By Chris Shore

Dragon Gate USA "United Philly" on iPPV on GoFightLive.tv
Live from Philadelphia, Penn.

The show started with Jon Moxley and the new Freedom Gate Champion YAMATO. Moxley cut a promo on YAMATO winning and called Homicide a pussy. A fan ran into the ring and attacked Moxley. YAMATO just stood there and then security cleared the fan, who yelled that Homicide would get him. Bordie Lee came right out and the first match started…

Shore's Slant: I have no idea if that was shoot or work. Very strange pacing for sure.

1. YAMATO (w/Jon Moxley) defeated Brodie Lee at 8:55. They traded blows for a moment and then Lee hit an elbow. He beat all over YAMATO and tossed him to the floor. Lee followed and kicked YAMATO over the retaining barricade and then rolled him back in the ring.

YAMATO kicked the middle rope into Lee's nuts and hit a few shots, but Lee hit a throw and then put on a clinic of power moves while yelling at Moxley. YAMATO hit a couple of elbows to come back, but he tried to slam Lee and Lee just fell on him for two. Lee hit a half nelson suplex and the Truck Stop for a great near fall.

YAMATO reversed a powerbomb lift into a choke. Lee made the ropes, but YAMATO hit a German suplex and a brainbuster. He locked in a rear naked choke and Lee passed out. Post-match, Moxley called Homicide a bitch again, and two more fans jumped in the ring. Moxley and YAMATO beat them up and chased them away with security involved….

Shore's Slant: Good opener. I'm digging Brodi Lee big time, and YAMATO played his part perfect. I still can't quite tell what the hell was with the fans. If it's a work, kudos to Gabe Sapolsky for fooling me enough to make me wonder.

Backstage, Jigsaw cut a promo on winning his freestyle match later…

2. Rich Swann (w/Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano) defeated Jimmy Jacobs 9:17. Jacobs attacked immediately but Swann raked the eyes. They ran the ropes and Swann hit a drop kick. They went to the floor and Swann hit a 619 type move by using the apron to hit a standing Jacobs. Swann charged, and Jacobs hit a flapjack on the stairs.

Back in the ring, Jacobs hit a neckbreaker and then two stomps and an elbow for two. He locked in a front choke and Swann slammed him into the corner and set him on top. He ran and hit a Frankensteiner by jumping from the floor. Wow! Swann hit a Trouble in Paradise kick and covered. Jacobs grabbed the rope to stop the count.

Swann set Jacobs in the corner and did several run ups on Jacobs's chest. Jacobs hit a big boot and followed with Sliced Bread for two. Swann hit a overhead kick and then tried for a standing 450. Jacobs got the knees up, but Swann hit a super kick and then hit the standing 450 for the win. Post-match, Chuck Taylor cut the same promo as last night. He said Swann just proved again that Ronin should be in Japan…

Shore's Slant: Very good match. I mean very good. This was supposed to be Jacobs's run up for the title, according to the storyline, so I'm not sure what this means for him going forward.

Backstage, World One's Masato Yoshino and PAC

3. Sami Callihan defeated Jigsaw, Frightmare, Cheech Hernandez, AR Fox, Rexx Reed at 9:10 in a freestyle match. First pinfall wins and it is contested under Lucha rules. I have no chance. Everybody beat up Reed to start, then Jigsaw took out Cheech. Then Reed made it back in the ring. Then it got impossible. WOW!

Everybody hit a plancha on the floor and Callihan and Reed got back in the ring. They traded blows and Callihan locked in the Stretch Muffler. Frightmare broke it up and Callihan hit a sick corner driver and covered. Fox hit a frogsplash to break the count, but Callihan scored the pinfall on Fox…

Shore's Slant: Holy crap that was crazy. Sorry I didn't explain more, but there was no chance to get it all. I suggest you watch the match.

4. Akira Tozawa (w/Jon Moxley) defeated Austin Aries (w/Reby Sky) at 14:30. They mat wrestled for as moment and then there was an awkward "doggy style" moment that the Philly fans panned for a second. Aries dodged several headbut attempts and knocked Tozawa to the floor. Tozawa acted loopy on the floor with Moxley and Aries dragged him back in the ring.

Aries locked in a "modified stump puller" and then rolled down for a two count. Tozawa low bridged Aries and then then hit two dives on the floor. He rolled Aries back in the ring and hooked a rare chinlock. He tried for the diving headbuts and failed again, but he hit a senton for two.

Aries reversed a suplex lift into a DDT and both men struggled to fet to their feet. Tozawa whipped Aries and Areis hit a discus elbow. He spilled Tozawa to the floor and hit a heat seeking missile dive. Aries followed with a dive and the last chancery until Tozawa made the ropes. He hit a shin buster and tried for a belly to back. Tozawa hit a knee and hit a saito suplex for two.

The men traded kicks and Aries hit the brainbuster for two. He went to the top and Moxley shoved him off. Sky ran over and kicked Moxley in the nuts. She distracted Tozawa and gave him a serious kiss. Aries tried for a rollup, but Tozawa kicked out and reversed a brainbuster lift into a bridging German suplex for the win…

Shore's Slant: Holy shit, that match was great. Tozawa is a star in the making in either country, and Aries should be on a major roster by now. I'm glad he's not. But seriously, if you get to kiss Reby Sky like that, you should have to do the job.

