Gringo Loco’s Wrld On Lucha 2026
Date: April 17, 2026
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: John Mosley, Veda Scott

This is one of those shows where you can probably get the concept just based on the title. The show will feature a bunch of lucha style matches, which should make for an entertaining card. I’m not sure how it is going to be that much different than a lot of what you see on these other shows as lucha is rather popular but let’s get to it.

Gringo Loco narrates the opening video, talking about his love of lucha libre and how this is about the style at its best. Welcome to its world.

Opening video, which seems to be a standard GCW video.

Rafael Quintero vs. Resplandor vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Dulce Tormenta vs. Devon Monroe vs. KJ Orso

Orso runs his mouth to start and gets kicked in the face before the bell. Monroe snaps off a poisonrana and the ring is mostly cleared until Orso comes back in to poke Resplandor in the eye. That earns him a rather springboardy armdrag to the apron, where Orso hits a brainbuster. Quintero comes back in and gives Orso a running elbow, only to get suplexed by Lloyd.

Monroe grabs a flipping facebuster so Tormenta comes in for a butterfly backbreaker and a clothesline. Orso crotches Tormenta on top and goes for her mas, only to get super hurricanranaed down by Monroe. Tormenta is back up to dive onto a pile, leaving Quintero to hit a corkscrew dive from the top. Back in and Resplandor’s double moonsault gets two on Orso and Moore grabs a tornado DDT on Lloyd. Tormenta powerbombs Resplandor into Quintero in the corner. A Blue Thunder Bomb connects but Orso hits a double stomp to pin Tormenta at 9:35.

Rating: C+. It was a bunch of insanity but as usual, you can only get so much out of having this many people flying around. That was the case here, with Orso being a fairly obvious winner as he was the only one really hyped up at the beginning. As usual, I get why there are so many people in these things and why they exist, but they’re far from my favorite.

Video on Julissa Mexa, who is on a roll lately. Now she gets some better competition.

Thunder Rosa vs. Julissa Mexa

Rosa rolls away from Mexa to start so Mexa takes the leg out and cranks on the leg a bit. A dragon screw legwhip has Rosa in more trouble but she gets up and hammers away. Rosa’s headscissors into the ropes has Mexa reeling but she sends Rosa outside for the running flip dive. They fight into the crowd with Rosa firing off some chops and it’s time to get back inside.

Mexa avoids a shot and dances a bit, only for Rosa to knock her down as well and dance right back. Rosa sends her into the ropes for some running dropkicks, followed by something like a tabletop superplex. Mexa catches her on top though and it’s a flipping fall away slam. Rosa isn’t having this and grabs the over the shoulder piledriver for the on 10:31.

Rating: C+. Well that happened. Mexa was introduced, presented as a big deal, and then lost to a bigger name in a match that was just ok. It was far from bad, but I’m not sure why they made such a big deal out of Mesa before having her lose like this. Rosa is a star, but that’s all I know coming out of this.

Mexa’s Boys/Briyante Jr. vs. Mala Fama/Rey Horus

That would be Noisy Boy/Spider Fly and Latigo/Toxin. The Boys and Briyante waste no time in knocking the other three to the floor for the big running dives. Back in and Fly spins around Latigo and sends him out to the floor. Noisy headscissors Toxin out as well but gets hurricanranaed by Horus. Briyante comes in and gets stomped down by Mala Fama, who are sent back outside.

Another set of dives is cut off and Horus chops Briyante to the floor. A double spinebuster drops Noisy and Horus gives Fly a UFO splash for two. Briyante is back up with a moonsault to the floor and Fly follows with a running flip dive of his own. Back in and Briyante’s frog splash gets two on Toxin, followed by a six man Tower Of Doom for the huge crash. Latigo fails on three straight attempts at a nip up until Fly helps him up. Well that was nice of him. Back in and Horus gives Noisy a super victory roll for the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B. This was more what I was expecting from the show with six talented stars flying around and going nuts with one big spot after another. It worked out rather well with mostly non-stop action. Mala Fama has shown up around the weekend a few times now and they’re not bad at all for what they’re doing as a heel lucha team. Keep an eye on them.

Post match respect is shown and money is thrown.

Galeno del Mal vs. Jack Cartwheel

The idea is that Cartwheel has never been able to beat Mal. Cartwheel, who is about six inches shorter, gets shoved away a few times to start and a running forearm puts him down as well. Cartwheel gets in a kick to the chest and sends him outside, where Mal pulls a dive out of the air. Back in and Mal kicks him in the head, followed by a hard chop in the corner.

They go outside with Mal dropping him off a single shot to the face. Cartwheel gets a running charge and tries a dive over the steps, only to get caught and swung into them. Back in and Cartwheel low bridges him to the floor for the running tornado DDT. A spinning slingshot elbow connects back inside. Cartwheel hits a springboard Phoenix splash…and has hurt his arm so the match is called at about 7:05.

Rating: C+. It’s hard to rate a match like this as they were just starting to roll when everything stopped. Hopefully Cartwheel is ok as that’s a terrible thing to see. It was a nice story going as Cartwheel was trying to slay the giant and I’m curious about where it was going before the injury.

Arez/Gringo Loco/Vengador vs. Hyo/Kzy/Yuki Yoshioka

Loco armdrags Kzy down to start and they flip up to a standoff. They run the ropes until Loco tells him to stop, meaning it’s gyrating time. Arez and Yoshioka come in, with the grappling sending Yoshioka into a rollup for a near fall. They both miss dropkicks and flip to their feet for another standoff.

