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Kohei & KAMIKAZE win Furinkazan 2010!

December 21st, 2010

They were NWA Intercontinental Tag Team champions a little over a year ago, and now the "Tokyo Towers" team of Kohei Sato and KAMIKAZE have won back the titles with their victory in the Furinkazan 2010 Tag Team Tournament.

After defeating last year's champions and former Intercontinental Tag champions, the "Kazan" team of Shinjiro Otani and Akebono, the heavyweights went on to face the bruising team of Masato Tanaka and Daisuke Sekimoto in the finals. Kohei & KAMIKAZE handily won Block A and the entire tournament with 5 successive wins. including a clean sweep for 8 points to gain entry into the finals.

Tanaka & Sekimoto also had a strong run, but the late advancement of Team PINK of FUNAKI & Yutaka Yoshie saw them holding on for dear life as that's who they faced on the final day. With the fate of Block B on the line Tanaka & Sekimoto actually made quick work of Team PINK when Tanaka pinned FUNAKI with the Sliding D in under 10 minutes.

The two teams then met in the main event of the show in Zepp Nagoya, and "Tokyo Towers" scored their win in 18:52 when KAMIKAZE grabbed an inside cradle on current World Heavyweight champion Daisuke Sekimoto for the victory and to become the 25th NWA Intercontinental Tag Team champions.

Following their victory, as is their custom, the "Tokyo Towers" went drinking. After several bottles of sake, Kohei was unavailable for comment but KAMIKAZE was able to give a few words.

"Good evening. I want to thank all of our fans from around the country, and everybody who supported our victory tonight. Really, I want express sincere appreciation. Kohei and I have been NWA Intercontinental Tag champions once before. This time it was a very difficult battle. First, barely defeating Otani and the Yokozuna. Then after that taking on Tanaka & Sekimoto the finals were desperation.

"We endured and endured, and Sekimoto is strong. When we won the belts, I had to laugh when I saw Kohei's face and his big smile. It was great! Though I don't usually cry, I had tears of joys in my eyes. Even though I could barely stand, professional wrestling is great! Thanks to everybody supporting pro wrestling! Also thanks to all the pro wrestlers who try their best and work hard! Thank you!"

Hidaka Defends Jr. Title in Hometown!

December 20th, 2010

ZERO1 International Jr. Heavyweight champion Ikuto Hidaka successfully made his 6th title defense against challenger Takuya Sugawara. Sugawara won his opportunity for a challenge last month at the November 17th MUST show in Korakuen Hall. In a 4-Way qualifier match he was able to defeat Munenori Sawa, Minoru Fujita and Mineo Fujita.

Additionally for the champion Hidaka this match was held in his hometown of Masuda in Shimane, Japan. On top of this Sugawara went out of his way to insult the people of Shimane leading up to the match, and was booed mercilessly by the Masuda locals. Hidaka in comparison was cheered loudly by all of the crowd, from the eldest to the youngest. The children of Masuda were especially behind their hometown hero.

However even with all that support, Sugawara is a former Jr. Heavyweight champion and currently half of the NWA International Lightweight Tag Team champions with Kaijin Habu Otoko. The match went back-and-forth between the two with both men going from offense to defense. FUNAKI seconded Hidaka to the ring, and kept Sugawara from cheating several times.

After a long battle, the large rooting of the fans mixed with the accurate kicks of Hidaka finally led to victory. After 19 minutes of battle he was finally able to defeat Sugawara with the Iwami Ginzan for the victory. Following the match Hidaka commented:

"I have to thank all the visitors who came to the show, and who always come when ZERO1 is here. I also would like to thank the Mayor. I won my match today and continue as champion, but I want to add that Takuya Sugawara is a very skilled wrestler and is a force in the ZERO1 Jr. ranks. He's a strong fighter.

"In my hometown, my birthplace, I was not only entrusted with the Main Event but to defend my Jr. Heavyweight title. Needless to say there was tremendous pressure to perform, I even had a pain in my stomach. I do my best at 38 years old, so it's amazing to receive the encouragement of the little kids. Thank you!"

