Date: October 30th, 2008
Attendance: Unknown
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall

It has been pointed out to me that I didn't have any ZERO1 reviews on the site. Well, the quick answer for that is that I don't follow them so I don't get their events, and no one has sent any reviews in for the promotion. But just so I have something for them I picked a recent event that looked interesting to me to review. Just don't hold it against me that I don't know some of the wrestlers and storylines, I am reviewing this strictly from a "is the match entertaining" perspective. Here is the full card:

- KAMIKAZE, Osamu Namiguchi, and Yusaku Obata vs. Ryouji Sai, Shito Ueda, and Durango
- Tenka-Ichi Jr. - Round 1: Great Sasuke vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa
- Tenka-Ichi Jr. - Round 1: Kinbos Rice vs. Minoru Fujita
- Tenka-Ichi Jr. - Round 1: Munenori Sawa vs. Takuya Sugawara
- Tenka-Ichi Jr. - Round 1: Ikuto Hidaka vs. Minoru
- ZERO1 vs. WPF: Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani vs. Mr. Wrestling III and YaYa Brazil
- World Heavyweight Championship: Yuji Nagata vs. Kohei Sato

The Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament is a yearly Jr. Heavyweight Tournament held in ZERO1. Minoru won the tournament last year and is returning to try to win it two straight years, which would make him the first person to win the tournament twice. A lot of the matches, especially in the first half of the event, are clipped. But most of the clippings are only a few minutes so I won't mention it unless it dramatically effects the match.

KAMIKAZE, Osamu Namiguchi, and Yusaku Obata vs. Ryouji Sai, Shito Ueda, and Durango
Obata and Ueda start things off. Tie-up, side headlock by Ueda and Ueda tags in Sai. Sai keeps on the side headlock and then hits a vertical suplex before tagging in Durango. Durango picks up Obata, Irish whip, reversed, and Obata delivers an elbow. Irish whip by Obata from the corner but Durango flips over him when he charges and and drop toeholds him to the mat. Durango then runs up the corner and delivers a corkscrew plancha followed by a backbreaker. Durango waits for Obata to get up but Obata ducks his punch and kicks him to the mat. Durango tags in Ueda, but Obata makes the tag to KAMIKAZE. Kick by KAMIKAZE, he picks up Ueda, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a running elbow, with his team mates following with running strikes of their own. Superkick by KAMIKAZE, cover, but Ueda kicks out. KAMIKAZE picks up Ueda, scoop slam and he delivers a moonsault. Cover, but it is broken up. Namiguchi stays in as the legal man, scoop slam to Ueda and he hits a diving headbutt off the second turnbuckle for a two count. Obata comes in the ring, they Irish whip Ueda but Ueda shoulderblocks them both to the mat. Ueda picks up Namiguchi and slams him to the mat before tagging in Sai. Sai comes in the ring with a springboard missile dropkick, he picks up Namiguchi and goes for a suplex but Namiguchi blocks it. KAMIKAZE comes in the ring and they go for a double suplex, it is blocked, and the process continues until all six men are in the ring as KAMIKAZE and company hit vertical suplexes on their opponents. Namiguchi picks up Sai and slaps him into the corner, Irish whip, and Namiguchi hits a running forearm. Dropkick by Namiguchi, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Namiguchi goes off the ropes but Sai catches him with a kick. Sai picks up Namiguchi and hits the fireman's carry into a double knee gutbuster. Cover, but it gets broken up. Sai allows Namiguchi to get up to a seated position, and then runs in and delivers a double knee to the face of Namiguchi. Scoop slam by Sai in front of the corner, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Nachi Waterfall. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Ryouji Sai, Shito Ueda, and Durango

Match Thoughts: I was just stoked I knew who most of the wrestlers were. Sai established himself as the star in this match, as once he got Namiguchi isolated he just decimated him with a series of high impact moves until he got the easy pin. I actually really enjoyed the closing stretch, in six mans you don't normally see such a good beatdown, and Sai demonstrated well who the top dog was. The rest of the action was fine, Durango showed off a few flashy moves but it was too short of a match for all of them to get a chance to shine. Entertaining though, Sai was fun to watch. Score: 6.0

