Yamato Onodera Pre-US Excursion 5 Match Series



The Yamato Onodera Pre-US Excursion Series is a five-match trial series Yamato Onodera undertook in Dragon Gate from January 2007 through February 2007.

Overview
A year into the existence of Dragon Gate NEX, a NEX-1 Tournament was held to determine the strongest competitor within the group. The winner would be awarded a learning excursion to the Unites States, training with Shingo Takagi at the newly established Dragon Gate USA dojo in Houston, Texas. Yamato Onodera would go on to defeat Cyber Kong in the finals to win the tournament.

Before taking off to the United States, Onodera would undergo a five-match trial series. The purpose of the series was to toughen Onodera for his trip to the foreign country. The achieve this, all five of his opponents were the five most recent Open The Dream Gate Champions. As one would expect, he lost all five matches. Nevertheless, he showed great potential that would be unlocked upon his return in May as YAMATO. Within three years, he himself would become an Open The Dream Gate Champion.