This was Hidaka's 1st ever title defense in his hometown. This defense of his Jr. title is a big win leading into his World Heavyweight title challenge against Daisuke Sekimoto on New Year's Day at 2011 Puroresu Hajime in Korakuen Hall.

Furinkazan 2010 - Team PINK's Late Run Give Them Confidence!

December 18th, 2010

The Furinkazan continues, as the team of FUNAKI and Yutaka Yoshie's late entry has changed the direction of Block B. With their 1st match taking place on 12/17, they sealed to quick victories over the team of Yuzuru Saito & Dan Gorham today and the team of Ikuto Hidaka & Hayato "Jr" Fujita in their first match. Funaki was very excited about getting the pinfall on Hidaka in the match with a backslide, and his team's 4 points.

"In my eyes we're a perfect team. Even though we're not very familiar with each other, we have the Animal Hamaguchi Dojo connection. We have a clean score so far in the tournament. Team PINK aims at a clean score all the way to the championship!"

Tomorrow Team PINK will face off against the team of Ryoji Sai & Jeto Wakataka who also need a win to keep themselves alive in the tournament. Right now the Block B is being won by the formidable team of Masato Tanaka & Daisuke Sekimoto, with the Hidaka & "Jr" Fujita team still in the mix.

Title Bouts Decided for New Year's Day!

December 15th, 2010

Following their respective team's Furinkazan 2010 Tag Tournament match that ended in a draw at the opening show in Tokyo, Japan, current ZERO1 International Jr. Heavyweight champion Ikuto Hidaka challenged current World Heavyweight champion Daisuke Sekimoto to a World title match. ZERO1 now announces that Sekimoto has accepted the challenge and the two will face off on January 1st, 2011 in Korakuen Hall for ZERO1's 2011 Puroresu Hajime show.

Hidaka was very happy that Sekimoto accepted his challenge:

"Thank you champion Sekimoto for accepting. I faced against Sekimoto in the Furinkazan after a long absence, and took a lot of damage. I began to think that a singles match against the champion would be interesting. I think seeing the Heavyweight champion and the Jr. Heavyweight champion in a match on New Year's Day will be fun."

Another challenge laid down for New Year's Day was from the newly formed SEX-MEN tag team of Hikaru Sato & Munenori Sawa towards NWA International Lightweight Tag Team champions Takuya Sugawara & Okinawa Pro Wrestling's Kaijin Habu Otoko. The SEX-MEN have had a rough time in the Furinkazan, with not a single win to this point. Hikaru Sato comments:

"The Furinkazan tag tournament has been hard for us. There are too many Heavyweights in Block A! You all need to lose weight and get down to 85 kilos for your health! While we were on tour we though maybe we need to target some healthier wrestlers.

"Since we're both light, we though we should challenge for the Lightweight titles. BattlArts and PANCRASE challenge for the Lightweight Tag titles! We want to defeat Sugawara and Habu Otoko and win the championship."

Sugawara and Habu Otoko have been champions since September when they defeated the Aibou Team of Hidaka and Sawa after that team's almost 2 year run. Habu Otoko responded that they accept the match, and he is excited to start off 2011 with a strong Jr. style match for the titles.

Heartbreak Express Arrive in Japan for Furinkazan!

December 11th, 2010

Hidaka to Defend International Jr. Heavyweight Title in Hometown!

December 10th, 2010

Also at the interview yesterday, Ikuto Hidaka accepted a challenge from Takuya Sugawara for the ZERO1 International Jr. Heavyweight title belt. The two will meet in Hidaka's hometown of Masuda, Japan on December 19th in the Masuda Citizen Gym.

Sugawara won his opportunity for a challenge last month at the November 17th MUST show in Korakuen Hall. In a 4-Way qualifier match he defeated Munenori Sawa, Minoru Fujita and Mineo Fujita. The match ended when he pinned his old partner Minoru Fujita with the "Shiisanputa."

It is well known that Hidaka's family owns a farm in Masuda with 2 goats. Sugawara said if he wins not only does he want the title, but he wants to cook Hidaka's goat and eat it for dinner!