Dead or Alive (2018)

The Dead or Alive (2018) is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and GAORA TV event promoted by Dragon Gate. The event will take place on May 6, 2018, in Aichi at the Aichi Prefectural Gym and is the tenth annual event under the Dead or Alive.

The event will feature a Hair vs. Hair Seven-man steel cage match including Open The Dream Gate Champion Masaaki Mochizuki, YAMATO, Open The Brave Gate Champion Punch Tominaga, Open The Owarai Gate Champion Shingo Takagi, Ryo Saito, El Lindaman and Yasushi Kanda.

Background
The Dead or Alive 2017 aired in Japan through Dragon Gate's internet streaming site, Niconico, with Japanese language commentaries. The Japanese commentary was 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 Dead or Alive (2018) features professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines that played out on the Dragon Gate's television program. Wrestlers portrayed heroes or villains as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The Dead or Alive (2018) is the third major Dragon Gate show following the Memorial Gate in Wakayama (2018). In the Open The Dream Gate Champion Masaaki Mochizuki, YAMATO, Open The Brave Gate Champion Punch Tominaga, Open The Owarai Gate Champion Shingo Takagi, Ryo Saito, El Lindaman and Yasushi Kanda. On March 18, ANTIAS' (El Lindaman, Shingo Takagi and Yasushi Kanda) defeated Masaaki Mochizuki, YAMATO and Ryo Saito, after Mochizuki accidently hit YAMATO with a kick. Saito was then caught at the middle and acted as peace keeper. This led an argument with Takagi who said that he was going to destroy the value of the Open The Owarai Gate Championship and called Mochizuki a paper champion. This led Takagi also causing an argument with Kanda, mocking him for losing the Open The Brave Gate Championship to Punch Tominaga, leading Kanda blaming Takagi for losing the championship and accused him of costing the title on purpose. This led into a brawl between all man, leading to the general manager Takayuki Yagi announcing that the seven would take part of the annual steel cage match. This led Takagi refusing to participate in the match, leading Yagi to make an ultimatum to him that he would defend the Open The Owarai Gate Championship or he would participate in the match. Takagi ended up accepting with the condition that he would retire the championship but Yagi didn't accepted due to the fans enjoying the Owarai Gate Championship matches and instead if Takagi escaped the cage he would vacate the title. This is the first time in seventeen years that Mochizuki takes part of this kind of match.

On December 23, Tominaga was kicked out of VerserK. Afterwards, he started with former VerserK stablemates Shingo Takagi and Yasushi Kanda, mostly Takagi for the way he treated him. Tominaga then pinned Kanda on February 7 and challenged him for the Open The Brave Gate Championship. Kanda accepted, stating that he would expect a "quick and easy first title defense". However, on March 3 at Champion Gate in Osaka Tominaga defeated Kanda to become the new champion after Takagi tried to attack Tominaga with a box, but he would hit Kanda instead. This also led to begin tensions between ANTIAS stablemates Kanda and Takagi leading El Lindaman to peace keeper, on March 6 Takagi defeated Ryo Saito to win the Open The Owarai Gate Championship, Saito was also feuding with Takagi before. During this time, Masaaki Mochizuki also had a grudge against Lindaman.