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Jon Davis comes out to the ring during introductions and pulls Gargano out to ringside and repeatedly rams his back into the ring apron, leaving Gargano in a heap once again and now putting his reign as the Open The Freedom Gate Champion in jeopardy. The referee goes out to ringside to check on Gargano, but makes the decision to ring the bell and it looks like the match is going to go on without Gargano. Tozawa and Ricochet double team Fox and give him a double suplex, then they take turns putting the boots to him as Gargano is still down on the outside. Well, I'm sure he'll find his way into the ring eventually. Fox slams Ricochet and hits a split legged twisting senton for 2. Another referee is checking on Gargano as Tozawa nails Fox to prevent him from suplexing Ricochet, but Fox fights his way out and hits a running clothesline in the corner, Tozawa dumps Fox on his butt, and Ricochet gets a Zig Zag on Tozawa before laying some kicks into the chest of Fox. Ricochet stomps on the knee Fox injured on Friday night before ramming Tozawa into the corner, then does the same to Fox. Ricochet ping pongs back and forth with charging clotheslines in the corner on Fox and Tozawa before snapamring Tozawa and kicking him in the head. Ricochet takes a break to go to the corner and yell at Gargano to get up, then leaves to sit in with the announcers and tell the fans watching the iPPV that Gargano isn't really hurt and that the other guys aren't on his level. Ricochet goes back to the ring and goes to the top rope, but Gargano pops up on the apron and shoves Ricochet off the top rope, spears Tozawa through the ropes, and backdrops Fox to the floor. ricochet kicks Gargano in the back from the apron, Tozawa boots him, and Fox gets a moonsault for 2. Ricochet hits Gargano with a shooting star press, Fox pulls him out to the floor before he can get the three count, and Tozawa covers for 2 of his own before choking Gargano in the corner with his boot. Ricochet and Fox are brawling out on the floor as Tozawa continues working over in the corner, and Ricochet rams Fox into the ringpost as Tozawa pulls Gargano's t-shirt off and whips him with it. Gargano's midsection is bandaged up as Tozawa Kobashi chops him in the corner, then does the same to Ricochet and Fox when they charge in. Tozawa then jabs Fox and Ricochet in the jaw, but Gargano connects with a jab of his own to Tozawa, and everyone goes down. Fox goes for a springboard something from the apron, Gargano dropkicks Fox onto Ricochet's shoulders, then he dives through the ropes with a spear that sends Fox and himself into the crowd, and then Tozawa hits a dive of his own. All four men are in a bad way on the floor, and Fox makes it even worse by wiping everyone out with a kick flip off a nearby pillar. Ricochet springboards back into the ring with a clothesline on Tozawa, then slams him in the corner and goes to the top rope, but Gargano shoves Ricochet to the floor as Fox hits Rolling Thunder on Tozawa. Gargano goes out to the apron and slingshots in with a DDT on Fox, then makes a cover and gets a very close 2. Gargano runs into a big boot from Fox, who follows up with a twisting enziguiri, and then everyone else hits big bombs on one another until all four men are down again. Gargano somehow gets to his feet first, and he sits Tozawa on the top turnbuckle to go for a superplex, but Ricochet shoves Gargano off to go after Tozawa himself. They fight it out on the top rope until Gargano and Fox go up as well for a Tower of Doom spot. Fox covers Gargano but only gets 2, then hits Sliced Bread #2 on Gargano and a springboard Codebreaker on Ricochet gets 2. Fox picks Gargano up in a fireman's carry, Gargano slips out and goes for the lawn dart, Fox escapes that and springboards out of the corner with an Ace Crusher for 2. Ricochet charges in with an IED in the corner on Gargano, but Gargano kicks him off on a standing moonsault attempt as Fox hits a springboard 450 on Gargano for 2. Fox cannonballs Tozawa in the corner and then goes for the rebound Spanish Fly, but Tozawa catches him with a German suplex, and Ricochet comes off the top with a 450 splash on the bridging Tozawa, but still only gets 2. Ricochet starts attacking the bad knee of Fox and dropkicks him out to the floor, but Tozawa enziguiris Ricochet from the floor, then tries to suplex Gargano on the apron. Ricochet dives over Tozawa and Gargano to take out Fox as Tozawa and Gargano take it back inside, with Tozawa taking Gargano out with a running kneestrike. Ricochet takes Fox over to a ladder he found by the back of the building, hangs Fox from it Tree of Woe style, and hits him in the knee with a chair before dragging him back to the ring. Ricochet rolls Fox into the ring and covers for 2, then starts slapping Fox around before whipping Fox across the ring. Fox's knee give out halfway across the ring, so Ricochet waits for Fox to get to his feet and charges him, Fox gets his boot up and comes off the second rope, but Ricochet catches him on the way down and gets a Texas Cloverleaf. Fox tries to get to the ropes, but Ricochet drags him back out to the middle of the ring and starts punching Fox in the knee while keeping the hold, and Fox finally is forced to tap out and we have our first elimination.
