Lion's Gate is the developmental branch of

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority share ...

(NJPW), which holds events under the banner of Lion's Gate Project. The branch was officially announced on July 18, 2015, and held its first show on February 25, 2016. In addition to NJPW wrestlers, the Lion's Gate Project shows also feature wrestlers from other promotions, resulting in unique cards. The events are held at

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

Shinjuku Face is an event hall located on the 7th floor of the Humax Pavilion Shinjuku complex, 1-20-1 Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan. It mainly hosts mixed martial arts, boxing and professional wrestling events. Shinjuku Face has a capacity of approximately 600 ...

. The first three shows featured heavy participation from wrestlers from the

Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left th ...

promotion. Wrestlers from promotions such as

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Bab ...

(AJPW),

Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests. History Big Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in March 1995 by former AJPW wrestlers Shinya Kojika and Kendo Nagasak ...

(BJW) and

Kaientai Dojo Active Advance Pro Wrestling (2AW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion and training facility originally owned and promoted by Taka Michinoku. The promotion places emphasis on a style of puroresu that combines high-flying, technical wr ...

(K-Dojo) have also taken part in the project. NJPW rookies Takumi Honjo, Shota Umino, Tetsuhiro Yagi and Ren Narita have made their official debuts at Lion's Gate Project shows, while Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka wrestled their unofficial debuts as part of the project.

History

On July 18, 2015, NJPW held a press conference on various items relating to the future of the promotion. One of these was the establishment of a developmental branch, where NJPW could discover and develop both Japanese and foreign wrestlers. It was also intended as a place where trials could be held for outside wrestlers and where injured wrestlers could go to get back in shape. The plan was for the branch to eventually start running its own small shows. The project quickly drew comparisons to WWE's NXT developmental branch. NJPW had earlier attempted a developmental branch with a project named NEVER, which held shows between 2010 and 2012. Recently, NJPW had been described as "lax in cultivation of new talent", however, on January 3, 2016, the promotion introduced four new wrestlers with

Hirai Kawato is a Japanese professional wrestler, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Master Wato (マスター・ワト ''Masutā Wato''). He was previously on an international learning excursion, working for NJPW's Mexican partner ...

and Teruaki Kanemitsu wrestling their debut matches, while Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka were announced as the two newest recruits to the NJPW

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...

called the recruitment of the two former top amateur wrestlers " obably the biggest move in a couple of years when it comes to new talent". The same day, NJPW announced that their developmental branch Lion's Gate would be holding its first show on February 25, 2016, in

Events

Lion's Gate Project 1

The first Lion's Gate Project event was held on February 25, 2016, in

. The event featured ten matches, including one

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

, an "exhibition match" featuring the unofficial debuts of Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka, working under amateur wrestling rules. The other nine matches featured NJPW wrestlers taking on

wrestlers. The second match saw the debut of Animal Hamaguchi trainee Takumi Honjo, who was defeated by Noah's

Maybach Taniguchi is a Japanese people, Japanese professional wrestler who has worked for Pro Wrestling Noah since his debut in December 2005. He is also known by the ring name , under which he portrays a villainous masked character. Professional wrestling caree ...

. The show was main evented by NJPW veteran

Yuji Nagata is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). A two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and a GHC Heavyweight Champion, making him a four-time world champion in major professio ...

defeating Noah's Mitsuhiro Kitamiya.

Lion's Gate Project 2

The second Lion's Gate Project event was held on May 19, 2016, in

. Much like the first Lion's Gate Project show, the event featured several wrestlers from

as well as Ayato Yoshida from

(K-Dojo). All in all, the event featured eight matches.

Lion's Gate Project 3

The third Lion's Gate Project event was held on September 1, 2016, in

. The event featured nine matches, including one

, and again featured heavy participation from

. One of the matches saw the NJPW debut of the promotion's newest international trainee, Henare, who was defeated by Noah's Quiet Storm. In addition to the NJPW and Noah wrestlers, the event featured Ayato Yoshida and Go Asakawa from

(K-Dojo). The dark match featured another exhibition match between NJPW trainees Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka, this time worked under professional wrestling rules.

Lion's Gate Project 4

The fourth Lion's Gate Project event was held on April 13, 2017, in

. The event featured six matches, including the debut match of

Shota Umino is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Umino was born on April 13, 1997, in the special ward of Setagaya in Tokyo, Japan. He is the son of NJPW referee Hiroyuki Umino (also known u ...

, son of NJPW referee Red Shoes Unno. Unno refereed the match, where his son was defeated by

Taka Michinoku (born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for t ...

. Following the dissolution of the partnership between NJPW and

at the end of 2016, this was the first Lion's Gate Project show not to feature any wrestlers from Noah, instead Ayato Yoshida and Dinosaur Takuma from

(K-Dojo), Koji Iwamoto and Yuma Aoyagi from

(AJPW) and Toru Sugiura from Pro Wrestling Freedoms took part in the event as outsiders.

Lion's Gate Project 5

The fifth Lion's Gate Project event was held on May 9, 2017, in

. The event featured six matches, including the debut of Tetsuhiro Yagi in the opening match. Outsiders taking part in the event included Ayato Yoshida and Dinosaur Takuma from

, Daisuke Kanehira from Pro Wrestling Heat Up and Toru Sugiura from Pro Wrestling Fredoms. In the main event of the show, the veteran duo of

Manabu Nakanishi is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, who was primarily associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one-time G1 Climax winner and three-time IWGP Tag Team Ch ...

and

were victorious over the rookie team of Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka in what marked Nagata's fifth straight main event win as part of Lion's Gate Project.