Great Sasuke vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa
This match is in Round 1 of the Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament. Tie-up to start, Takaiwa gets Sasuke into the ropes but he gives a clean break. Front facelock by Sasuke and he goes for the arm as he applies a wristlock, but Takaiwa gets out of it and trips up Sasuke. Leg lock by Takaiwa and he goes for the cross armbreaker, but Sasuke quickly gets to the ropes. Sasuke rolls out of the ring to re-group, but gets back in after a moment. Tie-up and they lock fingers, kick to the stomach by Takaiwa and he chops Sasuke in the chest. Irish whip by Takaiwa and he hits an elbow. Cover, but it gets a one count. Takaiwa applies a reverse chinlock into a headscissors, Sasuke reverses it into a leg submission but Takaiwa makes it to the ropes. Sasuke then applies a camel clutch, but Takaiwa is still close to the ropes and forces a break. Sasuke goes up to the top turnbuckle but Takaiwa rolls out of the way of the senton atomico. Elbow to the top of the head by Sasuke, he goes off the ropes but Takaiwa knocks him down with a lariat. Takaiwa picks up Sasuke, kick to the stomach and he knocks Sasuke into the corner. Chops by Takaiwa, Irish whip, but Sasuke moves when Takaiwa charges in. Sasuke goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a flipping neckbreaker, cover, but it gets a two count. Sasuke goes up to the top turnbuckle again but Takaiwa is up and joins him. Headbutts by Takaiwa and he chops Sasuke while still on the top turnbuckle. Takaiwa goes for a death valley bomb but Sasuke elbows out of it and flips over Takaiwa's back. Takaiwa goes for a powerbomb but Takaiwa punches Sasuke to the mat. Takaiwa stays on the top turnbuckle as Sasuke recovers and re-joins him. He goes for a Frankensteiner but Takaiwa blocks it and Sasuke flops to the mat by himself. Takaiwa is still chilling on the top turnbuckle though, headbutt by Sasuke and he dropkicks Takaiwa, with Takaiwa landing on the apron. Sasuke goes out to the apron as well, he picks up Takaiwa and goes for a powerbomb, but Takaiwa back bodydrops out of it, with Sasuke landing on the apron. Still both on the apron, Takaiwa grabs Sasuke and goes for a powerbomb, he gets Sasuke up but Takaiwa backs into the turnbuckles, so he drops Sasuke and Sasuke slides down to the floor. Takaiwa goes and puts Sasuke back on the apron, but Sasuke punches him and DDTs Takaiwa. With Takaiwa still on the apron, Sasuke goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a tope atomico. With Takaiwa on the floor, Sasuke goes up to the top turnbuckle and goes for a senton atomico, but Takaiwa rolls out of the way and Sasuke splats to the floor. The referee checks on Sasuke while Takaiwa gets back in the ring, but Sasuke makes it back. As he gets on the apron, Takaiwa grabs him and puts Sasuke onto the top turnbuckle. Avalanche Death Valley Bomb by Takaiwa, cover, but it gets a two count. Takaiwa picks up Sasuke and delivers a powerbomb, he goes off the ropes and nails a lariat. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Tatsuhito Takaiwa

Match Thoughts: I think they spent half the match with either someone on the top turnbuckle or someone on the apron (the italicized part above had at least one person on the top turnbuckle or the apron). Those spots of the match were just so bizarre. Apron spots and top turnbuckle spots should be special big points in the match, not the norm. I think Takaiwa messed up the apron spot which is why they both just went back on the apron to finish what they were doing. Takaiwa and Sasuke are both known for having oddly laid out matches, so I guess the two of them against each other was bound to be illogical. The end was fine as Sasuke accidentally killing himself in typical Sasuke fashion led to Takaiwa hitting his big moves and winning, but it was just too bad leading up to that point. Strange, but in a bad way, not a good way. Score: 4.0

