Dragondoor

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Dragondoor
Details
Acronym D2p
Established April 27, 2005
Location Japan
Founder(s) Noriaki Kawabata
Owner(s) Noriaki Kawabata

DragonDoor, also known as d2p, was a professional wrestling federation started under Ultimo Dragon's "Toryumon" banner, and was announced on April 27, 2005. It was the first foray into the Japanese pro wrestling market since Toryumon X closed its doors in 2004.

Led by Noriaki Kawabata as Director, it cast Taiji Ishimori and Shuji Kondo as the aces of the promotion (Ishimori being the face, and Kondo being the heel).

DragonDoor had difficulties from the start. Taiji Ishimori, despite being a solid performer, had not connected with the fans sufficiently to make him a true ace. On the other hand, Kondo's faction of Aagan Iisou was quite popular, far more so than anyone else on the card. Aagan Iisou (represented here by Kondo, Brother YASSHI and Takuya Sugawara) were fired in controversial fashion from Dragon Gate, and the fans were hot for their return. Aagan Iisou's popularity proved a problem with booking, because while they were supposed to be the heels, they had all the fan support.

There were also issues with Kawabata continuing to book his older Luchador friends on the shows, creating something similar to the situation that killed World Championship Wrestling - older wrestlers taking up the spotlight and keeping it away from the performers the fans wanted to see: despite the few shows the promotion ran, nearly 50 wrestlers were used, thus creating a chaotic situation.

There was also a great amount of focus on Yoshihiro Asai's gimmick related ordeals. With "Dragon Tiger", "Dragon the Great", "Tiger the Great", and numerous imposters, the angle turned out similar to the The Undertaker vs Underfaker and the Kane vs Impostor Kane feuds that bombed in World Wrestling Entertainment.

Bright spots in the promotion included some extremely talented and popular young stars, such as Xtreme Tiger and Joe Lider, and the participation of Los Guerreros del Infierno (Último Guerrero and Rey Bucanero).

Crowd interest was sparse, with only Aagan Iisou (and, oddly, Maximo) getting reactions from the fans, and the average match quality wasn't as good as the former Toryumon projects.

DragonDoor ceased activity after its February 7, 2006 convention, running all of 6 shows.

[edit] Roster

The following names only include wrestlers that were used on a regular basis.

[edit] External links