ZERO-ONE

About a month after my surgery, the director of "Samurai TV" who told me to go to the hospital called me "I have some news." So when I went to see him, he told me that "ZERO-ONE wants Kasai-kun." "I can't wrestle for another year, and there's no merit in going there now," I said. "ZERO-ONE says that's okay. They will still pay you while you are absent. They also talked about selling T-shirts designed by you at the ZERO-ONE shows, and you can take all the profits, so why don't you meet with the group once? " I was a free agent after leaving Big Japan, and I needed to see what was going on, as it was a story that sounded too good to be true. I visited the office of ZERO-ONE and met and talked with Yoshiyuki Nakamura, who was a managing director, Shinya Hashimoto, and other wrestlers. Mr. Nakamura said, "It would be great if Kasai-kun could do something like be a spokesperson who would come in at the beginning and provoke Japanese wrestlers."

"I think it's a good idea. " At that time, ZERO-ONE had a great number of foreign players. Steve Corino, Predator, Tom Howard. I would play manager who seems to be sly, and brings together such foreigners. I loved WWE and American wrestling, so I could immediately imagine the role. Besides, anyway, I thought that it would be possible to do professional wrestling, get up in professional wrestling, moisturize with professional wrestling, and support my family properly, so I will take care of ZERO-ONE. I decided to do it. After that, every time there was a ZERO-ONE Korakuen Hall tournament, I went to the venue to make T-shirts, towels, and Mr. Hashimoto's Fukuwarai and sell them. I continued to make them and started to appear in the joint practice of the dojo in Hamamatsucho. My first match back was decided for January 5, 2003. However, the box office was calling the show "ZERO-ONE USA", and the concept was that all the participating players were foreign wrestlers. That's why I started to twist my monkey name to "Ape the Man"

I didn't think of the name, I thought of my pen name when sending illustrations to "Kakutsu" would be used as a ring name for the return battle at ZERO-ONE. I was also Shinya Hashimoto's attendant, and ZERO-ONE was a major promotion. Since there were a lot of wrestlers, I was prepared to for fans to see Jun Kasai with cold eyes as "A strange guy came from the indies", but both Mr. Otani and Mr. Tatsuhito Takaiwa had power. They were soft and professional, they treated me equally as a wrestler. We were seriously involved in joint practice, and outside the ring, I became friends with young Yoshihito Sasaki and Japanese Black Ushita (currently Rikiya Fudo) and we began to drink. Also, unlike the latter half of my time at Big Japan Wrestling, I was paid properly, so ZERO-ONE was quite comfortable. However, when I became friends with Mr. Hashimoto that was unexpected.

I was really a kid in general and began to be swayed by his words and actions. Mr. Hashimoto loved history, especially respecting Nobunana Oda (leading Japanese figure in the 1500s) and he declared himself the "rebirth of Nobunaga". Since I was a monkey character, it seemed that Mr. Hashimoto equated monkey to Toyotomi Hideyoshi (a peasant who rose up to power with Nobunaga) and suddenly he said, "Make the monkey my attendant!" I was liked by Mr. Hashimoto, so I was wondering if I would be able to team up with him and form a "Nobunaga / Hideyoshi Tag" in the flow of professional wrestling, but this is a real story, and the front desk also said "please be Mr. Hashimoto's attendant". So I did. Big Japan Pro-Wrestling did not have an attendant system, so this was my first experience. Without knowing what to do, I became a wrestler's attendant in the fifth year since my debut. At that time, Mr. Hashimoto was said to be more "well rounded" compared to when he was at New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but he was still quite a dynamic person and I was often confused.

Star Shinya Hashimoto

When I stayed at a hotel after a match at a local venue, Mr. Hashimoto said, "I have to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) back to Tokyo tomorrow, so Monkey, make sure to wake me up!" I said "OK!" and went back to my room, and did not think it would be a big deal. I woke up early and went to his room to get him up. When I entered the room and said, "Mr. Hashimoto, you have to be ready for the Shinkansen, please wake up!", He said "OK" and kept sleeping. It kept getting closer to when he had to leave, and I felt this was getting dangerous after every second. I kept calling out his name many times, "Mr. Hashimoto, it's almost time!", Mr. Hashimoto finally got up and started getting dressed, saying "I understand. Don't panic." His movement was still really slow. Next thing I know he is saying "Monkey, go get me my pants" and "go get my shirt", but since his shirt and Zubaz are right next to him, I tell him I think it would be faster if get them yourself. At the time we managed to get out of the hotel and board a taxi, and I helped him arrive at the station.

We arrived at the station at the last minute before the Shinkansen would depart, as we only had about 10 minutes before it would take off, but I realized that I hadn't bought a ticket yet. I felt like we were not going to make it on time as Mr. Hashimoto went straight to the ticket gate. I went up to him "I'm sorry, Mr. Hashimoto! I haven't bought a ticket yet!", and Mr. Hashimoto said, "Yes, keep quiet!" and he walked to the station staff. "I am Hashimoto, a professional wrestler." He smiled as we were allowed to just pass through the gate without a ticket and we got on the Shinkansen. It's messed up, but I realized that he had the aura of a star and got things not everyone else got. It was also intense as there was a show in Odate, Akita.

I had not officially joined the promotion yet, so Hashimoto told me I didn't have to second him to the ring.