Now it’s Hyo vs. Vengador and Hyo takes his straps down, only to pull them right back up. They shake hands, but Vengador doesn’t let go, meaning it’s time to run the ropes. Vengador knocks him down and hands it off to Loco, who goes up top for a gyrating split legged moonsault. Hyo gets slammed into a sitout powerbomb and a brainbuster drops him again. Yoshioka is powerbombed too and a toss into a DDT makes it worse.

Kzy fights out of the corner but gets thrown into Loco’s super sitout powerbomb (that looked GREAT). Arez kicks Kzy down again but Hyo is back in for a running headscissors and double stomp to Loco. Yoshioka hits a big springboard dive to the floor and Arez gets caught with a sitout fireman’s carry slam. It’s Loco back up with the save but Hyo gyrates right back at him for a change.

They fight to the floor and Yoshioka tries a sunset bomb on Arez to no avail. Instead Loco and Arez break up stereo moonsaults so Vengador can hit a running flip dive of his own. Back in and Hyo takes the straps down again for a middle rope cutter to Arez. Loco is up with some kind of a double crucifix bomb (commentary doesn’t know how to describe it either), leaving Vengador to hit a pop up cutter on Hyo. Loco’s moonsault is good for the pin at 18:54.

Rating: B+. Awesome match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there. They were just going nuts with one spot after another here and you could tell how much Loco was putting into the big match on his own show. The Dragon Gate guys were more than doing their thing and I had a heck of a time watching this one.

Post match, respect is shown.

We recap El Desperado vs. Vipress. They’re both into death match stuff and they’re having a death match. Sometimes it’s that simple.

Vipress vs. El Desperado

Death match but they actually go with some grappling to start. With that not working, it’s already time for chairs. As in a lot of chairs. Back in and Vipress sends him right out to the floor and follows, only to get sent into the chairs. With Vipress’ head in a chair, Desperado blasts her with another chair.

A door is set up at ringside and they go back inside, with Desperado’s superplex being turned into one from Vipress. Desperado belly to back suplexes her into a brainbuster for two and goes up again, only to be shoved down through the door. Back in and something like a pumphandle Blue Thunder Bomb gives Desperado two and they’re both down.

They forearm it out until Vipress is knocked down but she hurricanranas him for two. A Deadeye gives Desperado two but Vipress is back with a Canadian Destroyer for two more. Desperado’s tombstone gets another two and it’s time to throw in a bunch of chairs. Angel’s Wings onto the chairs finish Vipress at 15:32.

Rating: B-. The match wasn’t exactly a classic but my goodness what a relief that they didn’t go insane. The weapons used here were nothing more than a bunch of chairs and a single door. Other than that it was a clean match and I had a good enough time with it. While not exactly great and I’m not sure why it was the main event, it could have been much worse.

Veda Scott: “We’ll catch you next time! Which is in like two hours!”

Overall Rating: B-. While this show might not have been some all time classic, it was the kind of show that flew by and had some entertaining action. That’s all it was supposed to be and the six man tags were both rather good. There’s nothing must see on here but if you want something a little easier to watch, you’ll have a fine time.

Results
KJ Orso b. Resplandor, Rafael Quintero, Jimmy Lloyd, Dulce Tormenta and Devon Moore – Double stomp to Tormenta
Thunder Rosa b. Julissa Mexa – Over the shoulder piledriver
Mala Fama/Rey Horus b. Mexa’s Boys/Briyante Jr. – Super victory roll to Noisy Boy
Galeno del Mal b. Jack Cartwheel via referee stoppage
Arez/Gringo Loco/Vengador b. Hyo/Kzy/Yuki Yoshioka – Moonsault to Hyo
El Desperado b. Vipress – Angel’s Wings onto a pile of chairs

 

 

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The Gate Of Revolution
Date: April 18, 2025
Location: MEET Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, Rich Bocchini

This is a co-promoted show between Dragon Gate USA and Pro Wrestling Revolution, giving us the incredibly clever title. Dragon Gate USA is freshly back so there is only so much built up for the card. In other words, this is going to be all about the action we get to see and that should make for a fun night. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Diablo Azteca vs. Kid Lynx vs. Rhys Maddox

A double dropkick puts Maddox down to start, leaving the other two to trade armdrags. Maddox is back in to send Azteca outside and a basement dropkick gets two on Lynx. Back up and Lynx strikes away, setting up a rolling Stunner. Lynx bodyscissors Azteca but gets triangle choked by Maddox. That’s broken up and Maddox is back with a springboard cutter for two on Azteca. Maddox crucifix bombs both of them at once and they forearm it out from their knees. Lynx is sent outside, leaving Azteca to tie Maddox up for a driver and the pin at 5:42.

Rating: C+. Let three guys have a few minutes to warm up the crowd with a fast paced match. That’s all this needed to be and they didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. It’s an idea that will always work and it was a perfectly fine way to go for a pre-show match. That’s a tricky thing to do and they did it well here.

And now, the main show.

Border Patrol vs. Rey Horus/Vary Morales

Stevens shoves Morales down to start but a dropkick gives Morales a breather. Horus comes in to dropkick Dutra down and it’s time to work on the arm. A hot show drops Morales though and a running kick to the face puts him in even more trouble. Stevens’ middle rope elbow gets two and Morales gets pounded down in the corner.

