In a surprise partnership, Sega teamed up with All Elite Wrestling for a Like a Dragon-themed wrestling match on Wednesday, November 15. It was every bit as chaotic as you’re probably imagining.
In a promotional stunt supporting the newly released Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, AEW held a themed match full of references to the series. Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Chris Jericho and Paul Wight faced Konosuke Takeshita, Powerhouse Hobbs, Brian Cage and Kyle Fletcher in a five-on-five tag team match titled “Like a Dragon Gaiden Street Fight”.
For fans of the series, this match was full of delightful Easter eggs. Konosuke Takeshita came to the ring in full Goro Majima ring gear (the ring announcers referred to him as “Mad Dog”), while Omega’s team received a familiar splash screen referring to them as the Golden Dragons of Dojima.
It was a no-disqualification match, which meant everyone involved got a chance to replicate the wild action of the RPG series. We saw real life heat action, piledrivers through food boards and back body drops onto plastic pallets. The most absurd sequence of the entire show came when Kota Ibushi rode a bicycle to the ring. He naturally went wrong quickly, turning into a melee weapon inside the ring. This is probably the only time you’ll see someone take a brainbuster over a bike in a wrestling match.
The Golden Dragons stood strong in the end, with Omega hitting his Final Fantasy-inspired One Winged Angel on Brian Cage for the win. All things considered, this could have ended in the most brutal way possible, so don’t miss the highlight reel.