Dragon Gate USA

American professional wrestling promotion

Dragon Gate USA

Acronym| DG-USA
Founded| 2009 (2009)
Defunct| 2015 (2015)
Style|

* Puroresu
* Lucha libre

Headquarters| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Founder(s)|

* Satoshi Oji (President)
* Gabe Sapolsky (Vice president)
* Sal Hamaoui (COO)

Parent|

* WWNLive (2009–2015)[1]
* WWE Legacy Department (WWE) (2020–present)

Website| www.dgusa.tv

Dragon Gate USA (DGUSA) was 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, served as the promotion's Vice President.

## History

[edit]

Dragon Gate USA featured regular members of the Dragon Gate roster, along with notable American talent. All Dragon Gate titles and champions were recognized by Dragon Gate USA.[2]

In June 2009, it was announced that Dragon Gate USA had signed an agreement to film its shows for pay-per-view broadcast.[3] In August 2009, it was announced that Dragon Gate USA had signed an agreement with The Fight Network to air DGUSA content on television.[4]

The first Open the Freedom Gate Champion was crowned following a tournament held at DGUSA Freedom Fight on November 28, 2009. This was 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.[5]

In the fall of 2010, DGUSA announced that it would be holding a tournament to crown the first Open the United Gate Champions, which was 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, 2011.

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 recognized Dragon Gate USA's Open the Freedom Gate Championship and Open the United Gate Championship as its top two championships,[6] until establishing its own championship, the Evolve Championship in 2012. On September 18, 2013, Vito LoGrasso announced that his new Wrestling School signed an agreement to be the Development Center for DGUSA.[7]

In November 2014, Dragon Gate USA, along with Evolve, Full Impact Pro (FIP) and Shine Wrestling, all under the WWNLive banner, held a tour of China.[1] The following month, WWNLive announced a long-term deal with Great-Wall International Sports Management for regular tours of Asia, starting in the spring of 2015.[8] On December 22, WWNLive announced it was putting Dragon Gate USA on an indefinite hiatus until the promotion could secure more Japanese wrestlers for their shows.[9]

In 2015, WWNLive opened a training facility in Trinity, Florida named "World Wrestling Network Academy", which Dragon Gate USA shares with Evolve, FIP and Shine.[10]

On July 2, 2020, Dragon Gate USA's video library along with Evolve's assets were bought by WWE.[11]

### Uprising

[edit]

Uprising

Promotion| Dragon Gate USA[12]
Date| May 8, 2010[12]
(aired July 9, 2010)
City| Mississauga, Ontario[12]
Venue| Mississauga International Centre[12]

Uprising was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Dragon Gate USA that was taped May 8, 2010 at the Mississauga International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario and aired on July 9, 2010.

No.| Results[12]| Stipulations

|
|

1| Masaaki Mochizuki defeated Akira Tozawa| Singles match
2| Gran Akuma defeated Tyson Dux| Singles match
3| Jon Moxley defeated Jimmy Jacobs| No Disqualification match
4| Naruki Doi and PAC defeated Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw| Tag team match
5| Rip Impact vs. Johnny Wave ended in a no contest| Singles match
6| Shingo and YAMATO defeated CIMA and Dragon Kid| Tag Team Match
7| BxB Hulk (c) defeated Masato Yoshino| Singles match for the Open the Freedom Gate Championship
| (c)|  – the champion(s) heading into the match

|

## Partnerships

[edit]

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.[13][14]

* Chikara (established April 26, 2009)[15]
* 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
* Combat Zone Wrestling
* New York Wrestling Connection
* Insanity Pro Wrestling

## Championships

[edit]

Championship  | Last champion(s)  | Date retired  | Date Established  | Previous champion (s)  | Inaugural champion

