[SPEAKER_00]: This podcast is a member of the Voices of Wrestling Podcasting Network.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Look at that one so hard!
[UNKNOWN]: Hope you fall!
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate for January 27th, 2026.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are members of the Voices of Wrestling Podcasts Network and you can find us on the Voices of Wrestling Podcasts Network feed or on our own decade, open the voice gate, feed, wherever you get your podcast, you can follow us on social media at Open Voice Gate.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host for this week, It's Your Opaile, Mike Spears.
[SPEAKER_00]: Case low is on assignment in Orlando.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wonder if he's on this work trip, essentially, and I've been aware of it for a few weeks and for someone like Kay's going to Orlando, Florida, at the end of January, is it seems like in the way one of my favorite movies of, and I'm blanking on the decade here, but we're just going to go along with this.
[SPEAKER_00]: But one of my favorite movies for this decade in Bruce had the concept of these two assassins ending up being in Bruce's Belgium and that's basically where they're totally low and they are just like living in pits of existential hell about essentially having to lay a low in this town that they both kind of hate and I kind of feel like Orlando might be it for case low I hope
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope he's able to get to full sail.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that was really high on his list.
[SPEAKER_00]: But case should be back with us this week.
[SPEAKER_00]: And since this is a solo episode, we're going to go a little scattershot.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is going to be a little bit of a shorter voice gate.
[SPEAKER_00]: But for no other greater reason of that there was no drag and gate that happened in the network and really when you looked at their house shows, just not a lot of stuff happening since the last time that we talked the Shinskaya Walker homecoming show in Gifu.
[SPEAKER_00]: uh happened but really just kind of a quiet week in the system so what we're going to do this week is uh we got the full cards for memorial gate and the uh February cork in so we're going to preview that uh there's a lot of meat on the bone there between those two shows and day
[SPEAKER_00]: A memorial gate show that because case is not here to really just keep me in the right frame of reference.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm kind of getting really excited for.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think my expectations for memorial gate are
[SPEAKER_00]: at play right here and I may be and maybe over the episode in the preview.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll call myself back down over that but we've memorial gate and cork and cards as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll do a little bit of a one person dragon system buffet for the
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been snowed in essentially since last Friday and when you live where I live and in general if you want like a good what is going on in this world go especially for international listeners go look up or caught with a sea and that is especially the Texas freeze of 2021 as relates to that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But like the reality of it is that Texas got a significant amount for Texas, of winter, whether that Texas doesn't prepare for very well in comparison to other places, so essentially you have to wait for the roads to melt.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we had about 72 hours of a deep freeze happen.
[SPEAKER_00]: It got down to I think one chill was a
[SPEAKER_00]: and fair and high about negative 10 when chill at times.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're doing the kind of drag system buffet that you do when you have to go the groceries right before a snowstorm.
[SPEAKER_00]: But everyone has already gotten all the bread and milk and eggs because they think that they're going to go through entire loaf of white bread and 12 eggs.
[SPEAKER_00]: And
[SPEAKER_00]: And in three days, but this is the Dragon System buffet of what we look at at what everything else is kind of picked over and you go like, well, I do like blue bell ice cream sandwiches and you know, I do have some meat, I can go to Frost and I will just make a chili and I'll be fine for that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they think about like a Dragon System chili and then also I have a little thing that it's going to be something where I've kind of
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm at the start of a research project and I'm going to talk about it as relates to the drag and system in pro wrestling and we'll check in on it throughout like the next few months because it's a lot of, it's a lot of data collection that I'm doing right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is a bit of an abbreviative voice gate, I will admit that, but I think for given where we are in a month, I mean dragging it like ran through all of their January schedule and
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're trying to put out a weekly podcast or dragon gate and when they do stuff like that we're going to make it work.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to like look into our cupboard and see what kind of a dragon system chili we're going to put together and talk about money magic as well as a great as a really send to that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And to close out, we'll talk about the voices of wrestling match of the year list.
[SPEAKER_00]: We will want to talk more about it with case, especially as of time of recording, just we are up to match 51.
[SPEAKER_00]: So at the top 50 have not been announced yet.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I feel like that's a conversation that at least that aspect of it were better off having with case here in the full match of the year list up there.
[SPEAKER_00]: a couple topics that we're bouncing around.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're tossing some meat in this pot and we're going to get this chilly under the way and let's first talk about the kickoff to the February schedule and dragon gate.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dragon gates January on the network is over but we do have the cards for the next two network shows happening early next week starting off with a show on
[SPEAKER_00]: Sunday the first and the monthly cork on the fifth on the way to Uno Sto's Trace in Fukuoka on the 23rd and an interesting kind of set of shows and especially given how the February schedule into early march is now like
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of upended in a way that I have some things that I'm kind of expecting would happen just because you look at the schedule and essentially they have a KBS Hall in Art Center show to finish out the month before you get to Walkyama and the big show.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then afterwards, there's only one that they have their shows in Osaka that used to be champion gate champion gate seems now, be permanently around November, at least with all the constructions in with.
