was nice to see some storyline elements introduced into a match of this style where so much is packed into a short period of time.

Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa was introduced by Larry Legend. The Blood Warriors then came down to the ring with CIMA, Ricochet, Brodie Lee, and Naruki Doi wearing matching blue shirts. CIMA got on the mic and confronted Ichikawa. He told him if he wants a fight, he can have Brodie Lee.

3 - - Brodie Lee (w/Blood Warriors) vs. Stalker Ichikawa

Stalker nailed Lee with several shots, but Lee launched him into the ropes with a shoulder tackle. Ichikawa got out of the way for an elbow drop and nailed Lee with a shot against the ropes, but Lee kicked out. Ichikawa went for a German suplex, but that also resulted in failure. Lee shined up his boot and killed Ichikawa with a running kick before finishing him off with the truck stop.

Winner: Brodie Lee

Star rating: (n/a) – This was just a comedy match with Ichikawa matched up against a much bigger man in Lee. Lee also got a chance to have someone sell for his offense in a devastating manner.

After the match, Blood Warriors continued to bully Ichikawa. They pretended a bug was flying around. It landed on Stalker’s face, so CIMA kicked him hard across the face to “kill” the bug.

Rich Swann then started beat boxing and Ronin came out to confront Blood Warriors. Lee interrupted Swann and told him to shut up. He then challenged Taylor to a match.

4 - - Chuck Taylor (w/Ronin) vs. Brodie Lee (w/Blood Warriors)

Taylor ran wild on Lee early and nailed him with a flip dive over the top to the outside. Ricochet grabbed Taylor’s leg from the outside, which allowed Lee to nail him with a kick. Lee went for a chop on the outside, but missed and hit the ringpost. Taylor went right after Lee’s arm, but Lee took him down quickly. Lee went for a running kick, but Taylor got out of the way and nailed him with a moonsault off the apron. Taylor hit a big running kick in the corner and followed up with a leaping DDT for a 2 count. Lee fired back with the truck stop, but Taylor kicked out. Lee followed up with a series of running kicks in the corner. Lee hit a big suplex and followed up with a big clothesline, but Taylor kicked out again. Taylor fired back with soul food and a super kick. Moments later, Taylor hit a springboard moonsault for a 2 count as the crowd came alive. Taylor went up top, but Lee hit a butterfly superplex. Lee then hit a sit down powerbomb for the pin.

Winner: Brodie Lee

Star rating: (**1/2) – This was a solid match. Lee showed off some impressive power moves and Taylor showed a lot of guts kicking out of some big moves. Ronin’s momentum got stalled after they picked up two wins earlier in the show.

After the match, CIMA told Ronin to go home. CIMA the called out PAC & Yoshino for their United Gate title match.

5 - - MASATO YOSHINO & PAC vs. CIMA & NARUKI DOI (w/Blood Warriors) – Open the United Gate title match

PAC and CIMA had an awesome exchange of counters early that ended when PAC evaded a sweep attempt from CIMA and laid him out with a drop kick. Doi and Yoshino then went at it full-tilt. Doi eventually took down Yoshino and grabbed a headlock. PAC tagged in and had the advantage on Doi, but he got caught up talking to Ricochet and Doi dropkicked his legs out from under him. Blood Warriors immediately began working over PAC’s leg as CIMA locked in a leg submission, but PAC got the ropes. PAC fired back and tagged in Yoshino. They began working over CIMA’s arm while tagging in and out of the ring quickly. The action broke down and CIMA cleared the ring. CIMA then went after PAC and nailed him with a big chop in the corner. Words can’t describe what Blood Warriors did when they stacked up PAC and Yoshino in a very unusual position in the corner with CIMA spanking Yoshino from behind. I’ll have a hard time clearing that image out of my head.

