Pro Wrestling Festival 2008

July 27, 2008 – Kobe, Japan

Akira Tozawa, Yuki Ono & El Generico VS. Super Shisa, Shisa BOY & K-Ness
Generico and Super Shisa start. They trade holds and fight it out on the mat. Generico swats away dropkicks until Super Shisa catches on and readjusts to connect. K-Ness and Ono tag into the match. Ono hits a body block. Tozawa and Shisa BOY tag into the match. Tozawa hits a butt butt. Shisa BOY dropkicks his back. K-Ness and Super Shisa hold Tozawa for a dropkick from Shisa BOY for 2. Tozawa hits a dropkick. Generico tags in and hits a leg lariat for 2. Ono tags in and hits a running knee for 2. Tozawa tags in and gets caught in a head scissors takedown. Everyone goes for dives but gets cut off by someone else. Super Shisa hits a hurricanrana on Generico. He follows him to the floor with a suicide dive. Tozawa hits a headbutt on K-Ness for 2. K-Ness hits the uranage for 2. He puts on a strangle stretch. Ono sits on Shisa BOY for 2. He hits a clothesline for 2. Generico kicks Super Shisa’s face off. He hits a split legged moonsault for 2. Tozawajuku gangs up on Super Shisa in the corner. Ono hits a Vader Splash for 2. Tozawa misses his big dive. The masked wrestlers gang up on Tozawa in the corner. They get a triple pin for 2. Generico hits the Half & Half on Shisa BOY for 2. He hits the brainbuster for the win at 9:19. This was about as good as a Tozawajuku Comedy-Division match was going to get, and Generico looked like a killer.
Rating: **¼

They replay the Stalker Ichikawa hype video from Infinity before the match. Since that episode of Infinity, ICHIKAWA has gotten dark, sneak attacking Great Sasuke’s buddies Masaaki Mochizuki & Don Fujii, shortening his name and smoking indoors.

ICHIKAWA VS. The Great Sasuke
ICHIKAWA comes bearing plunder and smoking a stogie. Sasuke attacks before the bell. He goes for an avalanche but hits the post. ICHIKAWA throws a stepladder at him. He bites Sasuke’s butt in the ring. He starts walking the ropes but Sasuke distracts him long enough to back away and force him to fall to the floor. He hits a dropkick through the ropes. He grabs a ladder from the back. In the ring ICHIKAWA rams Sasuke into the ladder. He puts Sasuke on the ladder and hits a Swanton Bomb for 2. He hits the Terry Funk spinning ladder, but keeps going and spins himself out. Sasuke gets 2. He goes for a Swanton Bomb but ICHIKAWA moves. Sasuke hits a backdrop. He drapes ICHIKAWA across the ladder and goes for another Swanton Bomb but meets the same fate. ICHIKAWA covers him for the win at 6:23, getting a huge pop. It was really strange to watch ICHIKAWA dominate and then win one of these matches, but I guess his transformation was for the better. The match even had its own internal story, with Sasuke going for the same move over and over and eventually hurting his back enough to get pinned. Strange, but fun.
Rating: **