[SPEAKER_00]: And with the situation at Ediana Arena, Osaka.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's going to be a busy month
[SPEAKER_00]: on the network and i think with everything gearing up for this uh uh moved a big fukuoka show on the 23rd and uh starting off with memorial gate with a triangle gate match announced uh headlining of the show on Sunday 11 p c o b n k and mochizuki junior will make their second defense
[SPEAKER_00]: a bit of or all right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like that with like this pairing of godjaddo grow does not necessarily make me think that okay, uh, Eshen kato dropped the all Asian now.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to pick right back up the triangle belt, uh, triangle gate belts and but you still have like the fact that Eshen and kato especially for where they are.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the unit and given how things are going in 2026, I would think that those are two guys who are probably not taking a fall right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: You do have Kai in there and Kai kind of sticks out like a sore thumb a little bit for me with Gajadokuro and maybe it's not that I think since Shimizu came in that we immediately.
[SPEAKER_00]: need to have one in one out and keep the number kind of small here.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Kai at this point has just been such a long tenured heel and it does kind of feel like in some ways that he can get over into paradigm and get back with him auto and be behold.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've done essentially half a decade with it to them or the three of them apart from each other on the competing sides would not be a
[SPEAKER_00]: I like this triangle gate match at least for having something that has a little bit more stakes on it for a show that now with Memorial Gate where it is, we used to talk about it not being a big five show, but it being kind of like right between somewhere a champion.
[SPEAKER_00]: and maybe like a, one of those big shows that they would have in Kobe over the summer, not Kobe world, but like the Kobe summer fuzzles shows.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you're getting that triangle gate match here, and elsewhere on the show, a lot of kind of interesting stuff happening, but also something that the things that do kind of put this show in perspective and where.
[SPEAKER_00]: Memorial Gate now is on the hierarchy.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's the only title match on this show.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're some of my main event is an Atomiko's, Decorage Yukiyoshioka, Dragon Diaryot Naka.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Marcus Mather, so Mather is teaming with all three of them doing a big eight-man tag up against Paradox Yamato, Dragon Kid, BB Hulk and Ruki Doy.
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, that's kind of interesting that they're doing that here versus a god-jaddo-kuro match with Kakura, Shimizu, Minora, Jason Lee, and inside build up the Dreamgate match in Fukuoka.
[SPEAKER_00]: So a little bit of a surprise there that they are doing that I do think from like a pure just like work-rate.
[SPEAKER_00]: perspective, you're going to probably have a better match or at least a match without a heel his dronics that for someone like matters, I think that that's a good thing for that kind of platform.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a real positive for him, but I do think that
[SPEAKER_00]: with the question with Kakura and Yoshiyoka and the match happening.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if this dose trace does kind of feel a little weird that they're kind of cut the part here.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Kakura Shimizu Menorah go up against natural halibs, straw machine JKZ and UT.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way
[SPEAKER_00]: No shooting sky walker on the show.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're not getting those three versus cypatra with Amara back and doing a trios.
[SPEAKER_00]: We are doing, uh, uh, we're, we're, we're stringing out the natural vibes divorce with Shemazoo.
[SPEAKER_00]: which I had to say, like, it does kind of raise the eyebrow with Skywalker, essentially working his hometown show.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's not a lot of dragon gate going on right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: So being able to heal up somewhat, but not being on Memorial Gate, and in a scenario where it makes such perfect sense,
[SPEAKER_00]: to have sci-patra versus uh, gotcha docro leading up to the match happening on thursday and cork and so that's not happening and it kind of makes me
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, raising the eyebrow at that main event, make me wonder if it's going to be more of an angle kind of side of main event as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: And also the fact that you have star-machine KZ and UT doing this versus team-ling with their new natural vibes teammates, Diky, Yana-gyuchi and Aki, does kind of, I think save the big
[SPEAKER_00]: is something that, again, puts Memorial Gate kind of in it, and it's placed like, no, you're not getting that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then, uh, be so you're getting a triangle gate, rematch essentially.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what you're getting instead of that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But,
[SPEAKER_00]: I have to say, though, that it's situationaly, let Strong Machine JKZ and you to get a little bit back from Shimazoo and a little bit momentum going to chapter five of Natural Vibes make sense, but also keeping Shimazoo incredibly strong going into this single match with Skywalker on Thursday.
[SPEAKER_00]: Interesting ways for this to kind of go about ultimately drag in a ho-ho-ho loon.
[SPEAKER_00]: a buddy cop, tandem if I ever heard of one, is going up against the Sumia Coast Gang Cogatara, the current Ryukyu Dragon, twin-ryo tag team champions, as Sumu also being just the overall Ryotrag, single champion.
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of your what one would consider in past years a touch football match.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know necessarily if that's the case with us here, but it's also ultimately.
[SPEAKER_00]: So one has to go towards that kind of thinking with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Match 2, you're only singles match on this show.
