July’s Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival was one of the most talked about DRAGONGATE shows in a long time. With over 5000 attendees and many new viewers online, the event could be considered one of the promotion’s most successful ventures since the start of the pandemic.
While new fans were primarily drawn in by the presence of stars like NJPW’s Hiromu Takahashi and NOAH’s Kenoh, long-time DRAGONGATE viewers were most excited about the main event:
A 5-way mask vs mask survival cage match including two of the promotions greatest legends and three of its most impressive young talents. The stipulation alone sounded unusual, but what really made the match compelling were the interweaving stories of its participants. Teachers and students, rivals and tag team partners – the connections between them run deep.
However, that sort of history can make it difficult for new viewers to grasp the full context.
To break down that barrier and let everyone enjoy the complete depth of this match, this article hopes to tell its story from the very start. A task which also demands a deeper exploration of the wrestler at its core.
It all began with one man’s life-long dream.
El Original
Like many wrestlers, “Mexican Power” Diamante started out as a fan himself. As a young child, he loved attending lucha libre shows and even remembers breaking out into tears when his mother could not afford buying mask replicas for him and his brothers. When the promotion owner took pity on them and allowed them to choose one mask each, his decision was clear. He wanted the mask of international wrestling legend Ultimo Dragon.
That moment never quite left him, even when he eventually debuted as a masked wrestler himself – a path that would only tie his fate even more closely to Ultimo’s.
Making his name was not an easy task for the young Diamante. While many colleagues and fans considered him to be almost unfairly talented in all aspects of wrestling, a “perfect luchador” if such a thing could exist, Mexico’s big promotions certainly did not treat him that way. Rather than being a main event star, Diamante was a “secret tip”, a “Top 10 Most Underrated Wrestlers” candidate.
Wanting to try his luck on a more international scale, he ultimately decided to go to Japan. And strangely enough, the best opportunity for him to do so came through his old childhood hero Ultimo Dragon.
In 2019, Ultimo had just re-established a connection with DRAGONGATE, the successor to his now defunct promotion Toryumon. He was granted the position of a special advisor in the company and, seeing as they were looking for more international wrestlers at the time, decided to make an offer to such a promising young talent.
Diamante would make his DG debut soon after, as a “bodyguard” for the intrepid heel faction RED.
The Biggest and Baddest
This new situation required several changes to Diamante’s style. In Mexico, he had largely been a technico, a babyface. RED, in contrast, would be expecting him to lie, cheat and brutalise his opponents in accordance with the not exactly selfless interests of the other members. Long-time fans of Diamante were apprehensive about how well he might fit in with that group. However, they did not need to worry.
Diamante took to his new role like a duck to water. All the stifled ambitions of his past fueled a terrifyingly ruthless drive to win, to finally prove himself, no matter the cost. As one of the biggest and strongest wrestlers on DRAGONGATE’s roster, he often did not even need to cheat, but he would do it anyway, entirely to further destroy and humiliate his opponents.
But being feared by the other wrestlers was not enough to satisfy Diamante’s hunger. Remembering his childhood dream, he decided once again that, more than anything else, he wanted Ultimo Dragon’s mask. But this time, only the real one would suffice.
Ultimo Dragon, however, was not keen on fighting such a terrifying opponent at his current age. He sacrificed his comedic double, Bokutimo Dragon, to Diamante’s wrath and made sure to stay far out of reach himself.
The Other End of the Sky
Denied his most desired challenge, Diamante instead turned to the young ace of the promotion, DRAGONGATE’s superhero, Shun Skywalker. Diamante set his mind on destroying him, tearing off his mask, ruining his matches and generally tormenting him at every turn. After several months of this, he was finally granted the mask vs mask match he had been aiming for.
However, it was not a singles match. Instead, the two of them would be added to an existing mask vs mask match between their stablemates Dragon Dia and Dia Inferno and whoever was pinned first would lose his mask. Diamante did not mind too much. After all, Dragon Dia was the star student of Dragon Kid, himself the star student of Ultimo Dragon. One way or the other, he would be getting at one of his targets.
But even he could not have predicted the way the match would end.
Just when Diamante had Skywalker fully cornered, on his knees, unable to see with his mask turned to the side, Dragon Dia stepped in between them. With the last of his strength, the young wrestler wanted to shield his friend. And with a scream of sheer despair, Shun pushed him right into Diamante’s arms. As he pinned Dia, more out of reflex than malice, Diamante could only muster a baffled look for his rival.
Once more, his true prey escaped him. But this time, something very interesting would come of it.
