Dragon Gate USA
 |
|
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional wrestling, Puroresu, Lucha Libre |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Key people | Satoshi Oji (President) Gabe Sapolsky (Vice president), Sal Hamaoui (COO) |
| Website | Official Site |
Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate.
Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, serves as the promotion's Vice President.
Contents |
[edit] History
Dragon Gate USA features regular members of the Dragon Gate roster, along with notable American talent. All Dragon Gate titles and champions are recognized by Dragon Gate USA.[1]
In June 2009, it was announced that Dragon Gate USA had signed an agreement to film its shows for pay-per-view broadcast.[2] In August 2009, it was announced that Dragon Gate USA had signed an agreement with The Fight Network to air DGUSA content on television.[3]
The first Open the Freedom Gate Champion was crowned following a tournament held at DGUSA Freedom Fight on November 28, 2009. This is the main title of Dragon Gate USA.
On September 7, 2010, Dragon Gate USA announced a partnership with Go Fight Live and that their first live internet pay-per-view, Bushido: Way of the Warrior (later renamed Bushido: Code of the Warrior), would be taking place on October 29.[4]
In the fall of 2010, DGUSA announced that it would be holding a tournament to crown the first Open the United Gate Champions, which is their tag team champions. It was announced on December 13, 2010 that the tournament would be a four team round robin tournament that would take place over three shows from January 28 through January 30.
On November 25, 2011, Dragon Gate USA and Evolve announced the unification of the two promotions. Dragon Gate USA and Evolve will still promote separate events, but the two share rosters, including stables, and Evolve recognizes Dragon Gate USA's Open the Freedom Gate Championship and Open the United Gate Championship as its top two championships.[5]
[edit] Partnerships
Working agreements between Dragon Gate USA and the following promotions have led to interchanges in talent. Also, matches from these promotions have appeared on Dragon Gate USA DVD releases.[6][7]
- Chikara (established April 26, 2009)[8]
- All American Wrestling (established June 15, 2009)
- Hybrid Wrestling (established June 15, 2009)
- Full Impact Pro (established September 28, 2009)
- Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup (established October 13, 2009)
- Women Superstars Uncensored (established October 14, 2009)
- Maximum Pro Wrestling (established March 3, 2010)
- Rampage Pro Wrestling
- New York Wrestling Connection
- Insanity Pro Wrestling
[edit] List of Dragon Gate USA events
| Pay-Per-View name | Live event name | Date filmed | Date aired | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enter The Dragon | Open The Historic Gate | July 25, 2009 | September 4, 2009 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Arena |
| Untouchable[9] | Open The Untouchable Gate | September 6, 2009 | November 6, 2009[9] | Chicago, Illinois | Congress Theater |
| Freedom Fight[9] | Open The Freedom Gate | November 28, 2009 | January 22, 2010[9] | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Arena |
| Fearless[10] | Fearless | January 23, 2010[10] | March 5, 2010 | Chicago, Illinois | Congress Theater |
| Open The Ultimate Gate | Open The Ultimate Gate | March 26, 2010 | Phoenix, Arizona | Celebrity Theatre | |
| Mercury Rising | Mercury Rising | March 27, 2010[11] | May 14, 2010 | Phoenix, Arizona | Celebrity Theatre |
| Open The Northern Gate | Open The Northern Gate | May 7, 2010 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Windsor Armoury | |
| Uprising | Uprising | May 8, 2010 | July 9, 2010 | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | International Centre |
| Enter The Dragon 2010 | 1st Anniversary Celebration | July 24, 2010 | September 10, 2010 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Arena |
| Untouchable 2010 | Untouchable 2010 | September 25, 2010 | November 12, 2010 | Chicago, Illinois | Congress Theater |
| Way of the Ronin | Way of the Ronin | September 26, 2010 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Miramar Theater | |
| Bushido: Code of the Warrior | Bushido: Code of the Warrior | October 29, 2010 | October 29, 2010 | Fall River, Massachusetts | PAL Hall |
| Freedom Fight 2011 | Freedom Fight 2010 | October 30, 2010 | January 7, 2011 | Rahway, New Jersey | Rahway Recreation Center |
| United: NYC | United: NYC | January 28, 2011 | January 28, 2011 | New York, New York | B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill |
| United: Philly | United: Philly | January 29, 2011 | January 29, 2011 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Arena |
| United We Stand[9] | United: Finale | January 30, 2011 | March 11, 2011[9] | Union City, New Jersey | ACE Arena |