|
|
|
|
|

Open the Freedom Gate Championship | Timothy Thatcher | August 15, 2015 | November 28, 2009 | Drew Galloway | BxB Hulk
Open the United Gate Championship | Ronin
(Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann) | May 30, 2015 | January 30, 2011 | The Premier Athlete Brand
(Anthony Nese, Caleb Konley and Trent Barreta) | WORLD-1
(Masato Yoshino and PAC)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Johnson, Mike (2014-09-19). "Evolve heading to China (no, really)". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved 2014-09-19. "WWNLive, the parent company of Evolve, Shine, FIP and Dragon Gate USA."
2. ^ "Dragon Gate USA's Title Situation". DGUSA.tv. 2009-04-15.
3. ^ "PWTorch.com - DGUSA News: Dragon Gate USA announces PPV distribution deal with ROH's previous distributor". pwtorch.com. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
4. ^ "Dragon Gate USA Partners with The Fight Network". Fight Network. August 18, 2009. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
5. ^ Caldwell, James (2010-09-07). "DGUSA News: Dragon Gate USA announces live Internet PPV debut next month". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
6. ^ "Evolve evolves -- now unified with DGUSA". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
7. ^ "PWInsiderXTRA.com". www.pwinsiderxtra.com. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
8. ^ Caldwell, James (2014-12-03). "Newswire: WWNLive announces long-term China plan, Ross talks importance of Tokyo Dome, New Japan's subscription goals, latest World Tag League standings, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2014-12-04.
9. ^ Caldwell, James (2014-12-22). "WWNLive news: Update on the future of Dragon Gate USA, several new matches for Evolve Florida tour". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
10. ^ Caldwell, James (2015-02-19). "WWNLive news: Official new training facility announced". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
11. ^ "WWE Acquires Evolve Wrestling". 3 July 2020.
12. ^ a b c d e "Dragon Gate USA". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
13. ^ "News Alerts". Dragon Gate USA.
14. ^ "Dragon Gate USA News update for 10/15". Indy Wrestling News. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
15. ^ "DGUSA and Chikara Reach Working Agreement". Dragon Gate USA. April 26, 2009. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2009.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Dragon Gate USA

Pay-per-view|

* DGUSA Enter The Dragon (2009-2011)
* DGUSA Untouchable (2009-2011)
* DGUSA Freedom Fight (2010-2013)
* DGUSA Fearless (2010-2013)
* Open the Ultimate Gate (2011)
* DGUSA Mercury Rising (2010-2014)
* DGUSA Uprising (2010)
* Bushido: Code of the Warrior (2010)
* United: NYC (2011)
* United: Philly (2011)
* DGUSA United We Stand
* DGUSA Way of the Ronin (2011)

Championships|

* Open the Freedom Gate
* Open the United Gate

Miscellaneous|

* Dragon Gate
* Evolve
* WWNLive

* v
* t
* e

Dragongate

Championships|

| Active|

* Open the Dream Gate
* Open the Brave Gate
* Open the Triangle Gate
* Open the Twin Gate
* Open the Owarai Gate

|

Inactive|

* Dragon Gate I-J Heavyweight Tag Team

Tournaments|

* King of Gate
* Rey de Parejas

Roster|

* List of Dragongate personnel

Miscellaneous|

* Roster
* Dragon Gate Network
* Toryumon
* Gate of Destiny

Partnerships|

| Current|

* Pro Wrestling Noah
* United Japan Pro-Wrestling promotions

|

Former|

* Major League Wrestling
* Osaka Pro Wrestling
* Ring of Honor
* WWNLive
* Dragon Gate USA
* Evolve

Category

* v
* t
* e

Professional wrestling in the United States

Active promotions

National promotions|

* All Elite Wrestling
* Major League Wrestling
* National Wrestling Alliance
* Ring of Honor
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
* WWE

Women's:|

* Women of Wrestling

Independent promotions|

* AAW Wrestling
* All Pro Wrestling
* Beyond Wrestling
* Championship Wrestling
* Chaotic Wrestling
* Combat Zone Wrestling
* Coastal Championship Wrestling
* Deadlock Pro-Wrestling
* DEFY Wrestling
* East Coast Wrestling Association
* Empire Wrestling Federation
* Exodus Pro Wrestling
* Full Impact Pro
* Game Changer Wrestling
* Hoodslam
* House of Glory
* Independent Wrestling Federation
* Innovate Pro Wrestling
* Juggalo Championship Wrestling
* Kaiju Big Battel
* Keystone State Wrestling Alliance
* Main Event Championship Wrestling
* MCW Pro Wrestling
* Northeast Wrestling
* Ohio Valley Wrestling
* PCW Ultra
* Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
* Premiere Wrestling Xperience
* Reality of Wrestling
* Southern States Wrestling
* Ultra Championship Wrestling-Zero
* Warrior Wrestling
* World League Wrestling
* World Xtreme Wrestling
* Xtreme Pro Wrestling

Women's:|

* Shine Wrestling
* Sukeban
* Women Superstars United
* Women's Wrestling Army

Puerto Rican promotions|

* IWA Puerto Rico
* La Liga Wrestling
* World Wrestling Council

Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances|

* United Wrestling Network
* WWNLive

Notable TV programs|

* AEW Collision
* AEW Dynamite
* AEW Rampage
* TNA Impact!
* WWE NXT
* WWE Raw
* WWE SmackDown

