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Hidaka Wins Fire Festival '10 Spot! Bambi Killer Shocks the World! Ryogoku in 2011!

July 12th, 2010

ZERO1 held their ZERO-ONE Knight STAND ~ Wasshoi!! ~ show yesterday at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall. The event was held 5 years to the day of the death of the companies original founder Shinya Hashimoto. While recuperating from injury and preparing for his pro wrestling return, Hashimoto died suddenly in 2005 from a brain aneurysm at the age of 40.

The name ZERO-ONE in the title of this show relates back to when Hashimoto originally founded the company under that name. It also saw two major announcements for ZERO1's future. First, Hashimoto's son Daichi Hashimoto announced he will make his debut as a pro wrestler next year on March 6th. Second, he will make that debut at the venue where ZERO-ONE held its 1st show back on March 2nd, 2001 - Ryogoku Kokugikan!

The main event of the show was a tribute to Hashimoto by ZERO1 President Shinjiro Otani and Ryouji Sai versus NJPW's Manabu Nakanishi and freelance wrestler Yutaka Yoshie. Both Nakanishi and Yoshie requested the opportunity to wrestle at this event for their deceased friend and former NJPW colleague.

During the match Ryouji continually provoked Nakanishi. Even after Otani downed Yoshie with a spinning heel kick and tagged him in he ignored the pink clad heavyweight and challenged Nakanishi. Ryouji leveled some middle kicks at Nakanishi, but soon was in need of help as Otani charged in only to be met with a double shoulder block by Nakanishi & Yoshie.

Nakanishi then dropped an elbow on Otani and locked in a Camel Clutch, sneering "Kusogaki" (damn kid) at Ryouji in the corner. They continued the banter as Ryouji tried to lift Yoshie for a brainbuster, and after several kicks actually succeeded in lifting the 150kg wrestler! As 10 minutes passed Nakanishi finally got Ryouji in the corner and reigned down chops on him, hitting a suplex and his "Hotsu" lariat but only for 2 count. He lifted Ryouji up in the Argentine backbreaker but the ZERO1 fighter reversed and soon had Nakanishi down with a superplex.

With Nakanishi dazed Otani entered and hit his patented facewash and a high kick, but Yoshie entered to save his partner and crushed Otani in the corner with a running hip attack, and then squashed him in the middle of the ring with a running body press! Ryouji broke the count at 2! Ryouji then went to the outside to battle Nakanishi, as Yoshie took to the 2nd rope to attempt a diving body press. Otani avoided being crushed and unleashed a rapid series of offense: another spinning heel kick, the Hashimoto "kesagiri chop" followed by a Hashimoto-esque leg sweep. He then finished the big man with two rapid-fire Dragon Suplexes for the 3 count! Following the match Otani spoke to the fans:

"With the face of Shinya Hashimoto looking down on me, I cannot lose. No matter what is said, ZERO1 and I are alive. Those of you who come to the shows, I would never betray you. We are alive! I want you to see the proof! Please watch the video screen."

On the large screen appeared the announcement that ZERO1 will hold their 10th Anniversary next year on March 6 at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan! The crowd responded with surprise as Otani asked "It's okay?" and crowd began to chant his name.

"Your reaction is all the answer I need. Even if you hear we are reckless, we don't give up. We want to succeed, so let's do it! I will do my best to make you all smile and cheer, and keep you energized until you head back home. 3-2-1...ZERO1!!"

The semi-main event saw a major surprise, as Hashimoto's final student and ZERO1 World Heavyweight Champion Kohei Sato faced Austrian wrestler Chris "Bambi Killer" Raaber. The two men locked up and were soon exchanging chops outside the ring, with Bambi Killer slamming Kohei against the ring apron. Back in the ring the 192 cm gaijin body slammed Kohei down and locked on a camel clutch. Bambi Killer continued his attack with lariat, but Kohei soon fought back with a low kick and a Falcon Arrow. Kohei kept it up with a avalanche Falcon Arrow, a modified Death Valley Driver and then his German suplex hold but only for a 2 count!