That’s broken up and Morales manages a double knockdown. Horus comes back in to pick up the pace, including the big running flip dive to the floor onto everyone else. A Fameasser into a top rope elbow gets two on Morales but Horus is up for the save. Horus’ dive to the floor misses though and the Border Wall (powerbomb/Zig Zag combination) pins Morales at 8:56.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match with the Border Patrol coming off as villains who don’t like luchadors around here. Horus and Morales fought against them but lost in the end, which might not be the best way to start a show. The match itself wasn’t bad at all, with the Patrol giving off a bit of a Basham Brothers vibe (and yes, the Bashams were good when they weren’t stuck with a ridiculous gimmick).

El Cucuy/Oni El Bendito vs. La Estrella/Viento vs. Mike Sydal/Willie Mack

Mack and Cucuy (basically the boogeyman of Mexico) start things off but instead we hit the music so Mack can dance. He even throws in a Worm and a backwards Worm for good measure, earning a cheap shot from Cucuy to take over. Back up and Mack hurricanranas him out to the floor, allowing Sydal and Estrella to come in, with a Yoga Driver giving Sydal two. Estrella walks on his hands for a headscissors and it’s off to Viento vs. Bendito.

They waste no time in running the ropes for some flips so Cucuy comes back in to help double team Viento down. Sydal comes in and fights back a bit, allowing the tag off to Mack, who isn’t scared of Bendito. Estrella is back in for a dropkick and everything breaks down, meaning it’s time for the string of dives. Back in and Cucuy plants Viento, setting up the running flip dive for the knockdown. Estrella dropkicks Bendito, who is right back with a superkick into a slingshot Jackhammer for the pin at 11:49.

Rating: B-. This was your standard lucha three way tag and it worked well enough. You had a nice mixture of power and high flying, which made for a fun formula. Cucuy is a good monster and Mack could match his power, leaving the other four to do the high flying. Entertaining match here, as it felt different enough from the previous match to stand out a bit.

Stars vs. Hyan/Karisma

Stars are Hanan/Saya Iida and their Goddess of Stardom Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Karisma and Hanan start, with the former pulling her down to work on the arm. Hanan reverses into a headlock takeover and Iida comes in for a double bulldog to put Karisma in trouble. Iida unloads with chops in the corner and gets two off a posing cover. Karisma fights up and hits some running shots in the corner, allowing Hyan to come in for two off a belly to back suplex.

An assisted splash hits Iida, who is back with a pretty hard running clothesline. Hyan and Iida chop it out and a double clothesline puts both of them down. Hanan and Karisma come in for the slugout and everything breaks down. Karisma takes WAY too long setting up a moonsault and only hits mat for the crash. Stars double team Karisma down and a tabletop suplex gives Hanan the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. Another fast paced, back and forth match with two teams getting to showcase themselves. Stars definitely seem like the more polished team but Karisma and Hyan held their own. This was another nice change of pace and that’s a good thing to see continuing over an hour into the card.

Dragon Kid/Ultimo Dragon vs. Ho Ho Lun/Susumu Yokosuka

Kid and Yokosuka start things off with a stomp to Kid’s feet putting him in trouble. Lun comes in as we hear about Kid’s history in wrestling, which started as a referee. Some double teaming has Kid down and we hit the chinlock. The eyes are raked over the top rope and Lun slaps on the armbar. A knee to the ribs gives Yokosuka two as we hear about Kid and Yokosuka being in the same stable but Kid wanted to team with Ultimo. Eh I’ve heard worse ideas.

Kid comes back with a middle rope hurricanrana and it’s off to Ultimo for the big reception and a string of kicks to Yokosuka. A dragon screw legwhip pulls Yokosuka down and Ultimo gets in a reverse Figure Four. Kid Octopuses Lun at the same time but both holds are broken up in a hurry. Ultimo cuts Lun off, leaving Kid to grab a West Coast Pop to pin Yokosuka at 10:45.

Rating: C+. Oh like this was ever in doubt. That’s not a bad thing either, as having Ultimo on the show and giving him a win is a perfectly good way to go. Kid did most of the work for the team despite being a seasoned veteran himself, but the whole thing worked out well, especially with the fans giving Ultimo that kind of a reception.

Post match the Dragons hug (despite a bit of animosity) and here is Matt Sydal…for a promo I can’t understand as the audio is fairly horrible. It seems to be praising Ultimo and the promotion, which gets a nice reaction.

Pro Wrestling Revolution Tag Team Titles: Arkangel Divino/Ultimo Maldito vs. Los Hermanos de la Jungla

Divino and Maldito are defending and both teams are brothers. Aero Panther dropkicks Divino to start but Maldito comes in for some alternating shots to Fight Panther Jr.’s face. A spinning kick in the face hits Fight and an assisted spear gets two. Aero gets beaten down but Fight is up with a frog splash for two on Divino. Maldito is back in with a Regal Roll into a moonsault, only for Fight to elbow him in the face for two of his own.

Back up and Maldito slugs it out with Fight until Divino comes back in for a heck of a superkick. Divino poisonranas Aero and everyone is down. Aero sends Maldito to the floor for a big springboard flip dive, followed by a slam to Divino. Maldito breaks up the dive though and Divino super hurricanranas Maldito off the top onto the champions. Back in and a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer finishes Aero to retain the titles.

Rating: B. Take four guys who can fly around rather fast and go all over the place for about ten minutes and pop the crowd as a result. That’s all this needed to be and the four people involved did well in their roles. The four of them were around on some other shows this weekend so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them doing something on the bigger stage sooner than later.