Yoshino resumed working over Pac with an abdominal stretch. They then hit an assisted super troll on PAC and CIMA did a wacky celebratory dance around the ring. Doi taunted PAC, who got mad. They exchanged forearms and PAC did an insane evade, before taking down Doi with a kick to the back of the head. CIMA and Yoshino both tagged in. Yoshino caught CIMA in a submission in the ropes. Yoshino got a running start in the aisle and nailed Doi with a huge dropkick and the crowd went nuts. He went for a missile dropkick, but Doi caught him with a kick in the air. Doi fired right back and took out CIMA with a dive. PAC then hit a huge splash off the top on Doi for a 2 count. PAC hit a great northern lights suplex with a bridge on Doi for a 2 count and the crowd applauded. PAC did a handspring, but Doi made him pay with a dropkick. CIMA went for a dive, but Yoshino ran in like a blur and locked in from jungle. He then turned it into a pinning combination for a 2 count. CIMA fired back moments later with a dropkick and hit a springboard doublestomp into a leg drop for a 2 count.

PAC hit a corkscrew press of Yoshino’s back onto Doi and the crowd went nuts for the nearfall. CIMA got nailed with a sling blade followed by a springboard 450 from PAC, but he kicked out. CIMA got out of the way of a top rope maneuver from PAC, who did a 450 evade, but Doi caught him with a powerbomb variation. PAC continued to kick out of big moves as the crowd went nuts. Doi stacked PAC and Yoshino in the corner and he and CIMA hit a running senton/coast-to-coast dropkick combo on both men. Doi then hit the Doi 5’s and a sliding kick on Yoshino, but he kicked out and the crowd got to their feet with everyone down. Doi got caught in the sol naciente as PAC held CIMA back. Doi started to fade and the ref finally called for the bell.

Winners: Yoshino & PAC to retain the Open the United Gate title

Star rating: (****1/4) – This was really good. If you like state-of-the-art tag team action in 2011, you’re going to want to see this match. The match started slowly, but built to a really frenetic finish. PAC literally made my jaw drop at times with his athleticism during this encounter. The double team work from both teams was so smooth. The match peaked at just about the right time as the finish came when all four men had gotten the entire crowd on their feet applauding the action. If you order the show and don’t like this match, you’ll likely never be a fan of this style.

After the match Ronin came out. Gargano taunted CIMA about losing the match. Swann was wearing CIMA’s glasses. Gargano said CIMA’s real name is she male. The crowd started a she male chant. They then mocked Blood Warriors pose before going to the back.

A highlight package aired centered around Jon Moxley and Akira Tozawa’s recent history.

Tozawa and YAMATO came out for the non-title main event. Moxley called Tozawa a loser. Trina Michaels said she wasn’t impressed with Tozawa’s package. Moxley told Tozawa if he could beat him in a No DQ match that he could get a shot at the Open the United

6 - - JON MOXLEY (w/YAMATO & Trina Michaels) vs. AKIRA TOZAWA – No DQ match

Moxley leveled the ref right away, but Tozawa fired back and nailed him with a dive through the ropes. They brawled through the crowd as a second ref came out. Moxley ended up seated on a chair in the ring and Tozawa took him out with a bicycle kick. Michaels got in the ring and Moxley nailed Tozawa from behind with a low blow. Michaels then mounted Tozawa and slapped him several times. The crowd wasn’t into her involvement as the announcers made tons of references to her adult acting career. Tozawa fired back and suplexed Moxley onto two chairs. He then hit a German suplex with a bridge for the pin.

Winner: Akira Tozawa

Star rating: - (*1/4) Not much to this match and Michaels’s involvement was not over with the crowd. At least it gets us to YAMATO to defending the title.

After the match, Michaels assaulted Tozawa. Reby Sky then took her out with a spear. Moxley grabbed Sky, but Michaels hit him with her purse when Sky got out of the way. Sky then nailed Michaels with a DDT. Tozawa offered Sky a handshake, but she blew him off.