Kinbos Rice vs. Minoru Fujita
This match is in Round 1 of the Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament. Kick to the stomach by Rice but Fujita elbows him back and into the corner. Chop by Fujita but Rice reverses positions with him and gives Fujita a chop of his own. Fujita returns the favor, Irish whip, reversed, and Rice kicks Fujita in the stomach. Irish whip by Rice, reversed, but Rice elbows Fujita when he charges in and hits a missile dropkick. Another dropkick by Rice and Fujita rolls out of the ring, but Fujita then pulls Rice out of the ring and slides back in himself. Fujita goes for a tope suicida but Rice kicks him in the head as he is sailing through the ropes. Rice slides Fujita back into the ring, cover, but it gets at two count. Rice puts Fujita into a neck crank and elbows him in the neck. Irish whip by Rice from the corner, reversed, Rice bodydrops Fujita as he charges in but Fujita lands on the apron. Rice goes for a shoulder tackle while Fujita is on the apron but Fujita moves, allowing him to hit a scissors kick onto Rice. Fujita picks up Rice outside the ring and takes him up into the bleachers before ramming his head into the back wall. Fujita takes Rice back to ringside and slides him back into the ring, he puts him up on the top turnbuckle, joins him, and delivers the Frankensteiner. Cover, but Rice reverses it for a roll-up, getting a two count. Kick to the stomach by Fujita and he picks up Rice, but Rice gets out of it and slaps on a Dragon Sleeper with a body scissors. Rice releases the hold and goes to pick up Fujita, but Fujita hits a jawbreaker and then delivers a lariat. Tombstone piledriver by Fujita, cover, but it gets a two count. Fujita waits for Rice to get up and hits an enzigieri, he goes for a slam but Rice gets out of it. Wristlock by Rice and he hits a forearm, he goes off the ropes and nails the Killer Slice. Cover, but Fujita gets a foot on the bottom rope. Rice waits for Fujita to get up and goes for the dragon suplex, but Fujita blocks it and kicks Rice low. Small package by Fujita and he picks up the three count! Your winner: Minoru Fujita

Match Thoughts: Another sub-par match, I (like most other people) hadn't seen Rice before but he wasn't very impressive in this match. They didn't attempt to establish any type of structure to the match and the transitions from one being on offense to the other were questionable at best. It was basic as they didn't try to do anything complicated, which is understandable considering the participants, but it didn't help the quality of the match much. The Dragon Sleeper was the most notable part of the match, partly because it wasn't applied well, and partly because Fujita was unable to realistically make it to the ropes so Rice had to just release it, which made no sense whatsoever. The roll-up ending was fine as it was just the first round of a tournament, but the match just wasn't entertaining. Score: 4.0

Munenori Sawa vs. Takuya Sugawara
This match is in Round 1 of the Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament. Hurricanrana by Sugawara to start the match followed by La Magistral but it gets a two count and Sawa rolls out of the ring. Sugawara goes out after him and they trade blows on the floor, Sugawara grabs a chair and slams Sawa into it. Sawa fights back, but Sugawara ducks a Sawa high kick and Sawa accidentally kicks the ring post. Kicks to the leg by Sugawara and he slides Sawa back into the ring. More kicks to the leg by Sugawara and he applies a leg lock. Sugawara puts Sawa's leg over the top rope and jumps down on it, Sawa tries to fight back but Sugawara slaps him in the face. More kicks to the leg by Sugawara and he applies the cross kneelock, but Sawa makes it to the ropes. Sugawara picks up Sawa and carries him into the corner, where he wraps his leg around the ropes and twists on it. Irish whip by Sugawara but Sawa moves when Sugawara charges in. Eye rake by Sugawara and he applies a waistlock, but Sawa reverses it and hits a release German suplex. Kicks to the back by Sawa and he delivers the Flash Elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Sawa goes for a Shining Wizard but Sugawara ducks, Irish whip by Sugawara and he dropkicks Sawa. Cover, but Sawa kicks out. Sugawara picks up Sawa but Sawa slides down his back and applies as sleeperhold. He then goes for an Octopus Hold but Sugawara blocks it and applies the Schweingatame! Sawa manages to roll out of it, kicks by Sawa but Sugawara delivers an enzigieri. Shiisanpuuta by Sugawara but as he reaches for Sawa, Sawa applies a triangle choke. He reverts it into a cross armbreaker but Sugawara makes it to the ropes. Sawa waits for Sugawara to get up, they trade blows, and Sawa knocks down Sugawara with a series of kicks. Sawa goes for the Shining Wizard but Sugawara ducks it again and rolls up Sawa for a two count. Drop toehold by Sugawara, he goes for La Magistral again, Sawa blocks it and goes for the Octopus Hold, but Sugawara rolls him up for a two count. As Sugawara is getting up Sawa finally manages to lock in the Octopus Hold, Sugawara can't make it to the ropes and he is forced to submit! Your winner: Munenori Sawa

