Final Gate (2017)

Promotional poster featuring the Dragon Gate roster

### Tagline(s)

"The Last Big Match In 2017!!" (Japanese: 2017年最後のビッグマッチ!!, Hepburn: *2017-Nen Saigo no Biggu Matchi!!*)

## Information

### City

Fukuoka, Japan

The **Final Gate (2017)** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and a GAORA TV event promoted by Dragon Gate. The event took place on December 23, 2017, in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center and was the seventh annual event under the Gate of Destiny name.

The show was main evented by Masaaki Mochizuki defending the Open The Dream Gate Championship against Ryo Saito. Other title matches includefd Kagetora defending the Open The Brave Gate Championship against his former Jimmyz stablemate Yasushi Kanda, VerserK (Eita and T-Hawk) taking on CIMA and Susumu Yokosuka for the vacant Open The Twin Gate Championship and Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO, Kzy and BxB Hulk) defending the Open The Triangle Gate Championship against MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino and Jason Lee).

Another match scheduled for the show saw Big Ben (Big R Shimizu and Ben-K) against VerserK (Shingo Takagi and Takashi Yoshida). This was the last Dragon Gate pay-per-view event of 2017.

## Production

### Background

The Final Gate (2017) was aired in Japan through Dragon Gate's internet streaming site, Niconico, with Japanese language commentaries. The Japanese commentary wwas provided by Katsuya Ichikawa. The event also aired on tape delay on Japanese TV Gaora Sports to be launched in Dragon Gate's ~ Infinity ~ Series.

### Storylines

The Final Gate (2017) featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The Final Gate (2017) was main evented by Masaaki Mochizuki defending the Open The Dream Gate Championship against Ryo Saito. After the Jimmyz disbanded every former member of the stable went on their seperate ways. Afterwards, Saito began feuding with Shingo Takagi and during the feud, Saito teamed up with Masaaki Mochizuki during a ten-man tag team match. Saito also won the Open The Owarai Gate Championship (otherwise known as Open The Comedy Gate Championship) during the proccess and defeated Takagi on December 5. On December 12 Mochizuki asked Saito if he was going to challenge him for the Open The Dream Gate Championship and Saito instead said that he was waiting for Mochizuki to challenge him for a match. Then, Mochizuki challenged Saito for a match and agreed to put his the Open The Dream Gate Championship on the line, which Saito accepted. Until now Mochizuki has two victories over Saito and two matches were also for the Open The Dream Gate Championship during Mochizuki's first and second reign as champion.

For the Open The Brave Gate Championship match, Kagetora was defending his Open The Brave Gate Championship against his former Jimmyz stablemate, Yasushi Kanda. After the Jimmyz were forced to disband on September 18, at Dangerous Gate, the former members of the Jimmyz did one last tour together called the *Farewell Jimmyz Gate*, which ended on October 5. Afterwards, the former members of Jimmyz went their separate ways with Kanda turning heel and joining VerserK and Kagetora defending the Open The Brave Gate Championship his former Jimmyz stablemates Genki Horiguchi and K-ness. After Kagetora defended his title against K-ness, he was attacked by the Metal Warrior who hit him with Susumu Yokosuka's finishing move, the Yokosuka Cutter. Then, he accused Yokosuka to be the Metal Warrior, but Susumu denied it. In the following weeks, Kagetora was again attacked by Metal Warrior, with Warrior hitting Kagetora with Ryo Saito's Cycling Yahoo, K-ness' Darkness Buster, Susumu's Mugen and Genki Horiguchi's Backslide From Heaven, in several different occasions, with Kagetora thinking that his former Jimmyz stablemate were conspiring against him. On December 5, Metal Warrior revealed to be his former Jimmyz stablemate Yasushi Kanda, who was challenging Kagetora for the Open the Brave Gate Champion and cutting Kagetora's hair. The match was made official the following day.

In the Open The Twin Gate Championship match Eita and T-Hawk faced CIMA and Susumu Yokosuka for the vacant Open the Twin Gate Championship. On November 8, Eita rejoined VerserK after turning on Dragon Kid revealing to be their newest member. Afterwards, Eita reformed his team with T-Hawk and won the Early Christmas Tag Team Tournament. During this time, Kid suffered an injury and after Eita and T-Hawk won the tournament, they mocked CIMA and Kid to not be able to defend the Open the Twin Gate Championship due to an injury. On December 5, Eita and T-Hawk agreed that if CIMA had lost to them in a Six-Man Tag Team match, he would be forced to relinquish the titles. Later that night Eita and T-Hawk teamed up with El Lindaman to defeat CIMA's team, with Masaaki Mochizuki and Don Fujii. As per the stipulation, CIMA was forced to relinquish the titles. Then, Susumu Yokosuka came down to the ring and offered CIMA to face Eita and T-Hawk for the vacant titles and he accepted. The match was made official the following day. In rute of Final Gate, CIMA and Yokosuka named their team CIMASuka.

In the Open The Triangle Gate Championship match, Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO, Kzy and BxB Hulk) defending the Open The Triangle Gate Championship against MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino and Jason Lee). On December 10 Doi, Yoshino and Lee defeated YAMATO, Hulk and Kzy in a non-title. Afterwards, MaxiMuM challenged to Tribe Vanguard to a rematch, and this time with the titles being on the line, where Tribe Vanguard accepted. The match was made official the following day.