{"id":2996,"date":"2014-01-18T22:48:56","date_gmt":"2014-01-19T03:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/?p=2996"},"modified":"2014-02-09T23:09:05","modified_gmt":"2014-02-10T04:09:05","slug":"puroresu-review-zero1-happy-new-year-on-1114","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crazymax.org\/newsite\/reviews\/puroresu-review-zero1-happy-new-year-on-1114\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting Spirit Review: ZERO1 “HAPPY NEW YEAR” on 1\/1\/14"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here is the third Japanese promotion that has had an event released in 2014, next up will be NOAH!<\/p>\n

Date: January 1st, 2014
\nLocation: Tokyo, Japan
\nAnnounced Attendance: Unknown<\/strong><\/p>\n

I literally have not watched ZERO1 in several years, so this should be interesting. I see Otani still rules the roost…. I don’t know a good number of these wrestlers so hopefully this will be a good first impression. Here is the full card:<\/p>\n

– Daichi Hashimoto vs. Kohei Sato
\n– Gokiburi Mask vs. Jason Lee
\n– “brother” YASSHI and Ken Tsuyoshi\u00a0 vs. Yoshikazu Yokoyama and Tank Nagai
\n– Ryouji Sai and Ikuto Hidaka vs. Toru Owashi and Takuya Sugawara
\n– Akebono and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Maybach Beta and Tama Williams
\n–\u00a0International Jr. Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Championship:<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0HUB vs. Mineo Fujita
\n–\u00a0ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championship:\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0James Raideen vs. Demon Ueda
\n–\u00a0NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship:\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Tanaka and Yusaku Obata vs. Otani and KAMIKAZE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s get straight to the matches.<\/p>\n

Daichi Hashimoto vs. Kohei Sato<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>They circle each other to start, tie-up, Sato gets Hashimoto into the ropes and he gives a clean break.\u00a0 Tie-up, he gets Hashimoto into the ropes again and this time rubs him on the head before backing off.\u00a0 Elbow by Hashimoto but Sato elbows him back.\u00a0 More elbows by Hashimoto as they trade shots, but Sato hits a hard knee to the mid-section.\u00a0 Hashimoto gets back up and hits a series of elbows but Sato slaps him in the face.\u00a0 Hard kick to the back by Sato, Hashimoto gets back up and kicks Sato in the legs but Sato kicks Hashimoto hard in the leg and he goes down to the mat again.\u00a0 Elbows by Hashimoto and he headbutts Sato, but a headbutt by Sato sends Hashimoto to the mat.\u00a0 Sato\u2019s head is bleeding from one of the headbutts as they trade elbows, knee by Sato and he hits a scoop slam.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.<\/p>\n

Hard kick to the face by Sato and falls to the mat.\u00a0 Snapmare by Sato but Hashimoto avoids his kick attempt, he gets back up but an elbow strike sends him back down.\u00a0 Stomps by Sato as he waits for Hashimoto to get up and he kicks Hashimoto in the chest as he does.\u00a0 Hashimoto returns to his feet, elbows by Hashimoto and he kicks Sato in the chest, but Sato absorbs the blows and elbows Hashimoto in the face again.\u00a0 Sato goes off the ropes but Hashimoto catches him with a dropkick.\u00a0 Sato still doesn\u2019t go down, Hashimoto hits an enzigieri and Sato stumbles into the corner.\u00a0 Kicks to the chest by Hashimoto, he gets a running start and hits a jumping knee.\u00a0 Hashimoto goes for a suplex, Sato tries to elbow him off but Hashimoto hits the backdrop suplex anyway.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 DDT by Hashimoto, cover, but it gets a two count as well.\u00a0 Hashimoto waits for Sato to get up and connects with a kick combination, he goes for a suplex but Sato blocks it and hits the Falcon Arrow.\u00a0 Hard kick to the back of the head by Sato, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Sato picks up Hashimoto \u00a0and drops him with a piledriver, he then grabs Hashimoto by the waist and hits a German suplex hold for the three count!\u00a0 Your winner:\u00a0 Kohei Sato<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Not really sure why Hashimoto is still being treated like a rookie, but I haven\u2019t seen any ZERO1 in years so maybe there is a reason.\u00a0 Anyway, a pretty straightforward match but Sato was definitely set up to look like he could beat Hashimoto whenever he wanted.\u00a0 He messed around with him at the beginning, but as soon as Hashimoto got some real moves in, he went straight to the finish and ended things quickly.\u00a0 Hashimoto has been around for years so I am surprised he is still doing the same type of match he had against Mutoh and Chono right after he debuted, but he is still really young.\u00a0 I wish Sato hadn\u2019t won so quickly or that Hashimoto had come across as having a legitimate chance to win the match, but it was a pretty decent young wrestler vs. veteran match.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 6.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gokiburi Mask vs. Jason Lee<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>Joined In Progress.\u00a0 Lee punches Gokiburi Mask in the stomach but it has no effect and Gokiburi Mask clubs Lee in the back.\u00a0 Body press by Gokiburi Mask, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Gokiburi Mask picks up Lee and throws him into the corner before delivering a chop.\u00a0 Another chop by Gokiburi Mask, Lee tries to fight back with elbows and he gets Gokiburi Mask to the mat.\u00a0 Lee tries to take off Gokiburi Mask\u2019s mask, but Gokiburi Mask hits him low.\u00a0 Gokiburi Mask picks up Lee and throws him into the corner again, Irish whip, and he hits a splash in the corner.\u00a0 Gokiburi Mask picks up Lee and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Lee blocks it and knees him in the face.\u00a0 Irish whip by Lee, reversed, kick by Lee and he hits a face crusher.\u00a0 Lee charges Gokiburi Mask in the corner and hits a punch combination, but Gokiburi Mask shrugs it off.\u00a0 Irish whip by Lee, reversed, kick by Lee and he knocks down Gokiburi Mask with a dropkick.<\/p>\n

