Dragon Gate (Discussion)

[dancecab]

• Saito repalces Shingo and kicks him out

I love this idea more and think it's the direction they are going. I love bully Shingo but I think this would be a dope change up plus would make sense with Kanda just joining Verserk and young Verserk coming running things. Shingo has been seen as the leader for so long it's time for Eita and T-Hawk to step into the role. I'm biased though because Eita has become my dude in Dragon Gate since Akira Tozawa left. Something about him I'm really connecting with so personally I would love to see him in a higher up role. Honestly the whole Jushin Liger match in the Super J Cup really made me turn the corner on him and get attached.

[Angry216]

Seems like the Saito-Takagi stuff and the Kagetora-Kanda stuff is connected to a potential Cage match at DEAD or ALIVE. I like to imagine Takagi eventually gets kicked out but the cage match is five months away. So this is something that's rapidly developing and until we see the official roll out of the T-Hawk/Eita/Linda heel unit, then who knows.

I don't see SaiRyo turning heel, BTW. Especially with the emphasis on the Young Verserk trio. i suppose if Shingo gets kicked out, then yeah, you could replace him with a veteran. I do think there will be someone that joins to make this unit feel like it's own unit rather than Verserk with a different name.

Granted, this could just be like how the remains of REAL HAZARD just changed their names to DEEP DRUNKERS, but even then a few months later Tani-yan joined. So it's happened before.

But I'll wait for the first Korakuen of the year in a few weeks. Because by then, the new heel imagery I imagine will be revealed and we'll go from there.

[dancecab]

Fair point. I hope it becomes it's own entity. I've been desperate for a team shake up as the only thing I've truly loved this year was the MaxiMuM Vs. Jimmys feud and the death of the Jimmyz (upset they are gone but I loved everything leading up to the death ala the Unit Survival League and the Unit Disband match). I'm actually excited to watch Dragon Gate after Final Gate which hasn't been the case at most points of the year. Was watching more just because I love Eita and MaxiMuM.

[Starshine]

So VerserK is now ANTIAS, which supposedly means 'anti-aging.' They seem like the heel version of Over Generation with the gimmick of the aged members supporting the youth. Also the logo and all their merch are printed backwards which is weird. I do want to give them a chance, though on first impressions it does seem like a redundant palette swap from VerserK.

[BlizzardAcolyte]

I can get behind the idea of the vets being the guys hunting the Triangle Gate, while the young guys focus on the rest of the card...I wonder if this means that, once someone dethrones Kanda for the Brave, that person puts Lindaman over and he finally gets the run he probably should have gotten over Eita last year.

[BlizzardAcolyte]

Hmmm, it appears that a pig flew at K-Hall today...

[Foresite]

Hmmm, it appears that a pig flew at K-Hall today...

How so?

[Starshine]

Hmmm, it appears that a pig flew at K-Hall today...

How so?

Shimizu went for a top rope splash, over-sprang his jump and crashed through the Korakuen Hall roof leaving the building as little more than rubble when he finally landed the dive.

...That, or I don't actually know, and am too curious as to what BlizzardAcolyte refers to.

[BlizzardAcolyte]

Hmmm, it appears that a pig flew at K-Hall today...

How so?

When I first started following DG, Kzy was still m.c. KZ and teaming with Lupin, being one of the jobber teams in the inaugural Summer Advanture Tag League. I think about that, him getting thrown into a river or something when he initially feuded with Tanizaki and first went heel, that period where he was the clear bottom guy in Deep Drunkers, and so much other jobber shit he's done in his career, when he was my second-favorite guy in the promotion pretty much as soon as I started watching...given how many other, less talented people got put higher in the pecking order than him before he ever even got a Brave Gate reign (a reign with, I think, one token defense). In short, I never thought he was ever going to be presented the way he has been over the past year...

...and now, he seems to be encroaching upon the number-two spot in a unit, and he's about to get a Dream Gate shot before ever winning the Twin Gate. I'm happy but also blown away. It's surreal to me that we as an audience, and he, are at this point.

[Foresite]

Yeah ive followed DG since '05 and he's definitely breached the ceiling i never thought he would.

As much as they are a work rate based promotion, a shredded physique is still heavily favoured there, same thing happened with Shachi when he put on some muscle mass and gained a lot of rank.

Do you think there's a plan in place for the Dream Gate? DG feel like they have picked up momentum in recent months but ive no idea where they are going after Mochi

[Starshine]

I wouldn't even put it as just a physique thing, Kzy wasn't exactly turning heads in the ring until more recent years either. It's nice to see him surpass expectations, and they trust him enough to put him in this spot.

I remember thinking that it said a lot when he got a spot in the Ricochet farewell match.

[rollup]

I think KZY getting a dreamgate shot is a good experiment as they are quickly running out of top contenders.

that said i do think they should had just tried out T-hawk as champ last year.

[Starshine]

I think KZY getting a dreamgate shot is a good experiment as they are quickly running out of top contenders.

that said i do think they should had just tried out T-hawk as champ last year.

Man, I'm more forgiving on T-Hawk that a lot of others. But after that flub on the Korakuen show, it's hard to take him seriously.

[rollup]

I think KZY getting a dreamgate shot is a good experiment as they are quickly running out of top contenders.

that said i do think they should had just tried out T-hawk as champ last year.

Man, I'm more forgiving on T-Hawk that a lot of others. But after that flub on the Korakuen show, it's hard to take him seriously.

yeah Thawk has been totally overshadowed on the mic and in the ring by Lindaman and Eita.

But that said they had kept putting him into Kobe world main events and should had just pull the trigger on what they wanted to do on him

[Starshine]

I think KZY getting a dreamgate shot is a good experiment as they are quickly running out of top contenders.

that said i do think they should had just tried out T-hawk as champ last year.

Man, I'm more forgiving on T-Hawk that a lot of others. But after that flub on the Korakuen show, it's hard to take him seriously.

yeah Thawk has been totally overshadowed on the mic and in the ring by Lindaman and Eita.

But that said they had kept putting him into Kobe world main events and should had just pull the trigger on what they wanted to do on him

Yeah, maybe. It's hard to say. This whole ANTIAS thing also could be a make or break deal for him. He's being pushed as the top heel in the company, and has a unit built in his own image. If this doesn't work, I wouldn't be surprised if they washed their hands on the whole idea.