“RADICAN’S DGUSA “UPRISING” PPV REPORT
PREMIERS JULY 29, 2011
TAPED JUNE 4, 2011
DEER PARK, N.Y.

"Uprising" debuts on July 29 on most cable systems

Rich Swann cut a promo backstage. He said he was in the ultimate Freestyle match in the main event. He talked about facing PAC and Ricochet. Swann said he was the king of freestyles before doing some beat boxing and concluded by saying “Ronin, baby!”

1 -- SAMI CALLIHAN vs. JON DAVIS vs. CALEB CONLEY vs. PINKIE SANCHEZ vs. SCOTT REED vs. FLIP KENDRICK vs. LOUIS LYNDON vs. ALEX COLON – 8-Way Freestyle match

Davis hit a big running powerslam on Colon, but Konley took him down with a springboard splash. As expected, there’s way too much stuff going on here for me to keep up with. Sanchez, who was labeled as a D.U.F. in training traded some slaps to the face with Callihan, but got taken down with a DVD. Callihan hit a dive to the outside on Sanchez, but Reed took him out right away with a sliding dropkick to the outside. Konley took out Davis again with a springboard to the outside. They started a sequence of dives into everyone on the outside. Lyndon set up and hit a huge springboard moonsault to the outside and the crowd went nuts. Sanchez set up for a dive and all seven wrestlers on the outside punched him. That was funny.

Kendrick set up and hit a reverse 630 to the floor to take out everyone. They set up a tower of doom spot that saw Davis powerbomb four wrestlers to the mat and the crowd went nuts again. Sanchez tried to cover everyone for a pin, but couldn’t get a three count. This is crazy. Take my word for it. Colon hit a rotating GTS on Callihan, but was slow to cover and Reed broke it up. Konley went for a springboard, but Davis pounced him and he went flying out of the ring. That was nuts. Davis hit a jackhammer on Sanchez, but Colon broke it up. Davis manhandled Colon and tossed him over the top rope to the floor. Davis hit a spinning powerbomb on Sanchez, but Callihan fell into the ref to break up the pin. Callihan locked in the stretch muffler on Konley while kicking away at his head. The ref checked on Konley and called for the bell.

WINNER: Sami Callihan.

STAR RATING: (***1/2) – This was an exciting opening match with a lot of cool spots. The announcers said this was a match to showcase the athletes in DGUSA. The match featured a lot of cool moves and crowd-pleasing spots. Out of all the wrestlers, Davis stood out the most with his power moves.

Masaaki Mochizuki cut a promo backstage. They translated the promo on the screen. He said Callihan and Cannon didn’t respect him. He said he was going to kill Cannon today by kicking him hard. They should do more promos like these with the Japanese talent.

2 -- TONY NESE vs. BRODIE LEE (w/Blood Warriors)

Lee dominated the action early. The announcers mentioned Nese was a local talent in the area. Nese sent Lee to the outside and nailed him with a dive through the ropes. Nese went to the outside, but Lee hid behind the Blood Warriors. Nese went for a splash in the corner, but Lee dropped him across the barricade. Nese tried to fire back and caught Lee in a pinning combination, but Lee kicked out and nailed him with a clothesline. Lee hit a pump-handle suplex, but Nese kicked out at two. Nese fired back again, but Lee wouldn’t go down. Nese finally took him down in the corner and nailed him with a running knee strike for a one count as the crowd cheered. Nese lifted up Lee and hit a running DVD on Lee for a nearfall.

Lee countered a superkick and nailed him with one of his own. He set up Nese for a running kick, but Nese got out of the way and Lee spilled to the floor. Nese nailed Lee with a plancha to the outside and the crowd applauded. Nese hit a series of kicks and a German with a bridge, but Lee kicked out at the last second. Nese went up top, but Ricochet distracted him and Lee nailed him with a butterfly superplex. Lee hit two running kicks in the corner and the truck stop, but Nese kicked out and the crowd applauded. Nese countered Lee up top and hit a top rope hurricanrana. Nese kicked Aries off the apron, but missed a 450 on Lee. Lee then hit a sit down powerbomb for the win.

WINNER: Brodie Lee

STAR RATING: (***) – This was much better than I expected. The crowd totally brought into Nese having a chance to win by the end. The nearfall when Nese kicked out of the truck stop from Lee took the match to another level as the fans got into the action even more. The Blood Warriors interference ultimately lead to Nese losing the match, but Nese went up a few notches in my eyes with this performances. This was well-done to get a new talent over.