Match Thoughts: The match started out promising with solid leg work by Sugawara, but it quickly lost its steam when Sawa completely ignored it and bounced around like he was perfectly fine. A few minutes of blown off leg work is ok, but when the leg work was over half the match it comes across as filler, and Sawa making the Flash Elbow while bouncing quickly off the ropes the first move he did just made it more obvious. In Sawa's defense, Sugawara never went back to the leg either. They had some good reversals and I liked Sugawara twice ducking Sawa's telegraphed Shining Wizard, but it wasn't enough to save the match. The match had its moments and wasn't unwatchable, but it was basically a four minute match as the first three minutes were wasted on leg work that was quickly forgotten. Score: 5.0

Ikuto Hidaka vs. Minoru
This match is in Round 1 of the Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament. They trade strike attempts to start the match, Hidaka goes off the ropes but Minoru avoids his strike attempt and both wrestlers miss dropkicks. Minoru grabs Hidaka's leg and takes him to the mat, but Hidaka reverses positions with him. They jockey for position for a moment until both wrestlers return to their feet. Takedown by Minoru and he applies a side headlock, Hidaka gets out of it however and they are back up. Kick to the leg by Hidaka, but Minoru applies a cross armbreaker. Hidaka makes it to the ropes but he rolls out of the ring, holding his arm. Minoru goes out after him and kicks Hidaka in his injured arm, wristlock by Minoru outside the ring and he elbows Hidaka in the arm. Hammerlock by Minoru and he throws Hidaka shoulder-first into the ring post. Kick to the arm by Minoru and he finally slides Hidaka back into the ring. Minoru drops a knee onto Hidaka's arm. Keylock by Minoru and he applies the Fujiwara armbar, but Hidaka quickly rolls out of it. Minoru gets it re-applied however, he picks up Hidaka but Hidaka kicks him in the leg. Minoru comes back with kicks to the arm, he picks up Hidaka and goes for a suplex, but Hidaka blocks it. Minoru applies the Fujiwara armbar but Hidaka gets a foot on the bottom rope. Minoru picks up Hidaka and kicks him in the arm, he throws Hidaka to the mat and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Hidaka recovers and joins him. Minoru applies an armbar up on the top turnbuckle, and when he releases it Hidaka falls back to the mat. Minoru comes off the top turnbuckle and stands on Hidaka's arm before giving it a stomp. Minoru picks up Hidaka and applies a wristlock, he goes for a suplex, Hidaka lands on his feet but Minoru delivers a dropkick. Hidaka comes back with a rolling heel kick however, kicks by Hidaka in the corner, Irish whip, and Hidaka delivers a cartwheel into a heel kick. Missile dropkick by Hidaka, he picks up Minoru and dropkicks him in the knee. Figure four leg lock by Hidaka but Minoru makes it to the ropes. Hidaka picks up Minoru and kicks him in the leg, he then goes out to the apron and goes for a springboard attack, but Minoru rolls out of the way. Kick to the arm by Minoru and he delivers a release German suplex. Dropkick to the face by Minoru, he picks up Hidaka and puts him onto the top turnbuckle, but Hidaka blocks the superplex attempt and elbows Minoru off the top rope. Minoru comes back and rejoins Hidaka, but Hidaka elbows him down again. A third time Hidaka has to fight off Minoru, but the fourth time Minoru actually manages to get all the way up. Hidaka headbutts Minoru and jumps off the top turnbuckle, but Minoru dropkicks him as he is on the way down.

