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Pro Wrestling Zero1

Acronym	Zero1
Founded	January 25, 2001
Style	Strong style
Headquarters	Japan
Founder(s)	Shinya Hashimoto andShinjiro Otani
Owner	Shinjiro Otani
Parent	Studio Backdrop
Sister	Pro-Wrestling Sun (2006–2009)
Formerly	Pro Wrestling Zero-One (2001–2004) Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max (2004–2008)
Split from	New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Website	www.pwzero1.com

Pro Wrestling Zero1 (Japanese:プロレスリングZERO1,Hepburn:Puroresuringu Zerowan; stylized as PRO WRESTLING ZERO1), often referred to simply asZero1 and sometimes referred to asPro Wrestling Zero1 Catch as Catch Can (stylized as ZERO1 and PRO WRESTLING ZERO1 CATCH AS CATCH CAN, respectively), is aJapaneseprofessional wrestling promotion founded in 2001.

Formerly known asPro Wrestling Zero-One andPro Wrestling Zero1-Max (stylized as Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE and Pro Wrestling Zero1-MAX, respectively), it was affiliated with theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 2001 until late 2004, and briefly reaffiliated in 2011. It was also affiliated withAWA Superstars of Wrestling (AWA) from 2005 until late 2007, theGlobal Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA) from 2006 to 2009, and was affiliated with theUnited Wrestling Network (UWN) from 2017 to 2022.

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The promotion was founded by formerNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) starShinya Hashimoto who was quickly joined byShinjiro Otani.^[1] In 2000, Hashimoto proposed an independent promotion within NJPW called "New Japan Pro-Wrestling Zero", but the idea was shot down.^[2] When Hashimoto was fired by NJPW in November 2000, he registered thePro Wrestling Zero-One name.^[3]

In its early years, Zero1 had working agreements withPro Wrestling Noah (Noah),All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), NJPW,Riki Pro,Hustle, Big Mouth Loud, King's Road, and Dragondoor.^{[citation needed]} These agreements enabled Zero1 wrestlers to challenge for and hold the other promotions' titles. The promotion also operated their own dojo, which was referred to as the "Takeshiba Coliseum".^{[citation needed]}

On November 30, 2004, Shinya Hashimoto gave up ownership of the promotion, telling the press that due to financial problems he had decided to step away from the company.^{[citation needed]} A new parent company "First On Stage" was formed consisting of president Yoshiyuki Nakamura, ring announcer Oki Okidata, Shinjiro Otani and a company named Baltic Curry.^{[citation needed]} First On Stage renamed the promotion toPro Wrestling Zero1-Max, with Otani and Nakamura taking over the promotion's general operations.^{[citation needed]} Among other major changes made to the promotion's structure was the decision to joinAWA Superstars of Wrestling (AWA) as the alliance's only Japanese member.^{[citation needed]} Due to their new affiliation with the AWA, the promotion's previousNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliation was given to rival promotion NJPW.^{[citation needed]}

Since April 2005, Zero1 has held yearly pay-per-view events at theYasukuni Shrine, which is controversial forits relation to World War II.^[4] Larger Japanese wrestling promotions like NJPW, AJPW, and Noah have traditionally stayed away from such venues due to their controversial nature.

On September 12, 2006, Zero1-Max joined 12 other wrestling companies to form theGlobal Professional Wrestling Alliance (GPWA), a professional wrestling alliance that intended to "foster an environment of cooperation rather than competition."^{[citation needed]} The alliance planned to hold occasional "Super Shows" where all member promotions would send wrestlers to compete under the GPWA banner.^{[citation needed]} Noah's CEOMitsuharu Misawa was inaugurated as the first chairman of the GPWA, while Zero1-Max's Yoshiyuki Nakamura was announced as the alliance's president.^{[citation needed]} The GPWA would later fold in 2009.

