Mercury Rising

Dragon Gate USA

dgusa.tv

$20.00

Reviewed by Joe Babinsack

Yeah, the Mercury Rising event went off many months ago, but it’s well worth revisiting.

On the week of that last WrestleMania, this card – from top to bottom, because of the excellent wrestling at the top of the card, the entertainment of Teddy Hart and the solid booking throughout – seems to have held up far better.

About the only weakness I perceive is the ongoing weakness of the Indy tier of promotions: the holds need better explained, the wrestlers need a bit more fleshing out, and there just needs to be a better presentation of this new promotion.

The overall strategy is working, in connecting established Dragon Gate (Japan) factions to known American names, which theoretically will help in having the promos down the line. But the problem there is that who watched DG USA for the promos, when the work rate and product is worlds better than any talk about it?

Jon Moxley, Jimmy Jacobs and the CHIKARA team of Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw are thus becoming focal points of the Americanized Dragon Gate product. All things considered, that’s no problem. Moxley has a certain presence that puts him among the top notch talent in the indy world. He’s not presenting the in-ring talent of a Davey Richards, or the potential for the same as in Chuck Taylor, nor the high-flying expertise of a Jack Evans, but because Moxley is different, he’s showing a wealth of potential.

Moxley looks to have a future, with his brawling and his ability to convey an attitude. Yeah, he’s no YAMATO …. Yet, but this might be the promotion for him to grow in.

Jacobs is one of the most unappreciated talents in the business. He’s been at the core of Gabe Sapolsky’s booking for the past few years, and there’s no doubt why. In the ring, Jacobs has a fire and a tenacity that works well with Dragon Gate’s expectations of high speed, technically sound and passionate workrate.

Once Jacobs is unleashed from an otherwise interesting angle with Brian Kendrick and Paul London and the Hart/Evans cabal, he’ll be an excellent mouth piece-that-can-wrestle for one of the factions.

And the third American voice is the tag team of Quackenbush & Jigsaw, who are one of CHIKARA’s favorite teams, and while many may debate that Quack is the true master of a 1000 holds – in the line of a Malenko or a Les Thatcher or a Hans Mortier – he is living the gimmick and he never disappoints. As masters of a lucha styled tag team style, with a legacy parallel to Dragon Gate via Jorge “Skayde” Rivera, there’s awesome potential for the tag division in DG USA.

The potential for Dragon Gate USA is shown by Mercury Rising, which has a roster with impressive variety, a terrific sense of booking and overall, the best array of matches around.

No less to consider is the awesome commentary of Lenny Leonard.

Leonard shines on Mercury Rising, unencumbered by a cohort. While at times I missed either the revolving door of color commentators or the insight of another wrestler, Leonard blew away anyone else on TV these days with a knowledge base and a story telling insight as well as that uncanny ability to anticipate the big moves and set up the names of the moves.

What impressed me about Mercury Rising was the variety of talent, and a mixture of newcomers, the established Japanese roster and names from the WWE, and to say that they were used well is an understatement. There’s a sense of build and an ability of anticipating what will come next from DG USA that is important. Most of which is because the promotion isn’t slinging out angles at a hypersonic rate.

One of the nifty visuals of the promotion was on display, briefly, at the opening, showing guys from various factions warming up…. providing a glimpse and a serene background music that sets up the action to come… the calm before the storm.

By the way, the music on Mercury Rising was new, different and very much welcome. Loud Japanese style heavy metal, to say the least. A welcome change.

We open up with TJP taking on Brad Allen.

Allen has a size and appearance that reminds me of Tyler Black, and a growing sense of talent. The only complaint here is the typical size differential. TJP has the experience – well explained by Leonard – but there’s something about the established MMA expectations never being acknowledged in pro wrestling that just needs to be addressed.

I liked the match in terms of a pacing and a storytelling focus and it felt right as the opener. The finish was, ironically enough, more MMA inspired than pro wrestling.

Strangely enough, The Young Buck vs Mike Quackenbus & Jigsaw came on next. This would have to be a main event in any indy promotion, and well deserving anywhere, but it shows the depth of the roster in DG USA. The Bucks are now entrenched in TNA, and actually being used better than I would have anticipated.

Here, they stand toe-to-toe with CHIKARA’s favorite sons. The speed and creativity is there, and yet because it’s a different approach than the Japanese style, it’s not more and more and more of the same.

The promo at the end was interesting enough as well. There’s a level of arrogance with The Young Bucks that I’ve seen here and elsewhere that just may keep them forging ahead. These kids aren’t just satisfied with being at the highest level, they expect to excel at it.

Shingo vs Ganki Horiguch.

