Tanaka Vs. Ryouji Tomorrow in Shinjuku!

June 30th, 2009

The day has almost arrived, as tomorrow at Tokyo's Shinjuku FACE "ZERO1 WRESTLER'S 4" current two crown champion Ryouji Sai (World Heavyweight champion & NWA Intercontinental Tag Team champion) will make his V2 defense of the World Heavyweight title against 3x "Fire Festival" winner Masato Tanaka. The defenders of the World Heavyweight Title belt and the "Fire Festival" katana will collide as the "ZERO1 WRESTLER'S GRAND PRIX 2009 FIRE FESTIVAL ~ The Ambition of Glory ~" appears on the horizon.

This year the Fire Festival will take place begining on July 25th in Korakuen Hall and end in the same famour arena on August 8th with the Finals. Earlier this month Tanaka and Ryouji were interviewed about the upcoming bout at the ZERO1 offices in Tokyo..

Tanaka spoke first, saying he was happy when Ryouji previously called him out at Shinjuku FACE:

Ryouji then spoke about being champion and the 'Fire Festival '09":

"The last time I faced Tanaka I wasn't world champion. Since then I've won the title and both I and ZERO1 has changed since that day. My whole perspective on pro wrestling has changed in this time, and every time I have a match versus Tanaka it changes again. I desperately want to win on July 1st. I want to have the best match on the show and I want to show ZERO1 and the ZERO1 fans the power and pride of pro wrestling.

"As for the 'Fire Festival' I've chased a victory there for several years but it doesn't happen easily. I want to make this year's tournament my year. I am proud of ZERO1 and all the wrestlers on the roster. I want many people to watch my struggle to win, both new fans and old. I have a grand ambition! I want to defend the World Heavyweight title and win the Fire Festival so I can accomplish both in my 20s."

Ryouji's Team Loses To EMBLEM As Title Defense Looms!

June 20th, 2009

ZERO1 World Heavyweight champion Ryouji face will defend his title on July 1st in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan versus former champion Masato Tanaka. Today at the "ZERO1 WRESTLER'S ~ Origin Return" show in Gifu, Japan, Tanaka and EMBLEM tag team partner Shinjiro Otani faced Ryouji and Shito Ueda in main event.

While it was Ueda who took the final fall from Otani's Dragon Suplex hold, Tanaka was in the ring with Ryouji and showed strong dominance. The match lasted just over 20 minutes; afterward Tanaka addressed the media and spoke about his upcoming title match:

The media also wanted to know from Otani about the young heavyweight Shito Ueda, who has shown strong fighting spirit since his debut and held a position in today's Main Event.

"He's at a crossroads now. We have to see how he responds to such a beating. If he can't handle this, it's over."

This show was sub-titled "Origin Return" as Gifu is the hometown of Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE founder and deceased pro wrestling legend Shinya Hashimoto. Mr. Hashimoto's son Daichi Hashimoto was on hand to pay respect to his father with a ten-bell salute. Pro Wrestling NOAH's Mitsuharu Misawa and Osaka Pro referee Ted Tanabe were also honored with a 10-bell salute.

ZERO1 wrestler Ikuto Hidaka spoke about Tanabe, a long time referee in Japanese pro wrestling. He spoke of how when he and Minoru Fujita were in Michinoku Pro with Tanabe he was also very nice to them. He mentioned how Tanabe had just refereed for ZERO1 "ZERO1 WRESTLER'S 1" show on March 20th in Nagoya, and that he'd try to have a match today that Ted would give him a thumbs up for when he returned to the locker room.

Hidaka successfully defended his NWA International Lightweight tag team titles along with BattlArt's Munenori Sawa. The made their successful defense by defeating Hidaka's former tag team partner Minoru Fujita and his partner Yusaku Obata in 19½ minutes when Sawa submitted Obata with the Octopus Hold.

Fire Festival '09 Approaches! First 5 Wrestlers Announced!

June 18th, 2009

Summer is almost here, and Summer means the Annual ZERO1 "Fire Festival" (Himatsuri) is fast approaching. This will be ZERO1's 9th Fire Festival since the company's inception in 2001, and is one of the company's trademark events. This year it goes by the title of ZERO1 WRESTLER'S GRAND PRIX 2009 FIRE FESTIVAL ~ The Ambition of Glory ~, and will kick-off on July 25th at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall. Over the following 6 shows, taking place in Tokyo, Niigata, Gifu, Aichi and Osaka, 10 wrestlers will battle it out in a round-robin tournament to determine the 2009 Himatsuri champion.

The format is familiar: 10 wrestlers organized in 2 separate blocks (A & B) where I win counts as 2 points, a tie as 1 point, and a loss for 0 points. After all matches have been done, the block leader with the most point will go on to a final match versus the winner of the other block. If there is a tie, a playoff match will be held to determine the winner. The five wrestlers currently announced for the tournament are:

Masato Tanaka

9th Fire Festival Participation. 3x Fire Festival Champion (2006, 2007, 2008). Previous World Heavyweight Champion & NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion.

Ryouji Sai

5th Fire Festival Participation. 2x Fire Festival Finals Runner-Up. Current World Heavyweight Champion & NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion.

Shinjiro Otani

9th Fire Festival Participation. 3x Fire Festival Champion (2001, 2002, 2005). Previous World Heavyweight Champion & NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion.

Kohei Sato

9th Fire Festival Participation. 1x Fire Festival Champion (2004). Previous NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Champion.

Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW)

5th Fire Festival Participation.

That leaves five spots still open. These participants will be announced in the coming days, as well as their block designation and schedule.

ZERO1 President Shinjiro Otani addressed the media about his participation this year, declaring he "...should capture [the victory] this year." He also refereed to the Himatsuri Katana, the sword that is given to the winner as his "beloved Himatsuri Katana." Otani said he has been deprived of the sword since he was last winner in 2005.

"As for this year, I think this is the year Shinjiro Otani perseveres again. In fact my current feelings remind me of 2005 when I defeated Kensuke Sasaki, when Shinya Hashimoto died and I won the tournament. I have that feeling that if I don't win, who will? Already announced are wrestlers who have power and ability, and former champions of the tournament. This year I want to appeal to all the world for support, and for the strength of the professional wrestler. It has been four years since that unforgettable summer. Otani's Hot Summer begins this year."

List of previous Fire Festival Winners:

• 2001: Shinjiro Otani
• 2002: Shinjiro Otani
• 2003: Satoshi Kojima
• 2004: Kohei Sato
• 2005: Shinjiro Otani
• 2006: Masato Tanaka
• 2007: Masato Tanaka
• 2008: Masato Tanaka

Mitsuharu Misawa: 1962 - 2009

June 13th, 2009

As has been widely reported, it is with a sad heart we address the passing of Pro Wrestling NOAH President and Pro Wrestling Legend Mitsuharu Misawa. Misawa died while wrestling in a match at the Hiroshima Green Arena for NOAH's "SOUTHERN NAVIGATION 2009" tour. He was to turn 47 years old on June 18th. While Misawa gained many accolades during his career, he also appeared on the very 1st ZERO-ONE show back in 2001 in the main event. In a match titled "TOUKON vs. KINGS ROAD" Misawa teamed with fellow NOAH wrestler Jun Akiyama versus ZERO-ONE founder Shinya Hashimoto and New Japan's Yuji Nagata. Misawa won that match when he pinned Hashimoto with a German suplex hold. Misawa would then return to ZERO-ONE for their 2nd event and ZERO-ONE wrestlers would journey to NOAH.

When the news was confirmed, FIRST ON STAGE and ZERO1 released a joint statement.