By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling Revolution “The Gate of Revolution”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
April 18, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada at The Meet
This was the final of seven independent wrestling shows held at this venue between Thursday and Friday. If you know Las Vegas, this venue is near the Fremont Experience. This room is well lit with a crowd of maybe 150. (Cagematch.net has a quite generous crowd estimate of 250. Well, anyone can see there is not an average of 60 fans per side here. Clearly, indy wrestling fans opted to go to the GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break instead. This room was packed hours earlier for Deadlock Pro.) Rich Bocchini and Joe Dombrowski provided commentary.
* Dragon Gate had a different show at the Collective earlier in the weekend, so this is their second event, but first in this location.
1. Rhys Maddox vs. Diablo Azteca vs. Kid Lynx in a three-way pre-show match. Rhys is a teenager and looks a bit like a young Nathan Frazer. NO commentary for this one. Kid Lynx is masked and wore black and red. Azteca also is masked and wore mostly green. Pretty basic offense between them. Maddox hit a stunner on Azteca. He hit a double Crucifix Takedown. They all traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing. Azteca hit a pumphandle powerbomb move to pin Maddox. Decent while it lasted.
Diablo Azteca defeated Rhys Maddox and Kid Lynx in a three-way at 5:39.
2. “The Border Patrol” Colt Stevens and Dave Dutra vs. Rey Horus and Vary Morales. I’ve only seen Vary in numerous AEW TV losses; he always makes me think of a young, unmasked Juventud Guerrera and wears a bandana over his forehead like Axl Rose. I’ve seen Dutra at least once; both he and Colt have good physiques but were booed. Morales opened with the bald, muscular Colt, and Vary hit a dropkick. Horus hit a flying leg lariat, then a dropkick at 1:30. Dutra (think Ken Anderson Kennedy) and Colt worked over the smaller Vary. Vary hit some enzuigiris on Colt, then a missile dropkick. Rey got a hot tag at 5:30 and hit some quick kicks.
Rey hit a flying armdrag. Vary hit a top-rope crossbody block to the floor on both opponents. Rey hit a flip dive to the floor on all three. Vary hit a top-rope missile dropkick on Dutra for a nearfall in the ring. Dutra hit a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. Dutra and Colt hit “The Border Wall” (team powerbomb move) to pin Vary. They were loudly booed.
Colt Stevens and Dave Dutra defeated Rey Horus and Vary Morales at 8:56.
3. El Cucuy & Oni El Bendito vs. La Estrella & Viento vs. Mike Sydal & Willie Mack in a three-way tag match. I’ve seen all six before. Viento has long hair coming from under his mask, like Psicosis. Bendito has a big frame; he’s similar in size to WCW-era La Parka. Sydal, like Vary in the prior match, I know best from a series of AEW TV losses. (And yes, he very much looks like his brother, Matt Sydal (WWE’s Evan Bourne.) Mack danced at the bell; the heavyset, masked Cucuy attacked him from behind, and we’re underway! Mack hit a huracanrana. Sydal entered and faced the short, masked Estrella. Bendito then tied up with Viento at 4:00.
Mack and Bendito traded forearm strikes; Bendito is a tall man with a wide frame. Mack hit a flying kick at 7:00. Estrella hit a dive through the ropes and barreled onto two guys on the floor. Viento hit an impressive springboard moonsault to the floor at 9:00. In the ring, Bendito and Sydal traded fast-paced reversals and nearfalls. Cucuy hit a pumphandle back suplex on Viento. Cucuy hit a flip dive to the floor at 11:00, and that popped the crowd. Bendito nailed a buzzsaw kick to the head, then a slingshot Jackhammer to pin Estrella. Good lucha action.
El Cucuy & Oni El Bendito defeated La Estrella & Viento and Mike Sydal & Willie Mack in a three-way tag at 11:46.