Rotting Stage
Being a masked hero had been Shun Skywalker’s dream for all his life. Because of that, being forced to choose between his mask and his heroic ideals destroyed him. He had saved one part of his dream, but how could he call himself a hero, a good person, when he had done something so terrible? Confronted with that thought, he began to withdraw further and further from reality, trying to come up with a justification, with something to tell him that he was still who he had believed himself to be. Even as the people around him grew more and more alienated by his behaviour, he could not stop.
He was a good person. Therefore, what he had done could not possibly be bad.
Diamante did not initially care much about those developments. After their match, he had decided to give up the chase for the time being and return to Mexico. He enjoyed an enthusiastic welcome from the local fans, wrestled at a couple shows and came back to Japan refreshed and ready to pick up where he left off.
Only to find RED completely destroyed.
The faction’s strategist, HYO, had orchestrated a coup against the previous leader Eita to protect his own position. The lynchpin of his plan had been an old dojo classmate of his, whose worsening mental state he had been able to take advantage of. With this new ally at his side, he took down RED and created a new stable in its stead. They called it Z-Brats. And the centerpiece of this new unit was the terrifying young heel known as Shun Skywalker.
Hunters
Most wrestlers would have been thrown off by such an immense shift, but not Diamante. HYO had been his closest friend in RED to begin with, so he chose to simply adapt to these new circumstances, the same way he had adapted when he first came to Japan.
Even his violent feud with Skywalker quickly became water under the bridge. Now that Shun had thrown away his rigid moral standards, the two wrestlers realised that they were actually quite alike. They both had a great love for combat and they both valued strength very highly. A strange kind of mutual respect formed between them. Eventually, they could even be called close friends.
Diamante may have been a ruthless fighter in the ring, but he also had a calm and almost gentle nature that synergized well with Skywalkers uncontrollable energy. They were a surprisingly good combination, able to make up for each others’ weaknesses and simply stomp most opponents into the ground with their superior size and strength. And so, they decided to become an official tag team, interchangeably known as Los Cazadores (The Hunters), ShunMante or The Calamity from the Skies. For a time, they even held the Open the Twin Gate Championships together.
Under Pressure
During all of this, Diamante had still not forgotten about his dream. No matter what, he could not be satisfied until he claimed Ultimo Dragon’s mask. Once again, he took aim at the older wrestler. And this time, he would not stop until he got what he wanted.
In every single match Ultimo Dragon had in DRAGONGATE, Diamante attacked him. If he just tore off his mask in public often enough, maybe the old man would finally be willing to put it on the line. But Ultimo Dragon would not budge. He knew his limitations and defeating Diamante at his current strength was not likely to be within them. After trying and failing to offer up the only somewhat younger Dragon Kid in his stead, he decided to just keep running.
The situation only resolved when General Manager Saito started to impose limitations on Ultimo’s matches and merch sales, knowing that there was likely no other way to get Diamante to stop ruining DRAGONGATE shows with unsanctioned brawls. Backed into a corner, Ultimo Dragon finally agreed to a singles match. But a singles match would not be what he would end up getting.
Dead Voices Ringing Hollow
While Diamante was hunting down Ultimo, Shun Skywalker was going after a different kind of prey. Strong Machine J, son and successor of wrestling legend Super Strong Machine, had recently been named as one of the top young talents of the promotion alongside him. Not only was J, in Shun’s view, a weak wrestler who relied on his father’s fame to get accolades everyone else had to work much harder for, but he also got compared to Skywalker himself uncomfortably often. An ambitious young masked wrestler with great in-ring creativity, obsessed with strength and justice, despairing over his own weakness – it felt, perhaps, as though he was looking at his past self. And Shun did not like that view very much. If only he could tear that mask off, surely this reflection would shatter.
When Strong Machine J, upset about being relentlessly hounded over something that was in no way his fault, finally challenged Shun to a proper mask vs mask match, Skywalker initially did not want to accept. In his eyes, J was not even worthy of that honor. But with one such match already set, he could not resist trying to relive a little bit of history. Perhaps on the opposite side this time.
However, GM Saito thought differently. If Los Cazadores were going to cost the promotion money with their antics, they would need to make up for that. Rather than another Korakuen Hall tag match, this battle would be something much more grandiose. It was set as a four-way mask vs mask survival cage match at Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival, the biggest stage that DG had to offer.
This was a really difficult situation for one of the participants in particular. Ultimo Dragon was 56 years old at this point. He had already been worried about wrestling just Diamante, but climbing a cage while fighting off one of DRAGONGATE’s most terrifying tag teams seemed like it might very well be the end of him.
As his student, fellow DG legend Dragon Kid could not let that happen. Small as he was, the Ultimo Dragon Gym had been the only reason he was able to become a wrestler at all. Even though he was himself a 47-year-old high flier, he decided to enter the match as well, for the sake of protecting the man he owed everything to.