Yamato vs. Rich Swann

This is the result of a challenge at the Dragon Gate USA show earlier this week. They take their time to start with Swann teasing the test of strength and going into a dance. Yamato swings away but gets dropkicked to the floor just as fast. Back in and Swann hammers away but gets backdropped, allowing Yamato to start stomping away. The Figure Four goes on to start in on Swann’s but he’s out in a hurry. Swann takes him to the floor and hammers away, setting up a frog splash for two.

A 450 misses though and Yamato grabs a fisherman’s buster for two. Back up and Swann kicks him down, setting up the middle rope 450 for two more. They slap it out from their knees and they slug it out from their feet, with Swann going up top. A superplex brings him down but Swann rolls through with a suplex of his own. Yamato is right back with an over the shoulder piledriver, followed by a second edition for the pin at 12:14.

Rating: B. This felt like a big showdown between two talented stars and that’s a good thing to add to the card. It felt like something that was actually built up and they lived up to enough of their hype. Swann is a bigger deal around here and he was mostly serious here, albeit with enough dancing to keep things fun.

Respect is shown post match and they’re still friends.

Z-Brats vs. Ben-K/Hyo/Kzy

Shun Skywalker starts with Ben-K, who wins a slugout and runs Skywalker over with a shoulder. Kzy and Minoura slug it out and then slug it out even faster before it’s off to Hyo (with the fans swooning). Ishin comes in and mocks Hyo with a YES chant, earning himself a leg lariat. Minoura pulls Hyo down from the floor though and the fight heads out into the crowd.

Everyone winds out on the floor for an electric chair and an elaborate low blow before it’s time to go back inside. Hyo is in trouble but he manages to knock Ishin down but it’s too early for the tag. Minoura helps Ishin drop him for two but a kick to the face allows the hot tag off to Ben-K.

Everything breaks down and Skywalker can’t hit a lifting Pedigree on Kzy. Skywalker kicks him in the face and snaps off a German suplex but it’s back to Hyo. A basement dropkick hits Minoura, who gets sent into the corner for the running shots. Hyo’s double biceps senton gets two but Ben-K goes shoulder first into the post.

Back in and Kzy gets superplexed into a brainbuster, leaving Hyo to roll Ishin up for two. Kzy hits a running Canadian Destroyer on Minoura and everyone is down. Back up and Hyo and Kzy hit dives to take out Skywalker and Minoura, leaving Ben-K to spear Ishin for the pin at 21:05.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was awesome, with the last half being pretty much non-stop action. That’s what makes Dragon Gate work so well and it did so here again. It’s a bunch of people flying all over the place and popping the crowd with one big move after another and that was a blast. Great main event and something that works very well whether you’re a fan of the promotion or not.

Overall Rating: B+. Good stuff here with nothing bad or really close to it and a heck of a main event to wrap it up. Dragon Gate USA had a very strong reputation when it was around and this was a good example of the fun that it would have. There are some talented people around here and throwing in some guest stars made it even better. Rather fun show here and I had a very good time with the whole thing.

Results
Diablo Azteca b. Kid Lynx and Rhys Maddox – Arm trap driver to Maddox
Border Patrol b. Rey Horus/Vary Morales – Border Wall to Morales
El Cucuy/Oni El Bendito b. Viento/La Estrella and Mike Sydal/Willie Mack – Slingshot Jackhammer to Estrella
Stars b. Hyan/Karisma – Tabletop suplex to Karisma
Ultimo Dragon/Dragon Kid b. Susumu Yokosuka/Ho Ho Lun – West Coast Pop to Yokosuka
Arkangel Divino/Ultimo Maldito b. Los Hermanos de la Jungla – Doomsday Canadian Destroyer to Aero
Yamato b. Rich Swann – Over the shoulder piledriver
Ben-K/Hyo/Kzy b. Z-Brats – Spear to Ishin

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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WrestlLiving Proof
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Ethan HD

This is from Defy Wrestling, a promotion based out of the Pacific northwest. The promotion has been around for a long time and I’ve liked most of their stuff that I’ve seen over the years. This show is likely going to include the usual array of guest stars that you see in Wrestlemania Week so that should be a nice bonus. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow the promotion so I apologize in advance for any plot or character points I miss.

Some women, possibly Vert Vixen and Rhio, get in a fight backstage.

Bollywood Boyz/Galeno del Mal vs. C4/Negro Casas

The Boyz and C4 (Cody Chhun and Guillermo Rosas) have been feuding for a good while now. The bell rings and we pause for a Bollywood dance off, because, well, that’s what the Bollywood Boyz (Harv and Gurv) do. We settle down to Harv small packaging Chhun for two before handing it off to Gurv. The bigger Rosas comes in to run Gurv over with a shoulder and a double dropkick sends Harv outside. Casas (65 years old) comes in to chop away at the far bigger del Mal, who drops him with a single chop.

We settle back down to Rosas working on Gurv’s arm and it’s back to Casas for some chops of his own. Del Mal comes in and Rosas gets crushed in the corner with some splashes. The Bollywood Blast hits Rosas and it’s back to del Mal for a very big running splash. Harv’s chinlock is broken up with a chinlock and it’s back to Chhun to clean house. A double suplex drops del Mal but the Boyz are back in with stereo Sharpshooters to C4. Casas breaks those up and, along with C4, grab stereo la majistrals for a triple pin at 10:09.

