Dragon Gate USA
Philadelphia, Pa. at The Arena
Report by Dot Net reader Derek Lentz

Attendance was around 700 to 800. There was a big accident on the highway which caused Jigsaw and Eddie Kingston to be late to the show.

1. Gran Akuma defeated Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Lince Dorado, Johnny Gargano, Gran Akuma, and Hallowicked to advance in the Open the Freedome Gate Title tournament. Jigsaw was originally supposed to be in this match but got to the building late which is why Hallowicked was in the match. This was a great opener with a lot of high spots which saw the Young Bucks use a lot of double team moves. Gran Akuma won the match with the moonsault which put him in the main event for the Open the Freedom Gate Title later in the night.

2. BxB Hulk defeated Brian Kendrick. A solid match, but I expected much more of these two. The crowd loved B.B. Hulk and were cheering for him throughout the match. It just seems to me that ever since Kendrick came back to the indies he just hasn't been on par to which I know he is capable of. B.B. won the match with a pinning combination and advances to the finals. After the match, Kendrick cuts a heel promo to the crowd and several people try to get him out of the ring, including Jon Moxley who helped Kendrick beat up the men who tried to get Kendrick out of the ring. It looks like Moxley and Kendrick might be teaming up now.

3. CIMA defeated Mike Quackenbush, Jorge Skayde Rivera, and Super Crazy to advance to the tournament finals. This was a good match that saw the mentor meet three of his pupils. Skayde looks old but this man can still move. Super Crazy looked out of shape but was solid here. Crazy even heeled it up by attacking Skayde's leg which did not please the other men or the fans. Lots of Lucha Libre maneuvers by all four men. CIMA won with a pinning cradle to advance to finals.

4. YAMATO defeated Davey Richards to advance to the tournament finals. A great hard hitting match which saw Richards focus on the arm of YAMATO. YAMATO focused on the knee/leg of Richards and used many ankle locks. One scary spot saw Richards throw YAMATO into the guardrail that sent a female fan to the ground. She got up and was fine which got a "She's Hardcore" chant. A very excellent match which saw YAMATO pull out the upset in many people's eyes with sitting tombstone. He advances to the finals which were now set with Akuma, YAMATO, CIMA, and B.B. Hulk.

5. Jigsaw defeated Eddie Kingston. This match probably won't air on the PPV. Kingston was supposed to be on the pre-show. A solid match which Jigsaw won with a double stomp off the top rope.

6. Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino beat Shingo and Dragon Kid. Wow, an unbelievable match. One of the best I have ever seen live. The action was off the charts and all four men went all out in this one. By far the best match tonight. Yoshino made Dragon Kid tap to his trademark submission where he chokes the opponent with his legs. Lots of innovative spots and double team moves. This was Yoshino's first victory in DGUSA over Dragon Kid.

7. BxB Hulk defeated Gran Akuma, YAMATO, and CIMA in a four-way to become the first Dragon Gate USA "Open the Freedom Gate" Title. This match had elimination rules. People were thinking it was going to be YAMATO or CIMA that won the gold. A good match, not great as it was slow in spots. CIMA was the first man eliminated which shocked the fans after Akuma, who is affiliated with YAMATO, gave a low blow to CIMA, and YAMATO rolled him up for the pin.

The odds were against BxB Hulk but he managed to pin Akuma with a pump handle into a head first driver (sorry don't know what it is called) while YAMATO was on the outside. Good back and forth battle at the end which saw BxB Hulk prevail and win the title. After the match Davey Richards and YAMATO attack Hulk, which brought in Dragon Kid for the save. I believe Dragon Kid is next in line for a title shot.

Notes: Overall this was a good show with a lot of solid action. There were two standout matches being the tag match and Richards vs. YAMATO.

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