Pro Wrestling Zero1

Pro Wrestling Zero1
Acronym ZERO1
Founded January 25, 2001
Style Strong style
Headquarters Japan
Founder(s) Shinya Hashimoto
Owner(s) First On Stage Inc. (FOS)
Sister Pro-Wrestling SUN (2006-2009)
Formerly Pro Wrestling Zero-One (2001-2004)
Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max (2004-2008)
Website Official website

Pro Wrestling Zero1 (stylized as Pro Wrestling ZERO1), formerly known as Pro Wrestling Zero-One and Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max, is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded in 2001. It was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 2001 until late 2004 and again from 2011 onwards.

History

Hashimoto's Zero-One

The promotion was founded by former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) stars Shinya Hashimoto and Shinjiro Otani. In 2000, Hashimoto proposed an independent promotion within NJPW called New Japan Pro Wrestling ZERO, but the idea was shot down. When Hashimoto was fired by NJPW in November 2000, he registered the Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE name.

Zero1 has had working agreements with Pro Wrestling Noah, All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, RIKIPRO, Hustle, Big Mouth Loud, King's Road and Dragondoor (now El Dorado Wrestling) which enabled Zero1 wrestlers to challenge for and hold the other promotions' titles.

Zero1-Max

On November 30, 2004 Hashimoto gave up ownership of the promotion, telling the press that due to financial problems he had decided to step away from the company. A new parent company "First On Stage" was formed consisting of President Yoshiyuki Nakamura, Ring Announcer Oki Okidata, Shinjiro Otani and a company named Baltic Curry. The promotion was renamed Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max with Otani and Nakamura taking over the general operations.

Among the major changes to the federation's structure was joining the AWA Superstars of Wrestling (now Wrestling Superstars Live) as the only Japanese member. At the same time the owner of the company's National Wrestling Alliance promoting license, New Japan Pro Wrestling, took the license back for their own use.

On September 12, 2006, Zero1-Max joined 12 other pro wrestling companies and joined the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA), a professional wrestling alliance that fosters an environment of cooperation rather than competition. The alliance also occasionally puts on "Super Shows" where all the promotions send fighters to compete representing their own companies under the GPWA banner. Pro Wrestling Noah's CEO Mitsuharu Misawa was inaugurated as the first Chairman of the new alliance, with Zero1-Max's Yoshiyuki Nakamura announced as the company's President.

In 2008, the promotion shortened the name to Pro Wrestling Zero1. In 2011, the promotion returned to the NWA as their Japanese territory. In March 2011, NWA presented Zero1 with the NWA Pan-Pacific Premium Heavyweight Championship in celebration of the promotion's 10th anniversary. In July, Daisuke Sekimoto won the Fire Festival to become the first champion.

Expansion

In 2012 an Australian division of Zero1 known as Zero1 Pro Wrestling Australia opened in Adelaide taking over what was known as NWA Pro Wrestling. At the beginning of 2014 the relationship ended and the promotion is now known as Wrestle Rampage.[1] Zero1 Hong Kong branch opened in June 2012 after Jason New returned to Hong Kong from Zero1 earlier that year. Pro Wrestling Zero1 Mexico opened its branch in September 2012 after International Pro Wrestling Alliance united with ZERO1 Japan. In 2013 Yoshiyuki Nakamura opened a new division of ZERO1 in Belarus.[2][3]

On December 17, 2013, Zero1 announced a corporate restructuring taking place at the start of the new year.[4]

Championships

Championship: Champion(s): Held since:
World Heavyweight Championship Kohei Sato March 27, 2016
NWA United National Heavyweight Championship Masakado December 19, 2015
International Junior Heavyweight Championship Shinjiro Otani October 11, 2015
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship James Raideen and Masato Tanaka May 6, 2016
NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Championship Ikuto Hidaka and Hayato Fujita April 7, 2016

Inactive

Championship: Last champion(s): Date won:
NWA Pan-Pacific Premium Heavyweight Championship Akebono May 16, 2012
NWA Super Heavyweight Championship Matt Ghaffari May 16, 2012
Zero1 Australian National Championship Damian Slater November 1, 2013
Zero1 Ireland Heavyweight Championship Robbie Morrissey November 1, 2013
Zero1 United States Heavyweight Championship Mr. Wrestling III November 9, 2008

Tournaments

Zero1 holds a heavyweight tournament every summer in the last week of July called the "Fire Festival" (Himatsuri) where the winner holds the "Fire Sword" (a katana) for a whole year until the next summer's tournament. They also hold a Yasukuni Shrine show every April and a yearly junior tournament called the "Tenkaichi Jr."

Tournament Latest winner(s) Date won
Fire Festival Kohei Sato August 2, 2015
Furinkazan Masato Tanaka and Takashi Sugiura December 24, 2014
Tenkaichi Jr. Ikuto Hidaka July 16, 2015

Affiliates

Promotion name Location Partnered on Ref.
Zero1 USA USA April 29, 2011 [5]
Zero1 Pro Wrestling Australia Australia July 24, 2014 [6]
Zero1 Ireland/Fight Factory Pro Wrestling Ireland August 14, 2014 [7]
Zero1 Scotland/Scottish Wrestling Alliance Scotland August 14, 2014 [8]
Zero1 Spain/Super Wrestling Alliance Spain July 24, 2014 [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Wrestle Rampage begins now". January 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Pro-Wrestling ZERO1 (Japan)". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  3. ↑ Philip Kreikenbohm. "Pro Wrestling ZERO1 (ZERO1)".
  4. ↑ ゼロワン来年から新団体名に変更. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  5. ↑ "ZERO1 USA". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  6. ↑ "NWA/ZERO1 Pro Wrestling Australia". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  7. ↑ "Fight Factory Pro Wrestling / NWA Ireland / ZERO1 Ireland". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  8. ↑ "Scottish Wrestling Alliance". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  9. ↑ "Super Wrestling Alliance (Spain)". Wrestling-Titles.com.

External links

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