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FREEDOMS UPDATE, ZERO1 POSTPONES ANNIVERSARY AND MORE FROM JAPAN

Pro Wrestling ZERO1

Pro Wrestling ZERO1’s twentieth anniversary show in Ry?goku Kokugikan on March 14 has been postponed to 2022.

The Japan Sumo Association owns Ry?goku Kokugikan and has moved its annual March tournament from EDION Arena Osaka to Tokyo due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, leaving ZERO1 without a venue.

Four matches had been confirmed for the show, highlighted by #STRONGHEARTS leader CIMA challenging Masato Tanaka for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji was set to face Shoki Kitamura at the show. Marufuji competed in the opening match of ZERO1’s first ever show in 2001 against Naohiro Hoshikawa.

Kitamura appeared at ZERO1’s press conference today and reiterated his desire to face Marufuji. While the match has not been announced, Marufuji is shown on the poster for ZERO1’s show in Korakuen Hall on February 7 which seems to confirm his participation.

Kitamura was previously scheduled to team with Takumi Baba against GLEAT duo Soma Watanabe and Takanori Ito on February 7 but the match is no longer advertised.

El Lindaman was scheduled to make his first defense of the ZERO1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship and ZERO1 World Junior Heavyweight Championship in an intergender match against Asuka at the anniversary show. The match will now take place on February 7.

The last confirmed match for the anniversary show was Hide Kubota and Yasu Kubota versus Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto.

An article from Tokyo Sports covering the event’s postponement, including quotes from Shinjiro Otani, can be read here.

The updated card for ZERO1’s show in Korakuen Hall on February 7 is:

• Satsuki Nagao vs. Yuya Aoki
• Carbell Ito, Hartley Jackson and Naoshi Sano vs. Chris Vice, Voodoo Mask and Yoshikazu Yokoyama
• Takafumi vs. Yasu Kubota
• ZERO1 International Junior Heavyweight Championship and ZERO1 World Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Lindman (c) vs. Asuka
• Hayato Tamura vs. Shinjiro Otani

Aside from Marufuji, other notable names who appear on the show’s poster include CIMA, Masato Tanaka, T-Hawk and others.

ZERO1 also announced it will hold a show in Korakuen Hall on May 30.

Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS

Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS has announced three new matches for its February 9 show in Korakuen Hall.

Daisuke Masaoka and Takashi Sasaki will face Kengo and Yuya Susumu in a tag team match while Kamui will face Tomoya Hirata in a hardcore match. Lastly, Brahman Kei and Tatsuhito Takaiwa will face Dragon Libre and GENTARO.

The updated card for the show is:

• Brahman Kei and Tatsuhito Takaiwa vs. Dragon Libre and GENTARO
• Hardcore: Kamui vs. Tomoya Hirata
• Daisuke Masaoka and Takashi Sasaki vs. Kengo and Yuya Susumu
• King of FREEDOM Tag Team Championships: Mammoth Sasaki and Violento Jack (c) vs. Minoru Fujita and Rina Yamashita
• Jun Kasai and Kenji Fukimoto vs. Masashi Takeda and Takayuki Ueki
• King Of FREEDOM World Championship: Toru Sugiura (c) vs. Toshiyuki Sakuda

New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling will hold its The New Beginning in Nagoya show in Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium tomorrow.

The full card is:

• EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano
• BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi, Master Wato, SHO and Tomoaki Honma
• Loser must stop using the Mongolian Chop: Great-O-Khan vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
• No Disqualifications: Satoshi Kojima vs. Will Ospreay
• NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Shingo Takagi will attempt his second defense of the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. The match will be the first time Tanahashi has challenged for the title and one could argue a victory for Takagi would be the biggest of his New Japan career.

Dragon Gate

Dragon Gate will hold a show in Sea Mall Shimonoseki tomorrow.

The full card is:

• Dragon Kid, Masaaki Mochizuki and Takashi Yoshida vs. Kagetora, Ultimo Dragon and YAMATO
• Diamante and Kaito Ishida vs. Susumu Yokosuka and U-T
• BxB Hulk and KAI vs. Genki Horiguchi and Kzy
• Bokutimo Dragon, Punch Tominaga and Ryo Saito vs. Keisuke Okuda, Shuji Kondo and Yosuke Santa Maria
• Eita, HipHop Kikuta, KAZMA SAKAMOTO and SB KENTo vs. Jason Lee, Kota Minoura, La Estrella and Shun Skywalker

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