Final Gate (2016)

Promotional poster for the event, featuring various Dragon Gate wrestlers

The **Final Gate (2016)** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and GAORA TV event promoted by Dragon Gate. The event took place on December 26, 2016, in Fukuoka, Japan in the Fukuoka Kokusai Center and was the fifteenth event under the Final Gate name.

The event featured seven matches with four of Dragon Gate's five championships on the line. The main event saw YAMATO defending Open The Dream Gate Championship against Naruki Doi. All in all, the event featured no title changes.

## Production

The Final Gate 2016 aired in Japan through Dragon Gate's internet streaming site, Niconico, with Japanese language commentaries. The Japanese commentary was provided by Katsuya Ichikawa and Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! until the semi main event, in the main event Don Fujii replaced Genki Horiguchi in the commentary team. The event would also air on tape delay on Japanese TV Gaora Sports to be lauched in Dragon Gate's ~ Infinity ~ Series.

### Storylines

The Final Gate 2016 featured seven professional wrestling matches, with four title matches, that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The Final Gate 2016 was main evented by YAMATO defending the Open The Dream Gate Championship against Naruki Doi. YAMATO won the title on July 24, 2016, by defeating Shingo Takagi at the Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festval 2016.

Meanwhile, on November 10 Naruki Doi challenged YAMATO for the Open The Dream Gate Championship. YAMATO said that hasn’t forgotten his anger towards Doi from when he helped kick him out of VerserK on May 5.

Doi the remembered YAMATO that 6 years ago when Doi was the Dream Gate Champion that he accepeted YAMATO's challenged so YAMATO would return the favor and accept Doi challenge and he became the number one contender.
Ten days later CIMA and Dragon Kid defended the Open The Twin Gate Championship against Takehiro Yamamura and Kaito Ishida but the match ended in a no contest when VerserK interference and it was decided that Shingo Takagi and T-Hawk would face CIMA and Kid at the Final Gate. Jimmy Kagetora through October and November had really good wins one of the persons he pin was BxB Hulk. Also on November 20 Kagetora challenged Eita for the Open The Brave Gate Championship and Eita accepted. It was later announced three championship matches CIMA and Dragon Kid vs Shingo Takagi and T-Hawk for the Open the Twin Gate Champions, Eita vs Jimmy Kagetora for the Open the Brave Gate Champion and YAMATO vs Naruki Doi for the Open the Dream Gate Champion.

On December 3 VerserK challenged Jimmyz for the Open The Triangle Gate Championship and the members of VerserK that will participate in the match are Mondai Ryu, El Lindaman and Cyber Kong, Kotoka and Masato Yoshino came in also challenged Jimmyz for the titles and their partner would be the one of the rookies Shun Skywalker, Ben-K or Hyou Watanabe. On the next day Ben-K defeated Skywalker and Watanabe to become Yoshino and Kotoka's partner. On December 13 it was announced the full card of the event. On December 20 the match card was changed in the Triangle Gate Championship match due to Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! being sidelined with an injury and the champions were vancated the winner of the match would be the new champions and Jimmy Susumu would take H.A.Gee.Mee!! spot for the Triangle Gate Championship match and compete at the same night twice.

## Event

The first match on the main card was a six-man Tag team match that saw Jimmy K-ness J.K.S., "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa and Yosuke♥Santa Maria defeat Over Generation (Gamma and Punch Tominaga) and Shachihoko BOY. The second match was a tag team match that saw Tribe Vanguard (BxB Hulk and Kzy) defeat Jimmy Susumu and Big R Shimizu. After the match it was seen Naruki Doi and YAMTO last speech before the match when the speech ended the Dragon Gate song started playing and at that same time Naruki Doi stated that he was going to become the new champion. The third match saw Masaaki Mochizuki and Don Fujii defeat Over Generation Takehiro Yamamura and Kaito Ishida after the match Don Fujii throwed water to Punch Tominaga's face when he was cheking on Takehiro Yamamura and after that both teams shook hands and they left the ring and made their way to the back.

The fourth match saw Eita defending the Open The Brave Gate Championship against Jimmy Kagetora. In the begining it showed the promo of the match and Eita and Jimmy Kagetora made their entrance, after their they the Dragon Gate's traditional title matches that the champion gives the title belt to the referee and both compeitors pose with the title grabbing both of sides of the title belt, after that the annoucer announces both competitors and their respective unit and then the match starts. In the end, Eita hits Kagetora with a superkick, throws him seated in to the corner and hits him with an enzuigiri and with one of his finishers the Salamander to win the match and retain the title, making his fourth successful title defense. When the match ended Eita celebrated with his victory and left the ring and made his way to the back. The fift match was a three-way six-man tag team elimination match and saw Jimmyz (Jimmy Susumu, Ryo "Jimmy" Saito and Jimmy Kanda) win the vacated Open The Triangle Gate Championships, defeating Masato Yoshino, Ben-K and Kotoka and VerserK (El Lindaman, Mondai Ryu, and Cyber Kong). In the begining the it showed the match promo and the competitors made their entrance to ring and pose with the three title belts.