Lee goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a jumping kick, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Waistlock by Lee, reversed by Gokiburi Mask but Lee hits an enzigieri.\u00a0 Waistlock again by Lee but Gokiburi Mask kicks him low.\u00a0 Backbreaker by Gokiburi Mask, cover, but Lee kicks out.\u00a0 Gokiburi Mask charges Lee but Lee hits a thrust kick, Lee goes off the ropes but Gokiburi Mask knees him in the stomach.\u00a0 Gokiburi Mask goes up to the top turnbuckle but Lee rolls out of the way of the splash.\u00a0 La Magistral by Lee and he picks up the three count!\u00a0 Your winner:\u00a0 Jason Lee<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 No idea who these guys are, not overly concerned.\u00a0 The beginning was clipped but it was probably just more of the same.\u00a0 Gokiburi Mask\u2019s \u201cbig man\u201d offense was not very convincing and even Lee seemed surprised how quickly he went down to one of the elbow strikes.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t offensive, it just wasn\u2019t really entertaining either.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 3.5<\/span><\/p>\n

“brother” YASSHI and Ken Tsuyoshi vs. Yoshikazu Yokoyama and Tank Nagai<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>Joined in Progress with Yokoyama and Nagai hitting a double shoulderblock onto Tsuyoshi.\u00a0 We clip ahead to Yokoyama dropping elbows onto Tsuyoshi, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Tsuyoshi rolls out of the ring, Yokoyama goes out after him but TARU is out there and he hits Yokoyama repeatedly with a pipe.\u00a0 We get another clip, as Tsuyoshi and YASSHI are in the ring with Yokoyama.\u00a0 Double Irish whip to Yokoyama, and both wrestlers hit running strikes in the corner.\u00a0 Backdrop suplex to Yokoyama, cover but Tsuyoshi but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Tsuyoshi goes for a double stomp off the top turnbuckle, but Yokoyama rolls out of the way and Yokoyama hits a spear.\u00a0 Yokoyama picks up Tsuyoshi, slaps by Yokoyama and he goes off the ropes, but he is tripped from the floor.\u00a0 TARU gets up on the apron but Yokoyama knocks Tsuyoshi into him.\u00a0 Another clip as Nagai hits a scoop slam onto Tsuyoshi and Yokoyama comes off the top turnbuckle with an elbow drop.\u00a0 Yokoyama picks up Tsuyoshi and hits a Death Valley Bomb, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners: Yoshikazu Yokoyama and Tank Nagai<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Really just clip highlights so it\u2019s impossible to really review the match.\u00a0 Hadn\u2019t seen TARU in a long time, I didn\u2019t even know he was still around so there is that anyway.\u00a0 But not enough shown to get a good feel of it.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 N\/A<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryouji Sai and Ikuto Hidaka vs. Toru Owashi and Takuya Sugawara<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>Hidaka and Owashi start things off.\u00a0 Side headlock by Hidaka, Owashi Irish whips out of it and the two collide.\u00a0 Hidaka goes off the ropes, another collision with no result.\u00a0 Owashi this time goes off the ropes after he and Hidaka talk about it for a bit, and Hidaka kicks Owashi in the chest, sending the big man to the mat.\u00a0 We get a clip as now Hidaka is elbowing Sugawara, Irish whip by Hidaka but Sugawara slams on the breaks and grabs the ropes.\u00a0 Kicks by Hidaka, Irish whip, reversed, and Sugawara knocks Hidaka out of the ring.\u00a0 Hidaka quickly gets back in but Sugawara hits an enzigieri and tags in Owashi.\u00a0 Owashi knocks Sai off the apron then goes after Hidaka, chopping him against the ropes.\u00a0 Scoop slam by Owashi and he stands on Hidaka while being supported by the ropes.\u00a0 Owashi picks up Hidaka, Hidaka clubs at Owashi and goes off the ropes, Owashi goes for a chokeslam but Hidaka reverses it into a hurricanrana and tags in Sai.\u00a0 Running kick by Sai, he waits for Owashi to get up and kicks him repeatedly in the chest.\u00a0 Owashi fights back and throws Sai into the corner, Irish whip, but Sai moves when Owashi charges in.<\/p>\n