Austin Aries got on the mic after Blood Warriors put the boots to Nese. The crowd booed Aries and he mocked them. Aries said Blood Warriors had proven themselves to be elite. Aries said nobody in DGUSA belonged in the ring with the Blood Warriors. Aries sent Ricochet, CIMA, and Lee to the back. He said he didn’t need any help because he’s the greatest man that ever lived. An “Austin Aries” chant broke out and Aries said he’d wait to talk. Aries called out Susumu Yokosuka for their match.

3 -- AUSTIN ARIES vs. SUSUMU YOKOSUKA

Aries mocked the fans that were clapping before both men locked up. Aries kept bailing to the outside each time Yokosuka got the upper hand during the early stages of the match. They did a criss-cross spot and Aries slid to the outside and raised his hand in victory. I’m having flashbacks to Aries match against Black at Final Battle 2009 where he kept sliding out of the ring. Aries got back into the ring and hit a quick kick and a brainbuster for a nearfall. Aries immediately applied the last chancery, but Yokosuka got the ropes. Aries went up top, but Yokosuka got out of the way and hit an exploder for a two count as the crowd applauded.

Aries sent Yokosuka through the ropes and nailed him with a dive through the ropes. Aries taunted the fans after tossing Yokosuka back into the ring and covering him for a two count. Yokosuka sent Aries to the outside and brought him back into the ring off the apron with a brainbuster for a two count. The fans applauded as Yokosuka set up a lariat, but Aries ducked. Aries went for a kick to the head, but Yokosuka blocked it and went after his legs. Yokosuka locked in the figure in the middle of the ring. The crowd roared as Aries struggled to move. Aries struggled, but eventually slid to the ropes. Aries held onto the ropes and turned the hold over, which put the pressure on Yokosuka’s legs.

Yokosuka fired back with a big lariat for a nearfall. Aries fried back and hit a shin-breaker/belly to back suplex combo. Aries hit the IED in the corner, but Yokosuka kicked out. Aries set up for the 450, but landed right on his knees when Yokosuka got out of the way. Aries caught him with a lariat, but Yokosuka got right up and nailed him with a big lariat. Aries countered a move, but ate another lariat. Yokosuka followed up with the implant buster for the win.

WINNER: Susumu Yokosuka

STAR RATING: (***1/4) – They did the slow build early, but quickened the pace when Aries hit a brainbuster out of nowhere and went on the attack. Aries was good here getting the crowd riled up and playing his heel role to perfection. It seemed like the match was missing another chapter when Yokosuka got the pin. I certainly wasn’t expecting the finish there. Yokosuka didn’t do anything to stand out here, but Aries was very good from a charisma standpoint.

Callihan and Cannon were shown outside the venue drinking. Callihan said tonight would be a D.U.F. ass kicking party. Callihan told Cannon to take care of Mochizuki later tonight.

4 -- MASATO YOSHINO vs. YAMATO vs. JOHNNY GARGANO vs. CIMA - Non-title Four Way Freestyle match

The announcers said tonight was a Freestyle frenzy. All four men went at it right away. The fans chanted for Gargano and then Yoshino. CIMA didn’t like that. A couple of fans chanted for CIMA and he told them to shut up. CIMA asked Yoshino and YAMATO to work with him against Gargano, but Gargano got out of the way of a triple team attempt. Gargano and CIMA ended up alone in the ring. He offered Gargano a handshake before kicking him low. CIMA then gave the international “FU” sign to the fans. Gargano nailed CIMA with a neck breaker, but YAMATO attacked him right away. The action picked up big time here with guys coming in and out of the ring. CIMA hit a combination of kicks capped by a standing flip senton on Yoshino for a nearfall. That was impressive.

The action slowed with YAMATO applying a crossface on CIMA. CIMA sent YAMATO to the outside before taking down Yoshino and applying a leg lock. CIMA then suplexed YAMATO while wrenching down on Yoshino’s leg. Garagano ran in and broke up the hold, but CIMA fired back and nailed him with a kick to the face while he was draped over the top rope. Gargano fired back with a spear through the ropes for a two count and the crowd applauded as the pace quickened.