Kenichiro Arai & Taku Iwasa VS. Cyber Kong & TAKEMURA
Tokyo Gurentai and Real Hazard screwed Arai and Iwasa out of the trios titles, so the former champs are going after both groups’ big men. Kong wears a cape now, making him even cooler. Arai attacks him from behind before the bell. Kong comes back with a back bodydrop on the ramp. Iwasa rams TAKEMURA into the post. In the ring Iwasa hits a shoulder tackle. Kong press slams Arai onto Iwasa and Ono on the floor. In the ring he hits another back bodydrop. TAKEMURA tags in and hits a bodyslam. He hits an elbowdrop. Kong tags in and hits an elbowdrop for 2. He puts on a chinlock. Arai gets to the ropes. Kong hits a second rope elbowdrop for 2. TAKEMURA tags in and hits an elbow in the corner. He hits a Tree of Woe dropkick. He hits a low blow. Arai hits a spinebuster. He jumps over Kong to hit a headbutt on TAKEMURA. Iwasa tags in but can’t get anything productive done with Kong. He forces TAKEMURA to hit a DDT on Kong. Arai and Iwasa hit stereo miracle bodyslams. Arai hits Kong with a suicide dive. Iwasa and TAKEMURA slug it out until they both get laid out with clotheslines. Arai tags in and hits a springboard dropkick. He hits Kong with one as well. Kong absorbs it and hits the Cyber Cutter for 2. Iwasa tries trading strikes with Kong, but only has success when he uses his speed to gain control. Arai double stomps TAKEMURA over Iwasa’s knees. Iwasa hits a lariat for 2. Kong hits both opponents with clotheslines. He hits Arai with a back suplex for 2. TAKEMURA hits a superbomb. Kong hits a flying elbowdrop for 2. Iwasa hits TAKEMURA with a backdrop driver. TAKEMURA powers through and hits a back suplex for 2. Arai hits a miracle backdrop on Kong. Kong hits his avalanche and the Pineapple Bomber for 2. He hits the Cyber Bomb for the win at 15:41. The match was designed to make Kong look good and it accomplished that. It wasn’t particularly exciting but everything fit in its place, and I appreciate it.
Rating: **¾

Genki Horiguchi VS. m.c.KZ [Open the Brave Gate Championship Match]
KZ hits a leg lariat before the bell. He hits a suicide dive. In the ring he hits a dropkick off the top. He hits a forearm and a northern lights suplex. He puts on the STF but Horiguchi gets to the ropes. Horiguchi hits a leg lariat. He hits a swinging DDT. He beats KZ around ringside. He launches KZ into the post. He hits a back bodydrop onto a pile of chairs. KZ beats the count at 19. Horiguchi hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a leaping elbow. He puts on a CHIKARA Special looking submission but KZ gets to the ropes. KZ blocks a moonsault with his knees. He hits the B-BOY. He hits a dropkick and dives onto Horiguchi on the floor. He hits a top rope crossbody in the ring. He hits the BEAT BOM for 2. KZ Time hits knees and Horiguchi hits a brainbuster for 2. He hits the Hot Spicy for 2. KZ blocks the Beach Break but not a spinning back suplex. Horiguchi hits a piledriver for 2. KZ gets sunset flip for 2. He gets another roll up for 2. Horiguchi distracts the referee so that Cyber Kong can interfere, but Kong ends up hitting Horiguchi with the Pineapple Bomber. KZ hits Horiguchi with the CD-J and KZ Time for 2. Kong comes in and hits the Cyber Cutter and the Pineapple Bomber. KZ powers up and gets a backslide on Horiguchi for 2. Horiguchi comes back with mist and the Beach Break for 2. He hits it again for the win and the title at 10:33. This was quite a bit better than I expected, but still a far cry from the title’s glory days under Masato Yoshino.
Rating: ***

