Dragon Gate USA

[RawIsRamsey]

Aight, in case no one heard, Dragon Gate out of Japan recently branched their hold into the US, even hiring ex-RoH booker and Dragon Gate supporter Gabe Sapolsky (you know, the guy responsible for all the GOOD RoH stuff).

However, this is all coming recently off the allegations that Ring Of Honor still owes Dragon Gate money from their recent tour of Japan (airfare and hotels and stuff like that were supposed to be recompensated, but didn't happen apparently).

Question is, do you think this is Dragon Gate's attempt to cut into RoH's business due to their dealings in the past? The US indy market has already gotten to see some of Dragon Gate's finest (Go Shiozaki, Marufuji, Morishima, etc.) so they would draw, but also take into account the great relationship some of RoH's guys have with Dragon Gate (Danielson, Nigel, Chris Hero, Larry Sweeney). By using the names RoH has made famous, Dragon Gate could potentially become a threat to RoH, which is bad considering the amount of exposure (and scandal) they have right now.

Am I just being paranoid? Or is there a reason to be concerned with this?

 

[RVDgurl]

I don't know all the details between the dissolving of the relationship between ROH and Gabe Sepolsky. My understanding was that Gabe's fireing came as a complete shock to him. I can only assume that there has to be some hard feelings there. I do find it a bit concerning that Gabe books Dragon Gate's first US show in Philly. It could be a deliberate shot at ROH. However, on the other hand, Philly is a breeding ground for Indy promotions. Gabe was involved in ECW and ROH. Gabe knows that the best chance for Dragon Gate to draw is probably in Philly. It may be stepping on ROH's toes, but it's a wise business decision.

 

[Gelgarin]

I was thrilled by this news, if only because it might result in more Gate programming with English commentary. Personally, I love Dragon Gate. Alone of the wrestling promotions of Japan, Dragon Gate has continued to thrive in the face of the recent wrestling slump (a trend which happily appears to be reversing).

This is mostly due to the fact that, unlike New and All Japan, the comparatively new Dragon Gate doesn't have a bunch of past their prime veterans clogging up the upper card (brief cameo congratulations to Muta for stepping aside recently). Dragon Gate has been the best place for new talent to establish its self, and stars like Shingo and Doi are really starting to build up following, both inside and outside of Japan.

The Japanese seldom write stuff in languages other than Japanese, so I have no data to corroborate my assertion, but I'm pretty sure that the Gate is the fastest growing promotion over there, and this US expansion is only going to help them more. They've got a lot of contacts inside the American and UK independent scene, and would have been unlikely to struggle setting themselves up even without the recruitment of Sapolsky.

That being said, getting him on-board is a massive coup for the company. He bring in value through name value alone (not that I've got any idea why) and more importantly, knows how to promote a product state side. I think it's a cultural difference, but Japanese promoters seldom seem to do well this side of [body of water between America and Japan]. Possibly promotion in Japan is more dependent on word of mouth of something, I'm not sure... the point is... err... something relevant that I was talking about.

In other news, Dragon Gate isn't only looking to expand their market in the US. In a few months time I believe they will be running a UK show [London of Coventry I believe], which I shall certainly be attending.

As for RoH... well I make no secret of the fact that I don't like, nor follow, the product. That being the case, I can't really say much about where this leaves them. I would imagine it won't have much effect. An American product is always going to draw better in American than a Japanese one. The gate has superior talent, but unlike Japan, there is a very limited audience in America who is going to notice/care.

RoH's spent year building up a following and garnering mainstream attention. Dragon Gate is probably just looking for somewhere to run shows when money gets tight in Japan.

 

[kingdirrtysouth1]

What if all this drama between ROH, Sweeney, & Gabe is one big WORK! What if Paul Heyman is on it! He did mention about how the were running in old ECW Arena and went on to mention the history of all the other companies running there! Just a thought!

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Aight, in case no one heard, Dragon Gate out of Japan recently branched their hold into the US, even hiring ex-RoH booker and Dragon Gate supporter Gabe Sapolsky (you know, the guy responsible for all the GOOD RoH stuff).

However, this is all coming recently off the allegations that Ring Of Honor still owes Dragon Gate money from their recent tour of Japan (airfare and hotels and stuff like that were supposed to be recompensated, but didn't happen apparently).