Lion's Gate Project 6

The sixth Lion's Gate Project event was held on June 15, 2017, in

. The event featured six matches and outside participation from Ayato Yoshida and Dinosaur Takuma from

(K-Dojo), Takuya Nomura from

(BJW) and Yuma Aoyagi from

(AJPW).

Lion's Gate Project 7

The seventh Lion's Gate Project event was held on July 4, 2017, in

. The event featured seven matches, including the debut of

Ren Narita Ren Narita (成田蓮 ''Narita Ren'', born November 29, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Narita has played several sports before becoming a wrestler, including baseball an ...

in the opening match. Outsiders taking part in the event included Dinosaur Takuma and Go Asakawa from

(K-Dojo), Koji Iwamoto from

(AJPW) and freelancer

Dick Togo , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Togo is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Bullet Club stable, and its sub-group House of Torture. Togo has spent the majority of ...

, who made his first NJPW appearance since 2011. Following the main event of the show,

, seeing the recent influx of new talent into NJPW, proposed bringing back the

Young Lion Cup __NOTOC__ The is an infrequent professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a means of showcasing the younger talent on their roster. The tournament is the successor to the Karl Gotch Cup that NJPW promoted in t ...

for the first time in 12 years.

Lion's Gate Project 8

The eighth Lion's Gate Project event was held on October 12, 2017, in

. The event featured six matches, including the first three matches of the

2017 Young Lion Cup __NOTOC__ The is an infrequent professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a means of showcasing the younger talent on their roster. The tournament is the successor to the Karl Gotch Cup that NJPW promoted i ...

. NJPW announced on September 26 that it was bringing back the tournament for the first time in 12 years and dedicating it to the memory of Kotetsu Yamamoto, the former head of the NJPW dojo. The

round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & C. Me ...

would feature six NJPW rookies who debuted in 2016 and 2017. Non-tournament matches featured outside participation from Daisuke Kanehira from Pro Wrestling Heat Up, Go Asakawa and Kotaro Yoshino from

(K-Dojo) and Yuma Aoyagi from

(AJPW).

Lion's Gate Project 9

The ninth Lion's Gate Project event was held on November 16, 2017, in

. The event featured six matches, including the continuation of the

. Non-tournament matches featured outside participation from Daisuke Kanehira from Pro Wrestling Heat Up, Go Asakawa and the tag team Dino Stones (Dinosaur Takuma and Kotaro Yoshino) from

(K-Dojo) and Yuma Aoyagi from

(AJPW).

Lion's Gate Project 10

The tenth Lion's Gate Project event was held on December 21, 2017, in

. The event featured six matches, including the conclusion of the

with its three final matches. Katsuya Kitamura won the tournament with a clean record of five wins and zero losses. Non-tournament matches featured outside participation from Daisuke Kanehira from Pro Wrestling Heat Up, Dinosaur Takuma and Kotaro Yoshino from

(K-Dojo) and Yuma Aoyagi from

(AJPW).

Lion's Gate Project 11

The eleventh Lion's Gate Project event was held on April 10, 2018, in

. The event featured five matches. Two new rookies wrestled their debut match:

Yuya Uemura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life In March 2013, Uemura graduated from Imabari Technical High-school. He wrestled collegiately before he started his professional wrestling care ...

and

Yota Tsuji is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Before wrestling, Tsuji had played baseball, American football and had done Taekwondo. In March 2012, he graduated from Yokohama Tateno high-sch ...

. Some matches featured outside participation: Manjimaru and Ken45°, from

Michinoku Pro Wrestling (originally known as North Eastern Wrestling) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded by The Great Sasuke on October 1, 1992. It was the first independent wrestling promotion in Japan to not base its operations in Tokyo, but rath ...

, made their New Japan Pro-Wrestling debut and Ayato Yoshida and Go Asakawa made their return, from

(K-Dojo).

Lion's Gate Project 12

The twelfth Lion's Gate Project event was held on May 15, 2018, in

. Some matches featured outside participation:

Daisuke Sekimoto (born February 9, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Strong BJ division. He is also known for his appearances in Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max. He is a three-time BJW World Strong Heavyw ...

from

and Ayato Yoshida from

(K-Dojo). The main event was a previously postponed one-on-one match between Yoshida and

Lion's Gate Project 13

The thirteenth Lion's Gate Project event was held on June 13, 2018, in

. Some matches featured outside participation: Shunsuke Sayama, from Asuka Project, who made his New Japan Pro-Wrestling debut, and Dinosaur Takuma and Ayato Yoshida from

(K-Dojo).

References

External links

The official New Japan Pro-Wrestling website
{{New Japan Pro Wrestling events New Japan Pro-Wrestling shows 2016 in professional wrestling 2017 in professional wrestling Events in Tokyo Professional wrestling in Tokyo

History

Events

Lion's Gate Project 1

Lion's Gate Project 2

Lion's Gate Project 3

Lion's Gate Project 4

Lion's Gate Project 5

Lion's Gate Project 6

Lion's Gate Project 7

Lion's Gate Project 8

Lion's Gate Project 9

Lion's Gate Project 10

Lion's Gate Project 11

Lion's Gate Project 12

Lion's Gate Project 13

See also

References

External links