Ryo Saito & Susumu Yokosuka VS. NOSAWA Rongai & MAZADA [Open the Twin Gate Championship Match]
The Hooligans steal the title belts and keep the champs from the ring to start. They control a brawl through the crowd. In the ring they control by double-teaming Yokosuka. Saito hits MAZADA with a hurricanrana. Rongai hits Saito with a chair shot. He and MAZADA crotch Yokosuka on the post. He kicks Saito’s back for 2. MAZADA tags in and they make a wish. MAZADA puts on a chinlock. He puts on a nerve hold. He and Rongai hit a double snap suplex for 2. They hit a double flapjack and a double wheelbarrow suplex for 2. The champs come back with clotheslines and suplexes. MAZADA hits Yokosuka with a DDT for 2. Yokosuka hits a vertical suplex. MAZADA hits a Michinoku Driver. Yokosuka hits a super exploder but Saito’s splash hits knees. TAKEMURA comes in and helps the assault on Saito. He hits a superbomb. He helps MAZADA hits a German suplex on Yokosuka for 2. Anthony W. Mori runs in to neutralize TAKEMURA with a dropkick. The champs kill MAZADA with clotheslines. Yokosuka sunset flips Saito, helping him German suplex MAZADA. Yokosuka clotheslines Saito by mistake. He hits Rongai with a clothesline for 2. The champs hit the Genkai on Rongai for 2 when TAKEMURA makes the save. Saito hits Rongai with a chair shot. Yokosuka dives onto TAKEMURA and MAZADA. Rongai hits a low blow on Saito. He gets a roll up for 2. He hits the Shining Wizard for 2. He hits a German suplex but Saito pops up. Saito hits a dragon suplex for 2. He hits the Premium Bridge for the win at 14:10. I just can’t stand Gurentai, and this match did nothing to change my opinion. What a waste of a Twin Gate PPV match.
Rating: **

Gamma, YAMATO & Yasushi Kanda VS. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Naoki Tanisaki VS. Dragon Kid, Anthony W. Mori & PAC VS. Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii & Magnitude Kishiwada [Open the Triangle Gate Championship Elimination Match]
Fujii, Tanisaki, Mori and Kanda start. Kanda bails while the other three trade holds. Kanda tries to sneak back in and gets attacked by all three opponents. The action stays mat based, but is too fast to keep up with. Mochizuki, YAMATO, Doi and PAC tag into the match. Mochizuki goes after YAMATO but hits everyone else by mistake. Doi and PAC double-team Mochizuki. PAC takes Doi out with a dropkick. Kid, Yoshino, Gamma and Kishiwada tag into the match. Kishiwada wants Gamma, so he bails. Kid and Yoshino double-team Kishiwada. Gamma rushes in and stomps Kishiwada to the floor. Gamma spits in everyone’s face. Kid hits him with a tiger feint kick. He Déjà Vus off Yoshino onto Gamma. Gamma goes for Kishiwada’s mask butt he referee stops him. Mochizuki hits Gamma and Doi with Gamma’s cane. Fujii gets into a chop battle against World 1, Typhoon and YAMATO. Even though it’s 7 on 1 he can handle it, so his teammates join the battle against him. In the end all nine of them hit him with a dropkick. Speed Muscle double-teams Kanda. They bring Kid in to hit a triple dropkick. Kanda hits a low blow on Tanisaki and Mori. They do one of those big chinlock spots, with everyone but Gamma involved because Mochizuki won’t let him put a chinlock on. Instead Gamma gives Mochizuki the Osuikougeki and hits everyone with his cane.

Kanda piles opponents in the corner and Gamma gives them the Egg Osuikougeki. Yoshino looks especially raped of his dignity. Mochizuki and Kanda put Tanisaki and Mori in abdominal stretches, but both victims escape with hiptosses. YAMATO hits a blue box shot on Mori. Mori, Tanisaki and Mochizuki hit him with a triple dropkick. Doi hits Kanda with the Dai Bosou. Yoshino hits Gamma with the Ude Yoshino. World 1 hits Real Hazard with a triple suicide dive. Mochizuki, PAC and Kid hit moonsaults onto different opponents on the floor. Fujii hits a suicide dive. Mochizuki hits a missile dropkick on Kanda. All of Real Hazard and Gurentai get hit with a Circus Shit Suplex, with Fujii helping from the apron. Typhoon wipes out Real Hazard. PAC misses a shooting star press and gets ganged up on in the corner by Real Hazard and Gurentai. Gamma misses a charge and gets ganged up on by all of Typhoon, World 1 and the old timers. Fujii hits YAMATO with a bulldog. Mochizuki hits a chest kick for 2. Kishiwada hits a fisherman suplex for 2. Gamma hits Kishiwada with a chair shot. He pulls on the mask. Mochizuki hits the Sankakugeri. Kishiwada holds Kanda and YAMATO for a senton from Doi. Fujii hits a clothesline. He hits a powerbomb. Mochizuki hits the Twister for 2. YAMATO hits Mochizuki with a low blow. Mochizuki returns the favor. YAMATO puts on the cross armbreaker. Kishiwada breaks it up with a splash. Mochizuki starts unleashing the Ikkakugeri but YAMATO keeps Gamma from getting eliminated. Gamma rips off Kishiwada’s mask and rolls him up for the elimination at 21:29.

