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Toryumon Japan
Toryumon
Founded January 31, 1999
Closed July 4, 2004
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Founder(s) Ultimo Dragon
Owner(s) Ultimo Dragon
Sister Toryumon Mexico

Toryumon Japan was the primary promotion the Ultimo Dragon Gym would run in Japan. Originally conceived as merely a means for the Ultimo Dragon Gym students to gain in-ring experience, it developed a major following and grew into becoming one of the hottest independent promotions in the country. The promotion would run for five years until folding due to Ultimo Dragon leaving the promotion and taking the Toryumon name with him as he owned the rights. The promotion would immediately be reborn as Dragon Gate.

History

As the Ultimo Dragon Gym students were developing their own reputations within Mexico, Japan, and to an extent the United States, it was decided for a promotion to be developed in Japan. Through it, the students would be able to gain some more in-ring experience. The Japan-based Toryumon promotion ran its first show on January 31, 1999 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

The names of the shows for Toryumon Japan remained true to its Mexican origins. This included pay-per-view shows being called "Vamonos Amigos" and "Revolucion." In addition, the promotion held an annual Numero Uno League tournament and later Rey De Parejas League tournament and recognized two championships that originated from Mexico, the NWA World Welterweight Championship and the UWA World Trios Championship.

In the beginning, Toryumon Japan comprised of the first class of Ultimo Dragon Gym graduates and a number of journeymen wrestlers such as Masaaki Mochizuki, Takashi Okamura, and Yoshikazu Taru. In 2002, they would begin a feud with the Toryumon 2000 Project wrestlers, or second class graduates. This led to a highly acclaimed and successful pay-per-view on September 8, 2002, which also saw the in-ring return of Ultimo Dragon. After T2P closed on January 27, 2003, all of its talent was absorbed into Toryumon Japan. That same year, Ultimo Dragon stepped down as President and Director of the Toryumon promotion, handing the reigns over to business partner Okamura and then leaving Japan to sign with World Wrestling Entertainment.

After his one-year stint in the WWE, Ultimo Dragon returned to Japan in mid-2004. However, in early June, a press conference was held in which it was announced that Ultimo Dragon was pulling out of the promotion all together and take the Toryumon name with him since he owned the rights. The last show to be promoted under the Toryumon name would be at the fifth anniversary show "Vo Aniversario" at Kobe World Hall in Hyogo on July 4, 2004. Immediately afterward, the promotion would continue on independently as Dragon Gate.

Championships Promoted

Toryumon Japan recognized a number of championships with origins primarily from Mexico and Japan. Only one championship was originated specifically for the promotion, the Ultimo Dragon Gym Championship. Following the split in 2004, a number of the championships would become inactive while others would be adopted by other promotions.

Title Period Used Last Champion Date won Current Status
British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship 2001–2003 Jun Ogawauchi November 10, 2003 Inactive
NWA International Light Heavyweight Championship 2002 CIMA December 26, 2002 Inactive
NWA World Welterweight Championship 1999–2004 YOSSINO March 22, 2003 Inactive
NWA World Middleweight Championship 1994–2003 Último Dragón March 5, 2003 Inactive
Ultimo Dragon Gym Championship 2003–2004 CIMA July 4, 2004 Inactive
UWA World Trios Championship 2001–2004 Dragon Kid, Kenichiro Arai, Second Doi May 9, 2004 Promoted in Wrestle-1

Toryumon Japan Graduates

Term Name Currently working
1st Term CIMA Dragon Gate
1st Term Don Fujii Dragon Gate
1st Term Dragon Kid Dragon Gate
1st Term Magnum Tokyo Retired
1st Term SUWA Retired
2nd Term Genki Horiguchi Dragon Gate
2nd Term Kenichiro Arai Dragon Gate
2nd Term Stalker Ichikawa Dragon Gate
2nd Term Yasushi Kanda Dragon Gate
3rd Term Susumu Yokosuka Dragon Gate
3rd Term Mototsugu Shimizu SECRET BASE
4th Term Ryo Saito Dragon Gate
4th Term Kinta Tamaoka Did not graduate – Dragon Gate

Events

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