(DOVE) EVENT RECAP: THE GYM WARS #54 ~ RAY PALOMA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

As ever with these dojo shows, I don't have a card or many results, but today there was a special celebration held at the Tiger Gym dojo, as Ray Paloma celebrated his 46th birthday on February 20th (no, he's not 460 as Naoki Tanizaki seems to think, although this could have been a drunken typo), and Dove held a birthday party for him on the 21st. Ray was suffering a gout attack at the time of the party, but vowed to "celebrate even if I have to crawl". I think there must have been a tag with Shoichi Uchida and Ray, as Naoki Tanazaki said they were "in love" with each other. 

The roster paid tribute to Ray in their own different ways. 

~ BROTHER Yasshi turned up (cigarette in mouth, smoke blowing in the breeze) with a present in hand. 

~ Naoki Tanizaki spoke of a legend that when Ray walks through Hiroshima, people gaze at him in affection (this means Ray is a God, who cannot walk the streets without being mobbed).

~  "The dojo was full of love. It was Ray Paloma love" (Kyohei Kinoshita)

~ Shoichi Uchida said that since Ray was "descending on Osaka", he was taking the chance to increase his stamina. 

Tetsuya Goto (who we saw earlier at GymWars 53) was excited to be back in Dove, although he was pinned by Kabuki Kid in a singles match. He says he is frustrated to lose to a technique he currently uses. The referee of the event was Kenichi Yoshida (the other one had fled far far away to FREEDOMS, probably out of long experience of being at these types of events, especially when Ray and Uchida team together.)

At the end of the event, the Dove roster posed in the ring with Ray for a commemorative picture (Gunso was not in it, so perhaps he took the picture, as he was definitely on the card). Ray was given gifts by the fans (wine, what looked like a candle, flowers etc) and from the roster he received a cake. The last words on the event should go to Ray, who said that despite his gout and at the age of 46, he was still "bouncing and dancing in the ring". 

Lets leave the talk of his thong out of it.

The event can be viewed through TwitCasting, and will cost you 460 yen. You will get unlimited viewing until the event expires on Sunday March 7th 2021 at 23:59 JST. 

GIF taken from NicoNico broadcast of DOVE vs STRONGHEARTS 31st January 2021