Shun Skywalker Bids Farewell To Dragongate In Emotional Final Match

Shun Skywalker had his final match as a contracted Dragongate wrestler during the opening night of Dragongate’s Rey de Parejas tag team tournament on Tuesday. The former three-time Open the Dream Gate Champion took on his protégé, Homare, in an emotional special singles match in the semi-main event inside Korakuen Hall.

Many fans who watched the show felt it was just about the perfect send-off for Skywalker, whose final year with the company often felt uneven and not quite at the level fans had come to expect from him in previous years.

The master and his student had an incredibly physical match filled with callbacks to their time together in both Z-Brats and Psypatra. Homare displayed a tremendous amount of growth with his performance, but it often felt as though the person most proud of that progression was Skywalker himself. The closing stretch saw both men desperately jockeying for position, with Homare rocking Skywalker with a Superkick for a near fall, before Skywalker answered with a devastating BT Bomb. Homare then shockingly kicked out at one, but that proved to be the last of his energy. Skywalker responded with the SSW, essentially a Blue Thunder Bomb, before finishing his protégé with a stunning Moonsault for the three count.

Skywalker then took to the microphone and delivered perhaps the most heartfelt promo of his career. Even with the language barrier, his love for his friend Homare and for Dragongate was palpable. He gave a brief speech before letting out one final howl for old times’ sake.

Shun Skywalker’s legacy in Dragongate is one of excellence, both as an in-ring performer and as a character. Few wrestlers of the modern era have been able to consistently rank among the best workers in the world while also delivering character work so compelling that it transcends any language barrier.

Watching him wrestle his final Dragongate match in Korakuen brought me back to January 16, 2019, when he defeated Kaito Ishida to win the company’s Rookie Ranking Tournament. Seeing him across the ring from an old protégé also reminded me of his infamous betrayal on December 1, 2021, when he shoved his former Masquerade ally Dragon Dia into the clutches of Dia Inferno and Diamante during a Mask vs. Mask match, cementing himself as perhaps the biggest Judas in all of wrestling.

It also brought to mind the end of that same month, when, in the midst of his gradual heel turn, he somehow almost single-handedly carried his dejected teammates Jason Lee and Kota Minoura to the Open the Triangle Gate Championship. Then, just a month later, in that very same building, he completed his transformation, turned heel, and formed Z-Brats.

Shun Skywalker leaves Dragongate with an incredible résumé. He’s a three-time Open the Dream Gate Champion, a four-time Open the Triangle Gate Champion, and a one-time Open the Twin Gate Champion. He also won the Rey de Parejas tournament once, capturing the trophy alongside Homare just one year ago.

Beyond the accolades, Skywalker led three separate factions, Masquerade, Z-Brats, and Psypatra, while also spending time as a member of Mochizuki Dojo. To many fans, he’s been the most consequential wrestler in the Dragongate universe since the COVID era began, with perhaps only his final year falling short of the remarkably high standard he had previously set.

It remains unclear exactly where Shun Skywalker will go next, but one thing is undeniable. Wherever he ends up, whether it’s New Japan, NOAH, or somewhere else entirely, he will leave an indelible mark on both the promotion and its fanbase.

Elsewhere during the Korakuen Hall show, Dragongate announced that Uhaa Nation, formerly known as Apollo Crews in WWE, will return to the promotion this September. You can read more about that here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Shun Skywalker’s future following his Dragongate departure as soon as we hear more.