Open the Voice Gate

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.

It’s a very special episode of Open The Voice Gate as Case and Mike are joined by The Cubs Fan (https://twitter.com/luchablog) to discuss the career of Gran Hamada and his candidacy for the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame! He’s the godfather of Lucharesu, so what does that mean? What were his business metrics? How incredible of a wrestler was he? What’s his influence case? Over the course of the episode, Case, Mike and Cubs make the argument why Gran Hamada merits Hall of Fame inclusion.

Matches discussed:

4/30/80: Gran Hamada & Satoru Sayama vs. Babe Face & Perro Aguayo

https://vk.com/video-68098508_170607264

9/12/84: Gran Hamada & Mighty Inoue vs. Chavo Guerrero & Hector Guerrero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZhcBqxO8X0

?/??/90: Gran Hamada, El Hijo del Santo, & Yoshinari Asai vs. Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, & Negro Casas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrLU4SPmagQ

11/13/90: Gran Hamada vs. Blue Panther

https://youtu.be/sV9XONUzjCs?si=qoHr33UhegoaNYlF

11/14/91: Gran Hamada, MASA Michinoku, & Monkey Magic Wakita vs. Dr. Wagner Jr, El Texano, & Silver King

https://vk.com/video/playlist/-207689490_34?z=video-207689490_456239394%2Fclub207689490%2Fpl_-207689490_34

10/17/92: Gran Hamada, El Texano, & Silver King vs. Black Power, El Signo, & Negro Navaro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjjC4AU0-KI&t=1s

10/10/96: Dick Togo, MEN’s Teioh, Shiryu, Shoichi Funaki, & TAKA Michinoku vs. Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, & Tiger Mask

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjigyMUxNQI

12/16/96: Dick Togo, MEN’s Teioh, Shiryu, Shoichi Funaki, & TAKA Michinoku vs. Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, & The Great Sasuke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXWVfgCmBG8

1/21/97: Dick Togo, MEN’s Teioh, Shiryu, & TAKA Michinoku vs. Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, & The Great Sasuke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4H03uBUmgE&t=9s

3/10/01: Dick Togo, Gran Hamada, & The Great Sasuke vs. Apache, Pentagon, & Sasuke the Great

https://vk.com/search/video?q=gran%20apache&z=video548721036_456239336

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open The Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.

Dragongate had their monthly Korakuen Hall show last Friday, and Open The Voice Gate is back to talk all about it. Case and Mike spend time on the Loser Gets Expelled Gold Class vs Z-Brats match, talk about the future for the loser, discuss YAMATO vs Kenoh at Gate of Destiny, Konomama Ichikawa’s retirement opponent gets announced, and they close out the show discussing GLEAT ver MEGA and how quiet Edion Arena Osaka can get.

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open The Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate - Rewind and Rewatch! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back to Rewind and Rewatch important events in Dragon System history.

Before getting into Rewind and Rewatch, Mike and Case touch on Helene, the announcement of Stalker Ichikawa’s retirement and a very fun Kobe Sambo Hall show with Gold Class vs Z-Brats and the debut of Akihiro Sahara.

After that, it’s time for Rewind and Rewatch and the two year Dragon Kid vs Darkness Dragon feud concluding at Absolutemente 2002 with a best of three falls mascara contra mascara match. Case and Mike discuss what sets this feud apart as one of Toryumon’s greatest rivalries, how the Dragon System today is representative of this feud, the development of the multi-team trios match, heel units, Magnum TOKYO’s 2002 and a whole lot more!

Resources to help victims of Hurricane Helene: https://appvoices.org/helene-relief/

The match listing for the show is as follows: 

8/24/00: Dragon Kid vs. SUWA

Features Darkness Dragon’s debut 

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=16

1/29/01: Dragon Kid vs. Darkness Dragon

NWA World Welterweight Title Tournament, first singles match

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=21

8/14/01: Dragon Kid, Magnum TOKYO & Ryo Saito vs. Big Fuji, CIMA, & SUWA and Darkness Dragon, Masaaki Mochizuki, & Yasushi Kanda

First televised three-way six-man match. UWA World Trios Title Match

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=30

11/6/01: Dragon Kid vs. Darkness Dragon 

Singles match in Chicken George 

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=33

7/14/02: CIMA, Don Fujii & TARU vs. Darkness Dragon, Genki Horiguchi & Magnum TOKYO vs. Dragon Kid, Masaaki Mochizuki & Ryo Saito

Rematch from World, UWA World Trios Title Match 

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=46

9/8/02: The Match. 

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=50

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open the Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.

