Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival (2008)

Promotional poster featuring the Dragon Gate roster

The **Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival (2008)** was a professional wrestling event promoted by Dragon Gate. The event took place on July 27, 2008, in Kobe, Japan, at the Kobe World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan. It was the 4th event under the Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival name, which is Dragon Gate's biggest annual event and it's similar to NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom.

The event featured seven matches, four of which were contested for championships. In the main event, Shingo Takagi against BxB Hulk for the vacant Open the Dream Gate Championship. Other featured matches included Real Hazard (Gamma, YAMATO and Yasushi Kanda) defending the Open the Triangle Gate Championship against Zetsurins (Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii and Magnitude Kishiwada), Typhoon (Anthony W. Mori, Dragon Kid and PAC) and WORLD-1 (Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino and Naoki Tanizaki), RyoSuka (Susumu Yokosuka and Ryo Saito) defending the Open the Twin Gate Championship against Tokyo Gurentai (Mazada and Nosawa Rongai and Genki Horiguchi against m.c. KZ in a tournament final for the vacant Open the Brave Gate Championship. The event is available in their streaming service Dragon Gate Network.

## Production

### Storylines

On May 14 Takagi and Kong as BxB Shingo and BxB Cyber respectively, betrayed Hulk before the trio were scheduled to defend their Open The Triangle Gate Championship against YAMATO, Gamma and Genki Horiguchi. New Hazard was ended, Takagi and Kong joined up with YAMATO and the rest of the members of Muscle Outlaw'z to form the new super-heel group Real Hazard. Doi and Yoshino would join Hulk and it was agreed that they would face Takagi, YAMATO and Gamma for the vacant Open The Triangle Gate Championship and Real Hazard won the vacant titles after the match Real Hazard tried to attack the trio but a returning Naoki Tanizaki would make the save. Then Hulk, Doi, and Yoshino formed a stable with Tanizaki and m.c. KZ named WORLD-1. Then Takagi fought BxB Hulk to a one-hour draw in a number one contender's match for CIMA's Open the Dream Gate Championship, later on June 28 Shingo Takagi, Gamma and YAMATO lost the Open The Triangle Gate Championship to Tozawa-Juku (Keni'chiro Arai, Taku Iwasa and Shinobu). The following day, they were immediately scheduled for a rematch on July 27, but at the time the Open The Dream Gate Championship was on the line as CIMA had to vacate the championship due to a neck injury. On July 10, Tensions would rise in Real Hazard when Takagi stopped them and Tokyo Gurentai members from trying to give CIMA an unwanted haircut.

On June 28, Shingo Takagi, Gamma and YAMATO lost the Open The Triangle Gate Championship to Tozawa-Juku (Keni'chiro Arai, Taku Iwasa and Shinobu). Later on July 12, Gamma, YAMATO and Yasushi Kanda would defeat Tozawa-Juku (Keni'chiro Arai, Taku Iwasa and Shinobu) to regain the Open the Triangle Championships, later WORLD-1 (Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino and Naoki Tanizaki), Typhoon (Anthony W. Mori, Dragon Kid and PAC) and Zetsurins (Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, Magnitude Kishiwada) challenged them to title match, which they accepted.

On May 5, at Dead or Alive, RyoSuka (Susumu Yokosuka and Ryo Saito) defeated AraIwa (Keni'chiro Arai and Taku Iwasa) to win the Open the Twin Gate Championship. They would later defend them against their Typhoon stablemates PAC and Dragon Kid. Later, Tokyo Gurentai (Mazada and Nosawa Rongai) would challenge them into a title match, which they accepted.

On June 29, Masato Yoshino disguised as Dr. Muscle defeated Gamma to win the Open the Gamma Gate Championship and Yoshino immediately vacated afterwards, only to restore the Brave Gate lineage, pending a decision match, later it was announced to be Genki Horiguchi taking on m.c. KZ.

The event also featured a match, part of the Stalker Ichikawa Bosou 10 Series Matches, as well other matches that were later announced.