Waistlock by Sai and he hits a vertical suplex.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 We get a clip again as now Hidaka and Sugawara are in the ring, Hidaka goes off the ropes, Sugawara grabs him as Owashi comes in but Owashi accidentally chops Sugawara.\u00a0 Hidaka then hits a DDT on Sugawara while also kicking Owashi at the same time, then drops Sugawara with a reverse DDT.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Irish whip by Hidaka from the corner, reversed, and Owashi runs in to hit a lariat.\u00a0 Double Irish whip to Hidaka and both men connect with kicks.\u00a0 Chokeslam\/cutter combination, cover by Sugawara but Sai breaks it up.\u00a0 Owashi throws Sai out of the ring while Sugawara picks up Hidaka, he goes off the ropes and they trade missed strikes.\u00a0 Sai has recovered and runs in the ring to hit a jumping knee to Sugawara, then Hidaka dropkicks Owashi out of the ring.\u00a0 High kick by Hidaka to Sugawara, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Hidaka grabs Sugawara and plants him with the Iwami Ginzan, cover, and he picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Ryouji Sai and Ikuto Hidaka<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Since a little over half of it was shown I will go ahead and rate it even though it was really clipped up.\u00a0 First of all, Hidaka is looking old.\u00a0 Which he is, but it makes me feel old because I remember back when he wasn\u2019t\u2026. old.\u00a0 He looked good though here, not backing down to Owashi and getting the pin with a nifty move I hadn\u2019t seen before.\u00a0 How are wrestlers still doing moves I haven\u2019t seen, I\u2019ve been watching wrestling for 25 years.\u00a0 Sai did really nothing in the parts that made TV which is odd, I guess Hidaka was more the focus here.\u00a0 But the action was fine, what they showed us anyway, looks like it had potential to be a really solid match but it\u2019s just impossible to get into the flow when half the match is missing.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Akebono and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Maybach Beta and Tama Williams<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>More new wrestlers for Kevin!\u00a0 Exciting.\u00a0 Williams and Akebono start things off.\u00a0 Tie-up, Akebono pushes Williams into the ropes but he gives a mostly clean break.\u00a0 Tie-up again, side headlock by Williams, Akebono Irish whips out of it and the two collide.\u00a0 Williams goes off the ropes and again they run into each other.\u00a0 Williams goes off a third time, still Williams can\u2019t knock down Akebono.\u00a0 A fourth time and Akebono hits a hard shoulderblock followed by an elbow drop.\u00a0 Akebono picks up Williams and tags in Okabayashi.\u00a0 Okabayashi clubs Williams in the back, Irish whip by Williams and Okabayashi can\u2019t knock down Williams, Williams goes off the ropes and they collide again, they take turns going back and forth off the ropes until Williams finally is able to shoulderblock Okabayashi to the mat.<\/p>\n