4. Karisma and Hyan vs. Hanan and Saya IIda. Karisma is bubbly and energetic and wore mostly pink; I have seen her at least once before. I’m very familiar with Hyan; she’s easily in the top 10 U.S.-based unsigned women wrestlers. They all shook hands before the bell. Karisma opened with the short, dark-haired Saya, as the commentators talked about the growth of Stardom. Blonde, taller, Hanan got in and put Karisma in a Boston Crab. Saya hit a series of rapid-fire chops in the corner at 3:30. Dombrowski said the Stardom team has been champions for 111 days. Karisma hit some running knees in the corner.
Hyan finally got in, and she battled Hanan. Hyan hit a Mafia Kick, and she slammed Karisma onto Saya. Saya and Hyan traded chops and forearm strikes. They hit stereo clotheslines at 7:00 and were both down. Karisma and Hanan got hot tags and traded forearm strikes. Hyan hit a spear on Hanan. Karisma hit an axe kick and a Stomp to the head for a nearfall at 8:30. Hyan hit a diving Hidden Blade. Karisma accidentally collided heads with teammate Hyan! Hyan fell through the ropes to the floor. The Stardom team immediately hit a team slam on Karisma. Hanan then hit a fallaway slam with a high bridge on Karisma for the pin. Entertaining match. I’m sure I’ve seen Hanan and Iida, but I admittedly don’t see a lot of Stardom.
Hanan and Saya Iida defeated Karisma and Hyan at 9:44.
5. Ultimo Dragon and Dragon Kid vs. Ho Ho Lun and Susumu Yokosuka. Again, Yokosuka wears denim shorts and his whole vibe is like NJPW’s Yoh (but Yokosuka is clearly much older), and he opened against Dragon Kid. Ho Ho entered and stomped on DK. He hit a basement dropkick to DK’s back for a nearfall at 4:00. Susumu hit a second-rope Exploder Suplex at 6:00. Ultimo Dragon still hasn’t gotten in as this has felt like a 2-on-1 match. There’s the tag to Ultimo! that popped the crowd, and he hit his quick kicks to the thighs and ribs on Susumu, then a snap huracanrana at 7:30.
Ultimo Dragon tied Susumu in a Trailer Hitch leg lock. Meanwhile, Dragon Kid had Lun in an Octopus Stretch! Dragon Kid hit a top-rope flying huracanrana and pinned Yokosuka. Fine match; Ultimo Dragon really doesn’t do much in matches anymore. That’s understandable… just be prepared that when he appears, his time in the ring is limited.
Ultimo Dragon and Dragon Kid defeated Ho Ho Lun and Susumu Yokosuka at 10:05.
* Dragon Kid said some words, but it was truly inaudible. Matt Sydal came to the ring! He got on the mic and thanked Dragon Gate for bringing him to Japan when he was young.
6. Arkangel Divino and Ultimo Maldito vs. Aero Panther and Fight Panther for the PWR Tag Team Titles. I don’t know these guys. I saw the Panther brothers in a match earlier in the weekend; they both wear masks and purple-and-black gear. Divino and Maldito, the champs, both wore white with Mexican red-and-green and are both more heavyset. Dombrowski said these are BOTH teams of brothers. Divino doesn’t wear a mask, but Maldito does. The champs beat up one of the Panthers. A Panther dove through the ropes onto Divino, then he hit a frogsplash onto Maldito for a nearfall at 4:00. Divino hit a springboard huracanrana that popped the crowd.
Maldito hit a forward Finlay Roll and a second-rope moonsault; the commentators were impressed he could do that considering his size (meaning his gut!). A Panther hit a tornado DDT. Divinio hit a Poison Rana at 7:30 and all four were down. They did a tower spot from the corner, and they again were all down. A Panther hit a flip dive to the floor. In the ring, a Panther hit a springboard 450 Splash for a nearfall on Divino at 10:30. Divino hit a top-rope huracanrana to the floor that was insane and more than a bit dangerous. Divino hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor as Maldito hit a Canadian Destroyer in the ring for the pin. It wasn’t always smooth, but wow, they had some dazzling moves in the closing 3-4 minutes. “I hope this gets the attention this deserves,” Bocchini said. Dombrowski called it a “top five match of the weekend.” While I won’t go that far, they sure did impress.