Kid puts the Christo on Doi. Yoshino puts From Jungle on PAC and fights it out with Kid. Tanisaki and Mori make the save. Mori hits the Elegant Spike. Gamma hits him with the X-Factor. Doi dropkicks Kid. Kid comes back with a stunner. Kanda hits him with a side slam. Yoshino hits him with the sleeper slam. PAC hits him with a standing corkscrew shooting star splash. He hits YAMATO with an enziguiri the shooting star knee kick. Kid hits the Dragon Rana for 2. Doi and Yoshino hit an elevated flapjack/facebuster combo. Kid hurricanranas Yoshino off of Mori’s shoulders. Mori hits the Eleganton. PAC hits the shooting star press for 2. Doi hits PAC with a German superplex. Kanda hits an elbowdrop for 2. Doi powerbombs Kid into Kanda, dropping them both on Mori. Speed Muscle dominates. Doi hits PAC with the Bakatare Sliding Kick for the elimination at 25:45. Gamma attacks everyone with the cane. He hits Tanisaki with the Flashback. Kanda hits the John Woo and YAMATO hits a German suplex for 2. YAMATO eats powder by mistake. Yoshino hits the Torbellino. Doi and Tanisaki hit a double knee kick. Tanisaki hits the Implant for 2. Kanda hits a blue box shot. He hits the Ryu’s on the box for 2. Gamma hits a superkick and the Gamma Special for 2. YAMATO hits the Galleria for the win at 28:00. They went the goofy route instead of the epic route. Things got more serious after the old men got eliminated. Had the whole match been like the last seven minutes it would have contended with the ROH six-mans for best spotfest of the year, but as it is it’s simply an entertaining 30-minute escape.
Rating: ***½

A pre-match video chronicles the events occurring between BxB Hulk, Shingo Takagi and CIMA that led to the World 1 and Real Hazard wrestlers fighting over the company’s top prize. My Infinity reviews chronicle the entire feud, with the only piece of information missing being that Takagi turned on Hulk in the first place because he saw him as the weak link in New Hazard, and the reason that they lost the GHC Jr. tag titles to KENTA & Taiji Ishimori. It also shows the rigorous training the two have put into the preparation for this match.

Shingo Takagi VS. BxB Hulk [Open the Dream Gate Championship Match]
Takagi overpowers Hulk to start. Hulk ducks a chop and kicks Takagi’s chest. He hits an armdrag and a dropkick. Takagi hits a back bodydrop. Hulk takes a break on the floor. Takagi crotches Hulk in the ropes and hits a dragon screw over them. He works over Hulk’s leg. When countering doesn’t work Hulk gets to the ropes. Takagi hits the Alabamaslam and goes back to work on the leg. Hulk goes back to the ropes. He kicks with his good leg to put Takagi on the floor. Back in the ring Hulk kicks Takagi’s arm. He puts on an armbar. He hits a German suplex for 1. He goes for a cross armbreaker but Takagi blocks with a powerbomb. Takagi throws Hulk over the top to the floor. He pulls Hulk up the ramp and goes for a suplex but Hulk kicks him down. Takagi counters a hurricanrana to the Original Falconry. They break the count at 17. Hulk comes back with kicks. Takagi whips him hard into the post. Back in the ring Takagi has trouble with chops. Everyone freaks out when Takagi uses a closed fist on Hulk’s face. He hits mounted forearms. He hits a backdrop driver. He hits a kneedrop. He hits the Complete Shot and the Gallon Throw for 2. He hits a fistdrop and a second rope kneedrop for 2. He puts on a crossface. Hulk gets to the ropes. Hulk hits a hurricanrana. He hits a springboard dropkick to the back. Takagi falls to the floor so Hulk dives out after him with a moonsault press. Back in the ring he hits a springboard leg lariat for 2. He hits the uranage and a legsweep. He hits a senton for 2. Takagi hits an exploder, knocking Hulk’s leg into the corner. They fight to the apron where Hulk hits the EVO. That gets the crowd pumped but it’s the third time in as many Hulk matches I’ve seen that he’s done that. Takagi beats the count at 18. Hulk works the arm.

