POSTED: Monday, January 31, 2011, 9:00 PM
In this week's Agenda section, Massimo Pulcini told you about Dragon Gate USA's wrestling throwdown in South Philly. On Friday he became a fan ...
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| Massimo Pulcini |
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When I walked into the packed Asylum Arena on Saturday night for Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA), I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I came into the event having read that DGUSA was "wrestling's premium brand" and to expect "athletic and intense in-ring action," and once it was all over I was left with my jaw hanging. I couldn't believe I was thinking it, but this was one of the coolest things I've witnessed in my life.
The night started off with amateur wrestling, nothing really special, as a mob of average Joes clad in homemade costumes rumbled in free-for-all style matches for a bit. These guys were moderately impressive, a good way to get me ready for the madness that was about to unfold.
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| Massimo Pulcini |
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After a few rounds of the amateurs, things started to get interesting — and by that I mean really weird. A man with hair similar to the Statue of Liberty came running onto the ring, screaming about the Kaiju Big Battle that was about to ensue. Kaiju is essentially a parallel universe where, in the announcer's own words, "monsters are real and danger can happen." These "monsters" are men running around in rubber costumes that resemble something from a classic Godzilla flick. To set the scene even more, the Kaiju crew erects towers of Styrofoam and cardboard on the ring, making it seem like demons are battling in the streets of a bustling metropolis. Super corny? Yes. Super funny and entertaining? Hell yea it was! I found myself getting into the mayhem as the half octopus, half Cyclops, "Cycloptopus" (I know, very original) waged war against the steam engine/lobster hybrid "Steampowered." Due to its sheer absurdity, Kaiju was a hit in my book, and most of the crowd seemed to agree.
After the monsters were put to rest and the cardboard city cleaned up, the real show began as Dragon Gate's finest took the ring. Dragon Gate USA is essentially the Japanese brand of pro-wrestling, comparable to our WWE, with many fighters hailing from Japan. This wrestling showcase featured several different styles of matches ranging from individual bouts, six men free-for-alls, and tag team rounds. Every match was high-octane, with acrobatic moves, hard kicks, and death-defying takedowns that would happen inside, outside, and around the ring. Wrestlers were thrown around all corners and even into the audience on some occasions. The combatants also had a few dirty moves in their arsenal, as I saw more bitch slaps and hair pulling then I've ever seen before.
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| Massimo Pulcini |
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The highlight of the evening had to be the main event, with wrestlers Ricochet and Naruki Doi squaring off in a tag team match against Yoshino and PAC. Displaying the highest-quality moves of the evening, these guys literally flew around the ring, grappling, splitting, and delivering roundhouse kicks that would make Chuck Norris envious. After multiple momentum swings, Yoshino and PAC emerged victorious and received massive praise from the audience. The Englishman, PAC, circled the ring individually thinking his fans for all the support. Even I shook the Brits hand and congratulated him on the victory.
That was the crazy thing about Dragon Gate USA. The more I watched these guys fight, the more I got into it and felt myself becoming a fan. The crowd was into the whole experience, chanting for their favorite heroes and booing the villains. And they all really seemed to have a huge knowledge of the whole Dragon Gate story. One fan, Cameron Fowler, drove up from Baltimore to see the event and gave me his take on DGUSA. There celebrating his 24th birthday, he's been a Dragon Gate fan since 2006. "It's a fast paced, alternative that makes pro-wrestling legitimate," he says. "It's the way wrestling should be, no bull shit." He raved about the epic final match and praised his favorite wrestler Yamato for his victory earlier in the night.
Though I haven't followed pro-wrestling since I was in elementary school, something about this event rekindled my nostalgia about the "sport." Though it is clearly rehearsed and staged, it was still a spectacular performance of athletic ability and coordination. I knew nothing about the factions or wrestlers involved, but I did find myself cheering for certain fighters even though I knew nothing about them, and I felt closer to the fans rooting with me and animosity towards the ones who weren't.
