New to Zero One

[JustS2pendous]

Hi guys, I'm fairly new to Zero One and could do with some background.
What are the main titles etc?
Was there or is there still a link with New Japan in ownership?
Whats World One all about with Corino?

[edgehead1984]

Zero-One has no ownership link with New Japan.

Zero-One's titles are:

NWA Intercontinental Tag Titles: currently held by Shiro Koshinaka and Takao Omori
NWA/UPW/Zero-One International Light Heavyweight title: currently held by Tatsuhito Takaiwa
NWA International Lightweight Tag Titles: currently held by Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Tomohiro Ishii.
NWA United National Title: currently held by Masato Tanaka
Zero-One US title: currently held by the Predator.
NWA Super Heavyweight title: currently held by Matt Ghaffari.

World-1 is Zero-One's affiliate here in the US.

[JustS2pendous]

Thanks Edge, so would Tanaka or Ghaffari be Zero One's top boy? I'm assuming it would be Tanaka. What's the promotion like, do they offer a good product? What about the foreign talent, I here Corino is well valued in the compnay?

[Luds]

The top guys in Z1 are Tanaka & Otani. Hashimoto runs the place, but is still injured I think. He can't wrestle as he used to. Ogawa is also main heavyweight.

The other ones are mainly from UPW like Predator.

I find that their big shows are fun to watch, but overall, the promotion lacks heavyweight talent. They need many gajins like Corino, Predator, and to borrow guys from other promo's to have a card worth seeing.

[edgehead1984]

The Super Heavyweight title is useless, I don't believe Ghaffari's ever defended it, but I included it since the title is active.

[Haiku Warrior]

True they definately need more heavyweights. Takao Omori was a very nice addition for Z1. But other than that you are left with the aforementioned ones. How about Ryuji Sai? I remember before he retired (heart) he was hailed as a good prospect for Z1. When did he return to wrestling and how could he?

[JustS2pendous]

They have links with the NWA as well don't they? Are the main Lightweight wrestlers Low Ki and Spanky? I also read that Spanky goes by the name of Leonard Spanky in Zero One, is that true? Are there any chances of Vader showing up?

[Luds]

I wouldn't count on Vader...

As for the links to TNA, yes. Both UPW and TNA share talent with Z1

[edgehead1984]

Well, we have new IC tag champs, another O-100 team

Shinya Hashimoto & Yoshiaki Fujiwara

someone should tell Hash that he should take himself off the active roster because people don't pay to see a 500 pound man with his shoulder all taped up, due to injuries, they pay to see Tanaka, Ohtani, Takaiwa...

[Peru-Yakuza]

They have links with the NWA as well don't they? Are the main Lightweight wrestlers Low Ki and Spanky? I also read that Spanky goes by the name of Leonard Spanky in Zero One, is that true?

Zero-One's main junior defenders are Takaiwa, Hoshikawa, Yoshihito Sasaki, Osamu Namiguchi (rookie) and Wataru Sakata (though he may move to the heavyweight division soon). Jun Kasai, Tomohiro Ishii and Kuniyoshi Wada are freelancers.

Spanky is billed as Leonardo Spanky by the Japanese promoters because of his resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio. The Japanese cannot make silent T or D, so they add "O" when the foreign word ends in these consonants, which sometimes leads us Westerners to drop it when we translate back.

[Peru-Yakuza]

Ogawa is also main heavyweight.

Ogawa has dropped out to compete on the recent PRIDE Grand Prix. He's said that if he's to do works, he'll do them on the HUSTLE shows.

[Luds]

Yeah, I'm sure he'll be back to headline a card.