ZERO1 Fire Festival Finals

Pro-Wrestling ZERO1
Fire Festival Day 8
3rd August 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Despite not being completely knocked out by the Zero1 event that I reviewed early in July, there were sufficient positives to offer the impression that a good day for Zero1 might be a good day for wrestling. I was also giddily high on the thrills and spills of tournament wrestling offered by New Japan's wildly successful G1 Climax, so reaching down the ladder to a smaller promotion offering the same experience seemed like both a nice thing to do in terms of exposure and personally beneficial to me w/r/t entertainment.

Zero1's Fire Festival works in identical fashion to G1 Climax, only the blocks are smaller (6 in each) and owing to the ad hoc pay-per-appearance arrangements that the company has with much of its talent, there is less consistency about when matches take place (as you will see later in this review). Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani have appeared in all 14 Fire Festivals to date, each winning four. Daisuke Sekimoto, Satoshi Kojima, Ryouji Sai, James Raideen and Kohei Sato have won one apiece.

What do you win? A title shot? Riches? A belt? Naaah. None of that shit mate. You win a fucking SWORD.

2011 winner Daisuke Sekimoto with the Fire Sword

BLOCK B: Kohei Sato vs. Kazuki Hashimoto

The story here is simple. Sato lies third in the Block going into this, the final match in Block B. He needs to win to top the group or to draw to finish second and reach the semi-final. His opponent cannot qualify in any event, but fortunately for all concerned it is Kazuki Hashimoto, who is world-class at getting his butt beaten around the arena. I don't think I've ever seen Kazuki win a match but also I don't really care. 

With semi-finals and finals set to take place on this very evening you could probably understand Sato opting for the easy route but nothing of the sort happens. This is not so much a match, rather it's an elongated Roshambo; each man taking turns at smashing the other with hard hard HARD kicks. I'd estimate that the first 60 instances of physical contract beyond the opening handshake are kicks. Sato, being a monster, dominates the kick battle, so Hashimoto breaks stride and tries to take it to Sato with a flurry of moves out of a more recognisable wrestler's arsenal.

Kohei Sato

A beatdown in the corner leaves Sato busted open, but Sato's experience and strength powers him through to the victory. Hashimoto kicks out of a Jackhammer-type thing and a vicious Spike Piledriver, but a great Stalling German Suplex ends the night early for the youngster. Sato's head looks like someone smashed an egg into the centre of his forehead, only the egg has a deep red yolk. Short and physical. ***1/4

Sato d. Hashimoto

BLOCK A: Ryouji Sai vs. Daisuke Sekimoto

A video package hyping Sai plays ahead of the final Block A match. The permutations are slightly more complex, but essentially we're playing 'the winner qualifies at the expense of the other', with Wrestle-1 'ace' KAI sitting pretty at the top of the table.

I've covered Sekimoto before and am generally a fan of his work; he's squat and bullish and has a pleasing air of menace about him. This blog has only covered Sai as part of the Wrestle-1 stable Desperado where the lad didn't get to make much of an impression. For the first few minutes, the impression that is yelled loud and clear is 'mate, you are getting fucked up here' as Sekimoto wrenches him from power move to Cloverleaf and back again without a jot of care.

It's a decent short match that would have doubtless found favour as a G1 Block match (yes, I will be ramming home that point of reference). Sai eventually finds his feet, blocking Sekimoto's hanging suplex and hitting one of his own. The intensity coming from Sekimoto outstrips anything Sai has, with the BJW Bull crashing and bashing around the ring whilst Sai just tries to hang on in a much more cerebral fashion. However, despite fighting in bully mode, Sekimoto's rampant behaviour is ended when Sai locks in a ground sleeper, forcing the tap. Sai goes on to the semi-final, whilst Sekimoto packs his bags. ***1/4

Sai d. Sekimoto

A tag match took place next between the heels Kengo and YASSHI (of Voodoo Murders) and KAMIKAZE & Takuya Sugawara (of Daemon-gun) and the babyfaces Ikuto Hidaka, Pandita Nuevo, Jason Lee and Mineo Fujita. However, it was not included on the video I saw so I didn't rate it. Having seen many of the above before: not too bothered. The heels won.