[SPEAKER_00]: Someone that he's not from Wakayama, but, you know, Western Japan, based in Ginkihore, Guchi, going up against Shiro Shimbasi, and we're at this point now, Jiro.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's several months in, he's done the loop a couple of times.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is like his first performance in Wakayama, of course.
[SPEAKER_00]: But we've had him versus Ginkihana.
[SPEAKER_00]: on network shows, so I'm kind of at this point like wondering like is this not necessarily the next step for Jiro Shambashi, but I would see a new spins kind of on the at least conceit of him with that in.
[SPEAKER_00]: They're opening in Memorial Gate with, hey, if you don't have a shoe and skywalker on the show and you're not doing a Gajadokuro versus iPadra, a lot of things that Gajadokuro could be doing on this show rather than Medokokokuro and Big Washington, as we have more important things to still be doing with natural vibe stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: But,
[SPEAKER_00]: Your openers, Amari, and L.C.L.O.
[SPEAKER_00]: versus Jackie Kameh, and Rita, you're open the twin gate champions.
[SPEAKER_00]: And interesting, kind of doing that as the opener, Kameh, and Rita.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like by the end, by the next time we talk possibly,
[SPEAKER_00]: We should have Ray Day Playhouse announced it does feel like to me that the schedule setting up to do Ray Day Playhouse kick off in Osaka maybe to two nights of that there.
[SPEAKER_00]: It kind of like an interesting thing with like the schedule that I would think that we are getting close to a time where we should be getting that's we should begin that term in underway, but Kamei and Rita going against Amare and LCL, I mean, it's the Jackie Kamei and Rita who are doing very well in the voices are wrestling match of the year.
[SPEAKER_00]: in a little bit, but I really have like seeing how Mari and LCLO kind of have to work together while shooting is out, and seeing like the possibility of like these two as a Ray Day per a hot team, going up against the current gold standard in the attacking division and dragonate.
[SPEAKER_00]: So a lot there may be I just seeing what's going on with Gajodo, girl, and talking it out a little bit,
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe now we have a little bit more of a realistic position where Memorial Gate is that we are not advancing the story with Kakura and Shimizu and their opponents right now, so you are revisiting something that you've been doing last month.
[SPEAKER_00]: Truth Gate on Thursday, Kork and Hall, so don't know when we'll be back into your feed next week.
[SPEAKER_00]: We've got to decide if we're going to be
[SPEAKER_00]: just doing memorial gator doing both that and the cork and haul show.
[SPEAKER_00]: And a couple of interesting matches already announced on this show.
[SPEAKER_00]: Looks like we have the full card.
[SPEAKER_00]: Underway, we have of course the main event special single match soon Skywalker vices.
[SPEAKER_00]: Big Bosch and Zoo set up at the cork in January with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Skywalker has been very interestingly used since the
[SPEAKER_00]: just mention not on the memorial gate show at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it does kind of like put in a kind of situation of, okay, does you get completely taken out by Shimizu and Skywalker's out for a little bit, like is that a potential way to go about it?
[SPEAKER_00]: Or is it going to be Skywalker who has such a dominant
[SPEAKER_00]: Twenty twenty five is this going to be something where it especially in cork and that you're able to say like no Skywalker is back and he was able to put down Shimizu who was only able to kind of, you know Just get at him a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of ways to go for it I still kind of think that the fact that Skywalker is not in Walkayama did that did his hometown show and this is the next match for him
[SPEAKER_00]: Does kind of make me raise my eyebrow and make me think that maybe skywalkers can get rid off for a little bit longer.
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't have match orders for the show.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm just going to go kind of backwards to front from what I see here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Ten man tag, the debut of the new generation of natural vibes, trauma, machine J, KZ, UT, Dikyonic, UT, Naki, versus the open the twin gate, and open the triangle gate team.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's right.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're getting all of love and PCO and Ben K and
[SPEAKER_00]: of her and Jackie and Rita, and we'll talk a little bit about my project and how it relates to tracking like these rookies here, but like I'm really, that this is a big spot for Diky and Akira Sahara, especially after the way that Quarkin ended so strongly with the two of them kind of interjecting themselves and improving themselves in natural vibes and having that
[SPEAKER_00]: be relaunch after losing the Shimezu trial series.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a big step for both of these guys, and I think that it will be kind of telling to see where they are kind of in this position, where I mean, they got to try and locate match earlier this year, but like,
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the big lights a quark one haul after a dragon gate uh completely sold it out a few weeks ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it'll be very interesting to see where they kind of uh end up after this like especially uh Oki's look is maybe not something you're going to go with full time unless you want to have someone uh looking like doing like brother Yashi stuff in 2026 like I mean we'll want to see with that and
[SPEAKER_00]: really with this also being so close to unodostrace and in theory like there's a lot of there's a lot of title matches that can happen and I think just thinking about this for a second.
