The Gibraltar Trade Center was the venue for a show that demonstrated more heart, and intensity than can be seen in an entire season of matches from the two major companies! Two hundred fans in attendance, and however many were watching at home (it was broadcast as an internet ppv) got far more than their money's worth.
In the pre show, Clash Pro Wrestling (one of the best of the Midwest Indie promotions) presented two matches featuring their stars:
First up Tyler "Caveman" Elkins took on J.Miller. Miller took the win, after both men got a chance to showcase their abilities. Next up was a " five way fray" that pitted Gavin Quinn, Cameron Skyy, Ded Vaughn, Tommy Treznik, and Dave Manzo against one another. The hard hitting action saw several big spots before Quinn pinned Cameron Skyy to gain the victory.
In the Dragon's Gate show, things got underway with Jon Davis defeating Jake Manning with a spinning torture rack and pin in an entertaining bout that got the crowd warmed up.
Next up was a wild brawl that saw more action out of the ring than in, as Rich Swann defeated Chuck Taylor. There were a ton of chair shots, and a ladder came into play in this wild brawl.
Next on the program, tag action as the Smash Brothers, defeated "The Scene," in a crowd pleaser.
Last match before the intermission, saw Ricochet take on Yamato. Another "slobber knocker," as Jim Ross would say. Crowd was hot for both men, with dueling chants for each, and also for both. Yamato got the win. Then Jon Davis charged the ring, and was choked out by Yamato.
After the intermission, N8 Mattson ( a former local star), and Derek Ryze took on Pinky Sanchez and Arik Cannon in a tag bout. Another rugged match that ended when, I believe, Sanchez was disqualified for refusing to break a hold. In the aftermath, Cannon called out Masada, and invited him to join forces with Sanchez, and himself. In one of the segments that, I believe crossed the line, Masada delivered a profanity-laced promo (including the "F-bomb").
To follow up, he hurled Sanchez into the crowd, narrowly missing several kids. This could easily have resulted in lawsuits. Clearly a segment of the fan base loves uber violence, but for the sake of the promotion, and the business, Dragons gate gets a "caution" for this segment. Oh yeah, this was apparently a match that Masada won by submission.
Next up was the, in my opinion, best match of the night, a spectacular tag match pitting CIBA and his partner, AR Fox against El Generico and Samuray Del Sol. These two teams wrung every drop of excitement, and emotion out of this match possible. Hard hitting kicks and punches were accompanied by utterly death defying leaps out of the ring , it appeared that El Generico may have been legit injured when one of these spots went awry.
There were chants of "This is awesome!" and "Dragons Gate!" throughout this match. Someone, for whatever reason, even tried to start a "Giant Baba" chant--it didn't get much support. Evetually CIBA, an partner Fox gained the hard earned nod.
Now it was time for the main event, as champion Johnny Gargano (who many remember from a few years ago as the star of Cleveland All Pro Wrestling), whose future has been the subject of much speculation. Rumors continue to circulate that he has, or soon will, sign a developmental contract with WWE.
His challenger was Akira Tozawa (accompanied by Christine Von Eerie) The two battled from pillar to post with ferocious strikes and kicks, as first one and then the other secured the advantage. The war went on for about twenty minutes as the crowd screamed itself hoarse. Occasionally Von Eerie would attempt to interfere, but it really came down to the mano a mano contest between the two warriors that left the fans cheering both their efforts.
After a ferocious battle, Gargano scored the pin. This prompted chants of "Thank you Johnny!" from the exhausted crowd. After a little by play involving the "swamp monster," and a man who appeared to be a Khaki Scout from the film "Moon Rise Kingdom," Gargano took the mike.
What followed was an impassioned speech in support of independent pro wrestling. Gargano stated that he had signed a new contract with Dragons Gate. However, it sounded a little ambiguous to me, and may have left the issue unresolved. Dragons Gate moves on to Chicago, and the limp fans moved into the night, as an awesome night of wrestling concluded.
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