Gargano sent CIMA to the floor and nailed him with a dive through the ropes. He then took out CIMA, Yoshino, and YAMATO with rolling sentons off the apron. Gargano caught YAMATO with a kick to the head and then nailed him with a code breaker while he was on his knees for a nearfall. YAMATO fired back with a suplex moments later and nailed him with a kick to the head and a brainbuster for a two count. YAMATO then locked in the cross face, but CIMA broke it up.

Yoshino got into the ring and went at it with CIMA. The crowd went nuts for Yoshino, who locked in the from jungle submission on CIMA. He then turned it into a sunset flip pin on CIMA for a nearfall and the crowd roared. CIMA fired back with a springboard doublestomp, but only got a two count. Yoshino fired back, but CIMA nailed him with a perfect driver for a nearfall. CIMA ran right to the apron and nailed Gargano with a sick kick and he went flying to the floor. Yoshino countered CIMA charging him in the corner. He then got a running start and nailed him with a running kick from the outside.

The action continued at a furious pace. Gargano hit the lawn dart on YAMATO. He followed up with diced bread. Gargano then applied the Gargano escape. YAMATO screamed in pain. CIMA noticed on the outside and sprinted to the top rope before nailing Gargano with a missile dropkick off the top. CIMA hit the shwine, but YAMATO kicked out. CIMA followed up with the meteora for the win. That was really good.

WINNER: CIMA

STAR RATING: (***3/4) – This was really good with Yoshino and CIMA coming across really good. Gargano and YAMATO had some big moments, but I was surprised YAMATO didn’t play more into his dynamic personality here. They had some big moves and fast-paced action here, but the finish came across really well. I liked how the announcers emphasized that CIMA had just pinned the champion.

CIMA got on the mic after the match. He told YAMATO he wanted a shot at the Open the Freedom Gate title. He then did the Blood Warriors salute (not the nice one) and said he didn’t like Long Island. The crowd booed as he stood tall in the ring.

5 -- MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI vs. ARIK CANNON – non-title match

Mochizuki is the Open the Dream Gate champion in Dragon Gate. He immediately hit a running kick on Cannon once the bell rang. Mochizuki kicked the crap out of Cannon, but Cannon fired back with several strikes. Mochizuki fired back and nailed Cannon with a running kick that sent him off the apron to the floor. Mochizuki applied a single-leg crab, but Cannon eventually got the ropes.

Cannon fired back and went after Mochizuki’s leg. Cannon hit total anarchy on Mochizuki, but he kicked out at two. Cannon continued to go after Mochizuki’s leg as he tied him up in another leg submission on the mat. Mochizuki struggled, but got the ropes again. Mochizuki fired back and took him down with a big kick to the gut. Both men exchanged strikes, but Mochizuki took Cannon down with a running kick. Mochizuki nailed Cannon with a couple of kicks, but Cannon nailed him with a dragon screw. He then hit another dragon screw using the ropes for leverage and Mochizuki went down.

Cannon went for another dragon screw, but Mochizuki nailed hit with a kick to the head. Cannon set up for a charge, but Mochizuki nailed him with a running boot. Mochizuki nailed Cannon with two big roundhouse kicks to the head, but Cannon kicked out at two, and the crowd clapped. Cannon countered Mochizuki with a big kick and hit a brainbuster for a nearfall. Cannon stalked Mochizuki before nailing him with a running clothesline. Cannon went for a moonsault, but Mochizuki rolled out of the way and nailed him with a springboard missile dropkick. Mochizuki followed up with a nice running kick to the back of the head for the pin.

After the match, Callihan ran in and attacked Mochizuki. Yokosuka then ran into the ring and put the boots to Callihan. Sanchez ran in and attacked Yokosuka, but took a big clothesline. Callihan then took out Yokosuka with a big clothesline. Cannon then laid out Mochizuki with a brainbuster. Callihan got on the mic and said they had kicked their asses two times. He said the next time they wrestled, they would beat them. Cannon then tossed Sanchez out of the ring.

WINNER: Maasaki Mochizuki

STAR RATING: (***) – This was a good way to establish Cannon as a credible threat to a top Japanese star. Cannon is really growing in the ring while working in DGUSA and it showed during this match with his work on Mochizuki’s leg and his ability to go strike for strike with the Open the Dream Gate Champion. The post-match angle also was a nice way of giving D.U.F. some credibility heading into their tag match against Yokosuka & Mochizuki the next night.

