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Free Shows in Yamagata!

January 20th, 2006

ZERO1-MAX, in conjunction with the Pachinko and Slots ZEST GROUP announced they will be having two free admission 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 Ryoji 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 admission 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.

Bockwinkel to Attend AWA Title Bout!

January 10th, 2006

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...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."

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!

ZERO1-MAX Promotional Tour!

January 6th, 2006

Today Shinjiro Otani and tag champs Ikuto Hidaka and Minoru Fujita went on an all-day media tour of the major Tokyo sports newspapers and magazines to promote Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX and thank the various publications for their support through ZERO1-MAX's first year.

They managed to get in ten visits, including: Daily Sports, Sport Japan, Tokyo Sports, Weekly Professional Wrestling and Weekly Gong. Otani brought along his "Fire Festival" katana and Hidaka and Fujita brought ALL their titles, the NWA International Lightweight tag titles, the NWA Intercontinental Tag team titles. Hidaka also had his Jr. title with him.

ZERO1-MAX Back In RIKIPRO!

January 5th, 2006

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 Ryoji 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 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.

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.

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.

ZERO1-MAX Rises In New Japan Pro Wrestling's Dome Show!

January 4th, 2006

New Japan Pro Wrestling had its big annual event January 4th New Year kick-off show today at the Tokyo Dome, claiming a full house of 43,000 fans. The show saw several ZERO1-MAX fighters on the card, either in singles action or teamed alongside some familiar faces.

Of the 6 matches the ZERO1 fighters took part in they were on the losing end of a pinfall in none of them. Though their final record in matches was 4-2 due to tag partners being pinned in the two tag team matches.

The show opened with Ryoji Sai facing off against Naofumi Yamamoto in a singles match where the two went back-and-forth for the most part until Ryouji put him away with his side suplex hold. The two will face off again at tomorrow's RIKIPRO show, where Yamamoto will team with Hiroshi Nagao against Ryouji and Yoshihito Sasaki. (1- 0)

The next match saw former FMW buddies in a reunion match, as Masato Tanaka reunited with Apache Army members Kintaro Kanemura and BADBOY Hido against Jushin "Thunder" Liger and former WEW Tag Team champs Jado and Gedo in a six-man tag. Tanaka had threatened earlier to use the tables and chairs in New Japan and of course they did, using this to their advantage to get the victory. (2-0)

The 3rd match of the show saw the former NWA International Lightweight tag team champions, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Tomohiro Ishii, face off against New Japan Juniors Tiger Mask and Minoru. One of the advantages Takaiwa and Ishii had going into the match was their familiarity teaming together (though they haven't for some time) and the animosity between the NJPW team. Apparently Tiger Mask and Minoru didn't try to hard to work together but managed to score the victory in the end when Minoru hit the buzzsaw kick on Ishii. More fitting as the master of the move, the "Japanese Buzzsaw" himself, Yoshihiro Tajiri was in attendance at the show. (2-1)

The fourth match was the giant 12-man tag match between New Japan and the "Indys," when Riki Choshu led fellow RIKIPRO grappler Takashi Uwano, Big Japan Pro Wrestling's Daisuke Sekimoto and three ZERO1-MAX wrestlers, Kohei Sato, Yoshihito Sasaki and Kamikaze against New Japan's team led by Tatsumi Fujinami with Takashi Iizuka, Osamu Nishimura, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Nagao.

The match was over quickly as the fighters, especially the young ones, threw everything they had at each other in rapid succession. Kohei got the win when he used his German Suplex hold on Nagao after Choshu had hit him with multiple lariats. One again the outsider fighters, and ZERO1 contingent come out on top. (3-1)

Match number seven was highly anticipated, as former New Japan Junior great and now ZERO1 Heavyweight Shinjiro Otani faced off against declared lifelong junior Koji Kanemoto in a singles match. To emphasize the nostalgia of the match Kanemoto came out to his older music during his entrance. Kanemoto had called out Otani during the 10/10 "Interception" show after his beating of Yoshihito Sasaki. As expected this was an evenly matched battle when Otani wrestled in the junior style and the crowd enjoyed it. Both fighters kicked out of each other's finishers during the match but Otani was finally able to hit the Dragon suplex hold for the victory. (4-1)

Kanemoto had recently been hinting at leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling during the company's reconstruction, and there was even a rumor he'd head to ZERO1-MAX. So it was somewhat of a surprise that after the match Otani made a plea to Kanemoto to stay in New Japan during the rebuilding and be one of the pillars the company can rely on. Kanemoto was very accepting of these remarks from Otani and said they will have much weight with his final decision.

The last of the ZERO1-MAX related matches on the show was Takao Omori alongside former NWA Intercontinental Tag Team champion partner, Shiro Koshinaka to take on current IWGP Tag Team Champs, Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. This was another well-received match on the show, and the champs made their V1 defense when Chono hit Koshinaka with a Shining Yakuza kick for the pin. Omori did not have positive reaction to the loss, not surprising considering the stress he's been under finding partners he can rely on. After the match he tried to destroy the champions' defense trophies and had to be restrained. Chono and Tenzan were not gracious victors, calling Omori and Koshinaka unsuitable opponents. (4-2)