ZERO-ONE leaves NWA

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

This is what I got from the person who always sends me the title change updates from Japan:

Fred Rubenstein faxed ZERO-ONE office to inform that Simon Inoki (Inoki's son-in-law) would approve only New Japan to use Antonio Inoki's NWA membership in Japan. So, effectively on October 31st, ZERO-ONE is no longer a part of NWA.

The NWA/UPW/ZERO-ONE International Jr. Heavyweight Title will be renamed ZERO-ONE/UPW/World-1 title. As for Intercontinental Tag, United National Heavyweight, and Light Tag, they won't be vacant, but I'm not sure how it will affect on the names of those championships.

ZERO-ONE United States Heavyweight Title was never an "NWA" title.

Whether or not New Japan and NWA (and/or TNA) will be working together, I don't know.

[Tradewynd]

Were any details given as to why Simon decided this now? It seems rather sudden, and I don't know what New Japan would gain from taking Zero-One out of the NWA or rejoining themselves.

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

Sorry, I don't have the detail.

ZERO-ONE United States Heavyweight Title was never an "NWA" title.

Correction. It was actually NWA & ZERO-ONE United Staes Heavyweight Title.

[edgehead1984]

I agree with Tradewynd, New Japan wouldn't gain anything from NWA membership, except if they ally themselves with TNA...

[Tradewynd]

I thought of that too, but there were talks between TNA and NJ before, and they never came to an agreement. NWA membership shouldn't be an issue anyway since TNA isn't an NWA member, they just took the name and the titles, and at this point it helps the NWA more to have their name on TNA than TNA is helped by being NWATNA, so if they didn't like NJ and TNA working together, they really couldn't do anything about it.

Even if NJ did ally themselves with TNA, how would that help them beyond maybe getting the opportunity to book AJ "once he's available" (which isn't until "sometime" next year, and I do know his bookings until the end of this year were filled by July). I doubt they would have much use for guys like Raven and Ron Killings. Daniels probably doesn't have too many fans in the office since he chose TNA over NJ. AMW are a great tag team, but would NJ do anything with them, or get to book them enough to do something with them? Hey, I'd love to see Chono come over here and put Jarrett or Monty Brown or Raven or Killings or D-Ray 3000 over, but that isn't going to happen.

Then again, seeing as the rest of the world is starting to get a clue and Jeff Hardy is finally getting the "you suck go away" kind of heat he has deserved his whole career, maybe Chono thinks that means he's a great heel and is going to make Jeff Hardy the next monster gaijin heel. Heaven help us all. On the bright side, Hardy would no-show enough that we wouldn't have to suffer through him on all of his advertised dates, and he wouldn't stink up TNA anymore. There is of course create the problem of him stinking up New Japan, but after they booked Chyna, does anyone really respect New Japan anymore?

[Dan Poutsma]

For anybody keeping score, this is the second time that Inoki's membership has been 'transferred'. When he first joined in 1999 (shortly after the NWA struck up the relationship with UFO), he requested that he personally be recognized as the member and not them or any other organization he had ties to. In 2001, he 'transferred' membership status over to ZERO ONE with Nakamura serving as the rep. And now from ZERO ONE to New Japan.

[Pheonix_Chi25]

I thought AJ and TNA had a working relationship? But anyways...
Zero One moving away from the NWA could be a good deal/bad deal. Good because Z-1 can establish their own identity and maybe bring in more foreigners.

Bad because we will still have to deal with Hustle and Nobuhiko Takada. LOL J/k.

Well I can only say let's wait and see how it plays out.

[Tradewynd]

I don't know of any working relationship between TNA and All Japan. If anything, TNA doesn't like AJ because a lot of their guys have chosen All Japan over TNA(see Wall/Malice/Gigantes, D'Lo, Jamal, Bull).

I thought Zero-One was rather gaijin filled as it is, especially when compared to New Japan or NOAH. When a gaijin (Low Ki) leaves the most gaijin-friendly promotion in Japan (Zero-One) for the least gaijin-friendly promotion in Japan (NOAH), that's a bad sign for gaijins. Who do you think Zero-One could bring in that would improve business?

[Pheonix_Chi25]

I truly thought they had a working relationship with UPW or APW. I've seen some guys in UPW (Ghostwalker, et al) that should have been given shots. Or if you must look into the smaller indies guys like Mike Kruel.

[lonewolfsuarez]

Will Zero-One have their own version of a "World Heavyweight" title...a shame that 01 is breaking away, since a few of the stars were featured in TNA.

[Dan Poutsma]

Since their split from the NWA, ZERO-ONE has joined Dale Gagner's AWA and recognizes Takao Omori as AWA World heavyweight champion.