It’s been a long time coming for the patient DRAGONGATE fans as cheering returns for a big event for the first time since the start of the pandemic. DRAGONGATE presents The Gate of Destiny 2022 in Osaka, featuring four big championship matches and a return of a rookie who hasn’t been seen since he left for excursion a few months ago. Here is what the big night of action will bring.
DRAGONGATE The Gate of Destiny 2022 Card
- Open The Dream Gate Championship: Yuki Yoshioka[c] vs YAMATO
- Open The Triangle Gate Championship: Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Mochizuki, and Mochizuki Junior[c] vs KAI, Shun Skywalker, and Masked Z
- Open The Brave Gate Championship: H•Y•O vs Dragon Kid
- Open The Twin Gate Championship: Dragon Dia and Madoka Kikuta[c] vs BIG BOSS Shimizu and Strong Machine J
- Eita vs Takuma Fujiwara
- Kota Minoura and Ben-K vs BxB Hulk and Diamanté
- Takashi Yoshida, Punch Tominaga, Ho Ho Lun, and Yosuke♡Santa Maria vs Gurukun Mask, Konomama Ichikawa, Problem Dragon, and Shachihoko Boy
- Kaito Nagano and Genki Horiguchi vs Yasushi Kanda and Ishin Iihashi
- Ultimo Dragon, Don Fujii, Naruki Doi, and Shuji Kondo vs U-T, Jason Lee, KZY, and Jacky “Funky” Kamei
Eita vs Takuma Fujiwara
It was announced that Takuma Fujiwara would be returning from the Toryumon Casa for a few shows, and the big attraction was this match. It was announced he would have a singles match with Eita, who is fresh off a challenge of the Open The Dream Gate Championship, as well as someone Fujiwara can relate to. Eita is someone that, just like Fujiwara, took an excursion to Mexico and returned briefly at a Gate of Destiny event. Back in 2012, he returned to face Dragon Kid for the Open The Brave Gate Championship before returning to his excursion. While Fujiwara may not be the next Eita, it’s hard to deny the similarities as far as career paths go. Let’s see if Fujiwara can show what he’s learned in Mexico to someone who was once dubbed the “‘Llave Master.’
Open The Twin Gate Championship: Dragon Dia and Madoka Kikuta[c] vs BIG BOSS Shimizu and Strong Machine J
Madoka Kikuta and Dragon Dia look to make their first successful defense of the Twin Gate titles but it won’t be easy. Their opponents definitely earned their shot, as BIG BOSS Shimizu pinned Dragon Dia in a tag match while also drawing with Madoka Kikuta in a singles contest before challenging for the belts alongside Strong Machine J. Kikuta and Dia have been on quite the role as of late, but Strong Machine J has strong feelings about the champions and the belts that they hold. J took to social media to state that he has always said he’s wanted to form a tag team with Shimizu so he’s glad that they can do that.
However, he’s asked what has the current champion team done for the belts, seemingly believing that the team is only wearing the belt as an accessory and not as true champions. He then stated that he thinks he and Shimizu are a tag team that symbolizes the current Dragon Gate and they plan on taking the belts and increasing their value. J has been looking to provide results since joining NATURAL VIBES, and he just hasn’t done that quite yet. Could this be his chance to prove his worth alongside BIG BOSS, or will Kikuta and Dia keep their momentum going with a successful first defense at DRAGONGATE The Gate of Destiny 2022?
Open The Brave Championship: H•Y•O[c] vs Dragon Kid
When H•Y•O first became the Open The Brave Gate Champion, he had been calling out Dragon Kid but was never approached. After successfully defending against Jason Lee, he finally got his wish, as Dragon Kid finally made his challenge. H•Y•O has showed some disrespect to the Brave Gate belt by stepping on it among other things, but deep down, it seems as if he really cares for the belt. He has constantly gone after the younger generation on Twitter, namely U-T for not coming and challenging him before Kid did, stating he’s already looking past Kid and thinking about the future.
However, H•Y•O might want to rethink his words. Dragon Kid is by no means a pushover, as one of the most famous wrestlers in Dragon Gate’s history. He was one of the first wrestlers to show that smaller wrestlers like H•Y•O can be big stars in pro wrestling. Not only that, but he symbolizes the Brave Gate division with the second most combined days as champion at 733 days across 4 reigns, and 13 defenses. One has to imagine that H•Y•O hasn’t forgotten that, despite the trash talk. The champion knows he has to beat Dragon Kid to push the Brave Gate division forward.
Open The Triangle Gate Championship: Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Mochizuki, and Mochizuki Junior[c] vs KAI, Shun Skywalker, and Masked Z
After M3K’s successful defense of the Open The Triangle Gate Championship against the Kung Fu Masters, KAI and supposed Shun Skywalker made a challenge to the champions for KAI, Shun Skywalker, and new member of Z-Brats Masked Z to get a shot at the Triangle Gate belts. The champion team accepted, and Masaaki Mochizuki let everyone know he was happy with the progression of the young generation of DRAGONGATE except for Shun Skywalker. Shun has since then gone at Mochizuki, criticizing him at every given turn, especially with his handling of his son, Mochizuki Junior. After some time overseas, Shun Skywalker has a chance to come back and strike Triangle Gate gold at DRAGONGATE The Gate of Destiny 2022.
He’s got a tough champion team to contend with, as they’ve turned back challenger after challenger. Yet Shun, along with the Z-Brats leader KAI, has an ace in the hole: their newest member, Masked Z. There hasn’t even been a subtle hint as to who this might be, and he could be the deciding factor in this match.
Open The Dream Gate Championship: Yuki Yoshioka[c] vs YAMATO
Yuki Yoshioka has been one of the saving graces of professional wrestling in 2022. He’s on a tear as the Open The Dream Gate Champion, and what better chance to prove that he’s truly at the top of DRAGONGATE than the opportunity he has now? With fans cheering for the first time since prior to the pandemic, he gets to defend against ‘The Almighty’ YAMATO. Although the two men met in the King of Gate tournament earlier this year it’s safe to say this time is vastly different. Yuki Yoshioka mentioned it’s his duty as the Open The Dream Gate Champion to not just take challengers from the present but the future. He must also take on DRAGONGATE’s history and beat some former Open The Dream Gate Champions hence why he challenged YAMATO.
YAMATO took exception to this and said that perhaps Yoshioka should’ve set the bar a little lower, such as challenging Ryo Saito or someone of that caliber; if Yoshioka can defeat him, there’s no sense in facing anyone else. He would’ve already beaten the greatest champion of them all. This could possibly be YAMATO’s last shot at the Dream Gate title, and for that possibility alone, Yoshioka is going to have to do more to take down YAMATO this time.
A Must-Win Situation for Both Men at The Gate of Destiny 2022
YAMATO is returning from an overseas expedition and has faced various wrestlers of different styles. He’s been working hard despite being away from Japan, and could come back in a big way breaking his own record for most Dream Gate reigns. Yuki Yoshioka, on the other hand, can show everyone just how far the mighty have fallen, and that this is his era of DRAGONGATE at The Gate of Destiny 2022.
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.