Minoru picks up Hidaka and hits a backdrop suplex, he picks him up and delivers a second one. A third backdrop suplex by Minoru, and he follows that by a forth and a fifth, the last one being a leg hook backdrop suplex. Cover by Minoru, Hidaka kicks out, but Minoru quickly locks in the cross armbreaker. Hidaka manages to make it to the ropes however and forces the break, kicks to the arm by Minoru, but Hidaka ducks one and hits a reverse DDT. Iguchi Bomb by Hidaka, cover, but it gets a two count. Hidaka picks up Minoru and goes for a suplex, but Minoru gets out of it and dropkicks Hidaka in the arm. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, but Hidaka is up first. Hidaka picks up Minoru and kicks him in the leg, but Minoru comes back with a kick to the arm and they trade blows. They then start trading elbows, they go off the ropes but Hidaka ducks Minoru's lariat attempt. Roll-up by Minoru but it gets a two count, Hidaka delivers a German suplex hold but it gets a two count as well. Hidaka picks up Minoru and hits a Tiger Suplex hold, but Minoru kicks out. Hidaka picks up Minoru but Minoru pushes him off, he goes for a suplex but Hidaka lands on his feet, but Minoru delivers a cross armbreaker takedown and locks on the hold on the mat. Hidaka gets out of it however and applies the Shawn Capture, but Minoru makes it to the ropes. Hidaka picks up Minoru and hits a knee breaker, he then goes out to the apron and delivers a springboard dropkick to the knee. Hidaka goes for a body scissors but Minoru blocks it and pins him down for a two count. Back up, kick by Minoru and he delivers an overhead dragon suplex. Minoru picks up Hidaka, he puts him onto the top turnbuckle and joins him, he then goes for a dragon suplex off the top turnbuckle but Hidaka pushes him off. Hidaka goes back up top but Minoru kicks him and nails an avalanche fisherman buster. Cover, but Hidaka kicks out at one. Hidaka gets back up and rolls up Minoru, but it gets a two count. Hidaka goes off the ropes but Minoru delivers a kick to the head. Backslide by Hidaka but it gets two. Hidaka goes for a punch but Minoru ducks it and applies a full nelson. Minoru reverts it into a half underhook half nelson and then delivers a suplex. Both wrestlers go for kicks but Minoru hits a high kick to Hidaka's head for a two count cover. Another kick to the head by Minoru, cover, but again Hidaka kicks out. Snapmare by Minoru, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the FIREBALL Splash. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Minoru

Match Thoughts: The match had its flaws, but it was still entertaining. There is a little more history to this then just ZERO1 vs. New Japan, as both Minoru and Hidaka trained in BattlARTS many years ago and had faced each other in the past. The bulk of this match was really good, I enjoyed Minoru's arm work and it was sporadically used throughout the match so that we didn't forget about it. Both wrestlers were also very crisp and I thought the pacing was done well as the match never seemed to be going too fast or dragging. The flaws are pretty obvious, they sold their limbs well but not much else as many big moves were sold for only a second or not sold at all. I am all in favor of wrestlers hitting the same big move over and over, but Hidaka was back in control less then 30 seconds after taking five backdrop suplexes and I'd prefer the big moves mean a little bit more. But overall the match was entertaining which is the most important aspect of any match, they just could have cleaned it up a little bit. Score: 7.0

Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani vs. Mr. Wrestling III and YaYa Brazil
Mr. Wrestling III and Brazil attack Tanaka and Otani as the bell rings, with Brazil punching Otani down in the corner. Brazil stands on Otani in the corner, he picks up Otani but Otani absorbs his punches and returns fire. Chops by Otani and he tags in Tanaka. Double Irish whip to Brazil and they deliver a drop toehold/elbow drop/dropkick combination. Tanaka picks up Brazil and delivers a chop, Brazil returns with chops of his own and pokes Tanaka in the eyes. Brazil tags in Mr. Wrestling III, punches by Mr. Wrestling III, Irish whip, and he delivers an elbow. Mr. Wrestling III tags in Brazil but Tanaka catches one of his kicks and chops Brazil in the chest. Tanaka knocks Brazil back into the corner, Irish whip, and he delivers an elbow strike. Tanaka then throws Brazil into Otani's boots, then he does it a second time and a third time. Tanaka tags in Otani, and Otani hits a Yakuza kick in the corner. Otani chokes Brazil with his boot, Brazil tries to fight back and knocks Otani into the corner, Irish whip, Otani moves out of the way by Mr. Wrestling III delivers a lariat from the apron. Brazil tags in Mr. Wrestling III, Mr. Wrestling III picks up Otani, Irish whip, and he hits a dropkick. Mr. Wrestling III tags Brazil back in, Irish whip by Brazil and he hits a jumping elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Brazil picks up Otani and goes for a suplex, but Otani reverses it into a vertical suplex of his own and makes the tag to Tanaka. Tanaka elbows down Mr. Wrestling III, slams Brazil, and drops Mr. Wrestling III with a lariat. Mr. Wrestling III slows down Tanaka's momentum, Irish whip to the corner but Tanaka avoids Brazil's charge. Tanaka then grabs both of them and hits a combination Stunner/DDT. Tanaka picks up Brazil, scoop slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving body press. Cover, but Mr. Wrestling III breaks it up. Tanaka picks up Brazil, he goes off the ropes but Brazil hits a heel kick. Brazil tags in Mr. Wrestling III, and Mr. Wrestling III hits Tanaka with a knee lift. Mr. Wrestling III picks up Tanaka and delivers a vertical suplex, cover, but it gets two. Irish whip by Mr. Wrestling III, Tanaka hits an elbow but Mr. Wrestling III connects with the powerslam for a two count. Irish whip by Mr. Wrestling III to the corner but Tanaka blocks his attack and hits a tornado DDT. This gives Tanaka time to tag in Otani, Otani kicks Mr. Wrestling III down in the corner and he hits the face washes followed by a running kick. He does it again just for good measure, Irish whip, reversed, Otani kicks Mr. Wrestling III as he charges in and delivers the rolling heel kick for a two count cover. Otani goes for a suplex but Mr. Wrestling III kicks him low and hits a backdrop suplex into a backbreaker. Mr. Wrestling III tags in Brazil, Brazil goes up on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Brazil picks up Otani and chops him in the corner, but Otani chops him to the mat. Otani picks up Brazil and elbows him in the back of the head. Otani goes off the ropes but Mr. Wrestling III knees him from the apron, he then comes in the ring, Irish whip and Brazil delivers a spinebuster. Cover by Brazil but Otani kicks out. Tanaka comes in, double Irish whip to Tanaka but he spears Mr. Wrestling III. Otani then comes off the top with a missile dropkick onto Brazil, Otani picks up Brazil and nails the Spiral Bomb for the three count. Your winners: Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani

Match Thoughts: Brazil is clearly still pretty green, and while I like the mentor/student theory, here he just seemed incredibly out of his league against two of the best ZERO1 wrestlers. If Corino (who is currently wrestling as Mr. Wrestling III) had been more involved I think the match would have come off better, but as it was it didn't seem like a match worthy of the semi-main event. The match had no structure, although the ending made sense as once Mr. Wrestling III was disposed off Otani had no problem putting Brazil down for three. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't good and Brazil doesn't seem ready for such a big spot. Score: 4.5