Then Bambi Killer surprised everybody as he hit an Emerald Frosion and then a running Killer Bottom (Axe Guillotine Driver Hold) for the victory to become the 8th World Heavyweight champion! Later that night Bambi Killer commented to the ZERO1 official Japanese blog:

"Kohei Sato is very though, but fortunately I had a counter for his moves. His kicks were harder and more painful than any I have ever felt! I think he could be a monster wrestler for any company in the US. The reason I like ZERO1 is because it's a place where the wrestlers are not afraid to hit hard. I take the title back home, and will continue to grow as a pro wrestler while I look forward to my Japan return. When I get back to Austria I want to go see Otto Wanz and show him my new title belt!"

The 4th match of the show was the ZERO1 International Jr. Heavyweight Title 3-WAY Match that would also determine the final participant of the Fire Festival '10. Conceived by Munenori Sawa as a way to settle between his tag partner who will face FUNAKI first in a singles match. The champion Hidaka also had to face in the same match his "Aibou" tag team partner Sawa and his "Teacher & Pupil" tag partner FUNAKI.

The match was very fast, with all 3 wrestlers locking up and scrambling on the mat. Following the "Irabu Punch" Sawa grabbed FUNAKI in the Octopus Hold but Hidaka broke it up with a face kick, and then locked both opponents in a dual Achilles Tendon hold! Both FUNAKI and Sawa crawled for the rope break, and as Sawa escaped to the outside, Hidaka hit the low altitude dropkick to FUNAKI's knee setting up the Shawn Capture. Just as he was about to catch his Sensei in the move, Sawa re-entered and hit FUNAKI with the Shining Wizard but then Hidaka dropped Sawa with the Wild Dog high kick!

Hidaka then delivered the Iwami Ginzan to Sawa and went for the pinfall, but FUNAKI attempted to break it up. Hidaka then took advantage of this using the Takatsugawa roll-up to get the victory over FUNAKI instead! After the match FUNAKI held Hidaka's arm up and praised his victory. Hidaka now become the final entry into Block B of the Fire Festival '10.

The 3rd match of the show saw former WWE/TNA Wrestler Shawn Daivari face former ECW Heavyweight Champion Masato Tanaka in a singles match. Back in June Daivari had contacted ZERO1 with a direct challenge for Tanaka and he accepted. Right at the bell Daivari went on the offensive, attacking Tanaka with chops but stalling when a test-of-strength was indecisive. The two brawled to the west side of the Hall, where Tanaka slammed Daivari's head on the metal sign designating it as such. He then brainbustered him on the floor, set him up on a table and dove off the top turnbuckle to send them both crashing through and breaking the table in two. He then lost the offensive momentum when he charged with a lariat but Daivari ducked and Tanaka hit the metal ringpost instead!

Back in the ring Daivari grabbed a broken piece of the table and smashed it over Tanaka's head, ripping his flesh open and causing blood to flow! Daivari then went up for a diving body press but Tanaka got his knees up to block it! Tanaka then took to the top rope to deliver the "Super Fly" frog splash but then it was Daivari's turn to block with his knees! Tanaka fought back and brought in several chairs that he drove Daivari into with a Tornado DDT and then again took to the top rope for the frog splash but Daivari charged up the turnbuckle and superplexed Tanaka on the chairs instead! He then attacked with a reverse tombstone driver but only got a 2 count!

However as he has done so successfully in the past, Tanaka found his inner strength and after bouncing back from a hard back suplex, he hit Daivari with a hard lariat, finally scored the "Super Fly" frog splash, and then hit the coup de grace with the Sliding-D for the win!

The 2nd match was another return to ZERO1 by former roster member Wataru "Hustle" Sakata versus current young boy Kenta Kakinuma. Sakata entered the hall with a Hashimoto t-shirt and headband, wearing his old ZERO-ONE blue colors. Kakinuma was badly outgunned, but he fought hard as Sakata took him right to the ground and locked on a leg hold, causing Kaki to crawl to the ropes to escape. Some early ground strikes also bloodied the young wrestler's nose. The crowd got firmly behind him as he desperately fought back with chops!

Sakata fought back with a middle kick and a back suplex before locking on the single leg crab. Escaping again, Kaki was able to get a surprise German suplex on Sakata but the veteran quickly recovered. A low kick and a superkick later, and Kakinuma was down on the mat defeated! After the match, Sakata helped Kaki up, shook his hand and raised his arm. He then spoke on the microphone:

"Hello everybody. First, thank you Kakinuma-san. I feel great. I will always remember today, and having the opportunity to be here on such an important day. Thank you, thank you very much. After this I will continue to fight hard. Please assist me with your hot energy. Because of a great wrestler named Shinya Hashimoto, we are all here today. Please let's not forget that. Arigato Gozaimashita!"

