Code Of The Warrior: Dragon Gate USA Set To Debut On Internet Pay-Per-View

On Friday October 29, Dragon Gate USA will become the next independent wrestling promotion to offer a live, streaming Internet pay-per-view event on gofightlive.tv.

For those unfamiliar with the gofightlive.tv web site, it provides streaming video services and specializes in combat sports like mixed martial arts, boxing and professional wrestling. One look at the site’s main page will show numerous events and promotions, both big and small, on display for fans around the world.

As far as pro wrestling goes, Ring of Honor spearheaded the iPPV concept with their “Final Battle 2009” event and has consistently produced a new iPPV offering every four months or so. They may not have been the first promotion to utilize the streaming services of gofightlive.tv, but they have undoubtedly been the most successful.

Up until this point, Dragon Gate USA has taped their live events to air on various pay-per-view providers like Viewers Choice and In Demand. These PPV companies have a large distribution via cable providers but the DGUSA product has not been available to subscribers of satellite services like DirecTV.

Some fans of DGUSA have had to rely on waiting for DVD copies of these events to be released.

The promotion will try their hand at iPPV with their “Bushido: Code of the Warrior” event from Fall River, MA later this month. Two matches have already been signed for the event, which is already shaping up to be perhaps the biggest thing DGUSA has done to date.

The main event of “Bushido: Code of the Warrior” is the next chapter of the ongoing feud between Shingo and BxB Hulk. This time, Hulk’s Open the Freedom Gate title will be on the line in what promises to be another great battle between the longtime rivals.

Shingo and Hulk were partners at one time. They were a part of the New Hazard faction in Japan’s Dragon Gate promotion and held the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in Japan‘s Pro Wrestling Noah promotion.

In 2008, Shingo and the rest of New Hazard, which included YAMATO and Cyber Kong, would turn on Hulk and begin a rivalry that has now spilled over into the American side of Dragon Gate.

These two have gone at in some highly important matches. Shingo and Hulk put on a stellar contest earlier this year in Japan in a hair vs. hair match. Shingo was victorious and happily removed Hulk’s trademark blonde locks to celebrate his victory.

Hulk is the inaugural Open the Freedom Gate champion, the top prize for competitors in DGUSA. He has held onto the title for nearly one year, picking up successful defenses against Dragon Kid, Susumu Yokosuka, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi and Masaaki Mochizuki along the way.

Will perhaps his greatest foe be the one to finally end his reign atop DGUSA?

The second announced match for the iPPV is a tag team showcase which could very likely steal the show. CIMA and Genki Horiguchi of the Warriors stable will go up against Kamikaze USA’s team of YAMATO and Akira Tozawa.

Tag team wrestling has been a major selling point for DGUSA since it’s inception last year. Tag and trios matches often become the most talked about matches on their cards and this battle of two popular stables will likely continue that trend.

CIMA is arguably the most popular star of Dragon Gate and his partnership with Horiguchi will be seen on United States soil for the first time in years, according to a statement in by DGUSA president Satoshi Oji. The press release announcing this match-up on the DGUSA.tv web site hypes this team up as the “epitome of Dragon Gate tag team wrestling.”

They will face a formidable duo in Kamikaze’s YAMATO and Tozawa, two young Japanese stars who have made a big time impact in DGUSA as of late. Between the submission prowess of YAMATO and the fierce strikes of Tozawa, the Warriors team have their work cut out for them on iPPV.

More matches for “Bushido: Code of the Warrior” will be announced in the coming weeks, but the talent roster for the event features the names of sumo-legend Akebono (yes, the same guy that had a sumo match with the Big Show at Wrestlemania 21), Masato Yoshino, Homicide, Jimmy Jacobs, Jon Moxley, Ricochet, Arik Cannon and Johnny Gargano among others.

Expect a more in-depth preview as the card takes shape and the event approaches. For now, those curious can check out DGUSA.tv for more information about the promotion.