News Archive

ZERO1-MAX, in conjunction with the Pachinko and Slots ZEST GROUP announced they will be having two free addmission shows on 1/28 and 1/29. The first show will be taking place at the Zest Resort in Shinjo City featuring a tag match of Shinjiro Otani and Takao Omori versus Ryouji Sai and Yoshihito Sasaki. Back in June, ZERO1-MAX fighters Shinjiro Otani, Masato Tanaka and Takao Omori were invited to the resort as special guests.

The next night's show, also free addmission will be taking place around the corner at the Yamagata Family Bowl and will be featuring Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima on the card. Also making his return will be the enigmatic Back Face and a new pro wrestling (seen above) - THE ZEST.

AWA World Heavyweight champion Steve Corino and 4-time AWA World Heavyweight champion Nick Bockwinkel will arrive in Japan on January 20th for the very important AWA championship match in Tokyo on January 22nd against Shinjiro Otani. "This is the most important title defense of my reign. Otani is on one of the best streaks I have ever seen him on. After beating Koji Kanemoto at the Tokyo Dome I know he has the confidence to face anyone." Corino, 32, adds "I have defended this World championship with honor fourteen times in the last seven months, and I need to defeat Otani as much as he needs to defeat me. It has been nine long months since I have been home to ZERO1-MAX and I miss my people and I miss the wrestlers. 22 January is going to be not only my greatest title defense, but my Homecoming."

Nick Bockwinkel, a legend in pro-wrestling, is making his first trip to Japan in over ten years. Mr. Bockwinkel knows the Japanese style and has even given Mr. Corino advice.

"I have told Mr. Corino on many occasions, that the best pro-wrestlers in the world are from Japan and the best quality of pro-wrestling is in Japan and if he wants to become a Gaijin legend in Japan he needs to beat the top wrestlers and from what I have seen, Shinjiro Otani is the man to beat right now."

Mr. Bockwinkel, 71, knows from experience. His third title reign was ended in Tokyo on 22 February 1984 by the legend himself, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Mr. Bockwinkel says that he never got over that loss even though he went on to win one more AWA World championship in 1986.

"When I lost the World championship to Jumbo almost 22 years ago it broke my heart. I knew going into the match that Jumbo had the advantage because the Japanese people loved him so much but I thought that I could overcome it but it was like fighting 2000 people instead of 1. Mr. Corino came to my home in Las Vegas and brought five years worth of film of Mr. Otani and I think that he is better at his age then Jumbo Jumbo Tsuruta was and that is saying something! I have told Mr. Corino that Mr. Otani is strong and the people love him but you are the champion of the World and he needs to beat you, not you beat him."

But the question that all Japanese fans have is why Mr. Bockwinkel picked 22 January to return to Japan and the answer was this: "Over the last year the AWA World championship has risen to the value it was when great fighters like myself, Jumbo, Masa Saito, Stan Hansen, and Verne Gagne held it. With champions like Takao Omori and Steve Corino, the AWA belt has had a re-birth and ZERO1-MAX asked me to attend and observe this important title match."

When he was asked if he would get involved, Mr. Bockwinkel just gave that famous smile of his and said, "I am 71 years old. I retired many years ago but I feel like a kid again watching these fighters like Otani, Omori, Corino, Tanaka, and Takaiwa, who are all the same age, get in there and give it their best for the great Japanese people. Involved? Well, you will just have to wait and see."

Corino and Bockwinkel arrive in Japan in just over one week! They may live in the United States but they are coming home to Japan!

Several fighters of ZERO1-MAX returned to Riki Choshu's RIKIPRO wrestling promotion in Korakuen Hall today. Choshu is now the match-maker/booker of New Japan Pro Wrestling and this show comes right on the heels of the Tokyo Dome show. ZERO1-MAX fighters on the show included Ryouji Sai, Yoshihito Sasaki and Tatsuhito Takaiwa.

Following up on the New Japan show Ryouji and Yoshihito Sasaki faced their opponents from the Tokyo Dome in a tag contest on the second match of the show. Ryouji had faced Naofumi Yamamoto in the opening match of the show in a well received singles match in which he came out victorious. Sasaki faced Hiroshi Nagao on opposite sides of the the giant 12-man tag match.

This was reportedly a very solid battle, with Ryouji and Yamamoto's dislike carrying over from the Dome into this match. Eventually Yamamoto managed to get the back suplex for the win on Sasaki. Both sides brawled after the match and had to be restrained. Ryouji and Yamamoto still have unfinished business.

RIKIPRO "New Year Entertainment" - Match #2:
Hiroshi Nagao (NJPW) o Naofumi Yamamoto (NJPW)	vs.	Ryouji Sai (Z1-MAX) Yoshihito Sasaki x (Z1-MAX)
(10:12 --> back suplex)

Former NWA International Lightweight tag champs, Takaiwa and Ishii, managed to avenge their loss the previous night against New Japan Junior legends, Jushin Liger and El Samurai. Takaiwa, a former New Japan Junior fighter, wanted this badly and the fight was very long and hard hitting. It was El Samurai that turned out to be the weakest link, when after taking a serious beating was dropped on his head by Ishii with the top rope vertical falling brainbuster.

RIKIPRO "New Year Entertainment" - Match #7:
Jushin Liger (NJPW) x El Samurai (NJPW)	vs.	Tatsuhito Takaiwa (Z1-MAX) Tomohiro Ishii o
(20:25 --> top rope brainbuster)

After the match Ishii declared himself Anti-New Japan, and he and Takaiwa said they want a shot at the New Japan IWGP Junior Tag Team titles currently held by Liger's CTU buddies - Minoru and Hirooki Goto.