Pro Wrestling Zero-1 3/6/2022 - 21st Anniversary Event
This is Zero-1's 21st Anniversary. Think of Zero-1 like a car. It's worth the most as soon as you get it and progressively it becomes worth nothing. That's sadly the history of Zero-1. They had big money behind them early and had bigger names and bigger shows. Then they lost their financial backing. Hashimoto buried Ohtani and Tanaka, then Hashimoto died. The group then dropped a few spots in their standing in the Japanese wrestling world after Hashimoto's death but still had a lot of good talent from the Hashimoto era to carry them. Ohtani took over and buried people like Kohei Sato and Ryouji Sai and unlike the original Zero-1 crew, he wasn't able to recruit or produce the next generation. Sato and Sai got older, Ohtani never really stepped down and now there's nobody left.
The promotion is a total shell of its former self with talent who weren't good enough in their younger days to make the roster, yet alone now. Unless things change drastically, it's hard to see how Zero-1 makes it to their 30th Anniversary. I hope they do though and if I were them, I'd invest all my resources into finding the next generation of talent who will carry them into the future.
Satsuki Nagao vs Takuya Nomura
Nagao hit a sick russian legsweep here and they stiffed each other with forearms. Nomura came back with stiff chest kicks then was backdropped for 2. Nomura hit a great dropkick to the face then PK'd him hard for 2. Nomura then half-crabbed him and won it in a short but very good opener. Simple and stiff stuff here.
Yasu and Tiger started us off. Yasu worked his arm a little and they tagged out. Hide shouldered Yuko over then the Bros hit a double back elbow and a double elbow drop. Yuko armbarred Yasu but he hit the ropes.
Hide broke up a Tiger hammerlock on Yasu then Yasu threw Tiger out. Tiger was then rammed into the apron. Yasu top rope double axe handled Tiger for 2. The Bros then double shouldered Tiger.
The beatdown continued on Tiger then Tiger was put in a crab and arm hold by Yasu. Tiger blocked a kick then spinning heel kicked Hide. Yuko then came in and handspring double back elbowed the Bros. Yuko standing moonsault double knee'd Hide then put him in the octopus stretch. Hide spinning sideslammed Yuko.
Yuko came back with an overhead suplex then tagged out. Tiger leg swept Yasu then spin kicked Hide. He half-butterfly suplexed Yasu for 2 then had his chickenwing attempt broken up. Yuko and Tiger got whipped into each other then they took a sharpshooter and a figure four. Yasu put Tiger in the STF and Tiger hit the ropes.
Yuko and Hide traded forearms then Yuko hit a slap and kick combo on him. Tiger and Yuko hit flying double chops on Hide. Yuko hit a top rope moonsault but Hide blocked it with his knee then he and Yuko lariat battled.
The Bros hit a side slam 2nd rope legdrop on Yuko for 2. Hide went up top with 20 seconds left and hit a sick swanton on Yuko but the time ran out.
This went to a 20 minute draw for...reasons. It wasn't bad, just long and I think this could have been half the time and accomplished the same. The Bros are older and kind of limited but their stuff looks fine.
Shoki Kitamura and Genta Hiriki vs Tugutaka Sato and Takumi Baba
Genta dropkicks Baba early then plancha's him outside. Baba and Shoki trade chops then Shoki kicks him hard. Baba takes a double shoulder. Genta slammed Baba then Shoki hit some forearms and a hiptoss on him. Shoki then crabbed him then they traded forearms.
Baba got his back randomly cut open then enzugiri'd Shoki. Sato hit a hard lariat on Shoki in the corner then Sato slammed both opponents. Sato lariated Shoki in the back of the neck then took an enzugiri. Genta springboard dropkicked Sato for 2 but Sato hit a big flapjack on him.
Baba hit some hard running knees in the corner then Genta came back with a sling blade. Genta 2nd rope moonsaulted Baba then somehow messed up a pin on him. Sato and Shoki traded forearms then Genta hit a slingblade on Sato. Genta missed a top rope moonsault then took a hard lariat to the back and the front from Sato. Baba then buzzsaw kicked Genta for 2. Baba then won it with some type of abdominal stretch bomb.