AR Fox is eliminated.
We're down to three men, and Gargano tears the bandages off his midsection as they all go face to face. They all take turns punching each other until Tozawa and Ricochet finally have enough and double team Gargano. Ricochet hits a 619 from the outside and Tozawa hits a Saito suplex for 2. Tozawa distracts the referee while Ricochet chokes Gargano with his own bandages, then they take turns with rapid fire kicks to the injured midsection of Gargano, who still somehow kicks out of a pin attempt by Tozawa. Gargano ducks a double clothesline attempt, Ricochet tries to backslide him, but Gargano turns around as Tozawa comes in with a bicycle kick and Ricochet takes the brunt of the move. Gargano lays both challengers out with a DDT/Flatliner combo, then he tries to suplex Tozawa into the corner but Tozawa blocks and drills him with a forearm, and Gargano gets the suplex on a second attempt. Gargano charges across the ring at Ricochet but now he gets suplexed into the corner, hitting even harder than Tozawa, but he dodges a Phoenix splash from Ricochet, who lands on his feet and takes both Gargano and Tozawa out with a double Pelle kick. He lays both opponents right next to each other and hits them both with a Phoenix splash, but they both kick out at 2. Ricochet drags Gargano to the corner for yet another high risk move, but Gargano gets to his feet and blocks Ricochet long enough for Tozawa to pop up and German suplex Ricochet off the top rope. Gargano hits Ricochet with Hertz Donut and then Tozawa plants Ricochet with a bridging German suplex, and Ricochet is out.
Ricochet is eliminated.
Both men are exhausted and have trouble getting to their feet, but they slowly get up and go nose to nose in the middle of the ring. Gargano dodges a bicycle kick, Tozawa dodges a superkick, and Gargano fires a flurry of forearms at Tozawa before lawn darting him into the second turnbuckle. Gargano with a kick to the head and a deep cradle, but Tozawa is out at 2. Gargano tries for Hertz Donut, but Tozawa escapes and tries a German suplex, and they go back and forth with the reversals until Gargano finally gets Hertz Donut. Tozawa rolls through the Gargano escape and hits a pair of German suplexes, Gargano superkicks Tozawa, and Tozawa doesn't seem to notice as he comes right back in with a bridging German that Gargano still somehow kicks out of at 2. Tozawa goes for the straitjacket suplex, but Gargano blocks by holding the ropes, so Tozawa bicycle kicks him in the back of the head, and Gargano hangs Tozawa off the second rope for a modified Hertz Donut, then hits a conventional version, and Tozawa still kicks out at 2. Gargano gets the Gargano Escape on Tozawa right in the middle of the ring, Tozawa goes for the ropes, Gargano drags Tozawa back out to the middle of the ring and Tozawa gets a small package, Gargano kicks out at 2 and drags Tozawa back out to the middle of the ring and reapplies the Gargano Escape, and Tozawa finally taps out.
Winner: Johnny Gargano
This match was absolutely amazing. It told several great stories with Gargano getting jumped by Jon Davis before the match, Ricochet taking every shortcut possible before losing anyway, Fox hanging with the big boys even though he was the underdog, and Gargano fighting the odds and beating his three toughest opponents to walk away with the title still around his waist. This was a grueling match where everyone left it all in the ring, and I'd say this could have been the best match ever in Dragon Gate USA. Yes, it was that good.
Gargano tries to shake Tozawa's hand, but Tozawa just rolls out of the ring and leaves. Gargano says this was an amazing show, but he thanks the fans for coming out in spite of all the damage caused by the hurricane, and he speaks for everyone in the locker room when he says how grateful they all are for being able to work in front of the greatest wrestling fans in the world. He says they're doing an EVOLVE show in December, then Dragon Gate USA will be back in the new year, but this show was special for him because it's been a year since he became the first American to win the Open The Freedom Gate Title, and he's defended the title all over the world, and can guarantee that he'll always give the fans 110% because as long as his heart is still beating, the title is going nowhere.
In case you couldn't figure out after reading this report, I loved this show. It really did feel like a blowoff show where all the big storylines that had been building all year came to a climax with all the right people going over th send the fans home happy. This was easily the best show of the weekend, and one I highly recommend you buy the replay of, which you can do by clicking the poster at the top of page 1 of this report.
Thank you for following PWInsider.com's coverage of Freedom Fight 2012, and the entire weekend of DGUSA events. I'll be back tomorrow morning with a postgame show in the Elite section!
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