[SPEAKER_00]: Going back to Memorial Gate, I think that love and peace get the easy defense here, because it does feel like that really what you kind of want to do here is, I mean, hopefully, Diky and Sahara get to that point and they get a pen on Junior and you're setting up that triangle gate kind of rematch, but with Strong Machine J at Fuquaoka.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like that's kind of,
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, what you would hope that kind of would do?
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like like the, you have to set up Luke Walker and really like for Diky and Oki, that they need to have like this like now clear out of rookie stage, uh, move for them.
[SPEAKER_00]: We would that they need to make that step here.
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
[SPEAKER_00]: That's kind of where I'm anticipating things going with that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Homari and LCLO kind of continue being the, these high-patterach team that is actually around all the time going against.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kai-Nyoshiki Kato, Kato, unmasking CLO last month, I think, that year, already at least to me, Golden Coliseum and I,
[SPEAKER_00]: I've not seen the building yet, and this is something where I probably should just outright just ask Jay.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if this building can have a cage, like at least like the Dragongate cage, so that's will be one of those things that maybe it's just positioning towards that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or I mean, if this is really like popping off here, I mean, making another batch for the first picture in Fuhoka.
[SPEAKER_00]: Marcus Mather's is a special singles match also on the truth gate show on Thursday the fifth against the returning of Louise Monte so Monte we are kind of wondering when he might come back but also knowing that the guy given the last six years basically deserved that as long of a break as he kind of needed a one to have so you got to have that January schedule off and he's going against Marcus Mather's and
[SPEAKER_00]: If I were someone who would have the ability to book Dragon Gate in the United States, maybe not as a Dragon Gate USA thing, but, you know, uh, ETO or one of those kind of shows.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if I have the ability to kind of be able to book Louise Monte, who has not worked the states, I don't think.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, matters versus Montet would be one of those matches.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, into that, in a big way, especially Montet and matters, like the idea that, okay, matters is a guy with size.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Montet is more than willing to with size go for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would have more kind of high flying.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of ways that this kind of can go, and I'm really intrigued to see how the singles match comes off.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then,
[SPEAKER_00]: leading up, speaking of like Fukuoka, we have the one match on paper, Yukiyoshioka, Madoka Kukuta.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are getting their cork in face off leading into that, is it's Yukiyoshioka, Dragon Dying Roy.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's Naka.
[SPEAKER_00]: So all of you courage versus Madoka Kukuta, Kota Menora, and Eshen, Tanaka does not have a brave gay challenger yet for Fukuoka.
[SPEAKER_00]: does not really feel like he's going to get one set up out of here.
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess maybe he dragon kid could get the win on Tanaka and that could be a challenge for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Doi could do doi's under a three kilos, but I don't think doi will be put in that kind of position.
[SPEAKER_00]: And really, this match has to be completely, utterly, and absolutely in service of building up the Droom Gate match.
[SPEAKER_00]: We will be basically two and a half weeks out from the show here.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the biggest pit stop.
[SPEAKER_00]: I really need to see Oshioca and Kukuura really go after each other.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's something that the two could do, but and I feel like I was higher on their Dream Beat match at Kobe World in 2023, but I do kind of feel like that with the way that things have been, especially with good as champion, I kind of want to see.
[SPEAKER_00]: either Cacuda, absolutely demolish, show, show, Yukio, show, can you show Cacos Terminator mode or just something to get us really amped up for a food quote?
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's what we've been waiting months for a dream get shot, essentially.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I really am hoping to see some fireworks there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't know necessarily about the fireworks.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe if it is going to set up a all-japan All-Aisha tag team title match as um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um, um
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I mean, everyone's eyes aren't going to go on if like Hulk or Yamato are going to pin down Fuji.
[SPEAKER_00]: I kind of like the idea of Yamato and Dragon Kid versus Masaki mochizuki and down Fuji for going to get a defense between Dragon Gate guys working the belt back over to all Japan.
[SPEAKER_00]: but that's probably the best hope out of this match where as the more realistic kind of thing is that this would be the touchable match of the match.
[SPEAKER_00]: The night and then we're opening with Ria Food and Kazuma Kamura versus Narugitoy and Kagatora.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, the the fact that you're having this paradox, chariot, uptria, or duo, and that Atomico in the match after this, does kind of make you kind of go.
[SPEAKER_00]: Camora was offered into paradox last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fuda has been teeming with them and getting wins with paradox.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that, I mean, this is a, a stable that's already at six.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's all the old guys, but I think that for, like, the, the, the idea of what paradox is in 2026, either they're going to have to evolve for at the times and come more of joining the unit along with food.
[SPEAKER_00]: I could definitely do like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or I mean, that's a unit that if Gajadokuro's going to try to take over
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of got to see them do the paradox seems like a team that would be right on the plate for them if they're not really doing a whole lot in 2026.
[SPEAKER_00]: But those are the two cards we have coming up next week.
[SPEAKER_00]: I still think I'm really into the Memorial Gate Show and I don't know what that necessarily says about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it is that I've been
[SPEAKER_00]: snowed in for the last five days and that there was no dragon gate to watch.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I had to watch 90s, shindies, like per wrestling eagle.