Williams picks up Okabayashi and tags in Maybach.\u00a0 Scoop slam by Maybach to Okabayashi and he hits an elbow drop, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Maybach picks up Okabayashi and tags in Williams back in, snapmare by Williams and he applies the Tonga Neck Grip.\u00a0 Club to the face by Williams and he goes for a slam, but Okabayashi blocks it.\u00a0 Scoop slam by Okabayashi and he tags in Akebono.\u00a0 Akebono picks up Williams and throws him to the ground so he can stand on his back.\u00a0 Williams fights back with clubs to the chest but Akebono punches him in the face.\u00a0 Irish whip by Akebono from the corner and he hits a running splash.\u00a0 Elbow drop by Akebono, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Akebono picks up Williams and tags in Okabayashi.\u00a0 Chops by Okabayashi in the corner and he hits a scoop slam.\u00a0 Okabayashi applies a crab hold but Williams gets a hand on the bottom rope to force a break.\u00a0 Okabayashi picks up Williams but Williams pushes him off and hits a chop.\u00a0 Knee by Okabayashi and he tags in Akebono.<\/p>\n

Akebono gives Williams an Irish whip and he delivers a lariat.\u00a0 Cover by Akebono, but it only gets two.\u00a0 Akebono picks up Williams, Williams chops Akebono but Akebono chops him back.\u00a0 Akebono pushes Williams into the corner and smothers him before tagging in Okabayashi.\u00a0 Clubs to the back by Okabayashi and he chops Williams in the chest.\u00a0 Williams returns fire, Okabayashi goes off the ropes but Williams catches him with a double chop and makes the tag to Maybach.\u00a0 Maybach picks up Okabayashi and the two trade strikes, Irish whip by Okabayashi but Maybach hits an overhead belly to belly suplex.\u00a0 Jumping splash by Maybach in the corner and he hits the side Russian leg sweep followed by a leg drop.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Maybach picks up Okabayashi but Okabayashi gets out of his grasp and they trade blows again.\u00a0 Okabayashi goes off the ropes but Maybach kicks him in the stomach and elbows him back.\u00a0 Okabayashi gets the better of it and tags in Akebono, Irish whip by Akebono to the corner and he hits a running splash on Maybach followed by an elbow drop.\u00a0 Cover, but Maybach gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Irish whip again by Akebono but this time Maybach moves out of the way.<\/p>\n

Williams comes in the ring, and both wrestlers hit a lariat onto Akebono.\u00a0 They then go off the opposite ropes and hit lariats again, and finally Maybach knocks down Akebono with another lariat.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Maybach and Williams go for a double suplex onto Akebono, but Okabayashi runs in the ring and hits a German suplex onto Maybach.\u00a0 Okabayashi then hits a lariat onto Williams, and then Akebono grabs Maybach and throws into the corner.\u00a0 Maybach is thrown in the same corner, splash by Akebono and Okabayashi hits a powerslam onto Maybach.\u00a0 Elbow drop by Akebono, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Akebono gets up and hits not one, not two, but three Big Yokozuna Presses.\u00a0 Cover, and Akebono picks up the easy pinfall.\u00a0 Your winners:\u00a0 Akebono and Yuji Okabayashi<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 Nothing bad but pretty miss-able action.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what Maybach did to make Akebono want to splash him three times, did he make a joke about his wife or something?\u00a0 As we see happen sometimes, Williams isn\u2019t really big enough to do the \u201cbig man\u201d gimmick, as he was smaller than both his opponents.\u00a0 So it just looks a little funny. Nothing memorable about the match other than Akebono squashing people, I still find it odd that he wrestles on a small Indy\u2019s mid-card.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 4.5<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) HUB vs. Mineo Fujita<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>This match is for the International Jr. Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Jr. Heavyweight Championship. \u00a0\u00a0They circle each other to start, waistlock by Fujita, reversed by HUB, but Fujita reverses it back.\u00a0 HUB rolls out of it and goes off the ropes, they go back and forth with neither getting an advantage, ending with HUB missing a Shining Wizard.\u00a0 Tie-up, side headlock by Fujita, HUB Irish whips out of it and they collide with neither man going down.\u00a0 HUB goes to go off the ropes but Fujita grabs him by the chair.\u00a0 Chop by HUB, Fujita falls out of the ring and HUB sails out onto him with a tope suicida.\u00a0 Back in the ring, Irish whip by HUB but Fujita ducks the lariat and hits a spinning headscissors.\u00a0 Dropkick by Fujita, HUB falls out of the ring and Fujita hits a tope con giro down onto him.\u00a0 Fujita picks up HUB and slides him back into the ring, Fujita goes for a swan dive move but HUB moves and drop toeholds him into the second rope.<\/p>\n