SEMI FINAL: KAI vs. Daemon Ueda

To the haunting sound of 'Summer of '69' by Bryan Adams plays a video package of Daemon Ueda's exploits in this year's tournament, which seems to mostly consist of misting fuckers right in the face and winning with a pretty rough-looking lariat in mostly outdoor venues. One of them has a basketball backboard practically overhanging the ring. The second half of the video sees some of the Voodoo Murders stable visiting Ueda, with attendant hostesses, in the back room of a seedy club. Ueda's performance here is right from the school play book of acting, but it's pretty funny. When the Voodoo gang leave, Ueda induges in some BDSM with the ladies to cap an overlong and proudly weird segment.

Daemon Ueda hits a lariat

Ueda has a decent entrance, complete with stablemates, axe and face-paint. From there, things head a little more downhill: he's a fairly boring wrestler outside of the gimmick and accoutrements. After interference, Ueda begins a period of domination in a plodding fashion, shooting KAI into the crowd (no barrier to stop him) and piling chairs atop his writhing body to whack with another chair.

It was only until we get beyond a sequence of KAI domination and the interference which ends it that it feels like the semi-final of a tournament in a company fighting for survival. Exchanges become more fluid and the crowd jolts into action; Ueda pushes the ref out of the way to mist KAI (and to praise Ueda, he really goes all in with the misting, emitting a huge viscious cloud from his mouth that stains everything) only for KAI to block the mist with his arms, counter Ueda and hit the Splash Plancha for the win. Fine in spells but could have been better. ***

KAI d. Ueda

SEMI FINAL: Ryouji Sai vs. Kohei Sato

Both men emerge feeling the effects of their earlier efforts, attempting to end the battle early to gain maximal rest ahead of tonight's final against the difficult KAI. Sai attacks early, going directly for the wound on the forehead of Sato, which opens and quickly turns into what looks like the shape of Japan, only in blood. It's a nasty-looking gash but Sato powers on, even using his head to butt Sai back into parity after Sai attempted to choke Sato out with the Ground Sleeper.

Both men in the match are Zero1 diehards and they throw a lot of passion and fury into the 7 minutes this one takes to complete. Sato threatens to defy the odds that are lengthening with every trickle of crimson from his cranium, but Sai takes the final berth with an interesting looking sit-out powerbomb variation called the Sidmouth. ***1/4

Sai d. Sato

ZERO1 UNITED NATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Tama Williams (c) vs. Hideki Suzuki

Both men had featured in the blocks of the Fire Festival, with Williams getting the better of his man in their match. A video package hypes this battle as a battle of the big finishing moves: Williams with a dangerous-looking double underhook piledriver, whilst Suzuki opts for a safer-looking double underhook suplex.

Hideki Suzuki

Williams is a big unit but he's still pretty green, though he's a little more experienced at puroresu than his opponent. Suzuki has worked primarily for Inoki Genome Federation and is being pushed big as an MMA guy turned wrestler, having had a shot at the ZERO1 World Heavyweight Championship after being smashed in a work by Bobby Lashley in 2013.

The two just about click and have a passable match, but nothing like the standard you'd expect for a championship bout. The crowd do buy into it, obviously more than passingly familiar with the Suzuki oeuvre, but it's no great shakes. Suzuki attempts his finisher but is rebuffed, though after a little more work he manages to hoist his much larger opponent for splashdown and the championship victory on Williams' third defence. **1/2

Suzuki d. Williams to become the new Zero1 United National Heavyweight Champion


Shinjiro Otani and Yoshikazu Yokayama vs. Masato Tanaka and Yusako Obata (Dangan Yankees)

So I guess this is the best place to talk about the shit that Zero1 seems to be in, what with Shinjiro Otani being the owner. There's a bunch of news flying about the place regarding cashflow and cancellation of future events owing to poor ticket forecasts and indeed this very event is struggling to get to halfway full. Their public image is not great: a particularly ugly low came when the company smeared the name of James Raideen, accusing him of sexual impropriety after a financial argument.