(c) Yuji Nagata vs. Kohei Sato
This match is for the Zero-1 World Heavyweight Championship. They circle each other to start, they go to the mat as they jockey for position but they end up back on their feet. Nagata pushes Sato into the ropes, but Sato elbows him back. Kicks to the leg by Nagata and he goes for a sleeper, but Sato gets out of it with a backdrop suplex. Nagata rolls out of the room to re-group, but Sato goes out after him and knees him in the stomach. Sato picks up Nagata and throws him into some chairs before hitting him in the stomach with one. Kick to the chest by Sato into the crowd, as they scatter to get out of the way. Sato chokes Nagata with a chair, he picks him up and throws him into the ring post. Sato finally slides Nagata back into the ring and kicks him repeatedly in the back. Knee to the stomach by Sato and he applies a sleeperhold, but Nagata rolls to the ropes to force a break. Sato picks up Nagata and delivers a series of elbows, but Nagata fires back and dropkicks Sato in the knee. Another dropkick to the knee by Nagata and he kicks Sato in the chest and arm. Sato gets up and they trade elbows before Nagata kicks Sato in the leg again. More kicks to the back by Nagata, he lets Sato get up and delivers a pair of kicks to the chest. Nagata picks up Sato and kicks him in the chest some more, but Sato starts absorbing the blows and hits a release German suplex. Sato picks up Nagata and nails a piledriver, cover, but it gets a two count. Sato picks up Nagata and hits an uranage, cover, but Nagata kicks out. Back up, Sato goes for a second one but Nagata elbows out of it. Nagata goes for a punch but Sato ducks it and hits an exploder. Nagata is quickly back to his feet however and delivers a Shining Wizard for a two count cover. Both wrestlers slowly get up and Nagata hits a jumping knee in the corner. Nagata puts Sato onto the top turnbuckle and joins him, hitting the avalanche exploder. Cover, but Sato gets a shoulder up. Nagata picks up Sato and goes for a suplex, but Sato blocks it. Knee to the stomach by Sato and he tries again, but Sato reverses it with a Falcon Arrow. Sato goes for the cross armbreaker and gets it locked in, but Nagata gets a foot on the ropes. Kicks to the chest by Sato, he picks up Nagata and delivers a German suplex hold for a two count. Sato picks up Nagata but Nagata connects with the backdrop suplex. Back up they trade elbows, Nagata goes off the ropes but Sato catches him with a knee to the stomach. Sato picks up Nagata and hits a Tiger Suplex hold, but Nagata gets a shoulder up. Sato waits for Nagata to get up and goes for a high kick, but Nagata blocks it and hits the enzigieri. Backdrop suplex by Nagata, cover, but it gets a two count. Back up, Nagata quickly delivers a backdrop suplex hold and he picks up the three count! Your winner and still champion: Yuji Nagata

Match Thoughts: A very kick-y match, that is for sure. It had a main event feel, which was a plus, but the match itself was only solid. Not that a solid match is bad, but of course you hope for more in your main event title match. The momentum swung so easily from one to the other that no one move seemed to matter that much, and unless you are Hulk Hogan no-selling shouldn't be used as a transition spot. They were very back and forth, which made it suspenseful, but didn't give them much of a chance to sell any one devastating move any moreso then a kick to the chest. Not bad, but not great and I expect more out of Nagata. Score: 6.0

Final Thoughts:

So what we have here is a handful of decent matches, a handful of average matches, and a handful of bad matches. A real mixed card, the only thing that really saved it was Hidaka/Minoru but even that match wasn't good enough to make it worth a purchase. The opener and main event were fine, but not great, and nothing else on the card is worth seeing at all. I am not sure if this represents your average ZERO1 event but I can't say it was a great experience. The only wrestler that stood out to me was Sai, and he was in the opener. I can't recommend it since it was essentially a one match event, even though I thought it had a lot of potential with the wrestlers on the card.

Not Recommended

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review completed 12/14/08