Kobe World is usually a night where wrestling fans see plenty of title changes within Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling. This year was no different as, at the Kobe World 2022 doubleheader, every single championship changed hands. Here’s a deeper dive into the title changes that transpired, and what could be next for each champion.
Title Changes at Kobe World 2022
H•Y•O Becomes Open the Brave Gate Champion
H•Y•O put a stop to the dominant reign of Dragon Dia as, on Night One of Kobe World 2022, a black panther clutch led to him leaving with the Brave Gate Championship. This is a belt H•Y•O has wanted since his debut, and he was finally able to capture it on the biggest stage, turning right around and defeating tag partner SBKENTo to retain the belt. SBK then let H•Y•O know he’d be headed to America to spread Bamishiri worldwide. As of now, nobody has stepped forward to challenge H•Y•O. However, if we had to predict who will, a KAGETORA challenge doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
【#DRAGONGATEmobile 情報】#KOBEWORLD2022 にてツインゲート王座奪取に成功した #カンフーマスターズ の一夜明けインタビューをUPしました。https://t.co/ZCMdEhjMqx→試合結果→7/30 #神戸ワールド記念ホール→インタビュー#DRAGONGATE #ProWrestling #神戸#KOBEプロレスフェスティバル2022 pic.twitter.com/QbOYPMIa22
— DRAGONGATE (@dragongate_pro) July 31, 2022
Jason Lee and Jacky “Funky” Kamei Become Open the Twin Gate Champions
The Kung Fu Masters duo of Jason Lee and Jacky “Funky” Kamei took down the Z-Brats duo of Shun Skywalker and Diamanté to claim the Twin Gate belts. The match will surely end up on many match of the year lists and was a great moment for both Lee and Kamei. As of now, nobody stepped forward. However, Z-Brats may not be done with those belts, especially now that a certain former champion team is free to chase again.
M3K Become Open the Triangle Gate Champions
Masaaki Mochizuki, Mochizuki Junior, and Susumu Mochizuki were able to bring the Open the Triangle Gate Championship back to Dragon Gate, defeating Perros Del Mal De Japon to claim the titles for the first time as a trio. On Night Two, in their first defense, they turned back both HIGH-END and Natural Vibes. The Triangle Gate belts are so valuable that any team from anywhere could step up and challenge. Thus, there’s no clear direction as to who’s next up.
【#DRAGONGATEmobile 情報】#KOBEWORLD2022 にてドリームゲート王座奪取に成功した #吉岡勇紀 選手の一夜明けインタビューをUPしました。https://t.co/ZCMdEhjMqx→試合結果→7/30 #神戸ワールド記念ホール→インタビュー#DRAGONGATE #ProWrestling #神戸#KOBEプロレスフェスティバル2022 pic.twitter.com/tGTDHICGjY
— DRAGONGATE (@dragongate_pro) July 31, 2022
Yuki Yoshioka Becomes Open The Dream Gate Champion
Yuki Yoshioka’s bumpy road to Kobe World paid off, as he became the Dream Gate Champion for the first time in his career. This is his first singles championship as well, dethroning the unstoppable KAI. Then, on Night Two, he shut up Kota Minoura for the time being after handily defeating him yet again in singles action, coming away as still the Open the Dream Gate Champion. Yoshioka now has completed the prophecy, so to speak. With his victory, every member of the class of 2016 has captured a singles championship at Kobe World, with Ben-K, and Shun winning Dream Gate first and H•Y•O and Yoshioka winning the Brave Gate and Dream Gate titles this weekend. Truly, this is Dragon Gate’s version of the 2003 NBA Draft.
What’s next for Yuki Yoshioka seems like the biggest question mark; all the perfect first challengers are ones he toppled in King of Gate. So we will have to wait until perhaps the next Korakuen Hall event and find out what’s next for him there.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. Looking to watch Dragon Gate? All their live shows will be on their steaming service Dragon Gate Network.