Swann and Gargano were shown backstage. Gargano was upset about losing. He said the next time he was in the ring with YAMATO; he would win the Open the Freedom Gate title. Swann pumped up Gargano. Gargano told him Swann would get the job done tonight. I enjoy the dynamic between the members of Ronin.

6 -- A.R. FOX vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

The crowd was hot for the start of the match chanting for both men. The announcers said this was a match-up of #1 draft picks in any promotion. Both men exchanged holds on the mat during the early stages and came to a stalemate. Tozawa does the little things right with his facial expressions playing perfectly into his high-tension persona. The crowd clapped as Tozawa grabbed a chinlock that he switched into a modified abdominal stretch. Tozawa lit up Fox with chops in the corner and then nailed Fox with a big punch and the crowd applauded. Tozawa dominated the action for several minutes and locked in another modified abdominal stretch, but this time he brought Fox’s leg behind him for extra leverage on the mat.

Fox fired back and hit a missile dropkick. Fox slammed Tozawa and hit a split-legged moonsault for a two count. He went right back up and hit a second springboard moonsault, but with a twist for a nearfall. Fox grabbed a headlock and the crowd tried to rally behind Tozawa. Tozawa finally powered up and got the ropes, but took a kick right to the kidneys. The crowd tried to rally behind Tozawa again. Tozawa hit a basement dropkick and then sent Fox to the outside with a running dropkick. Tozawa then hit his signature series of dives through the ropes as the crowd roared. Tozawa capped the sequence with a senton off the apron and the crowd chanted his name. Tozawa hit a big elbow strike and a Saito suplex for a two count. Fox fired back and hit a springboard ace crusher for a good nearfall.

Fox sent Tozawa to the outside and Fox nailed him with an insane kick flip to the outside. Wow! The crowd chanted for Fox as he set up Tozawa on the apron. Fox went up top and hit a guillotine legdrop and the crowd gasped. Fox rolled Tozawa back inside the ring and covered him for a two count. Tozawa fired up and nailed Fox with a kick to the face. He followed with a Saito suplex. Tozawa signaled for his German finish, but Fox countered. Both men exchanged counters and Tozawa ended up nailing Fox with a knee strike to the back of the head that left both men down. The crowd chanted for Fox as both men got to their feet and exchanged strikes. Neither man would go down until Tozawa hit a spinning enzuguri. Fox nailed Tozawa with a kick to the back of the head when he went up top and nailed him with a springboard Spanish fly, but Tozawa kicked out at the last second and the crowd went nuts.

Fox went up top, but Tozawa nailed him with a running kick. Tozawa then nailed Fox with a top rope German suplex and the crowd went nuts. Fox got nailed with another running boot. Tozawa followed with a release German, but Fox kicked out at the last second. Tozawa went for another German. Fox tried to fight free with a series of elbow. Fox hit a codebreaker, but missed a kick. Tozawa hit a German and then held on with a straightjacket German suplex for the pin.

Both men shook hands after the match.

WINNER: Akira Tozawa

STAR RATING: (***3/4) – This was a really good match. They set a slow pace early and built to a nice finish. What I really liked here was that the match was paced differently than the other matches on the card. They took the time to establish themselves with the crowd and then kicked things into high gear down the stretch. I’ve been really impressed with Tozawa. Fox was impressive here, but he needs to improve his connection with the fans to be a main event player. This match will certainly help establish Fox in DGUSA.

Lenny Leonard stood in the ring to do the formal introductions for the main event.

Rich Swann came out rapping the Ronin theme. This is one of my favorite entrances in wrestling right now and Swann got a nice reaction coming out. Ricochet came out to some boos from the crowd. He shoved Leonard upon getting in the ring. PAC came out to a nice ovation.

7 -- PAC vs. RICH SWANN vs. RICOCHET – 3 Way Freestyle match

The announcers talked about how this was the best high-flyers in wrestling going at it. Swann hit a flip dive over the top onto PAC right at the beginning of the match. Swann and Ricochet had some insane exchanges before Ricochet kicked Swann right in the face. PAC flew out of nowhere with a springboard missile dropkick that sent Ricochet flying to the outside. PAC and Swann went back and forth in the ring. Fox hit a really nice step up back kick on PAC. Swann grabbed a chinlock, but PAC fired back only to get cut off by a dropkick from Swann. Swann missed a dive to the floor, but landed on his feet. He exchanged chops with Ricochet, who ended up throwing him into the guardrail.