[SPEAKER_00]: So but those are the things we have coming up next week.
[SPEAKER_00]: two quick things before we go to the drag and system chili.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, forgot to mention this up top when I was doing the rundown here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, as I was kind of hinting at last week, uh, Gajadokuro announced a produce show coming up on March 13th, that is a Friday.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, completely sold down the pre-selling five minutes.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, that it does not not seem like they can get much more seating but Asian promise that they are going to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: didn't really bring it up as like a thing happening that that much during this week just because there was uh that it was kind of announced.
[SPEAKER_00]: It completely sold out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, last year we had the Shun's guy walker uh zebra at show uh Shun's guy walker quest for.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this one, uh, essentially, uh, uh, God-joddokoro produce on the 13th.
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll be interesting to see.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's at Shinjuku face.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I mean, you're talking really only about 250 300 people there for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But a big thing happening with, with that with them, uh, did note one.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was trying to get the date for this, uh,
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, I did mention Neruki Doye, like, hey, he could figure himself into a triangle gate or brave gate thing in Fukuoka, uh, his February schedule does not have Fukuoka, his, uh, just not on his schedule, uh, he's where he's Shishima, but he's not working Uno's Joe's trace, uh, dragon gate festival in Fukuoka.
[SPEAKER_00]: making up some dryness system till you, uh, let's first talk about, uh, Monday magic.
[SPEAKER_00]: So no Sawa wrong guys, uh, siloed promotion is the way I guess it kind of feels.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am not a regular Monday magic viewer.
[SPEAKER_00]: I, unlike case, I keep Noah at a healthy distance at nearly all times.
[SPEAKER_00]: But, uh, the last week's show with the Roya Tanaka and Ali Hondro, uh, draw along with Neruki Doy versus, uh, Kaito Kia Mia, case sold it to me last week on the show.
[SPEAKER_00]: I watched it, and it rocks like, if Neruki Doy should win whatever this, uh, universe cup is, and if there is like this,
[SPEAKER_00]: like it's own champion like this is the kind of thing that I want to see in the rookie toy do and I know that Masaki mochizuki is being an old man champion of a cyber fight affiliated promotion right now but I really want in the rookie toy to do that because him and kia mio was awesome it was the petulant territory heel
[SPEAKER_00]: champion Nerugi Doi, just kind of not well-being willing to let, um, and not being willing to let Kaito Kiyomi get him, get one over on him, Kiyomi, gets a win and then, uh, and no Doi me, at least as we shove a rematch in the main event of the show, and that's exactly what I would do with that, uh, sadly, Doi was not on the episode, uh, this week I did not catch it,
[SPEAKER_00]: but the main event on the show was Hayata, Masata, and Shuchi Kondo who, like, it does kind of feel in a way that Shuchi Kondo essentially is getting the cyber fight money right now between his
[SPEAKER_00]: good for him like as like a kind of a retirement role.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm happy him for for him.
[SPEAKER_00]: But he's like the right guy to bring in when the other team is Alejandro, uh, Dragon Kid and Hayabusa.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that is such a kind of big thing for, uh, Dragon Kidness career in a way, a Hayabusa for, uh, those who do not know,
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to say like that Dragon Kid was like best friends with high boosts, but he idolized high boosts working in FNW as a referee and after high boosts as parallelization, Dragon Gate had a relationship with high boosts and did some of his records I believe.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that music man also held high boost in that level of relevance, and there was a show where like Dragon Kid did his own version of a high boost of character and like a BB Hulk and Pack playing other sides of high abusa, and they did that with it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And even when high abusa there was the TV,
[SPEAKER_00]: they had a ring set up in Corkin Hall and they let Hayabusa.
[SPEAKER_00]: At that time was able to be somewhat mobile for like a short distance with the crutches, essentially was able to sand up into the ring and Dragon Kid being a close friend of his was there for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So
[SPEAKER_00]: He never got to team with Hayabusa, AJ Azaki, and this was kind of a really neat thing that NoSawa and wrestling in wrestling in a very sliver fight did together.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to have it watch for next week, in a certain case, watch it.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is someone who is more than willing to get into it with NoSawa.
[SPEAKER_00]: but it does kind of make me wonder with this universe cup.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the promotions announced with it and Dragon Gate always having that positive relationship to know at least in that manner if we might end up seeing representation in that term.
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll be interesting to see, I mean, at the very least, Dragon Gate's more than willing to work with them in this.
