Last Updated on: 11th May 2017, 10:42 am
I haven’t watched any Dragon Gate in years, so maybe there’s a completely logical explanation for this match being the way it is and I’m just unaware of it. But seriously, get a load of this title match concept as described by Dave Meltzer in a recent edition of the Observer. It sounds like the Dragon Gate bookers got high with Vince Russo one night and decided shit man, we can totally make something more confusing than those Fight for the Right Tournaments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ecMf_8J2lo
They are doing a unique match in May called Dead or Alive, which is the name of their annual May PPV show. But the Dead or Alive cage match features Open the Dream Gate champion Yamato defending against Shingo Takagi, Cyber Kong, BxB Hulk and Naruki Doi. There will be flags at the top of the cage in all four corners. The Dream Gate belt will be placed on a pole. Takagi, Kong, Hulk and Doi must all capture a flag. If they capture a flag, they can move onto the match. If any of them are pinned or submitted before they capture a flag, they can’t move on to the title match. Yamato will also be in the match and they can beat him up and work him over, but he can’t be pinned or can’t submit in the match. That makes absolutely no sense if you think about it. If he’s in a submission, he can’t submit? Since Yamato can’t be eliminated, but does have to wrestle, the match continues until Yamato and one other wrestler are left, as the others can be eliminated by pin or submission. When Yamato and the other guy are left, it turns into a ladder match with the belt on the ladder, but the loser, whether Yamato or the other guy, will lose their hair, or if it’s Kong against Yamato and Kong loses, he loses his mask.
Got all that? I hope so, because I sure don’t.