Also on the show was a 6-man tag between Minoru Fujita, Takuya Sugawara and Yoshikazu Yokoyama versus KAMIKAZE, Shota Takanishi and Rikiya Fudo. Fire Festival '10 participant Sugawara won the match in just over 14 minutes when he used the La Magistral on Fudo for the victory. The opening match also saw young ZERO1 heavyweight Shito Ueda defeat Yuzuru Saito in just under 9 minutes with a Spine Buster.

ZERO-ONE Knight STAND ~ Wasshoi!! ~ Tokyo, Japan July 11th, 2010 Korakuen Hall
FIGHT CARD
Fighting Athlete ZERO1 Tag Match
O Shinjiro Otani (ZERO1) Ryouji Sai (ZERO1)	vs.	Manabu Nakanishi (NJPW) Yutaka Yoshie X (Free)
(19:18 → Dragon Suplex)
World Heavyweight Title NEXTAGE
X Kohei Sato (ZERO1)	vs.	© Bambi Killer O (Austria)
(13:11 → Killer Bottom)
ZERO1 International Jr. Heavyweight Title 3-Way Match
O Ikuto Hidaka © (ZERO1)	vs.	FUNAKI X (Free)
Munenori Sawa (BattlArts)
(6:25 → Takatsugawa)
World Vintage Action Special Single Match
O Masato Tanaka (ZERO1)	vs.	Shawn Daivari X (USA)
(17:09 → Sliding-D)
HUSTLE King Commemorative Match Single Match
O Wataru "Hustle" Sakata (HUSTLE)	vs.	Kenta Kakinuma X (ZERO1)
(10:41 → Super Kick)
6-Man Tag
KAMIKAZE (ZERO1) Shota Takanishi (ZERO1) X Rikiya Fudo (Free)	vs.	Minoru Fujita (Free) Takuya Sugawara O (Free) Yoshikazu Yokoyama (ZERO1)
(14:12 → La Magistral)
Single Match
X Yuzuru Saito (ZERO1)	vs.	Shito Ueda O (ZERO1)
(8:42 → Spine Buster)

ZERO-ONE Knight STAND ~ Wasshoi!! ~ Press Conference & Title Signings!

July 10th, 2010

ZERO1 held a press conference today at the SKY Perfect TV office regarding tomorrow's ZERO-ONE Knight STAND ~ Wasshoi!! ~ show at Korakuen Hall. There are two title matches tomorrow with Kohei Sato defending the World Heavyweight Title and a 3-WAY that will not only determine the ZERO1 International Jr. Heavyweight title but also the final remaining spot in the Fire Festival '10.

First up was the World Heavyweight title signing ceremony between Kohei and Austrian wrestler Chris "Bambi Killer" Raaber. Though Raaber has appeared in ZERO1 numerous times before, and even owns a singles victory over Kensuke Sasaki in the Fire Festival '05, this will be his first World Heavyweight challenge. After both Champion and Challenger signed the official contract they briefly spoke. Kohei commented:

"I want to defend my title, and keep the momentum going into the Fire Festival. As Heavyweight champion, there is pressure to win the tournament. Facing Bambi Killer reminds me the time of Hashimoto-san when he thought it was important to face the foreign wrestlers to test oneself against the world.

"Bambi's physical size has certainly grwon since his first time in ZERO1 5 years ago. He gets larger every time he comes to Japan!"

Raaber last appeared in ZERO1 on March 2nd at the ZERO1 WRESTLER'S 10 ~ The Birth of ZERO1 ~ when he teamed with The Predator against KAZAN ( Shinjiro Otani & Akebono) for the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team titles. Raaber's comments:

"First I'd like to thank the ZERO1 office and the champion for this chance to challenge for the title. In Austria I now have my own dojo and gym, so I can train hard and get stronger. I am in top condition right now. I came to Japan to take this belt.

"Kohei is also strong and has skill. He's the champion and you have to respect that. But I will fight fair and win fair to take the title."

