DGUSA - Enter The Dragon thoughts

[LucidLJ]

whats your favorite matches of all time top 10 if you have a list.

[Danespina]

"there is a difference in the legitimate and fictional fighting spirit."

I'm sure there is. But honestly in my mind, a Sweet Chin Music is more deadly then a gunshot lol. Probably will never change, it's how I was grown up on wrestling.

[Danespina]

One example from the Shingo vs. Doi match came when Doi worked on Shingo's knees with a bunch of big moves. Shingo sold the knee when taking abuse, but when it came for him to give offense he does a 30 second delayed vertical suplex. I mean sure the move looks cool, but its pretty much the worst thing you could do psychologically wise when your leg is suppose to be hurt.

[IchibanPuroresu]

both shingo and doi have reputations for not selling well - particularly amongst US fans. i personally do not buy into the wrestling cliché of 'selling' whole-heartedly. it's complete fantasy that people mistake as being part of realism. but i certainly see your point in regards to that particular match: the continuity of the narrative was lost.

[Danespina]

I felt like the huge moves in the matches never really impacted what came next. If a sweet chin music happened in WWE, I would feel like the match is over. If a guy does a super brainbuster early in Dragon Gate, I just wait for the kick out. I could feel the end of matches come based off of the pacing of the match, rather then what the actual moves were (if that makes any sense).

[IchibanPuroresu]

that comes down to understanding the style and ethos of puroresu and lucharesu as opposed to the north american style. there isn't much 'fighting spirit' in losing to a single side thrust kick or a fireman's carry to slam. puroresu is about the warrior spirit 'toukon' and its breaking point. the idea is that it takes more than a single basic move to put away a higher-card performer because they have special 'toukon'.

[Danespina]

I'd agree that "selling" whole isn't always realistic. With adreniline the body can do a lot of things. I remember seeing Fedor getting dropped straight on his neck hard, and he "no-sold" it and won within 30 seconds. In wrestling this would be seen as fake, but in real life it's possible

Its still becomes a problem when a wrestler acts like he can't walk, then boom! Springboard dropkick. Also Shingo looked pretty dumb when he limped to Doi holding his knee, then went for a knee drop. Oh well

[Danespina]

"isn't much 'fighting spirit' in losing to a single side thrust kick"

Got you, but I'd argue that a real Superkick could be as dangerous as a lot of the moves that ended the Dragon Gate matches I saw. The move at the end of Doi vs. Shingo in particular looked weak. I'd also argue that the fighting spirit is often seen in the WWE but i'm sure not as often. But Austin vs. Bret WM 13, Angle vs. Shane KOTR, Shawn vs. Taker at WM25 etc.

[IchibanPuroresu]

I'm yet to see a sweet chin music that is stiff enough to get to move over to a grumpy puroresu mark like me lol. Watch how Nakajima does them. Very hard and not at all about relying on WWE close-miced stage production and slapping your own ass ;) Austin v Bret Hart is definitely fighting spirit though. To understand what I mean though, watch Kenta/Nakajima 2 (11th feb) and then watch even the best WWE matches. there is a difference in the legitimate and fictional fighting spirit.

[IchibanPuroresu]

"when a wrestler acts like he can't walk, then boom! Springboard dropkick"

100% agreed. that's why i normally don't endorse the 'acts like he cant walk' bit. once you've pretended to be injured, the rest of the match should continue along that theme. DG too often use a 'work the limb' cliche in the middle of matches for the down period, then forget about it completely for the climax. a mistake imo!

[eddydeez]

I <3 gamma too.

[flakyjon]

It's amazing to see a reviewer that shares my view of this show when the overwhelming majority are saying 10/10 BEST PPV EVER.

[IchibanPuroresu]

Yes I know what you mean. I've seen a lot of people give away their 9 and 10 ratings so easily that it cheapens the rating system they use. I did like this show a lot, but it's by no means a great show (e.g. Destiny 05). It doesnt deserve a 10 in my opinion.

[KingAndy1992]

Interesting to see a puroresu fan actually speaking on camera. Don't see that too much. You've got a lot of respect for puroresu.

[IchibanPuroresu]

Yeh, I think at this point i'm the only one. There are a few guys who occasionally talk about puroresu but I get the impression that they are first and foremost fans of ROH etc.

I certainly do have a great respect for puroresu... but it's more than that. For me it's an (unhealthy? lol) obsession! i've been meaning to make a lot more videos (recorded a few already) but I always ramble on for too long and I need to edit them down. Work has prevented me doing that so far.

Anyway, stay in touch :)

[Dreadpirate46]

Great video response and review!

I'm surprised and kind of disappointed the show wasn't taped in Japan. I don't see why it wouldn't be viable.

I share similar distaste for crowds in the US. I think we, and especially in the northeast where I'm originally from, are just incredibly loud people. I'm guilty of it at times, though I try to keep it in check. It makes for a very annoying crowd, which can be a good thing in the right situation, but rarely is.

Cheers!

[IchibanPuroresu]

Thanks, glad you liked it! Having read your response it reminded me of something I was discussing with my Japanese friend. I'll make a video on it very soon. Basically the premise is 'why don't japanese companies sign US distribution deals'. So in this case, why don't DG (instead of using DGUSA as a sister company) simple sell their shows from Japan on PPV in the states? I think there are good reasons why this doesn't happen and I'll get those out in the video.

[IchibanPuroresu]

In relation to the crowds issue, I'm pretty much in love with the NOAH crowd and would love them at every show!! But I certainly think the US crowds have their moments too. That style of constant yelling and screaming worked beautifully for the old ECW and I think it now works well for ROH and CZW. It just doesn't quite sit right with me as the audio backdrop for puroresu-influenced wrestling :) WWE crowds can be quite awesome as well, e.g. HBK v Taker WM25. The fans made that match.

[Dreadpirate46]

I look forward to watching that video about Japanese-US distribution deals.

I'd agree there's a definite time and place to be a rowdy audience, but it seems like for US audiences, that time and place is constant. From bell to bell, they're being loud and often times obnoxious. One chant that gets under my skin is the obligatory "USA". It's one of the most asinine and cheap things to chant. To my knowledge, the US crowd are the only ones who chant their own country.

[IchibanPuroresu]

That video has finally been edited down and is now uploading. It came out like an essay so it's far from entertaining.... but once it's up, please check it out and give me your take on it :)

[TSlay1974]

As far as the stacked card thing what I ment I couldn't think of a better card they could have used given that they where not going to be able to bring over all of the top DG guys and the Indy guys they used. That said the show from this past weekend was said to be on par and I thought it had an even better card. Great video by the way.

[IchibanPuroresu]

Yes that's very true. And it would probably have been business nonsense to fly over all the contracted DG talent too. It was a good card and the bookers and road agents did their bit obviously to make it a good show.

and thanks! i'm pretty stoked that you liked the vid :)