By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S DGUSA “REVOLT 2013” iPPV REPORT
JANUARY 26, 2013
HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIF.
AIRED LIVE ON WWNLIVE.COM

The show started with Chuck Taylor and Arik Cannon playing beer pong with the winner getting the first punch in their match. Taylor was ahead 3-0 when Cannon fired the ball at him. Cannon got the ball and stomped on it. Taylor then charged at Cannon and the match was on.

1 - - CHUCK TAYLOR vs. ARIK CANNON

The action spilled outside and both men brawled around the ring. Cannon hit a suplex onto a couple of chairs on Taylor. Taylor fired back with a splash off the bar at ringside. They went back and forth until Cannon hit total anarchy for a nearfall. Moments later, Cannon climbed up top, but Taylor tossed a chair at him and knocked him through the table for the pin.

Winner: Chuck Taylor – This was a fun way to start the show and these two provided some good action in this contest.

2 - - FRAY!

The rules are two men start and a new competitor comes in every 90 seconds. The match is held under elimination rules. Ray Rosas and B-Boy were out first. Johnny Yuma was out next. After some action, Yuma’s regular tag partner Johnny Goodtime came out. B-Boy pinned Rosas first with an air raid crash. Goodtime & Yuma then teamed together to eliminate B-Boy. Drake Younger was out next and he ran wild. Younger eliminated Yuma with a sit-out powerbomb. Cage came out next with Larry Dallas and two women and hit some of his signature power moves. He looked really good here and eventually eliminated Goodtime with a facebuster.

Famous B was out next. This match has a real PWG flavor too it with several of their former regulars and current part-timers in the mix. B took out Cage with a superkick and followed up with a swanton, but Younger greeted him with Drake’s landing to eliminate him quickly. Thanks for coming Famous B. Cage and Younger went back and forth. Kendrick came out with two of his students, but neither of them entered the ring. Younger eventually eliminated Cage with a rollup. Kendrick had both his students get up on the apron. He sent them both into the ring and got in the ring himself. With Younger distracted, Kendrick ran up from behind and hit sliced bread #2 on Younger. Kendrick will now face Gargano tomorrow night while Younger gets Jon Davis.

Kendrick celebrated after the match and did the airplane around the ring while blowing kisses to the crowd.

Winner: Brian Kendrick

Star rating: (***) This was a fun match. The wrestlers I’m familiar with from PWG had a good showing, especially Younger and Cage. I really liked how Kendrick stole the win in the end using his students as pawns to enter the Fray and quickly beat Younger with his finish to get a shot at Gargano.

3 - - EITA vs. RICH SWANN

Swann grounded EITA early with a headlock on the mat as Leonard noted his maturity as a worker in the ring. They ended up brawling on the outside where EITA caught Swann with a Tornado DDT on the stage. The crowd started a small chant for EITA as he followed up with a moonsault off the stage onto Swann. EITA dominated the action until Swann fired back and caught him with a leaping hurricanrana off the top. Swann followed up with rolling thunder, but only got a two count. EITA fired right back with a neckbreaker and hit a sweet facebuster variation out of the cop killa position for a 2 count.

EITA tied up Swann’s arms in the ropes and nailed him with a huge chop. Good lord! EITA tied him up and another huge chop and the crowd gasped. Swann flipped off EITA, so he slapped him in the face. Swann fired back with a handspring ace crusher a short time later for a 2 count. Swann went up top and hit a frogsplash for another 2 count. Swann called EITA a green boy and told him to bring it. They began exchanging strikes in the middle of the ring. Swann went for a handspring off the ropes, butt EITA nailed him with a dropkick and nailed him with an inverted Olympic slam for a 2 count and the crowd applauded. EITA missed a moonsault and Swann nailed him with a spinning kick to the head and a standing 450, but EITA kicked out. Swann yelled at the ref and EITA got a pinning combination for a nearfall. Swann finally hit a handspring into a 450 that looked a little sloppy for the win.

After the match, Swann said EITA would be a top wrestler in the future wherever he goes. The crowd applauded. Swann asked the fans if they were enjoying Dragon Gate and the fans roared. Swann said Dragon Gate is the home of the high flyers. Swann said he’s the face of the high flyers. The crowd gasped. Swann challenged anyone to come to Dragon Gate and face him because he’s the standard.

Winner: Rich Swann

Star rating: (***1/2) – A couple of the moves weren’t crisp, but this was a fantastic match between Swann and EITA. The crowd was into the match, but they weren’t red hot. It might be because of the size of the crowd. EITA is really impressive blending stiff offense with high-flying and innovative maneuvers. I’d love to see these two go at it again.