Question is, do you think this is Dragon Gate's attempt to cut into RoH's business due to their dealings in the past? The US indy market has already gotten to see some of Dragon Gate's finest (Go Shiozaki, Marufuji, Morishima, etc.) so they would draw, but also take into account the great relationship some of RoH's guys have with Dragon Gate (Danielson, Nigel, Chris Hero, Larry Sweeney). By using the names RoH has made famous, Dragon Gate could potentially become a threat to RoH, which is bad considering the amount of exposure (and scandal) they have right now.

Am I just being paranoid? Or is there a reason to be concerned with this?

There's really nothing to worry about here. Dragon Gate is essentially a niche product for fans of junior heavyweights/cruiserweights. If anything, I just see their moving into the US (although it's hardly right to say that they are moving into the US, as they only have two shows so far planned in the US this year) as a chance to capitalize on a fan base that isn't getting what it wants from either WWE or TNA (cruiserweight wrestling is non-existent in WWE and the X-Division in TNA right now is laughable).

On a side note, I am looking forward to their Philadelphia show in July (I definitely got my tickets as soon as they went on sale).

 

[jmt225]

According to a report by Chris Johnson of ******.net, some photos, videos and blogs have hit the internet indicating animal abuse on the part of several individuals involved with the Dragon Gate roster in Japan. This includes one of Dragon Gate’s top stars Shingo Takagi who has worked for Ring of Honor in the past.

The abuse has to do with a monkey that is housed in the Dragon Gate dojo where photos and videos have surfaced of individuals burning the monkey, choking it, tossing it into hot water, shaking it and other various acts. The story has been picked up by many outlets in Japan and is now making waves in North America.

News of this situation comes just before the debut of Dragon Gate USA in Philadelphia, PA on July 25. Another event has been scheduled for Chicago, IL on September 6.

....................................​

Wow... not to come off as some nutjob animal lover, but seriously.. fuck Dragon Gate. I will not support any wrestler whatsoever who pulls crap like this. And I've been a Shingo fan for a while now, but obviously not anymore. That guy's an asshole and deserves to have his ass kicked. And so does anyone else who partakes in this.

I've seen a link to a video, but I couldn't bring myself to watch it. But yeah... this is legit, and as big of a supporter as I am of Gabe Sapolsky, I cannot support a company that associates itself with workers who do shit like this. And I'm sure there are a lot of fans like myself, and that's not good at all for Dragon Gate USA.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

According to a report by Chris Johnson of ******.net, some photos, videos and blogs have hit the internet indicating animal abuse on the part of several individuals involved with the Dragon Gate roster in Japan. This includes one of Dragon Gate’s top stars Shingo Takagi who has worked for Ring of Honor in the past.

The abuse has to do with a monkey that is housed in the Dragon Gate dojo where photos and videos have surfaced of individuals burning the monkey, choking it, tossing it into hot water, shaking it and other various acts. The story has been picked up by many outlets in Japan and is now making waves in North America.

News of this situation comes just before the debut of Dragon Gate USA in Philadelphia, PA on July 25. Another event has been scheduled for Chicago, IL on September 6.

....................................​

Wow... not to come off as some nutjob animal lover, but seriously.. fuck Dragon Gate. I will not support any wrestler whatsoever who pulls crap like this. And I've been a Shingo fan for a while now, but obviously not anymore. That guy's an asshole and deserves to have his ass kicked. And so does anyone else who partakes in this.

I've seen a link to a video, but I couldn't bring myself to watch it. But yeah... this is legit, and as big of a supporter as I am of Gabe Sapolsky, I cannot support a company that associates itself with workers who do shit like this. And I'm sure there are a lot of fans like myself, and that's not good at all for Dragon Gate USA.

From my understanding, Dragon Gate USA is an extension of Dragon Gate, and will only be using some talents from the main roster. I'm going to wait to hold my judgment until I see whom they decide to bring over for the US shows later this summer (the only two I see as locks are CIMA and Dragon Kid). But, from a PR point of view, this doesn't look good, I'll agree with you on that one.

 

[VIC666]

is dragons gate a primarily homosexual promotion?i ask not to piss anyone off but i was part of big vision funku dvd club and i just received dragons gate-live in LA dvd and besides the fact that these guys can run real fast,the whole show seems geared towards gays.everyone dances,some dude name hulk something{who looks totally like a tranny}starts stripping and another wrestler{stalker???}spent the whole match trying to shove his arm then his face in necro butchers ass.was it just this show?