[SPEAKER_00]: and look, case left me home alone.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to talk about Glate when given the opportunity to I do have this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if I sold my soul to it or if at this point I just feel so pocket-comitted that I just got it to this.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Glate had a show in Nagoya, IEG last week and on the
[SPEAKER_00]: I caught it today, nothing really for me, stuck out too much on the show other than that they're really trying to load up their February cork and haul show with, they have Ryuji Shaman Kawakami getting a G-Rex-Hile shot over versus Elendaman.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shania Aoki versus Kazuika Nakajima for the G or the lidet UWF title and it also just for them in this year feels like the type the type of show that it's about time for them to have a bigger show this year like oddly enough they kind of been
[SPEAKER_00]: on their own in a lot of ways with it, but they were in the goya on the 25th just running down it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So you have also on that you infinity, uh, uh,
[SPEAKER_00]: Kaitoshiita in Kasmosakamoto versus Arata and JD Lee of Black Generation International that which is exists and is continually growing and it feels like that it is kind of the wrestling direction is them kind of just being all overshows at this point.
[SPEAKER_00]: not necessarily a bad thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just one of those things that you in this promotion that's in a very tentative spot.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're doing this but also going harder on UWF kind of plays at the same time as
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of Indy Joshy that it's just, it feels like that they're going to exist until their fifth anniversary show and then we'll see what happens with them there, but it's not necessarily like a great show.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought the main event, Menorus Nakell, Linda men and talking to Nory Edo.
[SPEAKER_00]: who almost put Matsukatsu Fanaki in a wheelchair, essentially, with us, that was a narrowly UWFI return for Eto, but he is back in the, and he's teeming with Tanaka and Lenniman, against Ishida Kasakamoto and Black Adramada.
[SPEAKER_00]: in for this tour up in black and drama is kind of the last connection to what BGI use CB or at least was when big when big Lucha had the relationship with them.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think a drum and now is mostly in AAA now, which matches up with their relationship with AAA.
[SPEAKER_00]: Elsewhere on this show, you had an 11-minute Calacami versus JD Lee match.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was not too bad.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, you're just in a promotion where like a lot of stuff's kind of happening.
[SPEAKER_00]: Takira Yamumura right now is teaming of Luigi Primo, pretending that he is a ramen chef.
[SPEAKER_00]: like the this is what this motion goes back to is okay yons family's dead so but we have to have someone being a ramen chef okay let's use yama mora for this with Luigi Primo who just kind of exists
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a frustrating promotion, and it really feels like it's at a point of throwing things to the wall.
[SPEAKER_00]: They are building Yamumura.
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't know what they're doing at this guy at this point.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yamumura doing a DJ set.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what's going on, and then he's going to have a match against Jack Hartwheel.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's happening at the Glate Corkin as well as Yu-Zuka vs. Kau-Ono and the Arashi and J.D.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lee who are members of Black Generation International, going up against Kaito Asshita in Kazmasakamoto that look.
[SPEAKER_00]: This promotion is still, is still trucking along, uh, she must doing like his, uh, bad kids, a talk show happening.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's happening.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think over Valentine's Day, I will leave.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's just weird.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just really weird.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, well, well, well, while I'm just going through my tabs right now, uh, I'm just going to talk through my, uh, match of the air ballot.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, I know that at this point, a lot of my new Japan and CMLL stuff and certain things are still around, but uh, as someone who goes with a lot of dragon gate.
[SPEAKER_00]: on my ballot worth to spend some time on it on my match of the year.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was I was certain on April 18th, 2025.
[SPEAKER_00]: This was going to be my match of the year.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think a lot of it was being there in person was the, uh,
[SPEAKER_00]: WrestleMania 6man, Ben K. Heo and KZ versus E. Brats, E. Shin Menora in Skywalker, Kenny Omega versus Gabe Kid, a number two from Russell, Dynacy, that really like boy, if Gabe Kid just thinks just did not go the way that Gabe Kid went in 2025.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like,
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a guy that in the first week of 2025, everyone was just like all in and on, uh, page over Moxley at all in, uh, Texas, match number three.
[SPEAKER_00]: You might don't case these already like fallen off.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it was like, in the 75 to 51 class, uh, I adored this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought this was the best singles match in Dragon Gate all year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like I'm a little bit on the island for that, uh,
[SPEAKER_00]: Mystico defeating MJF at Seamal El Zayna Versary Show in the 19th of September's rounds out my top five and then Jackie Kamaynerita versus a Diagnoshoka number six.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like 2025 for me in wrestling, the Dragon Gate Suff is so
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember a lot of it crystal clear, the AEW thing for me, and where I am with AEW, it's just like the great stuff does stick out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Adam Page is on my ballot, the exact same amount of times a shoe and skywalker.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it does kind of feel like the Owen final page in Osprey.
[SPEAKER_00]: Boy, like when they got behind page and doing that sorely line, that felt like a special thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Skywalker over Yamato.
[SPEAKER_00]: I...
[SPEAKER_00]: I liked Yamato vs. KZ more than this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know that that puts me a little bit out on a ledge and my last try and gate match in number nine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hio-Kontcha-Hari-Hio, I'm a little mad that, or Rich, and Jeremy did not have it in there as Hio-Kontcha-Hio, goal-class, defeating a natural vibes that just like...
[SPEAKER_00]: Outside of the Dragon Gate 6man at Mania Week and one of the best, uh, I guess not straight tag matches.
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw a year and, uh, sci-a-comontani retiring Tom Nockano from, uh, April 27th was my tenth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, I adored it, uh, Sia is someone over 20, 25, it became very, very clear like what we were seeing with her as a Rosalar.
[SPEAKER_00]: And, uh, that this was actually my 11th because rich crage being the fun police did not let me put, uh, uh, Lowe's Eostell, uh, Cycle Clown at the,
[SPEAKER_00]: on April 18th in the Luchas show in the atrium of a mall that had a very bad show six years previous.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those who kids, they stuck in my mind throughout 2025.
[SPEAKER_00]: They had like one of the matches of WrestleMania weekend and like seriously like that was something that I think that we'll just
[SPEAKER_00]: So closing out this episode, one of the things that I have always come back to with Dragon Gate and the Dragon System has been how that they have now for 30 coming up on 30 years, been one of the most remarkable producers of wrestlers of all time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that this is a,
[SPEAKER_00]: stretch in a system that really compares to some of those all-time, like the things that people say about the heart dungeon or other prominent wrestling schools and just situations, you don't really talk about a promotions like dojo system in that way.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I really find interesting this month how Diky Anagiyu Chinochihira Sahara, joining natural vibes became like the the start of them leaving that like real first rookie stage of their career.
[SPEAKER_00]: And with this this Dragonate Dojo being what it is and it is like a promotion
[SPEAKER_00]: At least since Dragon Gate future started, so the class of 2021, so we were back in, we had crowds, but no cheering, essentially.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dragon Gate changed their rookie program to be called future.
[SPEAKER_00]: And from that point, we have 17 wrestlers over the last five years, have been debuted from that system.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's such an interesting collection of guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Ricky Hashi to Jiro Shinbashi, when you look at this area and all that it implies.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we have this time, or like this class, or era, really.
[SPEAKER_00]: where we're seeing a promotion not just produce wrestlers that are like Humari and from Go essentially become players on a massive stage.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have your Akahiro Sahara's who it does kind of like make you think about the passage of time that
[SPEAKER_00]: Sahara was next up after Hamari.
[SPEAKER_00]: So debuted after him and now Akira Sahara as he is getting across like the two and a half year mark is now entering his first true stable and even with someone with Dikey on a Gucci who really has been in the system for like four years, he's in that position now and how to how to certain wrestlers fit these kinds of molds and how
[SPEAKER_00]: not necessarily Tori Manjapan in 1999, but maybe when Dragongate launches in 2004 with the true-born class or looking at the millennials or the people that came out around the split in WWE 2018, like you have all of these kinds of periods, and we're at this point this year where
[SPEAKER_00]: They don't really have a good name for this era of wrestler, but essentially after the Millennials and before they, the OWA split, you had this grouping of wrestlers that began with Khaito Ashita and Takahiri Yamumura through essentially Oji Shiba.
[SPEAKER_00]: But over that like that three year period, they don't really have the name,
[SPEAKER_00]: Shinskai Walker, Heo, Binkai, and Yukiyoshioka are having their 10th year anniversary this year, and you're at a point where you're able to completely, and not necessarily encapsulate their career, but there's a lot of movement up and down, and a lot of progression and stopping, starting and stopping, that maybe we saw with them over a 10 year time period, but what happens on a little bit more
[SPEAKER_00]: And what I've done and what I'll be doing in I will probably this will be a project that I will be on quiet weeks weeks that case maybe is not here weeks that I might not be here.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I have time to prepare something in advance.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm looking pretty deep into the careers of these guys and the idea of what this is taking the dragon system of talent development and looking at what happens when someone's system is really online at a point where looking at this future generation,
[SPEAKER_00]: You have figures like Eshen and Rita all the way to Rio, Yatsunaka, and Humari, all from this time period.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that we're at a point, at least with now, Sahara and Yanniguchi advancing on to their main roster kind of elevation.
[SPEAKER_00]: That it's time to kind of look at the steps that kind of brought them at the way, what kind of paths a rookie goes through and seeing like with someone like Kazuma Kamora, five months in his career right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: how it is for him versus someone from the New Japan Dojo.
[SPEAKER_00]: And how I'm doing this is basically, it is somewhat of a subjective thing where I look at third Abuse.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then from there, we track the wrestler.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we check in each month and essentially the idea is, are you better off or worse off than you were the month before?
[SPEAKER_00]: And how you determine essentially how these wrestlers are booked?
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that looking at when promotions really get behind these wrestlers tells you a lot about kind of their development.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not necessarily married to this as an overall thesis.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I do think that when you have wrestlers that have that that go from one month working open or sit next month working right before an or mission or getting their first title shots like that shows a level of progress into their wrestling career that you know maybe the in-ring sometimes comes together a little bit before they get pushed and maybe sometimes the in-ring has to come along after because they are become such a property to do this.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, I've only gone through, and this again, because this, these are guys who are still so early in their career, I liked the idea of just doing month-to-month heat checks, and essentially by looking at how Dragon Gate booked.