HUB goes for a kick but Fujita moves and HUB gets crotched on the second rope.\u00a0 Fujita goes out to the apron and hits a slingshot double stomp.\u00a0 Cover by Fujita but HUB kicks out at two.\u00a0 Fujita picks up HUB, they trade waistlocks but HUB hits a superkick followed by a knee to the back of the head.\u00a0 DDT by HUB, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 HUB picks up Fujita and throws him into the corner, Irish whip by HUB, reversed, but HUB kicks Fujita when he charges in and hits a Tornado Reverse DDT.\u00a0 HUB waits for Fujita to get to one knee and hits the Shining Wizard, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 HUB goes up to the top turnbuckle but Fujita rolls out to the apron and kicks HUB.\u00a0 Fujita then goes up top as well and hits a Frankensteiner down to the mat.<\/p>\n

Fujita goes off the ropes and dropkicks HUB in the back, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Fujita picks up HUB but HUB rolls through it and ducks\u00a0 a kick.\u00a0 HUB goes for a Shining Wizard, Fujita ducks it, but HUB steps back and hits the move from behind.\u00a0 HUB goes off the ropes but Fujita catches him with a hurricanrana followed by a lariat.\u00a0 Both wrestlers are slow to get up, Fujita picks up HUB and does a crucifix pin but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Fujita keeps attempting to roll-up HUB but HUB continues to kick out. Fujita goes off the ropes and hits the Ranhei, cover, but HUB gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Fujita grabs HUB, HUB goes for a kick, Fujita pushes his leg off but in the process the referee gets kicked by accident.\u00a0 HUB goes off the ropes and Fujita catapults off the referee\u2019s back to hit a dropkick.\u00a0 Fujita sets up HUB in the corner and dropkicks him in the groin.\u00a0 Cover by Fujita but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Fujita goes up to the top turnbuckle but HUB rolls out of the way of the Swanton Bomb.<\/p>\n

Fujita is still up first, he picks up HUB and sits him onto the top turnbuckle before joining him, but HUB blocks the superplex attempt.\u00a0 They jockey for position up top but HUB slides through his legs.\u00a0 HUB then goes back up top and hits a Pedigree from the top turnbuckle to the mat.\u00a0 HUB goes off the ropes and levels Fujita with a lariat, cover, but Fujita kicks out.\u00a0 HUB goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the Moudoku Habu Kuubaku, cover, but again it gets a two count.\u00a0 HUB picks up Fujita and delivers the Viper Strike, cover, and he picks up the three count!\u00a0 Your winner and still champion:\u00a0 HUB<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 I am glad I looked it up \u2013 HUB is formally Goa\/Super Dolphin\/Zero and I always enjoyed his work back when he was in Osaka Pro.\u00a0 No idea he was in ZERO1 now which shows how out of touch I have been with the Puroresu.\u00a0 I enjoyed this match, it didn\u2019t blow my mind or anything but it was solid Jr. Heavyweight action from start to finish.\u00a0 There were a few brief periods that seemed like a spot took longer to set up than it should have, but HUB is such a smooth wrestler that nothing ever seemed out of place.\u00a0 I wish HUB would have made it to one of the bigger leagues as he is just a solid wrestler, but at his age I doubt it will happen at this point.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t get a lot of time and it was very slightly clipped, but definitely the best match on the show so far.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 7.5<\/span><\/p>\n

(c) James Raideen vs. Demon Ueda<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>This match is for the ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championship.\u00a0 Ueda takes down Raideen as the match begins and hits mounted punches, but Raideen pushes him off and bails out of the ring.\u00a0 Ueda goes out after him, club by Ueda and he gets an axe, but Raideen punches him before he can use it.\u00a0 Chop by Raideen and he hits Ueda in the back of the head.\u00a0 Another chop by Raideen and he goes to throw Ueda into some chairs but Ueda reverses it.\u00a0 Ueda stomps Raideen and hits him in the chest with a chair.\u00a0 He then goes back and grabs his axe, but the referee stops him from using it and takes it away from him.\u00a0 Punch by Ueda and he throws Raideen into the ring post.\u00a0 Ueda slides Raideen into the ring, he goes in after him and stomps him in the head.\u00a0 Snapmare by Ueda and he applies a neck crank.<\/p>\n

Stomp to the back by Ueda, he picks up Raideen and chops him in the chest.\u00a0 Another chop by Ueda, Irish whip to the corner but Raideen kicks him when Ueda charges in and elbows Ueda in the face.\u00a0 Raideen picks up Ueda and hits a scoop slam.\u00a0 Stomp by Raideen, he picks up Ueda and chops him in the chest.\u00a0 Ueda chops him back and the two trade chops, which\u00a0 Raideen gets the better of.\u00a0 Cover by Raideen but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Ueda slowly returns to his feet and hits a few chops but Raideen knees him in the midsection.\u00a0 Raideen picks up Ueda but Ueda slides down his back, Ueda goes for a backdrop suplex but Raideen elbows out of it.\u00a0 Raideen goes for a lariat but Ueda ducks it and hits a dropkick.\u00a0 Irish whip by Ueda to the corner and he hits a splash, he goes for a second one but Raideen gets his boot up.<\/p>\n

