In other news, ZERO1-MAX President Mr. Nakamura has apparently extended an invitation to former New Japan Pro Wrestler Yutaka Yoshie to come wrestle in ZERO1-MAX. The offer has a expiration date of 31 days. Yoshi told the sports media that he was happy for the offer and is interested. Though he's going to have to sleep on for a few days for sure. Yoshie is a 12 year veteran heavyweight (160 kg!) who has previously held the IWGP Tag Team Titles.

Also in ZERO1-MAX/New Japan news: it looks like the "Debt King" Tadao Yasuda wants to return to his old company in an attempt to win the IWGP Heavyweight title from current champion Brock Lesnar. Brock announced that he's accepting challenges from anybody who thinks they can defeat him. Yasuda previously held the IWGP Heavyweight title in 2002, when after a tournament he defeated Yuji Nagata.

Upon returning from Mexico last month, Osamu Namiguchi had requested a rematch against current WWA World Welterweight Champ Katsuhiko Nakajima. These two had a very heated feud over the summer, starting during the "Differ Cup '05" with their last encounter for the WWA title on 8/31/05 in Hiroshima. Namiguchi lost that match, and was very disgraced by the loss. The WWA World Welterweight title was his first major title, and to drop the title to generational rival Nakajima was a major loss to Namiguchi, who post match took a scissors to his own hair in front of Mr. Nakamura.

Now Nami's wish will come true as on 1/31 in Yokohama. Namiguchi will get his rematch against the Kensuke Office's junior phenom Katsuhiko Nakajima in a WWA World Welterweight title bout. The winner of that match will go on to face the newly arriving Mexican wrestler and cousin of Super Crazy - Crazy Boy of the Consejo Mundial de la Lucha Libre promotion (pictured at right), on February 18th in Toyohashi city, Japan. Also during the February tour the current leader of the Apache Army, Kintaro Kanemura, will be returning to ZERO1-MAX to team alongside Masato Tanaka.

Otani and Mr. Nakamura both thanked the fans for coming out to the show, which drew 1,400 in attendance. Otani said that the AWA title was the title he most admired when he was a young wrestling fan, and to hold the belt is both a dream and a honor. He assured those present that he will likewise try to supply this new dream to the current fans of ZERO-MAX. Mr. Bockwinkel entered the ring after the match and held up Otani's hand before Otani led the crowd in the "3, 2, 1, ZERO, 1...oooo - MAX!" cheer.

As for the match, Otani came out with all cylinders firing right at the bell, quickly targeting Corino in the corner with the Hashimoto chops and the facewash. The returning Gaijin "Maneuver Baron" quickly responded with a localized attack, focusing on Otani's left knee - the same knee his opponents honed in on during the "Fire Festival." Otani was able to battle back, and after just over 20 minutes hit the Dragon Suplex hold to become the new champion! Otani said he was very happy with ZERO-MAX's first year, but now wants to achieve more for himself and for the company, and he also wants to give to the "reform of all pro wrestling" by bringing respect back to the AWA Heavyweight title.

The semi-main event of the show was an AWA "Challenger Assessment" tag team match to recognize the next #1 contender to the title. Participants were former AWA Heavyweight Champ Takao Omori, former Triple Crown Champ Toshiaki Kawada, and StoneHenge members and former NWA Intercontinental Tag team champs Kohei Sato and Ryouji Sai on different teams. Omori, who has felt persecuted for some time including during his AWA title run, handed out Axe Bombers for everybody until he eventually got the pin on Kohei to win the honor. After the match Omori said he didn't care who won the title, Otani or Corino, he would be the next champion. He was quite shocked to soon learn that the AWA Championship Committee decided that due to his disrespect of tradition when he rampaged on the IWGP Tag Title trophy after losing on 1/4 that he won't be able to get his re-match for 60 days! This announcement rendered Omori speechless in front of the Press and he walked quickly to the locker room.

The fifth match of the show was the singles match between Minoru Fujita and Takuya Sugawara that Sugawara demanded after his 12/23/05 NWA Internation Lightweight Tag title loss to Hidaka and Fujita. GAMMA seconded Sugawara to the match, and at one point distracted the referee while Sugawara's Dragondoor friend, Brother YASSHI appeared. YASSHI took Sugawara's black box from under the ring and nailed Fujita while GAMMA distracted the referee. Sugawara then scored the pinfall.

There was a scuffle after the match as Hidaka attempted to come to the aid of his partner. Sugawara got on the microphone and said he wants another NWA International Lightweight tag team title match, or a ZERO1-MAX Internation Junior Heavyweight title match against Hidaka. He also mocked the ZERO1-MAX fans and said they should instead come to Dragondoor's Korakuen Hall shows which he said was a "much more entertaining show."

The third match of the show was a little strange. Originally booked as Tadao Yasuda versus Hirotaka Yokoi, Yokoi had to default and was replaced with NOSAWA, who has been as trustworthy as the "Debt King" recently. The match started off with both men perusing the Horse Racing sheets in the newspaper before NOSAWA eventually attacked, once again using the computer keyboard which he had secreted between the sheets. The two battled outside for a little while, until the unlikely appearance of Kikutaro from Nosawa's garbage can! Kikutaro and NOSAWA tried to mount a double team attack on the "Debt King" though Yasuda was able to fight back and get the victory with the Tiger Driver. After the match Yasuda announced he was sick of the comedy, and that 2006 will be a much more serious year for him in pro wrestling.

Otani has vowed to capture the AWA Heavyweight title as a celeberation of ZERO1-MAX's first year in business. He made a statement after the confrontation that the AWA having a champion like Corino only tarnishes the Heavyweight title. He swore that he will win the title once again and "return the shine to it."

Also on the upcoming January tour is the very first ZERO1-MAX appearance of former Ring of Honor tag team champion "Classic" Colt Cabana. Cabana will be teaming with Steve Corino on 1/24 and 1/25, first against Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa and then against Takao Omori & Kamikaze. He'll also be appearing on the 1/26 S-ARENA show teaming with GENTARO and facing the team of Yoshihito Sasaki and Osamu Namiguchi. While Corino defends his AWA Heavyweight title on 1/22, Cabana will be teaming alongside GAMMA against Masato Tanaka and Yoshihito Sasaki.

Hirotaka Yokoi has been pulled from the tour, he will be replaced in his singles match on 1/22 against Tadao Yasuda with NOSAWA.