And with that, the stage was set.
Instead of flags, alternative masks were set up at the top of the cage, looking on ominously over the heads of the competitors. The last person who would not be able to reach their own mask would lose it forever.
Five masked wrestlers would enter that cage and only four of them would leave.
Change Within
Diamante barely even let Ultimo Dragon get into the cage before attacking him. While he and Skywalker were technically supposed to be fighting each other, they still quickly fell into their usual patterns. With their great strength, superior teamwork and disregard for any sort of fairness, they decimated their opponents, who all had to band together to stand a chance.
Dragon Kid in particular got the short end of the stick. Having to constantly watch out for not just himself, but Ultimo Dragon as well, got him brutally thrown into the cage wall by Diamante. When he finally managed to get up and saw everyone else tied down in submissions, he came to the conclusion that this was not worth it.
He was in his late fourties, his time in wrestling was already limited. Was he really going to risk it all for a man who just recently tried to throw him to the wolves to save his own skin?
Stepping right into the middle of the ring, Kid bowed deeply to his teacher in apology and then immediately started scaling the cage as fast as he could.
But when he finally made it to the top, he could not help but look back. Seeing Ultimo Dragon clearly struggle, unable to defend himself against Diamante, Kid’s heart wavered. In so many ways, he was only in this place because of this man. If Kid left, Ultimo would surely lose. Was it alright to let it end like this?
And so, Kid turned back.
Sacrificing his own chance to escape, he instead chose to save his teacher, slowly and carefully supporting the older man’s climb while fending off attacks from Diamante. Keeping the promise he had made going into this match, Kid saw to it that Ultimo Dragon escaped first.
However, that decision cost him in more ways than one.
Higher and Higher
Because climbing down the other side was an impossibility for Ultimo, staff had to open the door of the cage to let him out after he had reached his mask. An opportunity that Diamante’s and Shun’s faction mates were not going to waste.
Using the temporary distraction to bypass the rule against wrestlers at ringside, they threw as many foreign objects as they possibly could into the ring. Chairs, tables, even a bag of powder all made it in and Z-Brats took the key with them when they were finally run off.
These were just the tools Diamante needed to let out his anger. His greatest prey had escaped him once again, possibly for good this time. There was no way that his wish could come true now. The only thing for him to do with all of those dreams, all of that frustration, was to take everything out on Dragon Kid. If he could not get Ultimo Dragon’s mask, he would just have to take his student’s instead.
Over and over again, Diamante struck Kid with chairs and rammed his head into the cage. The situation was looking dire. Kid was briefly able to fight back by banding together with Strong Machine J, who was himself being beaten up by Shun the entire time, but even that did not last. J may have technically been a babyface, but he was out for himself first and foremost. When he saw an opportunity, he took down Kid just the same as the heels in the ring.
From the outside of the ring, Ultimo Dragon was yelling at Kid to give up on fighting and just run, to escape as quickly as possible. That was easier said than done with Diamante’s wrath focused on him. But eventually, the opportunity came. By jumping off of his opponent’s shoulders in the middle of a move, Kid was finally able to get to the top of the cage, quickly seizing his mask and climbing out before Diamante could reach him once again.
All Heart
On the outside, he and Ultimo Dragon shared an emotional hug, both glad to have made it out alright instead of having to turn on each other.
On the inside, Strong Machine had fallen from the frying pan into the fire. Two of DRAGONGATE’s most terrifying wrestlers were now entirely focusing their strength on decimating him in every way possible. For several minutes, they beat him down with chairs, corner pads and their own strength, before finally deciding that he was broken enough for them to escape.
Seeing the man who had made his life hell about to slip away, J mustered every ounce of his willpower to get back on his feet. With what remained of his strength, he clung to Skywalker’s leg for dear life, eventually pulling him down far enough to get the upper hand.
Diamante, though, was out of reach. He was about to escape.
But his heart, too, wavered. For all of his misdeeds, there was one part of Diamante’s technico past that had never left him. Once someone had made it into his heart, there were few things he would not for them. He loved his friends dearly, more dearly than anything else.
And so, Diamante turned back.
After pulling J off of him, he briefly grasped Shun’s hand, as if to reassure him of his support. Unlike everyone else in his life, Diamante would never leave him behind.
Machine Strength
Together, Los Cazadores once again turned their attention to destroying Strong Machine J. But J refused to stay down. His father’s legacy, his own pride as a wrestler, it was all riding on this match. He needed to win. And if Z-Brats wanted to fight dirty, then so would he.