Rating: C+. This was right out of the modern six man tag playbook and that only made for such an interesting match. It was a bunch of people running in and doing various spots until the ending. What we got wasn’t bad and the fans were into the dancing at the beginning, but this never got to a very high level.

Here is Ravenous Randy Myers (the Weirdo Hero) for a surprise chat, though he does kiss some fans on the way in. He welcomes the darling fans to the 11am show and says we should make some magic. Myers parades around the ring a bit and here is Evan Rivers to go after him. Myers fights back and chases him through the crowd.

Amira/Vert Vixen/Viva Van vs. Liiza Hall/Nicole Matthews/Rhio

Vixen and Rhio start things off but Hall tags herself in to make us wait for what seems to be the big fight. They fight over wrist control and get nowhere until Vixen takes her down for an elbow to the back. Van comes in for a double basement dropkick for two on Hall, who pulls her down to work on the arm for a bit. Rhio comes in to trade rollups for two each with Van, who comes back with a spinwheel kick.

It’s off to Amira, who charges into a raised boot in the corner, allowing Matthews to come in. A quick armdrag takes Matthews down but she’s right back with a quickly broken rear naked choke. They trade kicks from the mat with Matthews getting the better of things, meaning it’s off to Hall for some kicks to the back. A double knockdown keeps Amira in trouble but she counter’s Hall’s kick to the head into a powerbomb for a needed breather.

Now we get the big showdown between Vixen and Rhio with an exchange of kicks to the head. The fight gets intense enough that Amira and Matthews come in to try and pull them back to the corners. Instead everything breaks down, with Vixen and Rhio slugging it out on the floor. They fight into the crowd, leaving Hall to suplex Van. Amira gets taken up to and crashes back down off a spider suplex. Van and Matthews kind of fall out of the corner (not sure what they were trying there) before Van hits an Ocean Cyclone suplex (ah that’s what they were trying) for the pin on Matthews at 14:07.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one as they made Rhio vs. Vixen feel like a showdown between people who wanted to hurt each other. That’s what it needed to be and it made for a good match. The other four were doing their thing as well and I got into a match between people I don’t particularly know. I’ll call that a good sign, as you should be able to tell that kind of a story.

Michael Oku vs. Evil

Amira (not the one from the previous match) is here with Oku. Of note: during the entrances we get a graphic for upcoming events, including the one we’re currently watching. Evil goes for a cheap shot off the handshake to start (because of course) and grabs a headlock. Oku sends him to the floor for a suicide dive though, only for Evil to be ready for the Fosbury Flop.

It’s already time to choke with the tag rope (and Evil even ripped it off to be extra ev…well you get the idea) and Evil gets some near falls. A rake to the eyes has Oku in more trouble but he comes back with a quick middle rope dropkick. Oku plants him down for some near falls but it’s way too early for the half crab. Evil throws the referee at Oku and gets in a low blow, setting up a suplex neckbreaker (with an assist from the referee) for two.

Amira won’t let Evil bring in a chair though and Oku sends him to the floor for the flip dive. Back in and a frog splash high crossbody gets two on Evil and the half crab goes on. That’s broken up rather quickly and another low blow sets up a fisherman’s suplex for two on Oku. Back up and Oku’s running knee sets up a spinning frog splash for two more. Another frog splash hits raised knees though and Evil hits a hard clothesline for his own near fall. A fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb gets two more on Oku, followed by Everything Is Evil (STO) for the clean pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. Oku has changed just enough of his style that I’m liking him a bit more and it’s nice to see someone with his skills in the ring. On the other hand you have Evil, who isn’t exactly worth seeing most of the time. I was a bit surprised to see Evil get a clean win as Oku is a fairly big star, though I guess he isn’t annoying New Japan stable big.

Post match Evil puts on a Scorpion Deathlock, with Amira helping the referee to break it up.

Tag Team Titles: Lykos Gym vs. Susumu Yokosuka/Hyo vs. Sinner And Saint

Sinner And Saint, with Evan Rivers, are defending. We pause for Hyo, who seems to be a male stripper, to get money stuck into his gear. Hyo and Kid Lykos II (partner of Kid Lykos) with Hyo missing a dropkick, allowing Lykos to grab a quick rollup for two. Icarus (Sinner) comes in and gets caught with a basement dropkick but Williams (Saint) cuts off a whip into the corner.

Lykos comes in to take over on Williams and a double back elbow sets up a basement dropkick for two. Williams is back up to take over on Lykos II’s arm and it’s back to Icarus for a clothesline. Lykos II gets in a shot of his own though and it’s off to Hyo and a double stomp to Williams. Rivers gets on the apron for a cheap shot so here is Randy Myers to get some revenge from earlier and chase Rivers into the crowd.

Yokosuka remembers that he’s in the match but can’t get a powerbomb on Icarus. Instead Icarus is sent into the corner but it’s Lykos II getting suplexed down. Hyo takes down the suspenders and hits a middle rope backsplash, with Sinner and Saint making the save. The Lykoses hit something like a Motor City Machine Guns Skull & Bones and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Williams sends Hyo into a low blow, setting up Ode To The Fallen (Angel’s Wings/kick to the head combination) to retain the titles at 11:07.

Rating: B-. It was a pretty wild match where they gave up on the tagging about halfway through. That’s what happens most of the time in matches like this and while it was still entertaining, it turned into a bunch of near falls and saves. Sinner And Saint still don’t do much for me, though it was certainly not a boring match.