In 2008, the promotion shortened its name toPro Wrestling Zero1.^{[citation needed]} In 2011, the promotion returned to the NWA as their Japanese territory.^{[citation needed]} In March 2011, NWA presented Zero1 with the NWA Pan-Pacific Premium Heavyweight Championship in celebration of the promotion's tenth anniversary.^{[citation needed]} In July,Daisuke Sekimoto won theFire Festival to become the first NWA Pan-Pacific Premium Heavyweight champion.^{[citation needed]} Later in 2011, Zero1 left the NWA, renaming their NWA-branded championships to "New Wrestling Alliance" championships.^{[citation needed]}

Following their 2011 departure from the NWA, Zero1 launched an American affiliate, Zero1 USA, taking over the promotion previously known as NWA Midwest.^{[citation needed]} In 2012, an Australian division of Zero1, known as Zero1 Australia, opened in Adelaide taking over what was previously known as NWA Pro Australia; in 2014 the relationship between Zero1 and Zero1 Australia ended with the Australian-based promotion renaming to Wrestle Rampage.^[5] Later in 2012, the Zero1 Hong Kong and Zero1 Mexico branches opened.^{[citation needed]} In 2013, Yoshiyuki Nakamura opened a new division of Zero1 in Belarus.^[6][7]

On December 17, 2013, Zero1 announced a corporate restructuring taking place at the start of the 2014.^[8]

During a September 16, 2016 press conference, Dream On Stage was announced as Zero1's new parent company. Also announced was a partnership between Zero1 andAkebono's Ōdō company.^[9] On May 22, 2017, Zero1 partnered with theUnited Wrestling Network to become the group's official Japanese affiliate.^[10] On July 3, 2018, it was announced that the promotion be undergoing a management change, with Yoshitaka Ono stepping down as the CEO. Katsumi Sasazaki would be appointed the representative director and president of the promotion, while Shinjiro Otani took on the chairman of the board position andMasato Tanaka andKohei Sato split the vice-president role of the promotion.^[11]

On February 1, 2020, Zero1 president Kazuhiro Iwamoto announced that the ownership of the promotion would be transferred from the previous management company Dream On Stage to iFD.^{[citation needed]} Iwamoto additionally announced a plan to reform the promotion, which would include holding a show in theRyōgoku Kokugikan on April 13, 2021, as part of the promotion's 20th anniversary. A further goal would be holding a show in the Ryogoku Kokugikan annually, while also providing Zero1 wrestlers with fixed contracts and social security.^{[citation needed]}

During a hiatus caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic, the promotion suffered from severe financial problems. Kazuhiro Iwamoto resigned from his position as president while wrestlersTatsuhito Takaiwa,Ikuto Hidaka, and Kohei Sato all departed the promotion.^[12] In July 2020, it was announced that the company was acquired by Daiko Holdings Group.^[13] That same month, they hired formerFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling women's wrestlerMegumi Kudo as their general manager.

On December 27, 2024, during a press conference, it was announced that the promotion was acquired by Studio Backdrop. It was additionally announced that Zero1 affiliate Tochigi Pro-Wrestling would begin operating independently of Zero1 andMasato Tanaka would launch Zero1 Hardcore, a Zero1 affiliate based onhardcore wrestling.

Championship	Current champion(s)		Reign	Date won	Days held[14]	Location	Notes
World Heavyweight Championship		Masato Tanaka	7	November 10, 2025	15	Tokyo, Japan	DefeatedAtsushi Kotoge atZero1 first advance to the holy land.
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship		Takumi Baba	2,2	January 1, 2025	328+	Tokyo, Japan	DefeatedSeiki Yoshioka atTochi Pro Happy New Year & Shinjiro Otani Aid ~ Stand Up Again And Again.
International Junior Heavyweight Championship
NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship		Kubota Brothers (Hide Kubota and Yasu Kubota)	2 (2, 2)	September 27, 2025	59+	Tokyo, Japan	Defeated MJ2 (Kengo Mashimo andNaka Shuma) atZero1.

Zero1 holds a heavyweight tournament every summer in the last week of July called the "Fire Festival" (Himatsuri) where the winner holds the "Fire Sword" (a katana) for a whole year until the next summer's tournament. They also hold aYasukuni Shrine show every April and a yearly junior tournament called the "Tenkaichi Jr."

• Professional wrestling in Japan
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• Zero1 English language website

• Pro Wrestling Zero1
• 2001 establishments in Japan
• Japanese professional wrestling promotions
• National Wrestling Alliance members

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