The Main Event of the show is a memorial match for the "Hakai ou" (Destruction King) Shinya Hashimoto, on the 5th anniversary to the day of his death, titled "Fighting Athlete ZERO1." The match will pit ZERO1 wrestlers Shinjiro Otani & Ryouji Sai versus New Japan Pro Wrestling's Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie. President Shinjiro Otani commented:

"On July 11 I will have a match for the first time on the anniversary of the death of Hashimoto-san. I want to make sure that it is a match of strong pro wrestling and one that Hashimoto-san would be proud of. Our opponents Nakanishi & Yoshie are powerful enemies. Yoshie is in Block A with me for the Fire Festival, so I plan to pin him here as practice!"

Fire Festival '09 winner, Ryouji Sai, also commented on the upcoming match:

"'Hakai ou' Shinya Hashimoto was an amazing person. It was Hashimoto-san that gave me the opportunity to come to ZERO1 and enter the world of pro wrestling. I feel honored to have been chosen for the main event on the Anniversary of Hashimoto-san's death. I have faced both Nakanishi and Yoshie in matches before, but I have changed a lot since last year."

As for their opponents, both Yoshie and Nakanishi were also present at the press conference. They both showed their deep respect for Hashimoto and their pride on fighting in a memorial match for him. Nakanishi said he wants to win the match as a gift to Hashimoto, and Yoshie added that based on what Otani said Yoshie also wants practice at defeating his Fire Festival '10 Block A opponent.

The fourth match of the show will be the 3-WAY match for the ZERO1 International Jr. Heavyweight title between champion Ikuto Hidaka, FUNAKI and Munenori Sawa. The champion Hidaka commented first:

"This match was thought up by Sawa, and I think it's great that I face both my teacher and my partner. There is the sense that it's the Past, the Present, and the Future converging. FUNAKI wants to win the title but he has a big imagination."

FUNAKI spoke next:

"Hello everybody! It's a nice day and thank's for coming. It was Sawa who conceived this and it was Hidaka who made it happen. He's risking a lot putting his title on the line along with a spot in the Fire Festival. It's a great situation and I think I will take the title since I am the best."

Sawa then added his short statement:

"Thanks for coming, tomorrow I will win for all the fans of BattlArts. "

With Takuya Sugawara's win over Kenta Kakinuma BLOCK A has been completely filled. After tomorrow's show the final spot in BLOCK B will be filled.

Daivari Sends a Message to Tanaka and Japan!

July 10th, 2010

Former WWE & TNA wrestler Shawn Daivari will be coming in to face Masato Tanaka in a singles bout tomorrow at ZERO-ONE Knight STAND ~ Wasshoi!! ~. Daivari had challenged Tanaka directly, saying as a former ECW Heavyweight champion the ZERO1 fighter is one of the most well-known Japanese wrestlers in the USA. When Tanaka accepted the challenge and ZERO1 Daivari said he promises to "...have a match with Tanaka that wrestling fans around the world will be proud of."

Now Daivari has sent a video taped message to Tanaka and Japan.

Sugawara Defeats Kakinuma for Fire Festival '10 Final Slot!

July 9th, 2010

The decision match to determine the last slot in Block A of the Fire Festival '10 was broadcast live today on ZERO1's USTREAM channel at ch.ZERO1. The participants, Takuya Sugawara and Kenta Kakinuma, were both chosen by fan vote to compete for the remaining position.

While Kaki put up a tough fight, even gaining a flurry of offense leading to a German Suplex hold, he was unable to compensate for veterans Sugawara's methodical technique. Using submissions and attacks early on the rookies limbs, Sugawara ground the youngster down.

Finally as Kaki came flying in with a clothesline Sugawara ducked underneath and hit a savate kick! Double over, Kaki then took a hard enzuigiri and a brainbuster but kicked out at 2! Sugawara then lifted Kaki up in the Shiisanputa and drove him down for the victory.

This will be Sugawara's first Fire Festival appearance.

ZERO1 Tokyo, Japan July 9th, 2010 ZERO1 Dojo
FIGHT CARD
Fire Festival '10 Block A Decision Match Single Match
O Takuya Sugawara (Free)	vs.	Kenta Kakinuma X (ZERO1)
(12:17 → Shiisanputa)