Spotlight: Masato Tanaka in Zero One - 2007
You're really missing out if you're not checking out this stuff. This has been an absolute revelation to me. And hey! I get it, I didn't watch Zero One for like 15+ years. A big reason is that no one talked about it. Or the internet wrestling taste makers didn't like it at the time. Screw that 😀 This is some fun smash mouth wrestling. Now that there's a wealth of wrestling posted online, this really is worth watching especially if you're into 2000's wrestling.
•Masato Tanaka vs Yoshihito Sasaki (05/27) -This is precisely what I wanted with this matchup. These two guys who have the energy, intensity and toughness to break bricks with their bare hands. They gave no quarter and expected none in return. Korakuen Hall brings out the best in people and this was no different. Hard chops, harder elbows and lariats so stiff it knock a T-800 down. Yeah Masato Tanaka is a known great but Yoshihito Sasaki doesn't get enough love. If you're a Tanaka fan then you NEED to see this match and you'll probably be a new Sasaki fan by the end. Classic match.
•Steve Corino & CW Anderson vs Tajiri & Masato Tanaka (06/20) - Flashback to ECW & early Zero One! I had to watch this one. And it was worthy of being associated with ECW. All the guys were still in very good shape so they showed great energy as they fought around Korakuen. Chairs were used, mist was sprayed and tables were broken. This was a lot of fun. Some matches that remind us of ECW don't really embody that energy & excitement of the promotion. I think this match did and would recommend it for any fan of that lil promotion outta Philly.
For more the full Zero One 2007 project, check out: https://wrestlingdreambattles.blogspot.com/search/label/2007
Bunch more match recommendations & cool pics! Also will be looking at a bunch of 1980's wrestling with Cruising the 80's & AJPW 1986 projects.
•Masato Tanaka v Dick Togo (09/30) Good gawd! 90's indie dream match fulfilled. This was was so good. It got going with a bang and never quit. Lil ECW at times and both guys may have been bleeding the hard way. This was representative of the intensity. They brought it back into the ring and really surprised me. There was legitimate near falls in this match. It was part of a Jr. tournament so anything "big" felt like it could end the bout That fact added on top of their great work made this a near classic match...if you're interested in seeing this then you should watch it.Â
•Takao Omori v Masato Tanaka (10/26) Well that was awesome! These Zero One cats don't play around! This was fantastic stuff and all under 15 minutes. They had one high spot that I absolutely popped for but the rest was just hard hitting no nonsense puro. Omori was a nice change from Sekimoto or Sasaki as he has more variety to his moves. I felt this mixed things up. I don't have much more to say. Zero One Wrestling in 2007 has been pretty amazing with these dream match ups. I'm going to say this was a near classic but I'm being conservative. I really dug this!
•Masato Tanaka & Ryouji Sai vs. Shinjiro Otani & Yuji Nagata (11/13) Lots of animosity in this match. Every pin or submission was broken up with nastiness. Sai was a very good pupil for Tanaka. They were right in there with Otani and super star Nagata. Those two were especially vicious with their kicks - tandem kenka kicks in the corner and a fierce sandwich enzuigiri.Â
•Masato Tanaka v Yoshihito Sasaki (12/24) This was called Best of 2007 because these two were the best Zero One Wrestling had to offer. They did not disappoint me. There was good wrestling on the mat. Tanaka tries to weaken Sasaki's arm seeing as the lariat is a big weapon of his. But let's be honest, this is not the point of the match. No, there was fighting on the floor, there are big moves and very hard strikes were there too. Sasaki got busted open the hard way from a table thrown by Tanaka. So he was bleeding most of the match. What really put this above just another great match was the counter moves. There were a few choice moves that really surprised me. It made this really feel like two of the best that Zero One had to offer. By the end both men were loopy and although only one man got his hand raised, both were winners in my eyes. I would call this a classic and highly recommend it. Couldn't ask for a better way to close out this brief look at 2007 Zero One Wrestling.
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