Notable streaming programs|

* NWA Powerrr
* Ring of Honor Wrestling
* TNA Xplosion
* WWE Main Event
* WWE NXT Level Up
* WWE Speed

Defunct promotions

National promotions|

* American Wrestling Association
* Extreme Championship Wrestling
* Jim Crockett Promotions
* Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)
* Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams)
* World Championship Wrestling
* World Class Championship Wrestling

Independent promotions and regional territories|

* 50th State Big Time Wrestling
* American Wrestling Federation
* Assault Championship Wrestling
* Big Time Wrestling (Boston)
* Big Time Wrestling (Detroit)
* Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)
* Capitol Wrestling Corporation
* Century Wrestling Alliance
* Championship Wrestling from Florida
* Chikara
* Continental Championship Wrestling
* Continental Wrestling Association
* CWF Mid-Atlantic
* Deep South Wrestling
* Dragon Gate USA
* Extreme Rising
* Evolve
* Family Wrestling Entertainment
* Florida Championship Wrestling
* Fred Kohler Enterprises
* Front Row Wrestling
* Future of Wrestling
* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Global Force Wrestling
* Global Wrestling Federation
* Hardcore Homecoming
* Heart of America Sports Attractions
* Heartland Wrestling Association
* House of Hardcore
* Houston Wrestling
* Incredibly Strange Wrestling
* Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
* International Championship Wrestling
* International World Class Championship Wrestling
* IWA Mid-South
* IWF Promotions
* Jersey All Pro Wrestling
* Mason-Dixon Wrestling
* Memphis Wrestling
* Memphis Championship Wrestling
* Metro Pro Wrestling
* Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
* Millennium Wrestling Federation
* National Wrestling Conference
* National Wrestling Federation
* New England Championship Wrestling
* NOVA Pro Wrestling
* NWA Mid-America
* NWA San Francisco
* NWA Wildside
* OMEGA Championship Wrestling
* Pacific Northwest Wrestling
* Phoenix Championship Wrestling
* Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling America
* Resistance Pro Wrestling
* Ring Warriors
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* South Atlantic Pro Wrestling
* Southern Championship Wrestling (Georgia)
* Southwest Championship Wrestling
* St. Louis Wrestling Club
* Steel City Wrestling
* Texas All-Star Wrestling
* Texas Wrestling Academy
* Top Rope Promotions
* Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
* Ultimate Pro Wrestling
* United States Wrestling Association
* Warriors 4 Christ Wrestling
* West Coast Wrestling Connection
* Western States Sports
* Windy City Pro Wrestling
* World Wide Wrestling Alliance
* World Wrestling Alliance
* World Wrestling Association
* Worldwide Wrestling Associates
* World Wrestling Network
* Xcitement Wrestling Federation

Women's:|

* ChickFight
* Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
* Ladies Major League Wrestling
* Ladies Professional Wrestling Association
* Naked Women's Wrestling League
* Professional Girl Wrestling Association
* Powerful Women of Wrestling
* Rise Wrestling
* Shimmer Women Athletes
* World Women's Wrestling
* Wrestlicious

Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances|

* American Wrestling Affiliates
* Global Professional Wrestling Alliance
* National Wrestling Association
* Pro Wrestling USA
* Wrestling Superstars Live

Notable programs|

* AEW Dark
* AEW Dark: Elevation
* AWA All-Star Wrestling
* AWA Championship Wrestling
* Before the Impact
* ECW Hardcore TV
* ECW on TNN
* ECW on Syfy
* Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors
* Lucha Underground
* MLW Fusion
* MLW Underground Wrestling
* NWA USA
* Superstars of Wrestling
* UWF Fury Hour
* WCW Monday Nitro
* WCW Thunder
* WCW Saturday Night
* WCW WorldWide
* Wrestling at the Chase
* Wrestling Society X
* WWE 205 Live
* WWE Heat
* WWE NXT UK
* WWE Superstars
* WWE Velocity

* Attendance records
* Hall of Fame
* History

* v
* t
* e

WWE

History|

* McMahon family
* Capitol Wrestling Corporation
* 1980s boom
* Black Saturday
* WrestleMania I
* Ring boy scandal
* Steroids trial
* The Kliq
* Bone Street Krew
* Monday Night Wars
* Montreal Screwjob
* Attitude Era
* The Invasion
* Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide
* PG Era
* New Monday Night Wars
* Wednesday Night Wars
* ThunderDome
* Vince McMahon sex trafficking scandal