Kenta vs. Mance Warner

Kenta is trying to get back to the top after losing the World Title and this is one of his big steps. They forearm and then slap it out before going outside for Kenta’s kicks to the chest. Kenta even steals a fan’s hat, though he is nice enough to give it back. Warner gets in a few shots of his own, only to get kicked in the face for his efforts. Commentary tries to pinpoint Bucksnort, Tennessee as Warner and Kenta go to the stage for a chair duel. Then they sit in the chairs and trade slaps, as wrestlers tend to do.

Warner gets the better of things and takes the chairs back to the ring, with Kenta joining them shortly thereafter. Kenta powerslams him through an open chair but Warner is back up with the running lariat for two. They trade shots to the head until Kenta grabs a Falcon Arrow, followed by a top rope double stomp for two. The GTS is broken up and Warner hits a rather hard chokeslam for two of his own. Back up and they trade forearms until Warner drops him with a right hand. That’s shrugged off though and a quick GTS finishes Warner at 13:11.

Rating: B-. This started good good and then slowed down a bit, with things thankfully not getting too far into the hardcore/violent stuff that Warner tends to do. Instead it was more of a straight fight and Kenta felt like he earned the win. This was a nice change of pace after having so many tag matches thus far.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Midnight Heat

Midnight Heat is Eddie Pearl/Ricky Gibson (not Robert Gibson’s former partner). For the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to Robert Gibson as “Robert”, Ricky Gibson as “Ricky” and Ricky Morton as “Morton”. The fans really do not like Midnight Heat and Ricky makes it even worse, saying that the fans are here to see if the Express are still actually alive. They are for now, but this match hasn’t started yet. The Express has the chance to take their boots off and get out of here right now.

Morton mocks the Heat for taking so long to say anything. Yeah the Express is old but in their day, the Heat couldn’t beat either one of them. Morton thanks the fans for always being there for them and it’s time to get it on. Robert sends the Heat into each other to start and a double right hand sends them outside for a needed breather.

Back in and Morton hits a running knee lift to Pearl before taking him into the corner. Pearl manages to knock Morton into the corner and it’s off to Ricky for an assisted kick to the ribs. Morton avoids a charge in the corner though and Robert comes in (ignore that he was half in before the tag) as everything breaks down. Gibson hits Pearl by mistake and Morton busts out a Canadian Destroyer. Robert’s right hand of all things finishes Gibson at 7:34.

Rating: C. The thing to remember about the Express is that they aren’t going to be the fast paced stars like they were forty years ago. The point of having them around is getting to show off their charisma and the nostalgic, which is not a bad idea. That’s what they did here, and they still look good enough in the ring to get by. They’re a fun team and it was nice to see that they still have enough of it to be entertaining.

Defy World Title: Clark Connors vs. El Phantasmo vs. Man Like DeReiss

Connors is defending and DeReiss raps his way to the ring, as is his custom. The challengers yell at each other to start so Connors flips both of them off and bails to the floor. Back in and Connors stomps away on DeReiss but Phantasmo is back up to hammer on Connors in the corner. Phantasmo bends Connors’ finger back but the long form Old School is broken up.

Instead Connors is knocked out to the floor, where DeReiss gets beaten up too. Connors teases chopping a fan who is sitting on Phantasmo’s lap but then just pokes Phantasmo in the eyes instead. Back in and Connors grabs a chinlock on Phantasmo but DeReiss comes off the top with a Blockbuster to take Connors down. The Tower Of Doom brings DeReiss crashing down and Connors gets two each.

DeReiss and Phantasmo get sick of Connors and superkick him down before Phantasmo drops DeReiss with a forearm. Phantasmo misses a kick to the face and a cutter drops him for a change. DeReiss’ 450 connects but Connors comes back in to steal the near fall. Phantasmo is back with a superkick each and something like a Pedigree gets two on Connors. DeReiss tries another 450 but hits Connors’ raised knees. Connors hits a spear each and No Chaser (implant DDT) pins DeReiss to retain the title at 12:38.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if there was some kind of a personal issue here, but it never felt like they were really angry at each other. Maybe that’s not what they were going for, but it didn’t make for the most exciting match. All three of them did look good in the ring, though Connors is still relatively early in his title reign so having him keep the belt is a good move. Let him get a nice win and move on, which is what he pulled off here.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case with Defy that I’ve seen, this was a perfectly fine wrestling show without anything really standing out. The action was good and it felt like there was enough of a history that I got some of the points of the matches. While there will be better independent shows over the weekend, there are going to be far worse picks. Nice enough show here.

Results
C4/Negro Casas b. Bollywood Boyz/Galeno del Mal – Triple pin
Amira/Vert Vixen/Viva Van b. Liiza Hall/Nicole Matthews/Rhio – Ocean Cyclone suplex to Matthews
Evil b. Michael Oku – Everything Is Evil
Sinner And Saint b. Lykos Gym and Hyo/Susumu Yokosuka – Ode To The Fallen to Hyo
Kenta b. Mance Warner – GTS
Rock N Roll Express b. Midnight Heat – Right hand to Gibson
Clark Connors b. Man Like DeReiss and El Phantasmo – No Chaser to DeReiss

 

 

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Dragon Gate USA: The Rebirth
Date: April 16, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Joe Dombrowski, Rich Bocchini

So this is Dragon Gate USA, which (I believe) is an official spin off from the Japanese Dragon Gate promotion. This is the first time that Dragon Gate USA has run a show in over ten years, though it isn’t clear if this is the start of an ongoing relaunch. I have no idea what to expect here but let’s get to it.