7 - - YAMATO vs. AKIRA TOZWA – Open the Freedom Gate Championship match

The announcers pointed out that YAMATO was going at it alone here. Tozawa worked over YAMATO’s arm on the mat before hitting a slam and grabbing a chinlock. Tozawa methodically worked over YAMATO before putting the boots to him in the corner. YAMATO fired back and kicked Tozawa in the face. Tozawa no-sold the kicks, so YAMATO raked his eyes. YAMATO has great facials when he’s selling or on the attack. He plays the evil heel role well. YAMATO began working over Tozawa’s back before locking in a single leg crab in the middle of the ring as the crowd tried to rally Tozawa. Tozawa fired back with a pair of dropkicks and nailed YAMATO with two dives through the ropes. Tozawa followed up with a senton off the apron and the crowd chanted for him. Tozawa countered a suplex in the ring moments later and nailed YAMATO with a Saito suplex for a nearfall. YAMATO fired back and turned a sunset flip into a Boston crab. He then turned it into a single leg crab. The crowd chanted for Tozawa. YAMATO changed the hold and put his knee on Tozawa’s back, but he finally got the ropes. The announcers said YAMATO wanted his title matches to be fair as possible, which was why nobody was out with him at ringside.

Both men traded big shots in the center of the ring. After a big exchange of kicks and strikes, Tozawa finally hit another Saito suplex for a 2 count. The crowd was fully behind Tozawa at this point as he nailed YAMATO with a big bicycle kick in the corner. Both men battled up top and Tozawa finally hit a big superplex that left both men down on the mat. YAMATO no-sold a German suplex and hit a brainbuster. Tozawa popped right up and after an exchange of blows, he nailed YAMATO with a shining wizard that left both men down on the mat as the crowd applauded. Both men were exhausted as they exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. Tozawa nailed YAMATO with a running kick and hit a German suplex. He went for another German, but YAMATO countered it. Tozawa grabbed YAMATO again and hit a German with a bridge for a nearfall. YAMATO caught Tozawa with a choke sleeper after a series of exchanges and then turned it into a suplex. YAMATO kicked Tozawa in the head, but made a lazy cover after a brainbuster that allowed Tozawa to kick out. YAMATO then hit galleria, but Tozawa kicked out at one and the crowd went nuts! YAMATO obliterated Tozawa with elbows and hit a second galleria for the pin. What a match.

Winner: YAMATO to retain the Open the Freedom Gate title

Star rating: - (****1/2) What a match this was! Both men told a great story. YAMATO’s facials were great throughout the match. The thing that made this truly great was how the crowd got behind Tozawa, who just wouldn’t stay down. YAMATO is filling his role as champion here really well and he could be a star for the company. Tozawa is also getting over with the fans and is definitely worth watching if you enjoy this style of wrestling.

After the match, YAMATO got on the mic and told Tozawa he respects him. The crowd went nuts once Tozawa made his way to his feet. YAMATO offered a handshake and both men hugged. YAMATO thanked the fans for coming to the show. He asked the fans if they enjoyed the show and the crowd roared to end the show.

Overall thoughts: (8.0) This was a really good show from top to bottom. It started off with a nice spotlight singles match from Rave and Gargano. The Blood Warriors vs. Ronin feud advanced another step as both acts continue to have a really good dynamic. What people are going to want to see from this show is the tag title match and the main event title match. Both matches were excellent and if you enjoy this style of wrestling, you’re going to want to order this show just to see these two matches.

I can’t say enough good things about the main event. YAMATO and Tozawa told a good story in the ring. YAMATO is becoming a must-see act on the independent scene in his role as Open the Freedom Gate champion. He’s starting to build a mystique around himself to the point where if he has a couple more matches like he did during WrestleMania weekend, he will be a must-see act. It’s going to be a hard task storyline wise for someone to dethrone him when the title is one the line. DGUSA really needs to start promoting him as a must-see act alongside Tozawa. YAMATO should be on every poster and be hyped to the moon because people need to know what they’re missing out on if they aren’t watching his title defenses at this point.

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