Takagi hits a German suplex. He gets through the Mouse but not a clothesline. Hulk hits a hurricanrana. Takagi hits a clothesline. Hulk blocks the Blood Fall and kicks Takagi’s face. He hits the EVO for 2. He goes up top but Takagi clotheslines him to the floor. He puts Hulk in the ring and then suplexes him back to the floor, jacking up his leg. Hulk beats the count at 19. Takagi bites his leg. He hits a kneedrop on the leg. He sets Hulk up top and tries to chop him to the floor but Hulk holds on. Takagi hits a superplex but Hulk gets fired up. Takagi hits a DDT. He hits MADE IN JAPAN for 2. He hits a clothesline. Hulk blocks the Avalanche Falconry and hits a leg lariat. He hits a second rope EVO for 2. He hits a buzzsaw kick. He hits the phoenix splash for 2. Takagi hits the Last Falconry. He hits a clothesline in the corner. He hits the Avalanche Falconry for 2. They trade strikes until Takagi hits the Pumping Bomber. Hulk hits the FTX. Takagi hits a clothesline. He hits another and tells Hulk to get up. Hulk hits a drop toehold and gets a roll up for 2. Takagi hits a lariat. He hits the Blood Fall and the Pumping Bomber for 2. He hits MADE IN JAPAN for 2. Hulk tries to block a second attempt but Takagi hits it for the win and the title at 36:53. They slowed things down a bit to keep this in the mold of other Dream Gate matches, but being Takagi and Hulk it was still a briskly paced 40-minute match. I thought it was interesting that since the belt was vacant Takagi went for count out victories. The arm and leg work didn’t lead anywhere, despite it being a good game plan on the part of both wrestlers. In the end the match was Hulk and Takagi unloading their arsenals until they had nothing left and only Takagi could stand. I have a problem with how quickly Hulk recovered from MADE IN JAPAN the first two times Takagi hit it, but aside from that this was a fun, smash-mouth match and I’m impressed with the pace they kept for as long as they kept it.
Rating: ****

After the match Takagi retracts his claim that Hulk is weak, which to the rest of his group means he’s apologizing for the reason he created Real Hazard. He says some nice things to CIMA as well. CIMA, with little hair because of the Real Hazard shaving attack, comes to ringside to endorse Takagi as champion. Cyber Kong attacks him and taunts him. Takagi doesn’t take it well. Kong, and the rest of Real Hazard, ignore Takagi and circle CIMA like buzzards. Takagi says he’ll hit CIMA, but Horiguchi attacks him from behind before he can. He and Gamma endorse Kong as the new Real Hazard leader and then the whole group beats on Takagi. Typhoon makes the save. A war of the Bombers doesn’t look good for Takagi until Dragon Kid helps him out. Kid invites Takagi into Typhoon but he declines, deciding only to team with Kid in the upcoming tag league.

As usual the undercard leaves a lot to be desired, but the main event and sub-main deliver. I also very much liked the way they elevated Kong on this show, so I’d say this ranks below Gate of Generation but ahead of Dead or Alive as far as 2008 PPVs go.