Not only that, the company is relying heavily on Wrestle-1 (and to a lesser extent, Big Japan) for talent: its champion is a W-1 guy (Masakatsu Funaki). One of its finalists is a W-1 guy. The other finalist has cashed bigger cheques from W-1 all year. The big feuds are with Wrestle-1 factions. As a company there is very little left that is particular to Zero1. With Mutoh's W-1 buying out the little that remained of Yoshihiro Tajiri's Wrestling New Classic promotion, the rumours indicate that Otani's promotion will be annexed soon.

Tanaka and Otani

Aside from such business, this match wasn't worked like an example of a company on its knees. All of these guys are good and it is really pleasing to report that this match, which on paper was just a filler tag match between two teams composed of a veteran and an understudy was actually a really fun, fluid and watchable encounter. Otani & Yokoyama work face, with the latter running a very Kazuki Hashimoto-esque line in babyface fire, whilst Tanaka and Obata take the heel road.

Tanaka and Otani have enough cred points not to go all out for nights like this but they really do all their top stuff here, lariatting and diving and just generally being the awesome underrated dues they are. The kids in their tutelage are also of the same ilk; they'll probably never be top guys but have all the heart and skills and workrate without being show-off dullsters that promoters will eventually sit up and take note.

The first team of Dangan Yankees features Takashi Sugiura in the place of Yusako Obata, but this is Japan so no Freebirding their tag titles here. Everyone works to get everyone over, with the crowd buying into every second of action. The senior figures clear out for the finish where Yokoyama levels Obata with a Spiral Bomber for the clean win. Good stuff guys. ***3/4

Otani and Yokoyama d. Dangan Yankees

FIRE FESTIVAL FINAL 2014: Ryouji Sai vs. KAI

Had you told me a week ago that I would be sitting down to watch a near 20 minute match featuring KAI then I'd have been asking exactly what was going wrong with my life. I've yet to be impressed by the W-1 'ace' in a few outings, and though the semi-final earlier on the card was passable, it mostly featured KAI in the support role. Sai, on his third match of the evening, has shown potential but not a great deal of star quality.

KAI

Had you told me a week ago that I would be sitting down to watch a near 20 minute match between KAI and a guy who had no real star quality (he uses The Offspring as entrance music for crying out loud) and that I'd be enjoying it then I'd wonder if my quality compass had broken. However, this was an honest-to-goodness excellent tournament final, with unbroken action and momentum and psychology and all that good stuff from bell to bell.

The crowd was really into it, roaring the home promotion favourite on with every piece of forward momentum he took. Structured like a WWE main event of The Rock headline era - a facedown, a brawl around the crowd, some shine spots in the ring, a couple of false finishes, reversals and then leading to the inexorable conclusion (except without The Rock winning) - only with the intensity pushed up and the wrestling skill improved.

The match was not quite parity-told even if it were parity-booked; Sai dominated and Sai ultimately won with a two-footed diving stomp from the top rope. KAI did get some good stuff in and looked to have done the job with a very tidy sitout/pin variation; the crowd collectively inhaling at what appeared to be the dramatic conclusion, only for Sai to power out ahead of victory and his second Fire Festival win. ****1/4

Sai d. KAI to win the 2014 Zero1 Fire Festival.

After the match Sai receives his sword in a ring filled with flunkies, competitors and a weird-looking mascot, before cutting a traditional thank-you promo to the fans in attendance.

Sai with the sword of victory in 2009

Not a bad night of wrestling all told, aside from a pretty average title bout. Where Zero1 are going is anybody's guess. Otani and Sai go back to the beginning of Zero1, with freelancer Masato Tanaka a reliable force even late in his meaningful career. A few written contracts aside, they're a Frankenstein's monster of a promotion, and whilst that can keep big independents alive, they do have a lack of real identity; pitched at a weird juncture between hard strong-style influenced wrestling and the entertainment-infused direction favoured by Wrestle-1.