Programming|

| Weekly in-ring shows|

* Monday Night Raw
* history
* special episodes
* Friday Night SmackDown
* history
* special episodes
* NXT
* Seasons 1–5
* special episodes
* NXT Level Up
* Speed
* Main Event

|

Recap shows|

* Afterburn
* Bottom Line
* This Week in WWE
* Vintage
* Wal3ooha

Seasonal shows
and specials|

* Biography: WWE Legends
* Miz & Mrs.
* Most Wanted Treasures
* Rivals
* Saturday Night's Main Event
* Tribute to the Troops
* results

Pay-per-view and
WWE Network events|

* Royal Rumble
* Elimination Chamber
* NXT Stand & Deliver
* WrestleMania
* Backlash
* King of the Ring
* Clash at the Castle
* Money in the Bank
* SummerSlam
* Bash in Berlin
* Bad Blood
* WWE in Saudi Arabia
* Crown Jewel
* Survivor Series
* NXT Deadline

Other|

* Broadcasting rights

Home bases|

* UFC Apex
* WWE Performance Center

Former|

* Amway Center
* Full Sail University
* Tropicana Field
* Yuengling Center

Personnel|

* Hall of Fame
* Former personnel
* A–C
* D–H
* I–M
* N–R
* S–Z

Notable rivalries
and matches|

* André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry
* Bret Hart vs. Tom Magee
* Mankind vs. The Undertaker
* The Streak

Affiliated properties|

* WWE 2K
* WWE Books
* WWE Legacy Department
* WWE Music Group
* Discography
* WWE Network
* Canada
* WWE Studios
* Tapout

Defunct businesses|

* World Bodybuilding Federation
* The World
* WWE Classics on Demand
* WWE Home Video
* WWE Niagara Falls
* WWE Magazine
* WWE Podcast Network
* XFL
* 2001
* 2020

Notable acquisitions|

* American Wrestling Association
* Dragon Gate USA
* Evolve
* Extreme Championship Wrestling
* WWE revival
* Florida Championship Wrestling
* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Global Wrestling Federation
* Heartland Wrestling Association (video library)
* International Championship Wrestling
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* World Championship Wrestling
* history
* Who Killed WCW?
* World Class Championship Wrestling
* World Wrestling Council (video library)

Investments|

* Avid Technology
* Cloud9
* DraftKings
* Drone Racing League
* FloSports
* Marvel Experience
* Phunware
* Premier Lacrosse League
* Tout

Related companies|

| Owners|

* TKO Group Holdings
* Endeavor

|

Sister company|

* Ultimate Fighting Championship

Partnerships|

| Current|

* All Japan Pro Wrestling
* Game Changer Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling Noah
* Dream Star Fighting Marigold
* Reality of Wrestling
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

|

Former|

* AAA
* Deep South Wrestling
* Insane Championship Wrestling
* International Wrestling Association
* Memphis Championship Wrestling
* Michinoku Pro Wrestling
* National Wrestling Alliance
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
* Ohio Valley Wrestling
* Power Pro Wrestling
* Progress Wrestling
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* Super World of Sports
* Ultimate Pro Wrestling
* United States Wrestling Association
* Universal Lucha Libre
* Universal Wrestling Association
* Universal Wrestling Federation
* WAR
* Westside Xtreme Wrestling
* World Wrestling Alliance

Championships|

* Current champions
* Former championships
* Foreign champions
* Types of championships
* Secondary
* Tag team
* Women's
* World

Accomplishments|

* Diva Search
* Money in the Bank
* Tough Enough
* Awards
* Slammys
* NXT Year-End
* WWE Year-End
* Grand Slam
* Triple Crown
* Battle royals
* André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
* Royal Rumble
* WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal

Tournaments|

* Brawl for All
* Cruiserweight Classic
* Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
* King of the Ring
* Mae Young Classic
* Mixed Match Challenge
* NXT Breakout Tournament
* Queen of the Ring
* Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament

Brand extension|

* Raw
* SmackDown
* NXT
* NXT UK
* 205 Live
* ECW
* Draft
* 2002
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* April 2019
* October 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2023
* 2024

International|

* Australia
* Canada
* India
* Mexico
* New Zealand
* Saudi Arabia
* UK

Miscellaneous|

* Attendance records
* Titan Towers
* Women in WWE
* WrestleMania Axxess
* WWE action figures
* LJN Wrestling Superstars
* WWE ID and WWE NIL

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