High-End (ハイエンド Haiendo) was a professional wrestling group, primarily appearing in the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate (DG).
The group was formed in March 2021, following Dragon Kid and YAMATO's feud with the villanous stable R.E.D. Subsequently, Kid and YAMATO came together with Ben-K and Keisuke Okuda, who were part of the Dragon Gate Generation stable alongside YAMATO and named the stable "High-End". Since their formation, High-End were solely highlighted by YAMATO's fifth reign as Open The Dream Gate Championship, before being left with three members, following Ben-K and Okuda's departure in 2022, despite Kagetora's addition in June 2021. The stable was eventually forced to disband in January 2023.
History[]
Formation and feud with R.E.D (2021)[]
Following the "Generation War" feud between R.E.D, the Dragon Gate Generation and the Toryumon Generation, on December 20 at Final Gate, R.E.D forced the Toryumon Generation to disband. Afterwards, on December 27, YAMATO decided to disband the Dragon Gate Generation stable, to end the feud between the three sides.
Following the disbanding of the Dragon Gate Generation, on January 13, YAMATO faced Dragon Kid in a match, which ended in a no contest, after KAI attacked YAMATO. Afterwards, KAI reminded that YAMATO was alone, after deciding to disband the Dragon Gate stable. However, Dragon Kid decided to form a team with YAMATO, in order to avenge Toryumon, which R.E.D had forced to disband. This feud with R.E.D led to a match on February 5, where YAMATO and Kid faced R.E.D members KAI and SB KENTo. The match ended by disqualification after KENTo removed Kid's mask. However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the match, Kid and YAMATO faced KAI and KENTo in a rematch, which Kid pinned KENTo. Afterwards, YAMATO proposed the creation of a new stable with Kid, which he accepted. The two were joined by Ben-K and Keisuke Okuda, with name of the new stable being revealed on March 4. At the event, the new stable was named "High-End". Later that night, as part of their feud with R.E.D, Kid faced SB KENTo in a losing effort. Afterwards, YAMATO attacked him, until KAI appeared, which led to YAMATO facing KAI in a losing effort. After the match, YAMATO kept attacking KAI, until Dragon Gate's General Manager Takayuki Yagi announced that YAMATO would be forced to team with KAI against Kid and SB KENTo in a Mask vs. Hair Steel cage survival tag team match on May 5, at Dead or Alive.
At Dead or Alive, YAMATO was the third wrestler to escape, winning the match for his team, after KENTo allowed YAMATO to retrieve the flag in order to face Kid. At the end, Kid defeated KENTo forcing him to shave his hair.
Losing members and disbanding (2021–2023)[]
Later that month, all members of High-End took part in the 2021 King of Gate; Ben-K in block A, Kid in block B and Okuda and YAMATO in block C. YAMATO won his block and advanced to the finals of the tournament with a record of three wins and two draws. Meanwhile, Ben-K finished last in his block after being forced to pull of of the tournament, after testing positive for COVID-19, Kid finished second with a record of two wins, one draw and one loss, and Okuda finished third in his block with two wins, one draw and one loss. On June 3, Kagetora was revealed to be High-End's newest member. During that night, YAMATO was defeated by Kota Minoura, in the semifinals of the 2021 King of Gate. On July 31, during the first night of Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival, Okuda lost the Open The Brave Gate Championship to Genki Horiguchi. The following day, SB KENTo submitted former Open The Brave Gate Champion Okuda during a six-man tag team match.
Later that night, Kagetora defeated Genki Horiguchi to win the Open The Brave Gate Championship, after his match KENTo appeared on Kagetora backstage interview, challenging him to a title match for the Open The Brave Gate Championship, while proceeding to provking him. In the main event, YAMATO defeated Shun Skywalker to win the Open The Dream Gate Championship. On August 8, Kagetora lost the Open The Brave Gate Championship to SB KENTo. Following the match, KENTo was challenged by former champion Okuda to a title match. The following day, KENTo and Okuda's title match ended in a no contest. Afterwards, Dragon Gate's newest General Manager Ryo Saito stripped KENTo of the championship, before announcing a rematch between the two on September 11 to crown a new Open The Brave Gate Champion. On September 11, Okuda was defeated by KENTo in the match for the vacant Open The Brave Gate Championship. On December 26 at Final Gate YAMATO lost the Open The Dream Gate Championship to KAI. Later that month, all members of High-End took part in the 2022 King of Gate. with all of them failing to win the tournament. After the tournament, Okuda quitely left the Dragon Gate, following real life issues between him and Ben-K.
Shortly after, High-End began trying to expand the stable in order to fill Okuda's gap, leading them to invite Strong Machine J and Naruki Doi, respectively, to join them. However, both refused, with Doi rejecting them twice. In August, Gold Class began tempting YAMATO to join them. Meanwhile, Ben-K and YAMATO began having a rift with each other, following a Open The Twin Gate Championship number one contenders match, where he and YAMATO lost to Dragon Dia and Madoka Kikuta, after Ben-K unitencionally attacked YAMATO. On September 9, during a match, between High-End and Gold Class, Ben-K chased Minourita to the backstage, before returning in a Gold Class themed ring attire, turning on YAMATO and deffecting to Gold Class. The following months, High-End began associating themselves with Mondai Ryu and Takashi Yoshida, as they began feuding with Z-Brats. This led to High-End challenging Z-Brats, which they accepted under the condition that they had put their existence on the line. Afterwards, Dragon Gate General Manager Ryo Saito announced a Unit Disbands match between the two units on January 11. At the event, High-End was defeated by Z-Brats forcing them to disband.
Members[]
| * | Founding member |
|---|---|
| I | Leader |
| Member | Duration | |
|---|---|---|
| Ben-K | * | March 4, 2021 – September 8, 2022 |
| Dragon Kid | * | March 4, 2021 – January 11, 2023 |
| Kagetora | June 3, 2021 – January 11, 2023 | |
| Keisuke Okuda | * | March 4, 2021 – June 26, 2022 |
| YAMATO | *I | March 4, 2021 – January 11, 2023 |
Timeline[]
Championships and Accomplishments[]
- Dragon Gate
- Open The Dream Gate Championship (1 time) – YAMATO
- Open The Brave Gate Championship (2 times) – Okuda (1) and Kagetora (1)
- Kijima Kogen Park Tag Tournament (2021) – Kid and Kagetora
Luchas de Apuestas record[]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Kid (mask) | SB KENTo (hair) | Aichi, Japan | Dead or Alive | May 5, 2021 | [Note 1] |
Notes[]
- ↑ This was a steel cage tag team match, where KENTo teamed with Dragon Kid and faced KAI and YAMATO.
Gallery[]