Raideen goes off the ropes but Ueda ducks the lariat attempt and hits a jumping shoulderblock.\u00a0 Ueda picks up Raideen and hits a vertical suplex, cover, but it barely gets a two count.\u00a0 Ueda picks up Raideen and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Raideen blocks it.\u00a0 Lariat to the bad of the head by Ueda, he goes off the ropes but Raideen catches him with a big boot.\u00a0 Scoop slam by Raideen and he hits an elbow drop, cover, but it only gets two.\u00a0 Raideen picks up Ueda and plants him with a side slam, cover, but Ueda gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Raideen picks up Ueda and goes for a powerbomb but Ueda backdrops out of it.\u00a0 Scoop slam by Ueda, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt.\u00a0 Ueda grabs Raideen and finally hits the backdrop suplex, cover, but it only gets two.\u00a0 Ueda goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Raideen does go down.\u00a0 A second lariat doesn\u2019t do the trick either but the third finally sends Raideen to the mat.\u00a0 Cover, but Raideen kicks out.\u00a0 Ueda picks up Raideen, he goes off the ropes but Raideen hits him with a lariat.<\/p>\n

Raideen is up first, he grabs Ueda, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a lariat.\u00a0 Raideen runs in and hits a second lariat, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Raideen picks up Ueda and hits an powerslam, cover, but again Ueda kicks out.\u00a0 Raideen waits for Ueda to get up and nails a chokeslam.\u00a0 Cover, but Ueda still has the power to kick out of it.\u00a0 Raideen has had enough, he drags Ueda to his feet and goes for the powerbomb, but is distracted by a wrestler at ringside.\u00a0 Raideen goes over to talk to him, allowing Ueda time to recover.\u00a0 Ueda tries to spit mist into Raideen\u2019s face but Raideen ducks and his friend on the apron gets hit instead.\u00a0 Raideen goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Raideen picks up Ueda, plants him with a powerbomb, and this time picks up the three count.\u00a0 Your winner and still champion:\u00a0 James Raideen<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>James Raideen is a young really big (muscle-big, not fat-big) wrestler from New Zealand, and Demon Ueda used to go by Shito Ueda.\u00a0 First I gotta say, it always annoys me when a power wrestler wins a strike battle, and when his little opponent gets up he immediately wants another strike battle.\u00a0 Smaller wrestlers need to stick to their strengths, and Ueda\u2019s chops clearly had no impact on Raideen whatsoever.\u00a0 Anyway the brawling outside the ring and the ending stretch worked really well, but some of the middle kinda dragged.\u00a0 They in a lot of instances just repeated the same series, without any real focus or flow to what they were doing.\u00a0 Ueda got in some good offense and at times he seemed at the cusp of winning, but Raideen just towered over him and was a more convincing character with his power moves.\u00a0 It was not a bad match as they were really trying and Raideen stuck to what he knew, but it was at times repetitive and was plodding in parts.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.0<\/span><\/p>\n

Masato Tanaka and Yusaku Obata vs. Shinjiro Otani and KAMIKAZE<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong>This match is for the vacant NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship.\u00a0 Tanaka and Kamikaze start things off.\u00a0 They circle each other, wristlock by Kamikaze, reversed by Tanaka, they trade holds on the mat but neither can get the advantage.\u00a0 Tanaka gets a takedown and applies a submission hold to Kamikaze\u2019s knee but Kamikaze gets out of it.\u00a0 Side headlock by Tanaka, Kamikaze returns to his feet while still in the hold but Tanaka takes him back down.\u00a0 Headscissors by Kamikaze, but Tanaka quickly gets out of it.\u00a0 Tanaka tags in Obata, Kamikaze and Obata tie-up, Kamikaze pushes Obata into the corner and slaps him in the face before backing off.\u00a0 Obata slaps him back and they trade blows, elbows by Obata but Kamikaze kicks him in the stomach.\u00a0 Knee by Kamikaze and he tags in Otani.<\/p>\n

