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| Pre-Fire Festival ' 07 Press
Conference! July 13th, 2007 |
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Otani also made several other announcements, some relating to the Fire Festival '07 and some not. NOAH's Akitoshi Saito, MUGA's Yutaka Yoshie and BML's Kazunari Murakami were not present at the interviews. Also of not was Kohei Sato's absence. When asked to comment about it, Otani again said Kohei lacks respect for pro wrestling and for society in general. He said since he and Kohei are in separate block in the tournament, there's always the chance they could meet in the finals were Otani will lay a beating on him. He added that he doesn't see Kohei getting that far, however.
Masato Tanaka said he's in the best physical condition he's been in years.Takao Omori said as the AWA World Heavyweight champion he should be the favorite, and Sekimoto said he carries on his back the banner of Big Japan Pro Wrestling and wants to have a good showing.
Furthermore, Otani announced other acitivies he has planned for ZERO1-MAX during the "Fire Festival '07" tour:
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| Shinya Hashimoto - Two
Years Ago Today... July 11th, 2007 |
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| Nagata Appears! July 8th, 2007 |
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He announced that on his 15th Anniversary show on September 9th at this location he would like for Otani to be his tag partner for the main event. Otani said afterwards that Nagata was very respectful of the ZERO1-MAX ring, and everything seemed very positive. He added that right now he is focused on winning the "Fire Festival" and will respond to the offer following the tournament final on August 2nd. |
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| Yuji Nigata Announces Surprise
Visit! July 4th, 2007 |
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 New
Japan Pro Wrestling's IWGP Heavyweight champion Yuji Nagata announced
today that he would be making a surprise visit to the ZERO1-MAX
show on July 7th at the Togane East gold arena in Chiba, Japan. When asked what his business would be at the show, Nagata responded that there are two people he's coming to visit. The two in question are Shinjiro Otani and Kazunari Murakami, both aquaintances of Nagata's. Togane, Chiba is Nagata's hometown in Japan. On September 9th, Nagata will hold his 15th Anniversary show at the very same location. Nagata was somewhat vague on why he was appearing otherwise. When asked to comment, Otani said he felt Nagata was very courages showing up to another organization's show uninvited and alone. He said he doesn't clearly understand Nagata's mission but he will be willing to speak to him and see what he wants. Otani said Nagata is the IWGP champion so he expects a surprise as that's what champions bring. |
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| Sekimoto Power Training for Fire Festival
'07! July 3rd, 2007 |
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Sekimoto says he swims in the river every day, even though it was chosen "most polluted" river in 2002. "I steel myself mentally as well as build stamina," the current UN Heavyweight champion and one-half of the BJW Tag Team champs alongside Yoshihito Sasaki, said. "The Fire Festival is a severely physical tournament, as is each individual match. It is stamina that is required to overcome this battle to victory!" Sekimoto says during the Summer he swims 10km a day in the river. He also was asked to comment on his upcoming opponents in Block B of the upcoming "Fire Festival '07," his thoughts on the tournament and what he'll do if he wins:  Masato Tanaka (7/16): "The champion the entire tournament
last year. He can do anything, is very tough and has inexhaustible
stamina. I will match power for power and hopefully ride the wave
of an opening victory." Kohei Sato (7/24): "I won when I fought him in the "Fire Festival" of last year. I've faced him many times, and although I feel it has been a good rivalry, it ends here." Yoshihito Sasaki (7/28): "This will assuredly be a hard-hitting intense match. I believe this is our first major singles match. I will bring my absolute best for this one, and win." Takao Omori (7/31): "When I lost to him last year I felt there was a chance to win that match. I misfired a German suplex hold finishing attempt in that match, though a year later my German has greatly improved. On the Fire Festival: "Lots of intense fighting. I consider it honorable to be on such a good roster of fighters...I also represent Big Japan Pro Wrestling in the tournament and want to win for both myself and BJW." On Winning the Prize: "I would buy more weight training equipment for Big Japan's dojo, and make it a Class A gym. I would help clean the Tsurumi River and contribute to Yokohama in general." |
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| Lion King Cup Revival! July 3rd, 2007 |
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ZERO1-MAX announces the return of the Lion King Cup. It will take place on August 21-23 at the Shin-Kiba 1st Ring. The format of the tournament has yet to be determined. There will however be fan voting after each show to decide the MVP of the three days.
Last held in 2003 by ZERO-ONE, the Lion King Cup is a tournament designed to give younger wrestlers from different promotions a chance to showcase their skills against each other in a tournament situation. The last winner of the tournament was Yoshihito Sasaki, who from there went on to win the Tenka-Ichi Jr Tournament Tournament in 2005 and will take part in his first "Fire Festival" this year. The participants for this years Lion King Cup are as follows:
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