Note that I did not follow the original promotion/Dragon Gate (assuming that matters) so I apologize in advance if I miss any storylines or character points.

Kzy vs. Marcus Mathers

They stare at each other to start before locking up and trading some waistlocks. Kzy…I think dances out of a waistlock but Mathers is right back with a wristlock. A Worm gets Kzy out of a wristlock but Mathers wants to keep this serious. We get a dance tease until Mathers hits him in the ribs. That earns Mathers a running Blockbuster and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up like you might expect from a chinlock, allowing Mathers to hit a spinning high crossbody.

Kzy gets kicked down for two and Mathers grabs a chinlock of his own. A pair of belly to back suplexes put Kzy down but he blocks a regular suplex attempt. Kzy’s running forearm and uppercut drop Mathers, who is right back with a sunset flip out of the corner. A middle rope Stunner into a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Mathers two and an RKO drops Kzy again. The fisherman’s buster gives Mathers two but he misses a 450 and gets caught with a running uppercut. Kzy hits a headscissors driver and Impact (Jay Driller) sets up a frog splash to give Kzy the pin at 10:38.

Rating: B. Good, back and forth opener here as Mathers continues to shine when he is given the chance. I’ve seen both of these guys in the ring before and they have both done well before. Kzy felt like a big enough deal, with commentary recapping his title history from Dragon Gate. It’s a nice way to get things going for the relaunched promotion and it went well for both guys.

Post match respect is shown. Mathers leaves and Kzy gets the mic to talk about how Dragon Gate USA is back.

AZM/Starlight Kid vs. Konami/Natsuko Tora

These are women from Stardom and Konami/Tora are part of the HATE faction so I’m going to assume they’re the villains. Hate jumps the other two to start fast and the brawl is on fast. Thankfully we go split screen with Konami striking away at Kid before we settle down to Konami throwing AZM down by the hair. The double arm crank is on until the Kid makes the save, only for Tora to come in with a choke.

With those broken up, Konami kicks AZM in the back, leaving Tora to mist her down. The referee almost gets decked but he’s up to count two off a suplex to AZM. Back up and AZM manages a suplex of her own and it’s back to Kid for a high crossbody. Kid takes both villains down for a double dropkick against the ropes. A standing moonsault gives Kid two but the much bigger Tora is back up for a slugout. Tora knocks her down for a standing backsplash and a near fall. Konami comes back in for a Disarm-Her but Kid headscissors her way to freedom.

It’s back to AZM, who is quickly kicked down and Tora hits a running crossbody to take both of them down. The two of them nip up though and stereo armdrags bring the villains off the top. AZM’s Fujiwara armbar has Konami in trouble but Tora is back in to run her down with a shoulder. The Cannonball crushes AZM and Konami’s running kick to the chest gets two, with Kid making the save. AZM sweeps Konami’s leg though and a rollup gets the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one near the end as they were telling a nice story, with the heroines vs. the villains and it made for a good story. AZM and Kid were fighting from underneath throughout and eventually overcame hate with better wrestling technique. Good match here, with Stardom getting to showcase their star power as usual.

Ho Ho Lun vs. Rhys Maddox

Maddox is 17 and a newcomer, as you might have guessed due to being 17. They fight over wrist control to start and Maddox breaks out of a full nelson. Maddox knocks him into the corner and hits a basement dropkick for two. Lun kicks the knee out to take over though and it’s time to twist the leg around.

A leglock goes on to keep Maddox down as commentary tries to compare him to Shawn Michaels or Terry Gordy. Back up and Maddox hits a bottom rope springboard cutter and they’re both down for a bit. The leg is fine enough to hit a springboard forearm for two but Lun is back with a missile dropkick. Maddox hits a DDT for two but Lun grabs two rollups for two each. The third rollup, with the legs tied up, finishes Maddox at 8:41.

Rating: C+. This was just ok with Lun being the veteran who was trying to carry things and only being able to get it so far. The leg stuff in the middle went nowhere as Maddox was right back with springboards and that’s never a good thing to see. It was a decent enough match, but neither of them really stood out.

El Cucuy/La Estrella/Ultimo Dragon vs. Sovereign

Sovereign is Evan Rivers/Judas Icarus/Travis Williams (the latter two are known as the Northern Armory in TNA). Dragon is the star of WCW fame and had a big hand in starting Dragon Gate. Cucuy (who looks a bit evil and is described as the Mexican Boogeyman) starts with Williams and runs him down with a shoulder. Estrella comes in and is taken into the wrong corner and it’s off to Icarus.

A whip into the ropes is cut off as Estrella walks on his hands but gets sent outside. The cameraman gets taken down and Rivers’ clothesline to the back of Estrella’s head gets two. A bodyscissors lets Rivers fish hook Estrella’s mouth before it’s back to Williams for a shot to the face of his own. A stomp to the arm gets two and Icarus chokes away on the mat. Rivers accidentally sends Icarus into Williams in the corner though and the tag brings in Dragon.

The rapid fire kicks (well as rapid as he can get) have Rivers in trouble and Dragon spins Williams into a leglock. Everything breaks down Cucuy hits a double hip attack in the corner. Estrella adds a running dive to the floor and the rather large Cucuy hits a flip dive over the top. Back in and Dragon grabs la majistral for the pin on Rivers at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Estrella in the ring on this show and that is not a bad idea. He’s a legend in wrestling and in Dragon Gate in particular so this makes a lot of sense. Sovereign didn’t feel like the best team, though having the Boogeyman go after the villains was a bit odd to see. The fans seemed happy to see Dragon though so we’ll call this a success.

