NWA ZERO1 announces the participants for the Fire Festival Tournament

Courtesy of Puroresu Spirit

NWA Heritage Champion Atsushi Sawada joins the ZERO1 Roster to compete in the Fire Festival Tournament.

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New ZERO1 Heavyweight Champion The Sheik

The Sheik is the new ZERO1 Heavyweight Champion.

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Kenta Kakinuma all fired up in ZERO1, courtesy of NWA Worlds Champion the Sheik

NWA Worlds Champion The Sheik promised to bring his reign of terror to the land of the rising son.  Little did ZERO1 knew what exactly The Middle Eastern Mad Man had in mind.  This picture surfaced on the internet earlier today and the front office of ZERO1 is very displeased.  My understanding is that the Sheik preemptively attacked Kenta Kakinuma who was to team with Masato Tanaka to take on the Sheik who would team with Mark Hussein on May 23rd at Korakuen Hall.  

Suffering from serious burns, there is no indication that Kenta will be healthy enough to compete in this match up.  And with Matt Stone and Mark Hussein by his side, there is no telling the terror the Sheik could bring to the Land of the Rising Son.

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. 

The re-activation of the NWA United National Heavyweight Championship

Mastao Tanaka, Takao Omori, Daisuke Sekimoto, are just some oft he names that have worn the NWA United National Heavyweight Championship belt in its short tenure.  However, even with such credibility the championship established seemingly faded away over time when Zero One's NWA Membership was revoked those many years ago.  Originally intended to be the primary championship to represent Zero One, the United National Title became inactive over two years ago when K-Dojos' Kengo Mashimo would win the championship.   Director of First On Stage, parent company of Z1, Yoshiyuki Nakamura has announced the title will be re-activated.  A representative from NWA Australia was quoted as saying "[We have] a lot of respect for the NWA UN belt, as it has been held in the past by wrestlers like Masato Tanaka etc. We received many request from wrestlers from Sydney and Melbourne to participate in a decision match for this belt."  

The title will be appearing in NWA Pro Australia in February of 2011.  Nakamura-san even travelled to Australia to watch the NWA Pro Australia show titled Re-Emerging, where the NWA United National title was handed over to NWA Pro Australia.  In light of the many requests to challenge for the title, NWA Pro Australia has decided to run a tournament next year to crown the new champion. Mr. Nakamura signaled his hopes the ZERO1 wrestlers will make the trip to Austrlia to participate in the tournament.

Could a potential working relationship be blossoming in the South Pacific?  

International Man of Mystery: Hartley Jackson

Hartley Jackson has been a fixture for the National Wrestling Alliance for nearly five years.  In five years times, Jag has made appearances for NWA Pro Wrestling Stateside, along with NWA Pro affiliate Explosive Pro Wrestling, and New Japan Pro Wrestling, all the while being a fixture of the NWA Pro Wrestling Australia group. And with Jag's recent return to Japan, its without a doubt, that Hartley Jackson is the International Man of Mystery!

The former NWA Australian Heavyweight Champion, since joining the Zero One tour began partnering with NWA Heartland States Champion Steve Corino.  In a match against KAMIKAZE X and Kintaro Kanemura, Jackson scored the victory following one of his deadly lariats.  Jackson was on the side of the losing team with Corino, and Minoru Fujita, who caused the loss teamed with Shinkiro Otani, Akebono, and KAMIKAZE.  For the next match, Jag and Corino took on the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team titles from the tag team Kazan, who are Otani and Akebono.  Corino and Jackson blamed the loss on the cold temperatures.  Jag even said "We lost and there's nothing we can do about the past. It was difficult to get used to the bitter cold of Hokkaido. What happened to Global Warming? It hasn't reached Hokkaido yet? It snows in April!? I've been doing my best to get used to this, and I think I'm ready for tomorrow and a victory!"

Corino and Jag got back on the winning ways defeating former Z1 Heavyweight Champion Masato Tanaka and Kintaro Kanemura.  And Jackson would also win his first singles match in Zero One the following week against Young Generation Wrestler Yoshikazu Yokoyama. 

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