During the middle of the match Cyber Kong was going to hit Susumu with the Cyber Bomb but he reversed it into a hurricanrana, and then Mondai Ryu throwed the salt powder to Susumu's face and then Kong was going to hit Susumu with a Pineapple Bomber but Susumu reversed it into a Backslide and he eliminated VerserK and Genki Horiguchi jumped with joy. In the end, Jimmy Susumu tried to hit Kotoka with a Yokosuka Cutter but Kotoka reversed it and Kotoka tried to hit Susumu with a roundhouse kick but Susumu blocked it and tried to hit him with a Jumbo no Kachi! but Kotoka blocked it and Kotoka hit Susumu with three kicks in the chest and one in the head but Susumu blocked the the fourth kick and then Susumu hit another Jumbo no Kachi! on Kotoka but he kicked out and reversed into an inside cradle but Susumu kicked out Susumu hit Kotoka with third Jumbo no Kachi! but he kicked and Susumu hit him Kotoka with a fourth Jumbo no Kachi! and won the match. After the match Susumu had a speech thanking the fans and all the members of Jimmyz invited Horiguchi into the ring to join the championship celebration. Even though he wasn’t fighting with them, his spirit was. After that Dragon Gate showed a match that happened between Naruki Doi and YAMATO on March 22, 2010 at the Compilation Gate 2010, when Doi was the champion. In the end of that match YAMATO hit Doi with a brainbuster but Doi kicked out after that YAMATO hit Doi with a Gallaria but he kicked out again but after that YAMATO hit Doi with a second Gallaria and he won the match and became the new champion. The semi-main event featured a tag team match Over Generation (CIMA and Dragon Kid) defending the Open The Twin Gate Championship VerserK (Shingo Takagi and T-Hawk).

In the begining it showed the promo of the match and both teams made their entrance a female announcer read the titles contract and then the both teams and their respective stables posed with the titles and then the announcers annouced both teams and the match started and during the match CIMA was busted wide open by a Verserk box attack. In the end, and he hit Takagi with a Perfect Driver in a couple of chairs and then Dragon Kid hit T-Hawk with an hurricanrana from the top rope, and then CIMA hit T-Hawk with a diving Meteora and they they won the match, and retained their titles making their second successful title defense. After the match CIMA and Dragon Kid posed with the titles and after the match CIMA apologized afterwards. His keynote colour is usually blue, but today was is deep red. He mused that may mean he is in fact Santa Claus. Hopefully he brought happiness to all the kids watching today. The main event of The Final Gate 2016 saw YAMATO defend the Open The Dream Gate Championship against Naruki Doi. The match lasted 34 minutes and 38 seconds. In the begining of the match they showed a promo, but this time the match card after the promo appeard with a different music then the usual matches, after that both competitors made their way to the ring, after that the female announcer read the title contract, Doi gave his Dream key to the female announcer and both competitors posed with the title, after the posing with the title they listned to Japan national anthem, the annoucer annouced the competitors and the match started. In the end, YAMATO hit two Go to Hospital enzuigiri's on Naruki Doi and then YAMATO hit Doi with a modified Gallaria (Standing fireman's carry transitioned into a sitout scoop slam piledriver) and pinned him, but Doi kicked out, YAMATO hit Doi with another Gallaria and won the match making his second successfull title defense.

After the match YAMATO grabed the title belt, put the second key in his belt and he posed with the blet alongside with the female announcer and he thanked Doi for the match and YAMATO said that when the year started, together they were the greatest tag team the Twin Gate division had ever seen and then, Doi conspired to kick him out of Verserk. He hasn’t quite forgiven him for his actions, but he owed a lot of his growth as a competitor to their time as a tag team. He said that was also because of that twist of fate that he stood there as Dream Gate champion and he also said that sometimes the best way for wrestlers to understand their rivals is to fight them, while he hasn’t forgiven him, after today he was willing to let it be in the past. After that speech YAMATO offered Doi to shake hands with him, but Doi refused and he stumbled down the ramp to the entrance gate, where he was assisted by two wrestlers with towels covering their heads and after that YAMATO posed with the belt again alongside his Tribe Vanguard stable and he left the ring. After the main event the commentators talked about the event and after that they closed the event by showing their tour schedule.