Otani and Kamikaze both choke Obata in the corner, hiptoss by Otani and he hits a scoop slam.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two.\u00a0 Otani throws Obata into the corner and chops him in the chest.\u00a0 Otani comes out of the corner and returns with chops, headbutt by Otani but Obata headbutts him back.\u00a0 Obata stands on Otani in the corner, he picks him back up, snapmare, and Obata kicks Otani in the back.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Otani gets Obata\u2019s leg and tags in Kamikaze, and they both pull on Obata\u2019s legs.\u00a0 Kamikaze picks up Obata and slaps him, and they trade chops to the chest.\u00a0 Dropkick by Obata and he tags in Tanaka.\u00a0 Tanaka chops Kamikaze in the corner but Kamikaze pushes him off and they trade slaps.\u00a0 Elbow by Tanaka but Kamikaze pushes him back and they trade blows again, which Tanaka gets the better of.\u00a0 Tanaka picks up Kamikaze and kicks him in the chest.\u00a0 Another kick to the chest by Tanaka and he stomps on Kamikaze.\u00a0 Tanaka picks up Kamikaze and throws him into Obata\u2019s boot before knocking Otani off the apron.\u00a0 Tanaka tags in Obata, then Tanaka throws Kamikaze out of the ring.\u00a0 Obata attacks Kamikaze on the outside and throws him down into the crowd.<\/p>\n

Tanaka gets a table from under the ring and sets it up at ringside, and Obata puts Kamikaze on the table.\u00a0 Tanaka goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a splash on Kamikaze, crashing them both through the table.\u00a0 Otani comes out to help but Tanaka hits him with a steel chair.\u00a0 Obata picks up Kamikaze and slides him back into the ring, Obata drags Kamikaze towards the corner and Tanaka hits his leg repeatedly while it is against the ring post.\u00a0 Obata drags Kamikaze back towards the middle of the ring and kicks him in the back, Kamikaze returns to his feet and fires back with chops, but Kamikaze goes back to the mat holding his leg. \u00a0Obata drags Kamikaze by his bad leg and tags in Tanaka.\u00a0 Tanaka and Obata ram Kamikaze\u2019s legs into the mat, then Tanaka drops knees repeatedly into Kamikaze\u2019s leg.\u00a0 Figure four by Tanaka but Kamikaze slowly inches to the ropes and finally forces the break.\u00a0 Tanaka tags in Obata, Obata grabs Kamikaze and gives him a few kicks as Kamikaze slowly gets back to his feet.<\/p>\n

Kamikaze fires back with an elbow and the two trade blows, until Obata kicks Kamikaze hard in the leg which sends Kamikaze to the mat.\u00a0 Obata throws Kamikaze into the corner and hits a series of chops, Irish whip, but Kamikaze moves when Obata charges in and hits a backdrop suplex.\u00a0 This gives Kamikaze time to tag in Otani, Otani knocks Tanaka off the apron and then throws Obata into the corner.\u00a0 Facewash by Otani, Obata gets out of the corner and charges Otani but Otani kicks him back into the corner.\u00a0 Otani goes off the ropes again but this time he is caught by a Obata dropkick.\u00a0 DDT by Obata onto Otani, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Obata tags in Tanaka, and Tanaka hits a lariat in one corner and then one in the other corner. Kamikaze comes in the ring and punches Tanaka to the mat, double Irish whip to Tanaka but Tanaka fights them off and hits a lariat on each of them.\u00a0 Tanaka picks up Otani but Otani hits an elbow and they trade elbow strikes.\u00a0 Tanaka eventually gets the better of it but Otani quickly gets back up, Tanaka goes off the ropes but Otani catches him with a boot.\u00a0 Tanaka is back up and they trade elbows again, Otani ducks the Tanaka Roaring Elbow and hits a German suplex followed by a lariat.\u00a0 Otani tags in Kamikaze, Kamikaze grabs Tanaka and applies a waistlock, reversed, and Kamikaze hits an overhead kick.<\/p>\n

