Final Gate (2018)

The Final Gate is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and GAORA TV event promoted by Dragon Gate. The event will take place on December 23, 2018, in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka International Center and it is the twelveth annual event under the Final Gate. The event will air on GAORA and Dragon Gate Network streaming service.

The event will feature a Lucha de Apuestas, or "bet matches" mask vs. hair match, where Dragon Kid will be against Eita in a rematch from 2018 Dangerous Gate.

The event will include two championship matches with Tribe Vanguard (BxB Hulk and YAMATO) defending the Open The Twin Gate Championship against Big Ben (Ben-K and Big R Shimizu) and Natural Vibes (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi and Susumu Yokosuka) defending the Open The Triangle Gate Championship against R.E.D (Kazma Sakamoto, Takashi Yoshida and Yasushi Kanda).

Background
The Gate of Destiny (2018) aired live through Dragon Gate's internet streaming site, Dragon Gate Network, 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.

The full match card of the event was announced on December 9, containing two title matches for the Open The Twin and Triangle Gate Championships and a Lucha de Apuestas, or "bet matches" mask vs. hair match.

Storylines
The Gate of Destiny 2018 featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

In the Open The Brave Gate Championship match, Dragon Kid will face Eita in a mask vs. hair match. Earlier in the year, Eita and Kid started during the 2018 King of Gate, where Eita injured Kid on purpose, leading to him forfeiting the rest of his matches in the King of Gate and even faced off in a losing unit disband match between Kid's Over Generation stable and Eita ANTIAS' stable, which ANTIAS won after Eita pinned Kid for the win. On July 22 at Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival, Eita defeated Kid to win the Open The Brave Gate Championship and afterwards took off his mask. Over the next months, Eita and Kid faced off in many matches, where Kid defeated Eita to regain the title on September 24 at Dangerous Gate, and during Kid's trainee Dragon Dia debut on November 6. Two days early, at Gate of Destiny, Eita attacked Kid, after his title defense against Bandido and went for his mask until Punch Tominaga made the save. During this time, Kid joined MaxiMuM, who had been feuding with Eita's R.E.D (previously known as ANTIAS). On November 23, Eita attacked led to an R.E.D assault on Kid and stole his Open The Brave Gate Championship title and claimed that the title would be worthless as long Kid held it. Later that night, Kid costed Eita's match after hitting him with the red box. After a brawl between the two, General Manager Takayuki Yagi separated them and proposed a mask vs. hair match, between the two. Eita refused to take part in the match and suggested to face Kid for his Open The Brave Gate Championship and Yagi's, but Kid reminded that he was the champion. Yagi gave him three choices to take part in the match, start over under his real name and on rookie attire of black trunks, or both. Eita would be forced to accept the match and it was set for the event. On December 4, Kid and Eita faced off in a six-man tag team match, where Kid teamed with Bandido and Flamita and Eita with his R.E.D stablemates Ben-K and Daga. Kid would a score a direct pinfall over Eita and afterwards Eita warned him that he would have in place to make sure he would lose his mask.

In the Open The Twin Gate Championship match Tribe Vanguard (BxB Hulk and YAMATO) made their second title defense against Big Ben (Ben-K and Big R Shimizu). On July 22 at Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival, Hulk and YAMATO defeated Ben-K and Shimizu to win the Open The Twin Gate Championship. Shortly after, Big Ben would turn on MaxiMuM to join ANTIAS (later renamed to R.E.D) on different occasions. On December 2, Tribe Vanguard faced R.E.D in a Captains Fall Elimination match, where Hulk captain Tribe Vanguard and Shimizu captain R.E.D. Shimizu would score the win for R.E.D after pinning Hulk. Afterwards, Shimizu taunted them and demand a rematch for titles, claiming that they lost them because of being part of MaxiMuM. Hulk would ask the General Manager Takayuki Yagi to make the match official at Final Gate.

On December 4, R.E.D (Kazma Sakamoto, Takashi Yoshida, Yasushi Kanda and Big R Shimizu) faced Natural Vibes ("brother" YASSHI, Kzy, Genki Horiguchi and Susumu Yokosuka), where Sakamoto scored a direct pinfall on Kzy. Afterwards, Sakamoto on his behalf, Kanda and Yoshida challenged Kzy, Horiguchi and Yokosuka to a match for the Open The Triangle Gate Championship and accepted, despite Sakamoto not knewing their names. General Manager Takayuki Yagi tried to make the match at Final Gate, but Sakamoto didn't if he could be at the title match. Yagi warned him he could cancel the match, but Sakamoto remebered he was free that day and the match was made official for the event.