Earlier this evening, wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) teamed up with Sega to promote upcoming game Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, in the wildest possible way. They got together some of the nerdiest wrestlers possible and put on a Like a Dragon-themed street fight complete with heat actions, improvised weapons, and cosplay. And it absolutely ruled.
The match has been promoted for over a week now as a four-on-four street fight with the team of Powerhouse Hobbs, Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage, and Kyle Fletcher facing off against known Like a Dragon fan Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Kota Ibushi, and Paul Wight. From the get-go, everyone involved seemed fully committed to the bit. Omega’s team recorded a promo airing earlier in the night with all four men in suits that heavily evoked an iconic scene from Yakuza 4. And when the groups entered, almost everyone was in some flavor of costume. Takeshita was in full Goro Majima cosplay, Brian Cage showed up as Axel Stone from Streets of Rage, Jericho kept the suit on from earlier, and Omega had some wicked Like a Dragon-themed pants.
The Golden Dragons of Dojima are ready for battle in the LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN STREET FIGHT!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@IAmJericho | @KennyOmegaManX | @ibushi_kota | @PaulWight pic.twitter.com/f3G9ilsx6c
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 16, 2023
The fight itself was a pretty classic street fight, but instead of a ring littered just with tables, chairs, chains, barbed wire, and other classic street fight props, it was also full of objects you might find in Like a Dragon’s Kamurocho or Sotenbori. There were street signs advertising ramen, beer bottles, milk crates, and even a bike. A moving image of Sotenbori was projected up on the massive screen behind the ring with pedestrians walking up and down the road to complete the vibe.
I turned on AEW tonight hoping to see Kenny Omega hit a guy with a giant traffic cone, and while I didn’t get precisely that, I was far from disappointed. Multiple people were smacked with milk crates or smashed with beer bottles. Hobbs took Wight outside and slammed him into the hood of a car. Omega got chucked into a ramen sign.
One major highlight of the match involved Jericho and Takeshita heading up into the stands, through the lobby, and into a VIP lounge covered in fancy black executive couches that looked like they’d come right out of Millenium Tower. They slammed each other around a bit before heading back into the lobby, where Takeshita jumped behind the snack counter, climbed on top of the vending machines, and tried to dive back onto Jericho only for Jericho to blast him with a fire extinguisher.
Absolute chaos!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@IAmJericho | @KennyOmegaManX | @ibushi_kota | @PaulWight | @TheDonCallis | @briancagegmsi | @takesoup | @kylefletcherpro | @TrueWillieHobbs pic.twitter.com/iLDEDqnuOY
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 16, 2023
Even a bike got used. At one point, Ibushi mounted the bike, rode it down the ramp to the ring with a metal pipe in his hand, bapping people as he went, and rode around the arena until Brian Cage shoved him off the bike. Later in the match, Takeshita grabbed the bike and slammed it into Omega – Majima vs. Kiryu, but not how you’d expect it.
Kota Ibushi!
On a bike!
With a pipe!!!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@IAmJericho | @KennyOmegaManX | @ibushi_kota | @PaulWight | @TheDonCallis | @briancagegmsi | @takesoup | @kylefletcherpro | @TrueWillieHobbs pic.twitter.com/0N2HTYQoyX
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) November 16, 2023
The whole thing was an absolute delight, from the entrances to the ending – victory belonging to Omega, Ibushi, Jericho, and Wight, of course. Following the match, Ibushi announced he’s officially joining AEW, and Omega seemed to tease a future cameo appearance in the Like a Dragon games. He’s already achieved that feat once, but I’m now sitting here hoping we can summon Omega wholesale, Poundmate-style, in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth:
It’s been my dream to mix the worlds of gaming and wrestling. I hope you all enjoyed the Like a Dragon Street Fight. Hopefully, I’ll see you in a Like a Dragon game soon! @SEGA pic.twitter.com/0zEDuWzrj7
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) November 16, 2023
Tonight’s Like a Dragon Street Fight was obviously sponsored all to heck to sell more copies of Like a Dragon, but frankly if you’re going to market a video game, this is a pretty fun way to do it. Omega’s love of the Like a Dragon franchise and video games more generally has already spawned dozens of cool costumes and crossover moments, including my favorite, his iconic Halloween entrance as Sans from Undertale. Given how many wrestlers are absolute huge nerds like the rest of us, I hope this is the start of a long, beautiful future of cool gaming-wrestling crossovers. I just need Kenny Omega to Heat Action someone with a giant traffic cone, and I’ll finally be fulfilled.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
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