Another kick to the head by Kamikaze, he picks up Tanaka and hits a vertical suplex.\u00a0 Cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Kamikaze goes off the ropes but Tanaka catches him with a DDT.\u00a0 Tanaka tags in Obata, Obata picks up Kamikaze and throws him into the corner.\u00a0 Irish whip by Obata, reversed, boot by Obata and he hits a diving doublestomp to Kamikaze\u2019s back.\u00a0 Obata waits for Kamikaze to get up and hits a double jumping knee in the corner followed by a running dropkick.\u00a0 Obata knocks Otani off the apron, Tanaka comes in the ring and they both hit strikes onto Kamikaze.\u00a0 Obata goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, then Tanaka goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving body press.\u00a0 Obata goes off the ropes and hits a PK, cover, but Otani breaks it up.\u00a0 Tanaka throws Otani out of the ring, Tanaka goes for the Sliding D but Kamikaze ducks.\u00a0 Spin kick by Kamikaze to Tanaka, then Otani hits a missile dropkick onto Obata.\u00a0 Thrust kick by Kamikaze to Obata, cover, but it gets a two count.\u00a0 Kamikaze picks up Obata and hits a vertical-drop brainbuster, cover, but Tanaka breaks it up.<\/p>\n

Kamikaze picks up Obata and hit a sit-down powerbomb, cover, but Obata barely gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Again Kamikaze picks up Obata, scoop slam in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the moonsault.\u00a0 Cover, but it only gets a two count.\u00a0 Kamikaze positions Obata in front of the corner and goes up top again, Tanaka distracts Kamikaze for a moment, and when Kamikaze does go for the second moonsault Obata gets his knees up. Tanaka then runs in the ring and quickly hits the Sliding D onto Kamikaze.\u00a0 Obata picks up Kamikaze and drops him with the Fisherman Brainbuster, he then picks him up and hits a second one.\u00a0 Cover by Obata, but Kamikaze gets a shoulder up.\u00a0 Obata goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick to Kamikaze\u2019s back.\u00a0 Obata picks up Kamikaze but Kamikaze quickly applies a backslide and he picks up the three count!\u00a0 Your winners and new champions:\u00a0 Shinjiro Otani and Kamikaze<\/p>\n

Match Thoughts:<\/strong>\u00a0 A mixed bag for me.\u00a0 Thank God for Obata so they had a young dude who could do a bulk of the fast paced work so the match wasn\u2019t overly plodding.\u00a0 I really think the wrong team won here, I haven\u2019t watched Z1 in many years but it looks like nothing has changed.\u00a0 How does two 40+ year old vets of Z1 having the tag belts help anything?\u00a0 Their level of \u201cdraw\u201d doesn\u2019t matter if they have the belts or not, but putting over a younger (in Obata\u2019s case) and fresher tag team would make sense.\u00a0 As for the match, some things I liked and some I didn\u2019t.\u00a0 I thought the leg work on Kamikaze was good, and the ending (even though I hated who won) made sense as the old veteran had nothing left in his tank but still could be wily.\u00a0 The offense was generally varied and it always felt like a toss-up on who was going to win.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t like the table spot meaning nothing, as a minute later Kamikaze was right back to trading strikes.\u00a0 And sooo many strike exchanges back and forth in this match, I am tired of it and so is the crowd who didn\u2019t really react to it at all.\u00a0 So like I said a mixed bag, but at least it got what felt like the right amount of time and was shown in full, so there\u2019s a plus.\u00a0 Just wish the end result was different.\u00a0\u00a0Score:\u00a0 5.5<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts:<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Best Match:<\/strong>\u00a0HUB vs. Mineo Fujita.<\/strong>\u00a0 Really the only match on the card I think went beyond \u201csolid\u201d.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t perfect by any means but it had some quality Jr. Heavyweight action.\u00a0 Pretty entertaining from bell to bell.<\/p>\n

MVP:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Yusaku Obata.\u00a0<\/strong>I know that he was pinned but he owned that match.\u00a0 Kamikaze and Otani aren\u2019t exactly spry these days, and are seasoned veterans of ZERO1, but that didn\u2019t stop Obata from flying around and getting more than his fair share of offense on both of them.\u00a0 In fact it took Kamikaze being sneaky to beat him, as Obata was generally controlling the match.\u00a0 A good showing by the young wrestler, hopefully he keeps getting chances to show his talent in ZERO1.<\/p>\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 I pretty \u2018meh\u2019 card from top to bottom.\u00a0 Only one match I felt was below average, which is good, but only one match that was better than solid, which is bad.\u00a0 Also the main event just left an icky taste in my mouth, I don\u2019t understand at this stage why Otani needs a belt around his waist unless it is to help bring up a younger wrestler, which Kamikaze is not.\u00a0 Nothing about this card made me think \u201cI can\u2019t wait to watch more ZERO1!\u201d which is what promotions should be going for, to hook you in.\u00a0 Unless you are a fan of clipped matches, old stars not letting go, and excessive strike exchanges, you can probably avoid this one.<\/p>\n

Grade: D<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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