4 - - SAMURAY DEL SOL vs. A.R. FOX

The crowd chanted this is awesome before the match even began. They had an incredible exchange at the start that ended with both men going for the same kick at the same time. They came to a stalemate and the crowd roared. Del Sol hit a backwards walking handstand into a hurricanrana and hit a nice arm drag on Fox, who rolled to the outside to regroup as the fans chanted for Del Sol. Fox hit a dropkick and took control of the action. Del Sol fired back, but missed a springboard 450. Fox sent Del Sol to the outside and hit a kick flip off the ringpost to the floor and the crowd popped. Fox went to work on Del Sol and capped a nice sequence with a running SSP into the corner for a 2 count. Del Sol did a split to avoid a charge from Fox, who went through the ropes to the outside. Del Sol then caught Fox with his signature step-up corkscrew off the second rope and over the top to the floor.

The crowd fired up as Del Sol tossed Fox back into the ring. Del Sol got a running start and jumped on Fox’s back before turning it into a code red for a 2 count. Fox fired back, but Del Sol blocked the Lo Mein pain and hit the rising sun only for Fox to kick out. The crowd applauded as Del Sol regrouped. Del Sol went for another rising sun, but Fox got out of the way and hit a twisting brainbuster that left both men down. Del Sol rolled to the floor and Fox nailed him with Lo Mein rain and the crowd went nuts. That’s such a crazy move and Fox executed it flawlessly. Fox connected with a springboard 450 back inside the ring, but only got a 2 count.

Fox went for Lo Mein pain again, but Del Sol blocked it and went for rising sun off the top. Fox blocked it and hit a meteora to the back of Del Sol’s head. Fox celebrated and Del Sol fired up from behind him and hit the rising sun. Both men were down as the crowd went nuts again. Both men got to their feet and exchanged blows. Del Sol hit a one man Spanish fly for a nearfall. The crowd fired up as Del Sol tried to recover. Del Sol went up top, but Fox recovered and nailed him with a series of strikes. Fox then hit a big pair of kicks. He then hit a springboard Lo Mein pain for the win. Holy crap!

After the match, the Young Bucks attacked Fox. They hit him with a tandem tombstone piledriver. The crowd booed as they taunted them.

Winner: A.R. Fox

Star rating: (****) – This was an amazing display of athleticism from both men. The small crowd was really hot for this match and I hope these guys get a chance to go at it again in front of a larger crowd that would really come across well on DVD or iPPV. The match was built around Del Sol continually blocking Fox’s Lo Mein pain until he nailed him with a series of strikes and kicks before hitting it.

5 - - SAMI CALLIHAN vs. AKIRA TOZAWA

Callihan nailed Fox with a running kick and hit a suplex while the ref was checking him for a quick nearfall. Why the heck would the ref allow the match to start after that? Tozawa fired right back with a suplex of his own for a 2 count. Both men slumped in opposite corners and jawed back and forth. They went at it again and Callihan got the stretch muffler, but Tozawa kicked his way free. Callihan sent Tozawa to the outside and nailed him with a dive through the ropes. Callihan went for a chop, but ended up hitting the ringpost. Tozawa caught him sliding through the ropes a short time later and connected with a dead-lift German into the apron. Tozawa got in the ring and laughed at Callihan while the ref counted. The crowd began chanting for Callihan, who barely beat the 20 count.

Tozawa went to work on Callihan in the ring and hit his signature chops into a short right hand spot. The crowd chanted for Tozawa as he smiled in the middle of the ring. Callihan fired back and slammed Tozawa into the ropes. Callihan followed up with a leg submission, but Tozawa got the ropes. Callihan hit a spinning toe hold and slapped Tozawa in the face before spitting on him. Callihan then grabbed a rear chin lock and took Tozawa down to the mat. Tozawa struggled, but eventually got the ropes. Callihan called Tozawa a Japanese bitch and hit a headbutt. Tozawa fired back and nailed Callihan with a huge forearm. Both men continued to taunt each other while exchanging strikes and headbutts. Tozawa countered a kick and hit a German suplex. Callihan popped right up and both men hit bicycle kicks at the same time and went down. The crowd chanted for Tozawa as both men tried to get to their feet.