***Intermission***

5. BxB Hulk defeated Jon Moxley (w/Akira Tozawa) in a No Disqualification match at 7:59. Hulk attacked immediately and knocked Moxley to the floor. He followed and hit several kicks before rolling Moxley back in the ring. He went for a spinning heel kick but missed. Moxley hit a scary looking back drop for two.

Hulk came back with kicks and a senton for two. He tried for a clothesline and Moxley hooked a crossface. Hulk escaped and hit a running shooting star press for two. He went to the top and Tozawa swept the legs. It is no DQ. Moxlety hit a superplex and both men recovered.

They traded blows and Hulk hit a pump handle piledriver for two. Moxley came back with a crossface chicken wing. Hulk powered out and hit several kicks on Moxley. Tozawa ran in and Hulk kicked him and then tossed him from the ring. Hulk hit a sick kick on a kneeling Moxley for the win…

Shore's Slant: An OK match. There were some great spots, but it just never seemed to gain any traction. Not sure why. Hulk is pretty boring. I'm just sayin.

6. Chuck Taylor Johnny Gargano (w/Rich Swann) defeated Dragon Kidd and CIMA (w/Blood Warriors) to earn 2 points in the United Gate Title Tournament at 19:30. Ronin now has 4 points and Blood Warriors Team 1 has 0 Taylor and Kid started. Kid hit a flying head scissor and Taylor went to the floor. Gargano came in on the virtual tag and CIMA tagged in.

CIMA and Gargano traded moves and Taylor tagged in. Kid tagged in and hit a combo knee drop on Taylor. CIMA went after Swann with a chair as the announce team sold him as crazy pissed off by Ronin. Taylor and Gargano took advantage and worked double team moves on Dragon Kid.

Kid finally made a tag and CIMA and Kid hit a wheelbarrow lift into a Codebreaker. CIMA danced much to the crowd's delight. CIMA stomped Gargano and then stuck his but in Taylor's face and pointed at it. He put Gargano face first in the middle buckle and spanked him. He then kicked charging Taylor and put his head between Gargano's legs and spanked him. He ended buy hitting a drop kick on Taylor's ass.

Kid hooked a modified Indian death lock and then twisted into a Muta lock. CIMA and Kid hit a string of moves on Gargano, but Gargano hit combo DDT/back STO on both men and tagged Taylor. All four men battled in the ring, and CIMA and Gargano were taken out. Taylor hit a backbreaker on Kid. Kid rolled to the floor and CIMA tossed Taylor to the floor.

Gargano and CIMA battled and Kid ran in and hit a kick. They did the super Frankensteiner bit and CIMA hit a driver for two. Ronin hit a toss into an ace crusher for two. CIMA hit a double bulldog, but missed a double knee. Gargano locked in a submission hold and Taylor held off Kid until CIMA tapped. Post-match, the Blood Warriors attacked Ronin…

Shore's Slant: Good match. I could have done without the silly comedy, but it was OK. It's hard to mesh that with the beat down at the end.

7. Masato Yoshino and PAC defeated Naruki Doi and Ricochet to earn 2 points in the United Gate Title tournament at 19:50. World One has 4 points and Blood Warriors Team 2 have 0. Yoshino and Doi started. They bumped around with some mat wrestling and then tagged in their partners. PAC and Ricochet put on a clinic of high flyer moves. Ricochet knocked PAC to the floor and hit a layout elbow over the top rope. That never gets old.

Yoshino and Doi came in on the virtual tags and fought in the corner. The rest of the Blood Warriors held Yoshino in the corner and Doi took control. Both teams worked back and forth with many tags and basic double team moves. Yoshino took a ton of abuse and then hit a slingblade on Doi to get the hot tag.

PAC ran in and hit a springboard plancha onto Ricochet on the floor. WOW! Doi tied up PAC in the ropes and hit a dropkick and then a back splash from the top. PAC fought back and hit a standing twisting shooting star press. I don't even know what to say.

Pandemonium broke out with all four men. Both PAC and Ricochet hit standing shooting star presses. PAC hit an insane spinning flipping knee drop from the second rope on Doi. Yoshino hit a combo missile drop kick/senton on Ricochet and Doi for two.

PAC tried for a springboard move, but Ricochet hit a kick. He and Doi hit several corner moves on Yoshino, and then Ricochet hit a 630 senton. He went to the top, and PAC ran up and hit a back throw from the top. All four men continued to hit rapid fire moves. PAC took out Doi with a dive to the floor. Yoshino locked in a very weak looking choke/arm submission and Ricochet quit…

Shore's Slant: Wow. Just wow. The action was so fast I forgot to be upset about the no selling. I guess I'm going to have to just get over that at some point. At any rate, PAC and Ricochet hit moves tonight I've never even thought of, let alone seen. Just an amazing match. And it looks like the Untied Gate finals will be World One vs. Ronin. I'll have more tomorrow on the hitlist. Thanks for reading and I'll see you then.

Questions? Comments? Anyone, anyone? Let me hear from you. Email me at css3238@gmail.com with whatever is on your mind.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: