1.Dragon Kid vs Yoshino ***3/4
2.Quackenbush, Jigsaw vs YAMATO, Akuma ***
3.Danielson vs Doi ****1/2
4.CIMA vs Kendrick ***
5.SHINGO vs Richards ****3/4
6.Young Bucks vs Real Hazard ***1/2
Thoughts:
Time for show #2.
On the first event review, I mentioned that Dragon Kid and Yoshino are capable of better matches. This event started with one such match. Great stuff, truly. Thanks to a cut-off spot, DK was considered the heel by the crowd for a majority of this. This was largely smooth and crisp and well worked. Yoshino refusing to shake Kid's hand after worked well.
Match two was surely held back a tad by Jigsaw's injury but honestly all four guys worked hard and it was a good tag overall. Quack picked up the win but YAMATO attacked after until Hallowicked made the save.
The Bucks then came out and cut a promo teasing the main event. Jacobs and Mustafa Ali came out to recruit the Jacksons but were turned down. The four brawled a tad with the Bucks standing tall but the Real Hazard came in for a cheap shot.
The lights went out and when they returned, the American Dragon was in the ring. I personally remember seeing this match between Bryan and Doi and thinking, "this promotion is going to be huge". While I was sadly wrong, Gabe's gonna Gabe after all, it is still a huge match that has aged very well. Right before Bryan went off to WWE (before being fired for the necktie situation), he wanted a chance to work a DGUSA show and thank God he did. Him and Doi killed it in a fantastic affair that I urge you to make time for.
Bryan issued a challenge to Richards after telling him to take his spot as the best in the world. That never happened, but I did appreciate Davey's work.
Next, CIMA and Brian Kendrick had a good but forgettable match that kept the show rolling on a solid enough foot. Not too bad for a throwaway.
In the semi, Davey and SHINGO stepped up big. Richards gets a lot of shit, but I used to really enjoy his work and I urge all the naysayers to watch this. If they still dislike the dude, I would have to ask what drugs they are on. SHINGO happens to be a dude that has been in many of my favorite matches, though none have hit five stars yet for me. Many ****3/4 scale, though. They fucking killed it here in a nearly perfect battle!
Bryan and Davey share a moment post-match. Richards is put over by Dragon before he turned heel, attacking Danielson.
The main event saw the Twin Gate Champs in non-title action versus the Bucks. Following that last match was a tall task and this certainly was in the shadow, but regardless of card placement it was a respectable closer and a pretty good match. If nothing else, this worked nicely to showcase the growth of the Jackson brothers over the years which is always fun. The champs, of course, were a strong pair. The only true knock I have is the weak finish, really.
WWNLive also added EVOLVE 45, 79, 81 that I don't think I've ever seen so I might check those out at some point. I also just purchased some more DVD's from the WWN site, fearing they won't be available much longer. I will continue slowly working through these gigs as I reconfirm my love for DGUSA. For now, I give this one a thumbs up. It lived up to my own hypes nicely, being as good a show as I remembered. Check it out when you get a moment!
Overall Rating: 85/100%