Both men got to their feet. Callihan called Tozawa a bitch and told him to hit him. Both men began exchanging big strikes again. Callihan hit a kick to the leg and Tozawa went down. Tozawa got up and hit a series of forearms. Callihan spit at Tozawa, who hit several more forearms. Tozawa finally hit a Saito suplex and a brainbuster, but only got a 2 count. Both men were down as the crowd chanted for Tozawa. They battled on the top turnbuckle. Tozawa nailed Callihan with a boot to the head and hit a superplex. The crowd began a dueling chant for both men as Tozawa covered Callihan for a 2 count. Tozawa hit a German and went for another, but Callihan countered and hit a German of his own. Callihan went for another, but Tozawa countered him and hit two Germans. They exchanged counters and Callihan caught Tozawa off the ropes with a shoulder breaker for a 2 count.

The crowd clapped as both men were down on the mat again. Callihan got up and slapped Tozawa in the face. Callihan hit a dragon screw and locked in another leg submission on Tozawa. The crowd chanted please don’t tap. Tozawa managed to free himself and hit a running knee strike for a 2 count. The crowd fired up as Tozawa tried to recover. Both men got to their feet. Callihan hit a kick to Tozawa’s leg and he collapsed to the mat. They began exchanging strikes in the middle of the ring. Tozawa fired up and hit several slaps to Callihan’s face. Callihan flipped Tozawa off. Tozawa spit in his face and ate a headbutt. Callihan then hit a sit-out powerbomb for a 2 count. Callihan locked in the stretch muffler. The ref checked his arms, but he fired up on the third drop. Tozawa countered the hold into a rollup for a 2 count. Tozawa hit 2 bicycle kicks, but Callihan flipped him off. Tozawa hit a third bicycle kick and went for a German, but Callihan hung onto the ropes. Tozawa ran up and hit a German with a bridge for a nearfall. Tozawa trapped Callihan’s arms and hit a German with a bridge for the win.

Winner: Akira Tozawa

Star rating: (***3/4) – This was a war. The intensity these two brought to the match was fantastic. The crowd didn’t come across great during the match, but you could tell they were into it. Some of the match dragged during the early stages, but they really built up to a very good finish with Callihan working Tozawa’s legs throughout the match only for Tozawa to fend off the stretch muffler and pin Callihan. Both guys showed great charisma throughout the encounter.

After the match, Tozawa left the ring and went out the back exit.

6 - - JIMMY SUSUMU & RYO SAITO vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS (Matt & Nick Jackson)

The crowd chanted where was Hanson in reference to the Young Bucks usual theme song. Matt and Saito traded holds on the mat during the early going. Matt escaped a hold and spit his gum into Saito’s face. Matt and Susumu tagged into the match. Nick hit a nice arm drag followed by a dropkick and taunted Saito with crotch chops. Saito fired right back and took down Nick before hitting some crotch chops of his own. Susumu and Saito hit some tandem offense on Nick as the ref tried to keep Matt out of the ring. Nick tagged out and Matt went to work on Susumu in the corner with several punches and kicks. Susumu fired up and cut off Matt before tagging in Saito. They double teamed Matt as the ref tried to hold Nick out of the ring. Saito stood on Matt’s chest with Susumu on his back and the crowd applauded.

Susumu continued to work over Matt before tagging in Saito, who nailed Matt with a doublestomp off the top. Nick finally tripped Saito on the floor and the Young Bucks nailed him with their signature headscissors/superkick combination. Matt went to work on Saito back inside the ring. Nick held Saito in the corner and Matt his handspring back rake. Matt played air guitar while Nick hit some punches on Saito from the outside. The Bucks worked over Saito for several minutes and tried to get the crowd into it with their heel antics, but the crowd just wasn’t into the action. The Bucks began working over Saito’s legs. Saito finally mounted a comeback and took out Nick and Matt. Susumu got the hot tag and took on both of the Young Bucks. Susumu hit a pair of exploder suplexes on the Young Bucks and the crowd applauded.

Matt countered Susumu, but he got right up and nailed him with a nice DDT. The crowd began chanting for Susumu and Saito, but Matt hit a superkick and a springboard stunner. He covered Susumu, but Saito broke up the pin. Everyone ended up in the ring and the action picked up with Saito and Susumu hitting a pair of clotheslines in opposite corners. Nick hit a springboard x factor on Saito, but only got a 2 count. Saito fired right back and hit a sit-out spinebuster for a 2 count. The crowd finally fired up as Susumu and Saito went after Nick. Nick countered a double team move, but ate a running knee in the corner from Nick. The Bucks then hit a tandem sliced bread #2 for a 2 count. The pace picked up and Saito and Susumu hit a tandem German suplex on Nick. Saito then leaped over Susumu and hit a sunset German that sent Matt into Nick in the corner. Saito lifted Matt up, but he fought out. Saito held on and traps his arms for the double cross, but Matt broke up the pin.

