Nagata made a successful V2 defense of his World Heavyweight Title at today’s ZERO1-MAX show at Shinjuku FACE. He downed the Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament winner and former dojo mate, Tatsuhito Takaiwa, after a pretty tough fight. Nagata was then confronted by who else but ZERO1-MAX ace and the man he took the belt from, Masato Tanaka, who demanded their Tokyo Dome match be a title defense. Nagata accepted and it looks all set! 01 also announced that from January their organization name will become just ZERO1.

ZERO1-MAX “ZERO1 DELIGHT ‘08″, 12/17/08
Shinjuku FACE

- World Heavyweight Title: Yuji Nagata (c) beat Tatsuhito Takaiwa (17:53) with a backdrop suplex (2nd defense).

Jushin Thunder Liger could hold two outside tag titles by the time 2009 comes around. We already knew that he and AKIRA would challenge heavyweights Daisuke Sekimoto & Mammoth Sasaki for the BJW Tag Team Title this month, but he will also now be involved in CIMA’s return match on DRAGON GATE soil, as the two challenge YAMATO & Cyber Kong for the Open The Twin Gate Tag Team Title. This is one new interpromotional match announced involving NJ wrestlers, and here is a list of upcoming ones, including the famous New Japan “bad boy” junior trio reuniting on New Year’s Day…

AJPW “FAN APPRECIATION DAY”, 12/14/08
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- Tiger Mask & Shisa Mask vs. Kiyonari Sanada & Manabu Soya

ZERO1-MAX “ZERO1 DELIGHT 2008″, 12/17/08
Shinjuku FACE

- World Heavyweight Title: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa

BJW, 12/19/08
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

- BJW Tag Team Title: Daisuke Sekimoto & Mammoth Sasaki (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA

DRAGON GATE, 12/28/08
Fukuoka International Center

- Open The Twin Gate: YAMATO & Cyber Kong (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & CIMA

ZERO1-MAX “GENESIS 2009″, 1/1/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- New Year Special Fight: Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Koji Kanemoto vs. Masato Tanaka, Jado & Gedo
- New Year Big Fight: Kohei Sato vs. Manabu Nakanishi

LOCK UP, 1/10/09
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

- Kazuchika Okada vs. Nobuo Yoshihashi
- Jado & Gedo vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Tetsuya Naito

After overcoming Kohei Sato in his V1 defense of ZERO1-MAX’s World Heavyweight Title, Nagata has an interesting second defense set for 12/17 at Shinjuku FACE. He’ll battle Tatsuhito Takaiwa, a fellow member of the 1992 New Japan dojo class, and someone it has been a very long time since Nagata took on in a singles match. Takaiwa earned this shot by winning 01’s Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament recently, where he pinned NJ’s Minoru in the final. Nagata will be the heavy favourite, but Takaiwa has plenty of experience and took part in the 2000 G1 Climax, where he pulled off an upset over Koshinaka.

ZERO1-MAX “ZERO1 DELIGHT 2008″, 12/17/08
Shinjuku FACE

- World Heavyweight Title: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa

And just to confirm, Liger & AKIRA will be challenging the power fighter team of Daisuke Sekimoto & Mammoth Sasaki for the BJW Tag Team Title at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium on 12/19. The tough man duo overcame Daikokubo Benkei & Yuichi Taniguchi recently in their latest defense to confirm this. Liger isn’t daunted by having to face two heavyweights, as he’s used to it and has scored plenty of wins over bigger opponents in the past. AKIRA, if you recall, was actually part of the heavyweight division for years, before moving back to the junior division earlier this decade.

BJW, 12/19/08
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

- BJW Tag Team Title: Daisuke Sekimoto & Mammoth Sasaki (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA

PREMIUM’s Boxing Day offering features the reunion of the Complete Players! Yes, after many years, Masato Tanaka, Jado, and Gedo reunite against a trio yet to be named. The Complete Players developed a good track record as a unit, starting in FMW, before breaking away during the company’s dying days and even running their own independent show. They will be joined in reunion by Chono, Tenzan, and Hiro Saito, who may end up as opponents for the Complete Players. The interviewer brought up Tanaka being opposed to Jado and Gedo’s GBH boss, Makabe, and they called this a separate venture, though noted that Makabe probably wouldn’t second them to avoid a dispute.

Meanwhile, Jado & Gedo completed the signing ceremony for their 12/7 shot at Yujiro & Naito’s IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title. Both teams put pen to paper, and old dog Kantaro Hoshino showed up promising to enforce sanctions against GBH like he did to Gedo on 9/21 when he tried to interfere in the Muto vs. Makabe match. Hoshino got really angry at the two today and ended up trying to attack them. Gedo said he would prepare a seat for the elderly at ringside for President Hoshino. Naito, who was quiet for the duration, talked about Jado & Gedo’s reputation as a world class tag team, and called it past talk, saying the time of NO LIMIT is here. He and Yujiro plan to overcome this challenge and dream of making their first Tokyo Dome appearances on January 4th.

Nakanishi & Hirasawa returned to ZERO1-MAX again for a couple of matches recently.

ZERO1-MAX, 11/15/08
Kurihara Takashimizu Sports Center

- Manabu Nakanishi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Shinjiro Otani & Shito Ueda (13:20) when Nakanishi used an Argentine backbreaker on Ueda.

ZERO1-MAX, 11/16/08
Iwaki Municipal Gymnasium

- Kohei Sato & Ryouji Sai beat Manabu Nakanishi & Mitsuhide Hirasawa (13:54) when Sai used the Nachi Waterfall on Hirasawa.

Yuji Nagata goes into tomorrow’s match with Masato Tanaka in charge, having won today’s final lead-in. Nagata choked out ZERO1 youngster Shito Ueda with a sleeper hold in a tag today and provoked Tanaka after the match, promising to take his title at Sumo Hall.

ZERO1-MAX, 10/12/08
Tochigi Prefectural Cultural Center

- ZERO1 vs. NJPW: Yuji Nagata & Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Masato Tanaka & Shito Ueda (14:14) when Nagata used a sleeper hold on Ueda.