The Countdown is on to NWA Worlds Champion taking on ZERO1 Heavyweight Champion

The first time the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship will be defended in Japan is just a few hours away from becoming a reality. In a year where ZERO1 reached land mark after land mark, presenting their 10th Anniversary Show and now for the first time since TNA Wrestling and the NWA have split ways the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship returns to Japan. The question is, will it come home?

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Matches from ZERO1's 10th Anniversary Show March 16th 2011

Courtesy of H781N Youtube Channel

NWA Zero One's Tenth Anniversary Show.

There has been a lot of noise for ZERO1's Tenth Anniversary show to be held on March 6th at Tokyo's Ryogoku Gokugikan.  Speculation with regard to the ZERO1's actual involvement with the NWA can now be put to rest as the the returning brand has already scheduled a NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match.  The Cloverleaf belt had become somewhat of an iconic image in Japan as Tiger Mask IV wore the same belt as his mentor, the Original Tiger Mask in New Japan for several years.  The famous championship returns to Japan around the waist of Craig Classic.  Classic, no stranger to competing in Japan, spent a lot of his early career working with Big Japan Pro Wrestling.  The Worlds Jr. Champion spoke to Alliance Radio at length about his time in Japan and his aspirations to work for ZERO1. Classic now has the opportunity to defend his hard earned championship against Munenori Sawa, if he remains champion until March 6th.  Also representing the NWA will be none other than Fred Rubenstein who was a pivotal figure in the original incarnation for ZERO ONE and refereed some of the biggest matches in the promotions infancy. 

Also scheduled matches are Shinjiro Otani taking on Yoshihiro Takayama, Pancrase figher Takafumi Ito accepting the challenge of 2010 Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament Champion Ikuto Hidaka.  And the big match up featuring Masato Tanaka taking on Yuji Nagata. 

01/04/10 New Japan Results

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”,
January 4, 2010 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo, Japan
41,500 Fans

Nakamura remains the strongest with a decisive victory over Takayama. NJ and NOAH share the spoils with Sugiura besting Goto to keep his title, NJ ace Tanahashi defeating NOAH ace Shiozaki in an alleged 2010 Best Bout candidate, Marufuji dethroning Tiger Mask in a spectacular match, and Makabe making short work of Yone. NO LIMIT returned and made an incredible impact, beating the two gaijin teams to lift the IWGP Tag Team Title - TenKoji comparisons arise as the two cocky youngsters look to become a franchise team for New Japan. Full report to follow of what was called a “god performance”, one of the best Dome shows in years.

1. New Japan Pro-Wrestling 2010 Beginning: Super Strong Machine, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuchika Okada (4:59) when Inoue used the Triangle Lancer on Okada.

2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title ~Amistad combativa~: Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt (c) beat Ultimo Guerrero & Averno (9:07) when Taguchi pinned Averno after the Black Hole Vacation (4th defense).

3. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match ~Victim and Greed~: Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito beat “Team 3D” Brother Ray & Brother Devon (c) and Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (13:28) when Yujiro pinned Anderson after the Limitless Emotion to become the 55th champions.

4. Wrestle Kingdom Special Tag Match ~Blood Stream Blue~: TAJIRI & Masato Tanaka beat Yuji Nagata & Akebono (9:37) when TAJIRI used a Buzzsaw kick on Nagata.

5. Wrestle Kingdom Special 8 Man Tag Match ~The legend never rots~: Terry Funk, Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi beat Abdullah The Butcher, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii (8:52) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Iizuka.

6. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Wilderness~: Togi Makabe beat Mohammed Yone (5:39) with a top rope King Kong kneedrop.

7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title ~Highest sky~: Naomichi Marufuji beat Tiger Mask (c) (14:14) with the Tiger Frosion to become the 59th champion.

8. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Radiance~: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Go Shiozaki (19:04) with the High Fly Flow.

9. GHC Heavyweight Title - NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Blast~: Takashi Sugiura (c) beat Hirooki Goto (20:54) with an ankle hold (1st defense).

10. IWGP Heavyweight Title - The newest, The strongest: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) beat Yoshihiro Takayama (15:51) with the Boma Ye (4th defense).

Courtesy of www.puroresufan.com

New Japan Pro Wrestling present: Wrestle Kingdom IV

credit: Puroresufan

Two final matches and full card order for the biggest show of 2010 in Japan, “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, have been announced. Apollo 55, after doing so well in the J-CUP, face two assassins from CMLL in the form of Ultimo Guerrero & Averno with the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title on the line. And Aogi-gun’s Machine, Wataru & Hirasawa battle Liger, Kanemoto & Okada in NJ’s first match of 2010.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM IV IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/10 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Dome

1. New Japan Pro-Wrestling 2010 Beginning: Super Strong Machine, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuchika Okada
2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title ~Amistad combativa~: Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt (c) vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Averno
3. IWGP Tag Team Title - 3WAY Hardcore Rules Match ~Victim and Greed~: “Team 3D” Brother Ray TNA Wrestling & Brother Devon TNA Wrestling (c) vs. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson vs. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito
4. Wrestle Kingdom Special Tag Match ~Blood Stream Blue~: Yuji Nagata & Akebono vs. TAJIRI & Masato Tanaka ZERO1
5. Wrestle Kingdom Special 8 Man Tag Match ~The legend never rots~: Terry Funk, Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Abdullah The Butcher, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
6. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Wilderness~: Togi Makabe vs. Mohammed Yone Pro Wrestling NOAH
7. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title ~Highest sky~: Tiger Mask (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji Pro Wrestling NOAH
8. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Radiance~: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Go Shiozaki Pro Wrestling NOAH
9. GHC Heavyweight Title - NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Effusions ~Blast~: Takashi Sugiura Pro Wrestling NOAH (c) vs. Hirooki Goto
10. IWGP Heavyweight Title - The newest, The strongest: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Yoshihiro Takayama