Pro-Wrestling Zero1 "New Years Dream Series", 01/01/17

- Chris Orndorff vs. Takuya Nomura (BJW)

Orndorff is some young Belarusian wrestler trained in the Z1 dojo, who Otani says looks like a cross between Benoit and Paul Orndorff. I really hope that's a true story and and I can totally see the likeness. He's got the semi 80's mullet going on too. 

Nomura is the young rookie who I keep seeing in BJW get absolutely smashed about by the strong veterans so it was nice to see him dish it out for once. Quick match. Just shows how interlinked they all are when you hear the BJW music play out after Takuya wins with a Cross Armbar. [OK]

- TARU & KAMIKAZE vs. Yoshikazu Yokoyama & Buffa

I think it was Yokoyama who was in blue (it is). He just looks like what you'd imagine a drugged up old Japanese guy who thinks that he's elvis would look like. The first 30 seconds is him swaggering about with his hands in his pockets and it is amazing. His swagger is on point. He even does this when TARU is in the corner and he needs to kick him. He gives no shits and might be my new favorite indy sleazy wrestler. 

Ends with KAMIKAZE hitting a Moonsault Press on poor Yokoyama.

- 3WAY Match: Ikuto Hidaka vs. Kotaro Suzuki (FREE) vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa (FREE)

Bland 3 way match. Too much of people standing round waiting for their opponent to hit their move and looking uncomfortable. When guys set up a dive to the outside, you know its coming because everyone gets in to position, here it was achingly obvious, to the point where they just hold hands in order to catch a moonsault. 

Ends with a ridiculous amount of finisher spamming at the end, which really soured me on the match. You don't want guys to hold back but when you hit a jumping pile driver and its not the finish, then you need someone to tell them to reign it in  

Kotaro wins with a Tiger Driver on Hidaka. [Meh]

- KAI (FREE) vs. Hartley Jackson

Hoss fights. Dis' gunna be good! Straight to the outside, which is normally a bad sign, heads being shoved into walls, interference by KAMIKAZE. Nasty powerslam to the floor by KAI. A frigging ref bump, bah. I'm quite conflicted because I despise ref bumps but overall this was a fun match. KAI hits a lovely release suplex before getting the pin after a Thunder Fire Powerbomb. Not sure what to think of this match [OK]

- NWA International Light Tag Championship Match:  Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Koji Kanemoto & Minoru Tanaka

Oh look, it's everyone's favourite hard working puro star Kodaka. After this, BJW and AJPW he wrestles four matches in two days for three promotions... For some reason in this match he's dressed like a Dragonball Z character and has a tail... 

Good match which but it ends in a double pinfall. After it happens the crowd go stony silent and the wrestlers look like they're organising a rematch between themselves. Seemed incredibly anticlimatic. [Meh] 

- NWA World Junior Heavyweight & International Junior Heavyweight Double Crown Championship Match: Shinjiro Otani vs. Takuya Sugawara

Otani is the president of Zero1 and has seemingly been around forever. He looks a lot older than he should for a 44 year old though. Fact fans, he was the first WCW cruiserweight champion after beating Wild Pegasus. 

Sugawara works the knee which means Otani struggles to do his patented foot wash in the corner. Sugawara catches his leg and does one of the weakest dragon screws I've ever seen. It was worse than when the Rock thought he could do them. 

Otani finally wins following a Kesagiri Chop in a match I wouldn't go out of my way to watch again. [Meh]

NWA Intercontintal Tag Championship Match: Masato Tanaka & James Raideen vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Shogun Okamoto

Tanaka has lost a load of weight and is looking pretty trim. How he's still going after Awesome mashed his brains all those years ago I'll never know. Raideen is frigging massive. He looks like a buffer Mike Awesome. When he's getting whipped into the ropes by Sekimoto the young boys outside are having to stop the ring from moving! Sekimotos dead lift suplex is a thing of absolute beauty. 

Tanaka catches Okamoto with the Sliding D for the win. Sliding D is just an elbow to the face but it looks like it bloody hurts! Anything with Sekimoto in and Tanaka is going to be good and this was no exception. To be fair Okamoto did most of the heavy lifting in this match, looking forward to seeing more of his matches. [Good]

- World Heavyweight Championship Match: Kohei Sato vs. Yusaku Obata

Sato is one half of the Twin Towers and is generally very, very good. He has this gruff voice and an odd tooth because he's missing a few. His head has a crater in it because of all the blade jobs he's done and he generally looks like a scuzzy indie wrestler. He's what I imagine that a low level Yakuza boss would look and sound like.

Obata on the other hand looks like a mini Tanahashi with a slightly less impress hairstyle. 

Starts off with chop city but then Obata just starts throwing bombs. Some of the kicks and chops were horrendous. Then Sato kicks his back so hard, it's as if Obatas kidneys had pissed him off. 

The kicks in this match are ridiculously stiff. Obata does this diving knee off the top rope to the back of Satos head that just looks so painful. 

There was no blood and guts in this match but the level of intensity and stiffness of the shots made it hard to watch. Sato Kohei wins after nearly decapitating Obata with a Running Elbow. [Excellent]

OK show, definitely check out the main event if you're that way inclined.