Shingo is the powerhouse of Dragon Gate. His match with Bryan Danielson, being advertised now, is a must see, simply because this Japanese star has experience with all styles, and really tells a story in the ring. DG USA’s fans are on display here as well, showing a knowledge and an appreciation that I often wish all fans would aspire to.

Well, then again, they were very quick with the “This is Awesome!” chant in the tag match, a little before I would have joined in.

Genki Horiguchi is a real character…. “H-A-G-E”, indeed.

There’s a lot to the next match and angle that I was concerned about, and even as it unfolded, but in the end, this was the sort of matchmaking and booking that we just don’t see enough of anymore.

Teddy Hart.

Teddy Hart is a guy that just oozes the business, but then he takes it a step too far. Here, there’s this sense of what the hell is he talking about, and did he just say that, and then … why did he say that?!?

Hart knows his press and knows his reputation and builds off of it and plays to it, and then gushes all over knowing the situation with Kendrick and London in the WWE, and yet puts over the fact that they were in the WWE more than anything else.

It got to the point where it was just crazily confusing, but at the same time, I just had to wonder what Teddy Hart could do if he got his act under control and got a shot on the main stage. This whole thing goes on far too long, and yet, Teddy Hart talking is compelling.

I loved how they set it all up, even though having a “Loser Leaves DGUSA” stipulation seemed incredibly contrived. And that was the theme of this match and pre-match/post-match antics. A match with London & Kendrick versus Jack Evans & Jimmy Jacobs has great expectations. The match reached a certain level, and yet…

But as a whole, this played out better than most PPV matches you’ll see.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Jon Moxley.

The best part of this match is the build-up. This has been going on for a while in DG USA, and isn’t a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants booking disappointment. Unlike the previous match, everything seemed to hit the spot, and the connection between Moxley and a certain Japanese faction played out very well.

Dreamer didn’t cry, which made it better. But he wrestled and played it just the way it should have been done.

Which is how this DVD progressed. The angle-ridden American matches were in the middle, filling time and leading to the blow-away main events.

The “Open the Dream Gate” Title match wasn’t the last match, but it was historic. This title, and the title belt itself is a must-see, but there’s still a lack of the pageantry of Japanese championship matches on this continent to fully appreciate it all. Lenny Leonard does put over the significance, and especially that YAMATO had just won the belt from Naruki Doi in Tokyo a week previous.

If you’ve not seen YAMATO in action, here’s a chance to see a peculiar heel at work. Peculiar, because he’s not the nonsensical villain of today’s American variety, he’s a character that can be read in the ring. Here’s a guy that is bad…. Here’s a guy that’s going to take his short-cuts and at the same time, should you think he’ll do anything less than doing anything to keep his belt?

Susumu Yokosuka is a worthy opponent, and his big finisher is the Jumbo No Kachi!

It took a while before I realized the full version is a running lariat, which ends in a pin attempt. That’s the sort of thing a few squash matches in DG USA would highlight – getting over some of the guys and their moves.

But there’s nothing wrong with putting on a big title match between deserving competitors and getting this match on the DG USA stage. Here’s a match that hits on all cylinders and tells a story in the ring, with opponents working to a finish, working to their opponent’s strengths and wearing them down, and building up to a finish.

And then there’s the main event, a six-man Dragon Gate battle, built up to play off of the classics that put the promotion on the map. This wasn’t the high octane match on ROH that was too quick, but all the while so cutting edge and so crisp that it won a Match of the Year by WON readers despite being like five minutes long.

It wasn’t quite like the followup match, also a top MotY contender.

But this one played out a little longer, with a likely expectation that the fans knew the wrestlers better, knew the stories and knew the holds. Top notch technical wrestling, with a Lucha Libre base (with a few overly choreographed holds), and an array of innovative holds, displayed with more of a purpose than your standard American fare.

Even in the end, as an unexpected challenge is presented, the Japanese language is an enhancement, not a detriment.

By the way, on one side we have BxB Hulk, Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino (World – One faction) and on the other side, CIMA, Gamma and Dragon Kid (Warriors faction).

Factions in Dragon Gate are the key. There’s nothing like the Warriors gesture/chant that compares in the mainstream promotions. Actually, there’s very little that compares to BxB Hulk’s ring introduction, and even when’ he’s only got one dancer and he’s half-heartedly going through the motions, there’s something going on here that could be made vastly entertaining.

But I’ll be satisfied with watching DG USA put on the show with the originals.

Mercury Rising is all about the product, and all about entertaining the audience, and it does nothing but exemplify the best of what professional wrestling can be.

Joe Babinsack can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I prefer more than monosyllabic commentary, but I know the limitations of my critics. Next up: a WWE Graphic Novel, a column on Mick Foley, and much, much more.