L. Anne Carrington sent this review in:
I was fortunate to receive the Dragon Gate USA ?Open the Untouchable Gate? DVD over the holidays, and it’s a treat for fans who love quality independent wrestling. As marvelous as the pay-per-view was, the DVD presents a more winning package.
In addition to the Kendrick-CIMA match?which was edited for the PPV? not only is it presented in its entirety on the DVD, but also extended, which was a pleasant surprise. A few additional angles viewers of the PPV didn?t see are also included on this DVD. In addition, viewers can have a look at the bonus features and try the commentary on/off option. (I preferred to leave it on). The latter is a feature not found often on other wrestling DVD’s.
For those who have followed DGUSA from the beginning, their shows are far from run-of-the-mill. Their athletes are not unlike fine artists creating quality paintings on a canvas or brilliant authors telling a story, as shown throughout ?Open the Untouchable Gate? and DGUSA first release, “Open the Historic Gate.?
DGUSA pushes the envelope of what professional wrestling is about with less ‘soap opera? aspects and more high-caliber, quality matches. DGUSA’s wrestlers are able to show both their talent and full potential without any restrictions, and with appearances by the likes of Bryan Danielson (who has since left to find further success in WWE), Davey Richards and Brian Kendrick, with occasional appearances by familiar names such as Jimmy Jacobs, no one can accuse DGUSA of not having more variety outside of their Japanese roster members.
A few highlights I liked best:
The opening match of Dragon Kid and Masato Yoshino is just perfect. They have a great feud happening, and it is expressed brilliantly in their match. It’s emotional in the end, but during the entire bout, there is strong athletic competition happening. This match is just one example of outstanding booking.
Bryan Danielson, in one of his last independent promotional matches, faced Open the Dream Gate Champion Naruki Doi. I can?t say enough good things about this face-off, as the two contenders worked well together to put on a four-star match, creating, telling an excellent story, and each having free rein to work their own special skills. Many have hailed this particular paring a ?match of the night? quality, and I won?t argue with that description. Even if you aren?t a fan of either contender, it’s one of the finest matches on the DVD.
Brian Kendrick vs. CIMA: Perhaps this match being cut on the PPV was a secret ploy for DGUSA fans to purchase the DVD. If such was the case, then their a strategy may have worked in DGUSA’s favor. Kendrick builds his heel character well without being obnoxious, and the announcers add ambiance into his ?bad boy? image with significant form. Pair a top talent such a CIMA with an American independent wrestling scion such as Kendrick, and watch a winning combination unfold. Seeing the extended portion of the bout on DVD more than made up for it being hacked to pieces on the pay per view. I?m not going into further detail about it; it’s one thing fans need to see with their own eyes.
In any respect, Dragon Gate USA knows how to provide both the right material to keep fans guessing as well as the perfect number of matches to keep such fans from getting bored. There’s never a dull moment in DGUSA, and both longtime and new fans will enjoy what DGUSA currently offers and the surprises yet to come.
This isn?t the soap opera of WWE. This is wrestling in its finest hour!
Follow WrestleView.com on Twitter: twitter.com/wrestleview
Send us news/results: click here