[SPEAKER_00]: and what results happen with your Kazuma Kamora's versus your homiries, you're able to see what happens maybe with a Kamora who gets a debut and then quickly moves back to a traditional rookie kind of roll after a little bit of a longer kind of debut runway versus a hamare who is instantly on and then really is only off when he is injured.
[SPEAKER_00]: and it really kind of makes you look at this because when you're just starting off talking about these two guys, Kazuma Kamora debuts against Ben K, where as Hamari debuts against Masaki mojizuki, Kamora later on in the show gets added into a Dragon Gate versus All-Japan
[SPEAKER_00]: who asks him to join the unit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fresh Offa has matched up Masaki Mocha Zuki, and he declares Fielty the Shun Skywalker and joins E-Breads.
[SPEAKER_00]: I look at this as a 10-point scale, and maybe this is something where, and please, come in the voices of wrestling discord, and you think Mike, you have to kind of have charts up and talk about this, and this isn't necessarily a great audio, please, feedback.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm kind of feeling in this out in just seeing where it goes.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you look objectively at Camora's debut, I mean, he's against Ben K, he's involved in a pretty big angle.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not being a champion, it's not Aaron Wolfe's debut and the Tokyo Dome to me on a 1 to 10 scale is like a 9.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kazuma Kamoras is a lot less than that, Kazuma Kamoras is a 5.
[SPEAKER_00]: And comparatively, Hamari again, not as big as Aaron Wolfe, debuting in Tokyo, don't turning out to be a competent wrestler and having the star power of 1993, uh, uh, Kiji Muto, you know, like it's not that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Hamari is more at a seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then from there, we look at where they go, Komora has his kind of great match with paradox versus all Japan, and then goes into a little bit of a triangle gate program with what would end up being Saipatra.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a big step up for Kamora.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would say that that's a seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: I made him in this first month.
[SPEAKER_00]: He goes up there.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he can move from five to seven.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hamari's first month, he is immediately in the thick of things, teaming with Zeebrats in main events.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not necessarily in title scenarios in the first few months.
[SPEAKER_00]: It steps up that way, especially to close out the year.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Hamari steps down into a sex season main events.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I mean,
[SPEAKER_00]: We're looking at this as where Rocky can be where A 0 is injured and all one is like basically getting one match and you he you're not doing a whole lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: And from there, was like Kamora, afterwards, he gets kind of kicked out of Saipatra, and he's immediately moved down into a rookie role where we see Kazuma Kamora basically always before intermission.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not on every show, he's not making every tour and doing how show kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's two and three work.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's where Kamora was to close out there.
[SPEAKER_00]: So Kamora is coming up on essentially month six
[SPEAKER_00]: And he's at about a three, whereas how Mara at that point he does not get to be in the 2000 and 24 king of gate tournament.
[SPEAKER_00]: He does have a triangle gate match the close out the year.
[SPEAKER_00]: He is at a six.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, not main of inning shows at this point.
[SPEAKER_00]: He does kind of slide back because he's not really on the
[SPEAKER_00]: King of Gate tour and then he has a slower spring until you get to a point where where Hamari is past his point, Hamari is his career, we get into January of 2025 and things are picking up for him.
[SPEAKER_00]: So essentially this lets me by evaluating the booking, which again, somewhat subjective, we're seeing where these two guys go.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've only really kind of begun this project.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a thing where for some of these guys and with Kotto, like, there's going to be just years where he's not there.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think we kind of have reached this point with some of these guys,
[SPEAKER_00]: the future of Dragon Gate has been here for a long time.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I wonder if we're at a point where we can start looking at lessons that can be learned here.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we will check back in on this when we have some quiet time.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to keep on my plugging away.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will probably eventually post some charts and on discord and on social media as we go along with this,
[SPEAKER_00]: a thing that I'm getting into in 2026 and it's really kind of exciting because I really enjoy the month to month and really the show and show out stuff where some of these rookies and we've had this period really I mean stating back for the last decade where
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you kind of stack up if you want to go decade by decade.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're kind of almost at that point where there was a pretty fallow period that was leading up and even blood into this generation of dragon gate wrestlers that kind of our headline by the class of 2016 now approaching their tenure anniversary this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we'll, we'll step back into this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really have a name for the project for a while.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was thinking about the Adrian Newy book, How to Bill Carr, and I was going to call it How to Bill to Dojo, but I don't like how that sounds.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, well, again, if this is something where you just rather, this needs to have the graphics, do videos, do stuff on social media.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let me know in the discord and we'll go with that there.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's going to do it this week on the on open of voice get I thought it would just be about a half hour from me or maybe 45 minutes, but somehow crept over to closer to an hour.
[SPEAKER_00]: We will be back next week talking at least Memorial Gate and Bullhoff case back on the show then.
[SPEAKER_00]: Have a good rest of your week everyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: Take care.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bye bye.