Case returns to the show this week as they have some last thoughts on Gate of Origin. From there, they talk about what could be the Feud of the Year, Gold Class vs Z-Brats as it reached Osaka with Ben-K vs Gianni Valletta & Shun Skywalker, Kota Minoura & Jason Lee vs BXB Hulk, Riiita and Mochizuki Jr. Homare’s first month as a roster member thoughts including PRIME ZONE PLUS+ THOUGHTS, previewing this month’s Kobe Sambo Hall show this weekend, Taiji Ishimori produce, and the busy weeks ahead for GLEAT.

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open The Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.

It’s a Mike solo show week and he’s here to talk all about Gate of Origin 2024 (9/16/24), Dragongate’s big Sendai area show for the year. Before getting into Monday’s show, Mike gives a history of Gate of Origin, where he thinks it ended up settling on Dragongate’s ranking of shows and what he sees Gate of Origin being going forward. From there, Mike reviews a fun show with Dragon Dia defending the Brave Gate against Jacky Kamei, Triangle Gate champions Natural Vibes face the cranky vet team of Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii and Toru Owashi, and the most popular heel unit in the Dragongate Era, Mad Blankey reunites to face Z-Brats!

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open The Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.

Sometimes Dragongate has a show where we have to take stock of the greatness we witnessed. That was the case this week on Voice Gate as we take a look at perhaps Dragongate’s best Korakuen in years, Storm Gate (9/5/24) with 90 chaotic minutes, the debut of Homare Kato, the New Unit Playing Field, YAMATO defending the Dream Gate against ISHIN, the card for Gate of Origin next week, Spiked Mohicans reunite and Case and Mike have a discussion about cakes that use soft drinks.

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open The Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate - Rewind and Rewatch! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back to Rewind and Rewatch important events in Dragon System history.

For the first Rewind and Rewatch of September, it’s time to unearth the lost first Dragongate in USA show, Friday LA Extreme Night from John Ford Anson Park in Los Angeles on 9/5/2008. Before Mike and Case get into the show itself, we must talk about the events leading up to Dragongate’s American landing including: DG’s relationship with PWG over the years, The BXB Shingo Angle, CIMA’s Myspace, The No-Ring Show, ROH’s 2008 Japan Tour and more. Then it’s time to go to Los Angeles with two title matches as the Real Hazard team of Gamma, YAMATO and Yasushi Kanda defend their Open The Triangle Gate titles against the World-1 Team of Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino and BXB Hulk and Twin Gate Legends Ryo Saito and Susumu Yokosuka, RyoSuka, defend those belts against The Young Bucks!

Friday LA Extreme Night can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6k9wxfcWE 

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open the Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.

It’s a bit of Dragon System Buffet this week as Case and Mike lead off this week with a couple of quick topics before trying to make sense of GLEAT’s 2024, discuss Dragongate in the N-1 Victory tournament, the greatness of the GATE OF MIYANE, Naruki Doi’s homecoming and anniversary show and a whole lot more!

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open The Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate - Rewind and Rewatch! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back to Rewind and Rewatch important events in Dragon System history.

Before we get to August’s rewind and rewatch, Case and Mike talk about Dragongate’s fun Sunday in Fukuoka with the best 3 minute match of the year, IWRG uploads and Shingo Takagi’s 20th Anniversary Show’s X.

From there it’s time to continue to celebrate the Dragon System’s 25th Anniversary with Rewind and Rewatch. This month, Open The Voice Gate discusses 2002 and 2003 as it relates to the lead up to the Japanese landing of Toryumon X, the final brand of the Toryumon Era. Case and Mike follow the trials and tribulations through different aces, appearances on weird Mutoh All Japan spinoffs, and everything until August 22, 2003, the first ever Japanese Toryumon X show, of which Case and Michael review to close out the very fun episode!

Shows Discussed: 

August 3, 2002: First footage of Toryumon X on tape

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=48

December 7, 2002: Young Dragons Cup 2002

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=55

January 19, 2023: AJPW Wrestle-One 2nd

https://vk.com/search?q=ajpw%20wrestle-one%202003&z=video487517522_456239797

February 22, 2023: Yamaha Cup 2003

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=60

May 11, 2003: Toryumon Mexico Anniversary Show

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=63

August 22, 2003: Toryumon X Debut

https://dragongate.live/title/?program=program_201806011636&episode=68

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open the Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.

OTVG returns to talk about the third of Dragongate’s traditional Big Five shows, Dangerous Gate 2024! Before Case and Mike get into the show in Yokohama, they take stock of the summer tournaments, discuss wrestling prospects ,issues with originality, the G1 Climax and the N1 Victory. After that, they discuss Monday’s big Dangerous Gate show, YAMATO vs Kikuta, The Battle for Minorita, Natural Vibes vs Big Hug and more!

Our podcast provider, Red Circle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open The Voice Gate!

Please Rate and Review Open The Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.