If you have access to China’s QQ streaming site, you can watch most of the show here. This match comes around the 01:53:00 mark.
A version of this show is now available on Twitch. This match starts around the 43 minute mark.
Our Story So Far…
– Earlier in the show, the Dragon Gate wrestlers disrespected the Chinese OWE wrestlers, saying that they’re all small, short, and skinny, and that real wrestling comes from Japan.
– Susumu Yokosuka has been with Dragon Gate since they were Toryumon in 1998. YAMATO has been there since 2006. Both have held tag, trios, and singles titles, including the Open the Dream Gate Championship. YAMATO also held the Open the Freedom Gate Championship in Dragon Gate USA.
– “Storm Boy” Lu Ye and “Happy Ghost” Yang Hao are part of the O team in OWE. Lu comes out in basic Asian pop or hip-hop clothes with a baseball bat. Yang is dressed in a Qing Dynasty outfit that is often associated with Jiangshi (僵尸), the Chinese “hopping zombie,” during his entrance. But he looks a lot friendlier than a normal Jiangshi.
Now on to the match!
This is what I’ve been looking most forward to – an OWE vs. Dragon Gate match.
YAMATO starts with Yang, and then Yokosuka wrestles Lu, and both periods follow the same theme: the veteran Japanese guys get cocky and are surprised by their novice opponents. Then they start brawling at ringside, including YAMATO taking Lu into the crowd. Team DG work over Yang with a lot of stomps, slaps, face-raking, and choking. Yang finally makes the tag after hitting a lovely dropkick on YAMATO. Lu manages to send both guys outside so Yang can land a space flying tiger drop (with extra twist). The commentators then get overly excited for Lu’s simple scoop slam on YAMATO. After an acrobatic double team, Yang gets a very close nearfall with a sunset flip, but it’s not long after when Lu falls to a Yokosuka cutter.
Afterwards, Yang helps Lu up while YAMATO and Yokosuka insultingly kick at them. Lu looks fairly heartbroken for the loss, but he and Yang both bow to the crowd.
I thought this was another decent, yet unspectacular, match. A couple spots were highlight-worthy, but most of the match was just basic stuff. I guess I expected more fast and innovative offense from the Dragon Gate team, but since they were the bad guys, they had to focus on the slow, rule-bending stuff instead. Lu and Yang both looked good for their level, but it made perfect sense for them to lose, even with a bit of a sudden finish. They’re not experienced enough to stretch the veterans to a long finishing sequence. I look forward to the day when they are.
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