Determined to survive, J used his opponents’ own tactics against them. When Diamante tried to hit him with a chair, he grabbed it and hit right back. When Skywalker tried to powerbomb him through a table, J slipped out and put Shun through it instead. With his mask ripped open and his desperate eyes visible beneath, J dragged himself up the cage. Even as Shun grabbed his legs, trying to pull him down, he did not allow himself to lose focus.
Finally, his hands reached the mask.
Only two wrestlers remained.
The Illusion Before My Eyes
They could not believe what was happening. Diamante just shook his head over and over, clearly in shock. Shun seemed to be crying.
For over a year and a half now, they had been closer than almost anyone else in DG. They had done everything together, understood each other perfectly. How were they supposed to do this?
Eventually, embracing each other and putting their foreheads together in one final gesture of affection, they came to a decision. Diamante had sacrificed his opportunity to escape for Shun. Now, Shun would sacrifice for him in turn. Perhaps in some way, he was hoping to finally atone for not doing this during their first mask vs mask match. If he had not been so selfish back then, maybe he would have more than a single true friend left.
Diamante clearly did not want to do this. At every step, he hesitated.
Behind him, Shun was cradling his head in agony. Could he really do this? After everything he had already sacrificed? He was already no longer a hero. Would he lose his mask as well?
Diamante was about to reach the top of the cage. But right as the match seemed finished, Shun pulled him back down.
He could not let it end like this. If he allowed this to happen, everything that he had done would be in vain.
Me Against the World
Not expecting the betrayal, Diamante crashed down badly. Still, he got back to his feet. With the crowd supporting him, he fought back valiantly against Skywalker, determined to protect his own mask. But he could not match Shun’s sheer desperation. Low blows, chair shots, powder attacks – no matter what it took, Skywalker was willing to do it.
What ultimately took down Diamante, however, was not any of those conventional cheap shots. Shun had to pull out the Skywalker Moonsault, his finisher from his early babyface days. In some ways, it was an acknowledgement. Ever since his heel turn clipped his wings, Skywalker only ever used this move against his strongest opponents.
With a beautiful arc, he soared across the skies once more.
With a beautiful arc, Diamante’s dreams came to an end.
By the lacing of his mask, Skywalker tied him to the ropes, making sure that he could see what was about to happen. Diamante would have to watch until the very end.
Shun climbed to the top of the cage, haughtily looked over the audience for just long enough to give them hope, and then claimed his mask. Standing all alone, he gently kissed it. There was nothing and nobody he loved more than his own aspirations.
He could not leave it at that, of course. When the bell rang, he climbed back into the cage to put forward his justification. After all, Shun was righteous and therefore, so were his actions. Clearly, Diamante deserved this for letting Strong Machine J escape. He was weak. He was not worthy of being in this ring to begin with.
The Glory that Awaits
Finally being at the receiving end of what he had put so many other wrestlers through during his time in DRAGONGATE, Diamante did not know what to say. He eventually managed to untie himself and chase Shun off, but no matter what, he would still be losing his mask. Not even in his homeland, but in some far-off place, away from so much of his family and history. And all of this because he had not wanted to abandon his friend.
Standing there, knowing what had to happen, Diamante could not help but remember his childhood once more. Long before he had ever dreamed of taking Ultimo Dragon’s mask, he had been at the loser’s end of a story like this. When he was seven or eight years old, his own father had lost his mask in the ring. And Diamante had been called from the audience to remove it.
For the first time in so many years, he once again felt that same helplessness.
He tried to stay strong as he apologised for losing and asked for Ultimo Dragon, who had been such an immense influence on his career, to do the honors. But Diamante was still visibly crying. This was just too much for even him.
The man whose mask he had always wanted opened the lacing. And, with what pride and determination remained to him, Luis Meza unmasked himself as his true identity was announced to the crowd.
The fans embraced him with open arms. Attendees chanted his name and social media flooded with comments about how handsome he was.
But none of that could fully heal the wound he was dealt. His mask had been such a significant part of his life that even seeing himself in the mirror without it felt strange. It was as though he had lost a part of himself.
On the next show after the event, Diamante announced that he would return to Mexico for a little while, to rest and to apologise to his parents for his loss. Z-Brats, in turn, made clear that he will no longer be welcome in their ranks when he comes back. That chapter of his life is over.
What the future brings for him remains to be seen. But one thing is certain – when Diamante returns to DRAGONGATE, all eyes are going to be on him.
Addendum: Thank you for reading this article! If you want to see the cage match for yourself, you can do so on DRAGONGATE Network. And if you are interested in hearing about this match from someone who participated in it, check out our interview with Strong Machine J!