He just told me to go see him after his match was over, so I went back to the waiting room and talked with Tengu Kaiser and lost track of time. Then, after the main event was over, Mr. Hashimoto rushed into the waiting room in the form of a demon and yelled, "Why weren't you out there to second me after the match!" He was so angry that I felt like he was about to beat me, and I was just really scared of him at that moment.

I went back to the hotel after the show and I was alone in the room while eating my dinner that I bought at the convenience store. I was just thinking how I regretted making Mr. Hashimoto so angry, and then when I was about to go to bed,  outside of the room became noisy. I was thinking "What's this noise so late at night?", I looked into the corridor from the eye scope of the door, and Mr. Hashimoto was walking in a sneak peek. He's pounding on the door of the room diagonally opposite me! He knocked on the door, laughed and ran flutteringly away. "Was this the same person who was so angry with me while ago?", but when I asked about the situation later, it seems that a certain wrestler had brought a woman into the room for Mr. Hashimoto.

The area around Mr. Hashimoto often becomes like this kind of all boys' school, and in many ways I thought, "Is this group really okay??" It was difficult for me to work as an unfamiliar wrestler, but I was allowed to do what I wanted in the ring. The reaction of the fans were good, and my character gradually became more known to the fans. I had a singles match with Wataru Sakata at Korakuen Hall on May 29, 2003, that was called "Jun Kasai official ZERO-ONE Joining Test Match", and if I win, I can officially join ZERO-ONE. The match will be an out-of-the ring battle and the referee will continue to count us out of the ring. I tried to get back to the ring, but Mr. Sakata grabbed me by the tail that grew from my pants and tried to stop me. So I took off my pants and got back in the ring to pick up the count out win. At that time, I think this way of winning was a gamble, but I think it was a match that was very exciting and the ZERO-ONE fan acknowledged me for it. Then, on the ZERO-ONE mat, I emphasized my comical character.

The number of such matches I had increased. It was fun with that, but as I went on a tour, I gradually began to think that the story was different from what I heard at the beginning, as was the case of being Mr. Hashimoto's attendant. The plan was for me to be a manager and be a spokesperson for the foreign wrestlers disappeared before I knew it.

Before I noticed, I was just in a position to wrestle a comedy match for the first match on the show. I felt nostalgic for Big Japan Pro-Wrestling and the fulfillment I had when I was doing death match with the top, and I started to feel a moody feeling, "This is not something I want to do." as I had just became a normal salary man wrestler. At that time, Mr. Hashimoto began filming a movie he starred in called "Oh! My Zombie Mermaid". As an attendant, I have to follow Mr. Hashimoto at the scene. Also, for some reason, I was supposed to appear in a movie, and I took a picture at the location site in Karuizawa, Nagano for about a week.

Around this time, my long-awaited eldest son was born. He was really cute and I wanted to be with them as much as possible, but I couldn't because I was busy having to be at the set for the movie all the time and I was not happy as I was not getting to have any matches. I had a lot to say inside and outside the ring, but at that time I was a complete office worker. I would do anything if I could get a proper salary, and when the company asked me to go to the Hustle, I felt "happy" and did the work I was given. In the meantime, ZERO-ONE gradually became suspicious of doing things not practical. I'm not sure what the situation was, but Mr. Hashimoto and the office confronted each other, and as a result, Mr. Hashimoto quit, and the group was renamed "ZERO1-MAX". The wrestlers were willing to do their best, but Mr. Hashimoto's hole was so big that they couldn't make attractive cards, and the number of customers was visibly reduced. If that happens, the atmosphere of the company will get worse and it will be depressing.

When I thought about it, it was similar to what I felt after CZW left Big Japan. So, as expected, management began to become difficult.

"Jun Kasai of ZERO-ONE, challenge for this belt!"

At that time, when I happened to be watching "Samurai TV" at home, they were broadcasting the 10th anniversary of the launch of Big Japan Pro Wrestling at the Yokohama Bunka Gym. The main event would be Ito, who was crunchy and thin, and had the death match belt, and was fighting against Mr. Hido. When I was looking at it while thinking, "Ito the champion of the death match ... What am I doing in exchange for that?", Ito commented after the match, "The guy who challenges for this belt, works for another group. I am appointing the next challenger. Jun Kasai of ZERO-ONE, challenge for this belt! " I didn't think that my name would come out of Ito's mouth, so I was really like "What?", but at the next moment, I thought "Jun Kasai has to do a death match with Ito."

The next day I decided to leave ZERO-ONE, so I called Mr. Otani and told him, "I was able to do what I wanted to do, so I would like to leave." I decided to leave ZERO1. Otani accepted my release and a press conference was set to announce to me leaving the promotion. However, at the press conference there were reporters asking me "If you had not been held back, would you be leaving? I felt the awkward tension being asked that, but I can't just say that is the reason. So I stated "It's my life, and Jun Kasai has something to do. I am leaving to be free." Although besides doing a death match with Ito, I didn't even know if there was anyone that was going to book me for another match. Immediately after I came back from the press conference, I called Kintaro Kanemura. Mr. Kanemura also appeared in ZERO-ONE, but I knew him from before while working in Big Japan.

So when I said to Mr. Kanemura, "I left ZERO-ONE," he said, "Oh, I understand. Then I'll call to get you booked in Big Japan." Even though I didn't say "I want to go to Big Japan" to him, Mr. Kanemura said, "I'll tell them to put Kasai on the next Korakuen Hall show," as if he had seen through my feelings, and that decided everything.

Click here for Jun Kasai's Autobiography Part 4