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Alec Price/Jimmy Lloyd vs. Ben-K/Hyo

Swann has gotten a haircut and…yeah I don’t know about that. Hold on though as Swann and Mack get the referee to dance during the entrances for the fun moment. Hyo seems to be a male stripper, or at least something else that gets women to put money in his pants. Hyo and Price start things off with Price bouncing on the mat to escape a wristlock. Swann and Lloyd come in for an exchange of leapfrogs before Swann shoulders him down.

Hip swiveling ensues but Lloyd is right back up with a running neckbreaker. Price comes in to help drop Swann and Lloyd (who is not a small guy) hits a dive, which sends Swann out to the floor. That means Mack can come in for a slugout with Ben-K, who manages to knock him down. Everything breaks down and Swann gets caught in a gutbuster/running dropkick combination. Price and Lloyd hit stereo dives to the floor as everything breaks down. Back in and Ben-K and Hyo go up, only to get caught by Lloyd and Mack.

That means a double Doomsday Blockbuster from Price, followed by a dropkick to send Mack outside. Swann gets planted with a double flipping DDT and Price hits a dive onto the floor. Back in and Ben-K spears Price down, only to get leg lariated by Mack. Swann is in with a Lethal Injection to Hyo and Mack hits a big running flip dive onto Price and Lloyd. That leaves Swann to hit the 450 to pin Hyo at 9:33.

Rating: B. Yeah this was fun, with everyone just going nuts until someone got the pin. That’s what this kind of match should be and it was as entertaining as you would have expected. Swann and Mack have worked well together for a long time and they still have that chemistry. Ben-K and Hyo got to showcase themselves well enough, while Price and Lloyd were just kind of there to make it more of a brawl, which was only so much of an addition.

If nothing else, it’s nice to hear Swann’s music again.

Here is Matt Sydal, who praises the previous match and talks about how awesome it was to be in the first group of wrestlers who went over to Dragon Gate. Now Dragon Gate is back here in America and these fans are here on a Wednesday so they want this stuff put into their veins. Sydal asks us to come out for their other show on Friday night and thanks the fans for coming out. Perfectly fine speech here for a special moment.

Paradox vs. Z-Brats

That would be Dragon Kid/Susumu Yokosuka/Yamato vs. Ishin/Kota Minoura/Shun Skywalker. Yokosuka and Minoura slowly circle each other before fighting over wrist control. Minoura kicks him down and flips off the fans before handing it off to Skywalker and Kid. Skywalker goes to the eyes to take over but gets armdragged down. Yamato and Ishin come in, with Ishin holding up the referee’s hand.

They trade shoulders with Yamato taking him down and stopping to gaze at the fans. Everything breaks down and the Brats jump Paradox on the floor. We go split screen as the beating continues outside, including some of them going to either the stage or into the crowd. Ishin chokes Yamato on the stage before going back to ringside to trade opponents. We settle down to Skywalker taking Kid into the corner, where some double boot choking ensues. Minoura kicks him back into the corner before Ishin’s DDT gets two.

Minoura lets Kid chop away and Kid is fine with doing this rather than trying a tag, only to snap off a headscissors. Yokosuka and Ishin come in, with the former getting to clean house in a hurry. Yamato and Ishin fight over a suplex until Ishin finally gets him over as everything breaks down again. Skywalker soaks in some booing before helping Ishin double team Kid with right hands. A pump kick drops Kid again and Ishin’s splash gets two. Yokosuka saves Kid on top though and it’s a super hurricanrana to bring Skywalker down.

Minoura gets caught in the wrong corner for some running clotheslines but gets out of Yamato’s Galleria. A Stundog Millionaire drops Skywalker and we hit a parade of knockdowns. Yamato plants Ishin, who pops back up with a German suplex. A lariat drops Ishin right back and everyone is down for a needed breather. Ishin and Yamato chop it out until Kid is back in with a tornado DDT. An assisted reverse implant DDT gives Yamato the pin on Ishin at 20:18.

Rating: B. It was an entertaining, fast paced match but I’m not sure this is going to be some kind of game changer like some of their previous matches have been. All six looked good and did their things well, but it never got to that high level that had me desperate to see what was happening next. Still though, rather good main event and worth a look.

Post match Yamato says the promotion made new history tonight. Rich Swann comes in to praise the winners and says without them, he would not be the wrestler he is today. Swann respects Yamato but challenges him for this Friday. Yamato seems to accept.

Overall Rating: B. This might not have been a classic show but it was more than good enough. It was a bunch of talented wrestlers getting to work a style which works well for them. You didn’t need to have a deep understanding or knowledge of what happened coming into the show and it still worked well. Good stuff here, making it a solid return for the promotion.

Results
Kzy b. Marcus Mathers – Frog splash
AZM/Starlight Kid b. Konami/Natsuko Tora – Rollup to Konami
Ho Ho Lun b. Rhys Maddox – Rollup
El Cucuy/La Estrella/Ultimo Dragon b. Sovereign – La Majistral to Rivers
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Ben-K/Hyo and Jimmy Lloyd/Alec Price – 450 to Hyo
Paradox b. Z-Brats – Assisted reverse implant DDT to Ishin

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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