Matt sent Susumu to the outside. The Bucks hit a pair of kicks on Saito in the corner. Matt then tossed Saito in the corner for a buckle bomb/enzuguri combo. Matt nailed Susumu on the apron with a superkick and the Bucks finished off Saito with more bang for your buck.

Winners: Matt & Nick Jackson

After the match, Matt said they had just beaten two Chinese guys. Matt said they’re the best wrestlers in the world. Matt said he feeds his child by doing Asai moonsaults. Matt said the Open the United Gate titles had eluded them their entire career. Matt called out CIMA & Fox. It was hard to hear some of what Matt said.

Star rating: (***) – The match was very methodical at first, but the pace really picked up for the last five minutes. Both teams then put on a fantastic display of back and forth double team action. The crowd finally got into the match after being quiet for most of it. This was a good strategy to slow things down after three really fast-paced matches.

Cannon came on commentary and Leonard reminded him he had been on commentary for the last No Rope no DQ match in DGUSA. The ring crew came in and began taking down the ropes for the Gargano-Davis main event. Cannon then left the commentary booth.

7 - - Open the Freedom Gate Champion JOHNNY GARGANO vs. JON DAVIS – No Ropes No DQ match

Gargano clipped Davis’s knee early and began working it over, but Davis caught him with a chokeslam on the apron a short time later. Gargano managed to fuck a clothesline on the outside and Davis’s arm connected with the ringpost. Gargano tossed a chair at Davis and locked in a figure 4 on Davis around the ringpost. Davis eventually managed to shake free. Davis fired back a short time later and caught Gargano with a big clothesline. Gargano countered another lariat attempt into the Gargano escape. Davis crawled to the floor and lifted Gargano on his shoulders before tossing Davis into the ringpost. Davis went to work on Gargano on the outside. Gargano tried to fire back, but Davis cut him off and suplexed him on the ramp.

Davis continued to work over Davis. The fans chanted for Gargano as he tried to regroup while Davis went under the ring to get a turnbuckle. Davis took the hook from the turnbuckle and put it in Gargano’s mouth. Davis wrenched back, but Gargano wouldn’t tap. Davis went to the outside and set up the ring steps near the chairs. Gargano fired back and sent Davis to the outside with a dropkick. He then wiped out Davis with a flip dive and the crowd chanted his name. Gargano began slamming chair after chair on top of Davis. Davis erupted from the chairs, but Gargano tripped when Davis was going for a big clothesline. Davis picked up Gargano and climbed the ring steps. Gargano flipped over Davis and turned it into a sunset bomb on the apron. Holy s—t! Gargano covered Davis, but only got a 2 count.

Gargano went under the ring and got a ladder. He tossed the ladder into the ring and climbed it, but Davis cut him off. Gargano went for a swinging DDT and Davis temporarily blocked it before connecting for a 2 count. Gargano nailed Davis with a chairshot and piled more chairs around him. Gargano got a running start and climbed up the ring steps, but Davis caught him and nailed him with a spinebuster onto the pile of chairs and the crowd gasped. Gargano ducked a clothesline and tossed a chair at Davis, but he caught it and fired it back at Gargano. Davis then grabbed the chair while holding Gargano and slammed him down to the mat for a nearfall. Davis mocked the fans as they chanted for Gargano. Davis slammed a chair down across Gargano’s back and stood over him while glaring at the fans.

Davis tried to set up Gargano for a powerbomb into the ringpost, but Gargano turned it into a trip. Gargano launched a ladder into Davis in the corner and hit hurts don’t it on the ladder for a nearfall. The fans chanted for Gargano as he tried to regroup. Gargano went behind the curtain and got a bigger ladder. Gargano set the ladder up against the apron before dragging Davis to the outside. Gargano punched Davis onto the ladder and Davis charged at him and powerbombed him onto the ladder. Davis then hit the 3 seconds around the world powerbomb, but Gargano kicked out! The fans fired up and chanted for Gargano while Davis sold shock.

Both men traded strikes and Davis ended the sequence with a huge lariat and both men were down as the fans chanted Dragon Gate. Both men crawled towards the ladder. Davis drove the ladder into Gargano’s stomach, but Gargano recovered and nailed him with a pair of superkicks. Gargano hit a third superkick with Davis’s head caught in the ladder. Gargano applied the Gargano escape with Davis’s head trapped in the ladder. The ref checked Davis and he was out. Gargano held on a few extra seconds before releasing the hold.

