Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling is an independent promotion founded in 2004 by Japanese legend Ultimo Dragon and is based heavily on his Jr. Heavyweight style of wrestling, and is among the top promotions in Japan. Unlike most other promotions, it is not based in Tokyo and instead its homebase is Kobe, in Hyogo Prefecture. Dragon created the promotion after leaving the Toryumon Gym and taking its trademarks with him, restructuring his former Toryumon promotion into DG. Early on the promotion made noteworthy attempts to branch out into the USA, including with Ring Of Honor in 2005 and several other independent promotions until launching a US sub-label in 2008 and in the UK in 2009, although both were short-lived. The promotion further expanded in the late 2010s with the launch of its own streaming service, DRAGONGATE NETWORK, in 2018 and a partnership with US independent promotion Major League Wrestling (MLW) in 2020. The promotion also has its own music and book labels and produces its own music CDs, books and more.
Besides heavily emphasizing Jr. Heavyweights and their fast-paced, high-flying style, faction warfare is perhaps a more integral part of Dragon Gate than any other promotion worldwide. It’s not uncommon to see wrestlers frequently move between factions or create new ones. In-ring promos are also very common, giving it a feel closer to what you might see in WWE.
Dragon Gate has 5 titles, which are very unique because they are all referred to as “Open The Gate” titles and the top title, Open The Dream Gate, has a nameplate locked with a key. A challenger to the title carries the key and if they win, they unlock (open) the faceplate and can remove the prior champion’s name and replace it with their own. But if the champion retains the title, they claim the challenger’s key as a mark of a successful defense. The titles currently are Open The Dream Gate (The top title), Open The Brave Gate (geared towards smaller and younger/less experienced talent), Open The Twin Gate (Tag Team), Open The Triangle Gate (trios/6-man) and Open The Owarai Gate (a comedy title defended in comedy matches with different rules, this title was inactive from 2018-June 2023). They also hold an annual singles tournament.
In addition to having a TV deal with longtime broadcast partner GAORA Sports, events also stream in Japanese and English on their DRAGONGATE Network streaming service, available worldwide. However, it’s among the most expensive services from Japan at roughly 1650 yen/month (currently around $11 US). They also broadcast the first match of events live and free on YouTube.
Current roster (as of 6/1/2023):
Kzy
BIGBOSS Shimizu
U-T
JACKY “FUNKY” KAMEI
Jason Lee
Strong Machine J
YAMATO
Dragon Kid
Kagetora
KAI
BxB Hulk
H.Y.O.
SB KENTo
Shun Skywalker
Diamante
ISHIN
Kota Minoura
Ben-K
Minorita (Now Riiita as of 8/12/24)
Yuki Yoshioka
Dragon Diamond
Madoka Kikuta
Masaaki Mochizuki
Susumu Mochizuki
Mochizuki Jr.
Yasushi Kanda
Ho Ho Lun
Super Shenlong 3
Ultimo Dragon
Eita
Genki Horiguchi
Ryo Saito
Don Fujii
Takashi Yoshida
Yosuke ❤️ Santamaria
Punch Tominaga
Mondai Ryu
La Estrella
Ichikawa
Shachihoko BOY
Shisa BOY
Shachihoko Machine
Takuma Fujiwara
Ryu Fuda
Yoshiki Kato (Inactive-injured)
Naruki Doi (Independent/Freelancer)
Shuji Kondo
Kenichiro Arai
Karaoke Machine
Johnson Florida
Keirinman
Bokutimo Dragon
Daiki Yanagiuchi
Ryoya Tanaka
Titles & History:
Open The Dream Gate Championship
Open The Brave Gate Championship
Open The Twin Gate Championship
Open The Triangle Gate Championship
Open The Owarai Gate Championship
Official Website:
https://www.gaora.co.jp/dragongate/index.html