Arkangel Divino and Ultimo Maldito defeated Aero Panther and Fight Panther to retain the PWR Tag Team Titles at 11:51.
7. Yamato vs. Rich Swann. The first notes of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” tells me we’re having a long entrance from Rich Swann! Yamato is 3-0 all-time in prior meetings, and this is a NON-title match. Swann got him dancing early on. Swann hit a huracanrana and a dropkick, sending Yamato to the floor to regroup at 2:00. They looped the ring and traded chops on the floor. In the ring, Yamato stomped on Swann and kept him grounded. Swann hit a clothesline. He got on the apron and hit a somersault to the floor on Yamato at 7:00, then two more!
In the ring, Swann hit a top-rope frogsplash for a nearfall. Yamato hit an enzuigiri and a brainbuster for a nearfall. Swann hit some kicks and a stunner, then a second-rope 450 Splash for a nearfall at 9:00. They got up and traded enzuigiris. Swann snapped off a Frankensteiner. Yamato hit a headbutt in the corner, then a top-rope superplex, but Swann held on and hit a suplex at 11:00, and they were both down. Yamato hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall, then a second one for the pin. Good action. They hugged afterwards.
Yamato defeated Rich Swann at 12:14.
8. Ben-K, Hyo, and KZY vs. “Z-Brats” Kota Minoura, Ishin, and Shun Skywalker. I’m most familiar with Shun and KZY, but all six of these guys have wrestled at other shows here in the past few days. Again, Ishin is a bit heavyset and blond. Shun and Ben-K opened. KZY got in at 1:30 and battled Kota, trading chops and punches. Hyo (the male stripper with his suspenders) entered at 3:00 to face Ishin, but Ishin rolled to the floor and stalled. In the ring, Hyo hit a dropkick that again sent Ishin to the floor at 5:00. Everyone was suddenly fighting in the floor, as Shun dragged Ben-K through the crowd and rows of empty chairs.
Ishin hit a low blow on KZY as the fight continued on the floor. Finally back in the ring, the Z-Brats beat up Hyo. Shun got a weapon and whipped it on Hyo’s back at 9:00, then he tossed it into the crowd. Hyo tried to tag out, but his partners were yanked off the apron. Ben-K finally got a hot tag at 13:00 and hit a series of shoulder tackles on each opponent, then a double spear, and he was fired up. KZY tagged in and hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Shun for a nearfall. Those two got up and traded forearm strikes. Shun hit a release German Suplex; KZY hit a European Uppercut, and they were both down. Hyo and Kota got back in at 15:30, with Hyo hitting a basement dropkick, but he missed a senton.
Hyo hit a second-rope senton for a nearfall. Ben-K hit a top-rope missile dropkick on Kota for a nearfall. Ben-K dove into the corner, and when his shoulder struck the ring post it made a LOUD ‘clinking’ sound. Ishin hit a top-rope superplex and a brainbuster on KZY for a nearfall. Shun hit a double-underhook powerbomb for a nearfall. Hyo hit a stunner and flipped Ishin over for a nearfall at 19:00. Kota clocked Ben-K with a knee to the sternum. KZY hit a Canadian Destroyer, and suddenly all six were down. “This is Dragon Gate! This is a revolution!” Dombrowski shouted. They all got on their knees and traded forearm strikes. Ben-K hit a hard clothesline on Ishin, then a spear for the pin. That was a blast.
Ben-K, Hyo, and KZY defeated Kota Minoura, Ishin, and Shun Skywalker at 21:04.
Final Thoughts: What a great way to conclude the seven live shows at the MEET in Las Vegas. The first half of the main event was good, but it moved to a whole new level in the final eight minutes. Dombrowski and Bocchini accurately described the fun insanity those six Dragon Gate guys put on display. The lucha tag match was really good; again, I struggled at first to get a sense of who was who, but they sure turned it on with some big stunt spots. I enjoyed Yamato-Swann for third. The Bendito six-man lucha tag gets honorable mention. The women’s tag was fun; Karisma isn’t bad at all but she wasn’t quite on the level of the others in that match. A LOT to like here and I’m glad I stuck through a lot of reviews this week to get through this one.
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