Winner: Johnny Gargano to retain the Open the Freedom Gate Championship

Star rating: (****) – This was a brutal match. The spot where Davis fired up out of a pile of chairs and went after Gargano was awesome. The small crowd didn’t provide a lot of heat for the match, but they were into it. Davis catching Gargano by surprise on the outside and powerbombing him through a ladder was another memorable spot in the match. Gargano winning with the Gargano escape with Davis’s head trapped in the ladder made a great visual. Both men brought it and made this a memorable blow off to their feud.

Kendrick came down to ringside after the match and applauded. He got into the ring with a mic and congratulated Gargano on the win. Kendrick said Gargano had a great resume, but had never beaten anyone his caliber. Kendrick said despite his size he had wrestled all over the world. He said Gargano had been doing a great service to wrestling. He said he knows Gargano has a flaw. He said Gargano’s flaw was pride. He said Gargano’s pride would make him put the title on the line. He asked Gargano if he was a man or a mouse. Gargano got on the mic and said the people know he’s a man. Gargano told him he would give a title shot tomorrow. Kendrick said it him one move to earn a shot at the title and called Gargano Einstein before leaving the ring. Gargano told Kendrick he will not question Gargano. Gargano said he would make Kendrick tap tomorrow. Gargano said as long as his heart was beating, his title was going nowhere. The fans chanted for Gargano.

Gargano asked the fans if they enjoyed the show and they applauded. Gargano told the fans they would be back tomorrow and he expected the fans to come back and have a great time. Gargano thanked the fans. Leonard then said they had a special segment to debut.

Leonard said he was waiting for a very special guest. Callihan came into the booth with Leonard. Leonard asked Callihan how hard it was to follow Fox-Del Sol. Callihan said it was tough to follow that match. Callihan said that’s what he loves about DGUSA. They put the camera on Callihan and Leonard asked him what was coming up next. Leonard asked him about the rumors about his future. They fixed the audio and Callihan said his dad was fighting throat cancer. He said last year he had 14 international tours. He told people not to dip like him. Callihan said he has to go home and spend some time with his dad after only seeing him once last year. Callihan said he had taken a couple of weeks off and didn’t know if there was anything left for him in DGUSA and EVOLVE. Callihan mentioned he used to weigh 300 pounds and talked about how far he’s come.

Callihan said there’s no b shows for him in DGUSA. Leonard asked him what’s next for him in wrestling. He said only time will tell what’s next for him. Leonard asked him about his weight and asked him if it drives him. Callihan said it makes him angry. He says he still looks in the mirror and sees a fat kid. Callihan said people asked him why he left his home to be a wrestle. Callihan said being a wrestler is all he’s ever wanted to do. Callihan talked about Gabe Sapolsky saying he would never book him, but he took an opportunity and kicked the door down. Leonard thanked Callihan to end the segment.

Overall thoughts: (8.5) – This was a fantastic show from top to bottom. The DGUSA roster brought it tonight. The small crowd didn’t provide a great atmosphere at times, but they were into a lot of the show. Starting with the Swann-EITA match, the show was simply fantastic.

The highlights of the show were the Fox-Del Sol and Gargano-Davis matches. Fox and Del Sol put on a clinic that showed what the DGUSA style is all about. They had some fantastic exchanges that electrified the crowd. The sequence where Del Sol popped right up after Fox hit him with a meteora and hit him with the rising sun from behind got me out of my seat.

Davis-Gargano for the Open the Freedom Gate title in a No Ropes No DQ match was an absolute war. Both guys brought it and put together some fantastic sequences during the match. My favorite moment was when Davis popped out from under the pile of chairs that Gargano had slammed on him and went after Gargano. Another memorable visual was Davis passing out in the Gargano escape with a Ladder wrapped around his head. It was a great finish to a feud that wasn’t well-received by live crowds last year.

Callihan-Tozawa was another highlight. These two have so much charisma in the ring and I loved how they taunted each other after hitting big strikes. It almost felt like a goodbye when Callihan was interviewed by Leonard during the new post-show segment, which was a shoot style interview.

I highly recommend ordering this show. The wrestling and storytelling were there from top to bottom. Kendrick made an impact sneaking into the Fray and convincing Gargano to put his title on the line the next night. This was a stacked card and you won’t regret the purchase.

You can purchase “Revolt 2013” at WWNLive.com

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