| Open The Southern Gate | Open The Southern Gate | April 1, 2011 | Burlington, North Carolina | Mid Atlantic Sportatorium | |
| Mercury Rising 2011 | Mercury Rising 2011 | April 2, 2011 | April 2, 2011 | Atlanta, Georgia | The Presidential Ballroom |
| Open the Ultimate Gate 2011 | Open The Ultimate Gate 2011 | April 3, 2011 | May 27, 2011 | Atlanta, Georgia | The Presidential Ballroom |
| Fearless 2011 | Fearless 2011 | June 3, 2011 | June 3, 2011 | Revere, Massachusetts | Wonderland Ballroom |
| Uprising 2011 | Uprising 2011 | June 4, 2011 | July 29, 2011 | Deer Park, New York | NYWC Sportatorium |
| Enter The Dragon 2011 | 2nd Anniversary Celebration | June 5, 2011 | June 5, 2011 | New York, New York | B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill |
| Chasing The Dragon | Chasing The Dragon | September 9, 2011 | Indianapolis, Indiana | The Community Center | |
| Untouchable 2011 | Untouchable 2011 | September 10, 2011 | September 10, 2011 | Chicago, Illinois | The Congress Theater |
| Way of the Ronin 2011 | Way of the Ronin 2011 | September 11, 2011 | September 11, 2011 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | The Miramar Theatre |
| Revolt! | Revolt! | November 11, 2011 | November 11, 2011 | Revere, Massachusetts | Wonderland Ballroom |
| Bushido 2011: Code of the Warrior | Bushido 2011: Code of the Warrior | November 12, 2011 | November 12, 2011 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Asylum Arena |
| Freedom Fight 2011 | Freedom Fight 2011 | November 13, 2011 | November 13, 2011 | New York, New York | B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill |
[edit] Roster
The company's roster is split into several units, with the majority of the wrestlers aligned with one faction or another.[12]
[edit] Blood Warriors
[edit] Ronin
[edit] D.U.F. (Dirty Ugly Fucks)
[edit] Unaffiliated |
[edit] Guests
[edit] Notable alumni |
[edit] Other
- Kevin Harvey - Live Event Host (September 6, 2009 – present)
- Lenny Leonard – Commentator
- Leonard Chikarason – Commentator (July 25, 2009 - May 18, 2011)
- Mike Quackenbush – Commentator
- Rob Naylor - Commentator
- Phil Colvin – Commentator
- Jason Harding - Referee
- Bryce Remsburg - Referee
- Mike Kehner - Referee
- Bob Saget - Live Event Host (March 26, 2010)
- Dawn Marie – Live Event Host (July 25, 2009)
- Tommy Dreamer - Live Event Host (January 23, 2010)
[edit] Championships
[edit] Current champions
| Championship | Champion(s) | Previous | Date Won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate Championship | Johnny Gargano | YAMATO | November 13, 2011 | Manhattan, NY |
| DGUSA Open the United Gate Championship | CIMA and Ricochet | Junction Three (Masato Yoshino and PAC) |
September 11, 2011 | Milwaukee, WI |
[edit] References
- ^ "Dragon Gate USA's Title Situation". DGUSA.tv. 2009-04-15. http://www.dgusa.tv/featurearticles1.htm.
- ^ http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_News_4/article_32891.shtml
- ^ http://thefightnetwork.com/news/wrestling/4240/dragon_gate_usa_partners_with_the_fight_network
- ^ Caldwell, James (2010-09-07). "DGUSA News: Dragon Gate USA announces live Internet PPV debut next month". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_News_4/article_43612.shtml. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
- ^ "EVOLVE evolves -- now unified with DGUSA". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 2011-11-25. http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/3-news/23135-evolve-evolves-now-unified-with-dgusa. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
- ^ "News Alerts". Dragon Gate USA. http://dgusa.tv/newsalerts.htm.
- ^ "Dragon Gate USA News update for 10/15". Indy Wrestling News. 2009-10-15. http://indywrestlingnews.com/pressreleases/6783-dragon-gate-usa-news-update-for-1015.html. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
- ^ "DGUSA and Chikara Reach Working Agreement". Dragon Gate USA. April 26, 2009. http://dgusa.tv/featurearticles4.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.dgusa.tv/featurearticles39.htm
- ^ a b "Dragon Gate USA "Fearless"". Dragon Gate USA. http://www.dgusa.tv/liveeventschicago.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ^ http://www.celebritytheatre.com/upcoming.php?viewevent=715
- ^ USA, Dragon Gate (2009-07-23). "Dragon Gate USA". dgusa.tv. http://www.dgusa.tv/featurearticles9.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ a b c "Core roster". Dragon Gate USA. http://www.dgusa.tv/roster-core.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- ^ "Guest stars". Dragon Gate USA. http://www.dgusa.tv/roster-guest.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- ^ "Alumni". Dragon Gate USA. http://www.dgusa.tv/roster-alumni.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
- ^ "Announcers/Referees". Dragon Gate USA. http://www.dgusa.tv/roster-announcers.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