Taru throws salt at his opponents to start then stabs Yoshi with a big old fork, making him bleed. Taru stabbed Yoshi again then Oka hit a big slam on Yoshi. They took off the turnbuckle pad then choked Yoshi then Yoshi speared Oka.
Vice came in and chopped both opponents then lariated both. Chris then hit a delayed brainbuster on Oka for 2. Chris hit a nice exploder on Oka and everyone started hitting chokeslams. Chris hit a dropkick on Taru and Yoshi low blowed Oka. Vice hit a clothesline on Oka then Yoshi death valley drivered him for 2 until taru pulled the ref out.
Taur threw salt again and axe kicked Yoshi. Taru then taped Vice to the ropes and Yoshi was beat up on 2v1. Oka hit a drop on Yoshi for 2 then a bad swinging side slam for 2. Oka ran him over with a shoulder then hit a high release saito suplex for the win. Oka helped Yoshi to the back after.
This was really slow and Taru's team was super limited which hurt the match. I also didn't really get the ref not trying to help Chris nor him counting pins when Vice was taped to the ropes.
Masato Tanaka vs Yoshiki Inamura
They go to the mat to start and Tanaka tries for an armbar. They trade shoulders and go outside. Tanaka weakly throws him into a chair seat then Ina rams his back into the apron then the post. Ina tries to spear him into the post but Tanaka moves and he rams himself into it.
Tanaka works his shoulder then running forearms him in the corner. He then tornado ddt's him and Ina hits a great spinning powerslam. Ina splashes him for 2 then takes a single arm ddt.
Tanaka hits a nice running lariat then Ina squat suplexes him for 2. Ina hits a big chest club and gets caught up top. Tanaka then top rope suplexes him. Tanaka gets thrown from the top then doesn't sell it. He lariats Ina then Ina shoulders him. They trade forearms and Tanaka sitffs him with one. Ina then runs him over with a shoulder and does sliding shoulder. Ina throws him into the corner then hits a giant release german. Tanaka no sells it and sliding d's him for 2.
Tanaka top rope frog splashes Ina for 2 then sliding d's him for the win.
The first half of this was super slow. It picked up later and got good but Tanaka's no selling really sucked here and as usual, Inamura loses. These two have a better one in them if they fix some of the issues.
Astro Man appeared. He is a baseball mascot and seems to maybe be wrestling in Z-1.
Intercontinental Tag Team Championship: Tomohiko Hashimoto and Gajo vs Takafumi and Junya Matsunaga
Gajo and Junya trade shots to start. Junya beats him down with some forearms then Gajo hits a shoulder block. Tomo and Taka forearm each other and Tomo hits a nice suplex on him.
Tomo king crab holds Taka then neck cranks him. Taka gets thrown outside and slammed out there. The seconds of the two teams almost get into it. Taka hits a bad spear on Gajo then Junya hits a nice flying forearm. Junya crabs Gajo then Gajo stiffs Junya with a high kick.
Tomo flurry forearmed Junya but he came back with a dropkick. Taka got back in and took an overhead belly to belly from Tomo then Gajo speared him for 2. Gajo hit a stiff clothesline on him for 2 then Taka took corner charging moves. Tomo second rope rolling senton'd Taka then chokeslammed him. Gajo then did a frog splash from the top for 2.
Gajo accidentally lariated his own partner then Taka caught him with a guiolltine on his spear. Taka worked on Gajo's arm with a hold then double armbarred on him to win it.
Gajo and Tomohiko are old and fat, but they are stiff and really weren't bad here. Taka and Junya didn't get in much offense though and the finishing stretch wasn't too great.
Zero1 World Title - Takashi Sugiura (c) vs Takuya Sugiwara
Sugiura won. I wasn't a big fan of this one. It was around 20 minutes long and had a lot of focus on working on Sugi's knee, which ended up amounting to nothing since Sugi won. The pace was also real slow and did little to capture my interest.
Overall thoughts: This was a really long show. It went more than 3 hours for a 7 match show. The baseball mascot thing went on forever, they had some unknown woman talk for a while and there was a bunch of talking between the tag title and world title match. It just felt like they were trying to fill as much time as possible for no real reason.
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