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Preview: DRAGONGATE – Champion Gate in Osaka 2023 (3/4/23-3/5/23)

Champion Gate in Osaka match graphic

DRAGONGATE have just completed the Rey De Parejas 2023 tournament, and they look to keep their momentum going as DRAGONGATE presents Champion Gate in Osaka 2023 on March 4th and 5th. Champion Gate is an intriguing show, it usually produces some of the best title matches of the calendar year in recent precedent.  It’s also a show where we usually see some interesting Dream Gate challengers, and this year is no different. Every title is on the line, and it could be a NATURAL VIBES party by the time the weekend concludes.

DRAGONGATE Champion Gate in Osaka

3/4- Open The Brave Gate Championship: Minorita (c) vs Jason Lee

Rey De Parejas was a tale of two tournaments for Minorita and Jason Lee. Jason Lee continued to prove he’s one of the very best in DRAGONGATE, even managing to pin Yuki Yoshioka during the tournament. Minorita on the other hand suffered loss after loss for his team, and didn’t really show his worth as Open The Brave Gate Championship. Granted that was a tag team tournament, and singles is a completely different ball game. Jason used his momentum to make a challenge for the belt he’s always wanted, but has eluded him since he joined DRAGONGATE. Minorita accepted the challenge happily, and that sets the stage.

Jason Lee is headed back to Hong Kong soon, and he wants to bring a souvenir to show everyone. He also wants to bring back the full-sized Brave Gate belt, and do away with the Minorita-sized version. While Minorita says that his belt is suited for a champion, and he’s not ready to give it up. Will the scrap-or-die attitude of the champion prevail? Or will Jason Lee finally capture the Open The Brave Gate Championship?

3/4- Open The Triangle Gate Championship: GOLD CLASS (Kota Minoura, BxB Hulk, and Ben-K) (c) vs M3K (Yasushi Kanda, Susumu Mochizuki, and Mochizuki Junior)

GOLD CLASS has been revitalized with the addition of BxB Hulk, and they captured the Triangle Gate belts with their new charge almost immediately. However, Rey De Parejas started immediately after they won the belts so they had to shift their focus. Kota Minoura and BxB Hulk were a force, and made it all the way to the semi-finals of the tournament. They were stopped by the original tag team specialists in Yasushi Kanda and Susumu Mochizuki. A lot of teams in the tournament spoke about the advantages real tag teams had. Stating a good tag team is more effective than two-star wrestlers put together, and that’s what Kanda and Susumu proved. While Kanda and Susumu lost in the finals they showed they still have a lot left to give as a team.

After the finals, Masaaki Mochizuki reminded Kanda that he pinned one of the Open The Triangle Gate champions. Masaaki hinted that original M2K would challenge for the belts, but Kanda and Susumu had different plans. Picking Mochizuki Junior as their partner for the challenge, which lead to Masaaki saying Junior wasn’t ready for a big match without him. Kanda and Susumu mentioned Masaaki lost their final league match, not Junior. Will GOLD CLASS protect the Triangle Gate throne, or fail in their first defense?

3/5- Open The Twin Gate Championship: NATURAL VIBES (KZY and BIG BOSS Shimizu) (c) vs D’Courage (Yuki Yoshioka and Madoka Kikuta)

KZY and BIG BOSS Shimizu took a little excursion to America when Rey De Parejas kicked off, and made several defenses of the Open The Twin Gate Championship. While they were gone, Yuki Yoshioka and Madoka Kikuta had to fight their way from the bottom of A Block. They suffered a slow start to the tournament, despite some valiant efforts. They were able to figure out the winning formula, and ended up coming back to win Rey De Parejas. Yoshioka and Kikuta are the only combination of D’Courage to not be Twin Gate champions together, and the challenge that stands before them is no easy task. NATURAL VIBES and D’Courage have faced off several times in Twin Gate matches, but it’s the first time for these two respective duos.

Yoshioka and Kikuta have a lot of accolades and momentum behind them. However, this is the duo’s biggest test to date. KZY and Shimizu are the tag team that embodies current DRAGONGATE the best, and that’s who Kikuta and Yoshioka want to be. While KZY and Shimizu want to keep the belts, and work to being a great champion team. This match could steal the weekend, and set the tone for the Twin Gate scene for the rest of the year.

3/5- Open The Dream Gate Championship: Shun Skywalker (c) vs Strong Machine J

Strong Machine J has always been looking for that chance to stand out on his own, and be more than just the son of Super Strong Machine. While Shun Skywalker wants to rule over DRAGONGATE and eradicate those he deems weak. After all as the Open The Dream Gate Champion he is supposed to be the strongest of them all. In Rey De Parejas this was no different, as he and KAI were undefeated ahead of their final league match. All it took was one misstep for Strong Machine J to shock the world, and pin Shun Skywalker. Becoming that one blemish on an almost-perfect record, and using that momentum to make his first-ever Dream Gate challenge. Shun argued that J didn’t have any singles accomplishments to justify being a Dream Gate challenger, but he accepted.

Strong Machine J has always been searching for that individuality away from his father, and since he’s joined NATURAL VIBES he’s found that. He’s become his own man, and now he’s got the biggest match of his career ahead of him. J has spoken very passionately about this challenge when given the chance, and he feels that this is his time. He wants to be the one to steer the ship, and stabilize DRAGONGATE with himself at the top. Shun has been awfully quiet, and that doesn’t look good for J. What seems like a dream for him could very well turn into a nightmare.

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. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? 

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