PAC and Ricochet went at it alone in the ring. Swann tried to come back in, but ate an elbow from Ricochet. Swann kept trying to get back in the ring, but Ricochet would send him right back to the outside. PAC fired back, but ended up hitting a springboard moonsault to the floor on Swann. Ricochet caught Pac with a dropkick and took out PAC and Swann with a space flying tiger drop to the outside and the crowd roared. Ricochet jawed with the crowd when they applauded. Ricochet tossed PAC into the guardrail before tossing Swann back into the ring and covering him for a two count. Swann tried to counter Ricochet, but ate a snap mare driver for a nearfall. Ricochet missed a dive on Swann and ate a 450 from PAC, but Swann broke up the pin.

The action continued at a furious pace. Swann stalked PAC from behind, but missed a spinning kick. PAC hit several nasty forearms, but Ricochet tripped him from the outside. They did an insane series of moves capped by Swann nailing PAC with a spinning kick that left all three men down. The crowd broke out into a “Dragon Gate” chant as all three men tried to recover. Swann and Ricochet got up first and exchanged blows. PAC went for a handspring, but Ricochet countered it into a suplex for a two count. The crowd clapped as Ricochet stood tall in the ring. Ricochet went up top, but Swann cut him off. PAC lifted Swann onto his shoulders, but Ricochet recovered and nailed him with a dropkick. The momentum carried Swann into a reverse hurricanrana and the crowd went nuts again. This match should get these guys jobs in TNA or WWE. This is some amazing stuff.

Swann missed a springboard, but went right into a German from Pac for a nearfall. PAC went up top, but Ricochet kicked him to the outside. Ricochet then nailed Swann with a 630 for the pin.

The crowd booed Ricochet at the finish. Ricochet got on the mic and told PAC he’d proven he’s the best. He then kicked PAC in the face and landed several punches before Yoshino made the save. PAC got on the mic and told Ricochet he was still second best. He told Ricochet that Yoshino would deal with him tomorrow. He then gave the mic to Yoshino and told him to give the fans a message in English. The crowd chanted for Yoshino. He thanked everyone for coming and the crowd roared. “Did you like the show?” Yoshino said they would come back to Long Island. The crowd applauded PAC and Yoshino to close the show.

WINNER: Ricochet

STAR RATING: (****1/4) – This was a really good main event. All three men established themselves in the ring. They did the standard one guy on the outside while two guys went at it in the ring for the middle portion of the match. Then all three men built up some amazing exchanges together that had my jaw on the floor. The thing I liked most about this match is that the crowd booed Ricochet at the finish. It shows that his heel act is over, as he did some damn amazing things in the match that would usually get him cheered. This one is worth going out of your way to see if you like high-flying.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: (8.0) – I was skeptical going into the show that all of the Freestyle matches would work, but they managed to pull it off in entertaining fashion. The encouraging thing is that all of these Freestyle matches built someone up going forward. Callihan got momentum winning the opening 8-Way Freestyle. Later in the show, CIMA pinned Open the Freedom Gate Champion YAMATO to set up their upcoming title match in the fall.

In the main event, Swann, Ricochet, and PAC put on an amazing display of athleticism in the ring. They built the match nicely and told a good story. Again, the PAC-Ricochet feud had more fuel put behind it. All three men came out of this match looking good. I was most impressed with Ricochet drawing boos, despite displaying some amazing moves in winning the match.

The undercard was filled with some really good matches. The show was paced well with backstage segments that built up the ongoing storylines. DGUSA is climbing an upward hill right now in terms of trying to establish the American talent. Names like A.R. Fox, Sami Callihan, Arik Cannon, and Tony Nese are starting to establish themselves in the company. Johnny Gargano and Ricochet are nearly there in terms of become money drawing acts for the promotion going forward.

There weren’t any title defenses on this PPV, but the overall show was entertaining from start to finish and continued to build the storylines. I still feel if DGUSA really established PAC and YAMATO as top dogs and surrounded them with the blossoming American talent and the Dragon Gate talent from Japan, the company would have a chance to see an increase in business going forward.

I recommend purchasing this show if you like high-flying and hard-hitting action. My jaw literally dropped at times during the show and overall this was a very entertaining PPV that fits in nicely with the ongoing DGUSA storylines.

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