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The 'Fire Festival' is an annual professional wrestling round-robin tournament held by Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX to determine the top wrestler in the promotion, typically contested in late July/early August. In addition to ZERO1-MAX members, it has frequently included outside stars, including 2003 winner Satoshi Kojima, Kensuke Sasaki and TAKA Michinoku.
Since 2002, it has featured two blocks, each with five participants, with the two block winners facing off in the final to determine the overall champion. The 2001 Fire Festival only featured four in each block, but held the same principle. The winner of the tournament is presented with the 'Fire Sword', which they carry for the following year until the next Festival.

Contents
Results
List of winners
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
References

Results

List of winners

★ 2001: Shinjiro Otani

★ 2002: Shinjiro Otani

★ 2003: Satoshi Kojima

★ 2004: Kohei Sato

★ 2005: Shinjiro Otani

★ 2006: Masato Tanaka

★ 2007: Masato Tanaka

2001

The 2001 Fire Festival was held from September 1 to September 15, over three weekly events on September 1, 8 and 15; four tournament matches were held at each, including the finals on 9/15.

Final standings

Block A		Block B
Shinjiro Otani	6	Kohei Sato	4
Horshu	4	Samoa Joe	4
Sean McCully	2	Masato Tanaka	3
Daisuke Sekimoto	0	George Takano	1

Block A	Horshu	Sean McCully	Shinjiro Otani	Daisuke Sekimoto
Horshu	X	Horshu (Forf)	Otani (8:32)	Horshu (4:53)
Sean McCully	Horshu (Forf)	X	Otani (3:08)	McCully (3:49)
Shinjiro Otani	Otani (8:32)	Otani (3:08)	X	Otani (11:29)
Daisuke Sekimoto	Horshu (4:53)	McCully (3:49)	Otani (11:29)	X
Block B	Kohei Sato	Samoa Joe	George Takano	Masato Tanaka
Kohei Sato	X	Sato (8:25)	Sato (7:21)	Tanaka (8:56)
Samoa Joe	Sato (8:25)	X	Joe (5:24)	Joe (8:00)
George Takano	Sato (7:21)	Joe (5:24)	X	Draw (9:28)
Masato Tanaka	Tanaka (8:56)	Joe (8:00)	Draw (9:28)	X

2002

The 2002 Fire Festival expanded the tournament to include 10 participants, and was held from July 28 to August 4 over five shows, each featuring four tournament matches.

Final standings

Block A		Block B
Shinjiro Otani	6	Tetsuhiro Kuroda	6
Masato Tanaka	5	Yuki Ishikawa	4
TAKA Michinoku	4	Steve Corino	4
Kintaro Kanemura	3	Hirotaka Yokoi	4
King Joe	2	Kohei Sato	2

Block A	Kintaro Kanemura	King Joe	TAKA Michinoku	Shinjiro Otani	Masato Tanaka
Kintaro Kanemura	X	Joe (6:09)	Kanemura (9:55)	Otani (0:03)	Draw (15:49)
King Joe	Joe (6:09)	X	TAKA (6:38)	Otani (7:15)	Tanaka (9:24)
TAKA Michinoku	Kanemura (9:55)	TAKA (6:38)	X	Otani (15:11)	TAKA (7:57)
Shinjiro Otani	Otani (0:03)	Otani (7:15)	Otani (15:11)	X	Tanaka (14:06)
Masato Tanaka	Draw (15:49)	Tanaka (9:24)	TAKA (7:57)	Tanaka (14:06)	X
Block B	Steve Corino	Yuki Ishikawa	Tetsuhiro Kuroda	Kohei Sato	Hirotaka Yokoi
Steve Corino	X	Ishikawa (9:02)	Kuroda (9:46)	Corino (9:56)	Corino (7:17)
Yuki Ishikawa	Ishikawa (9:02)	X	Kuroda (11:52)	Sato (6:53)	Ishikawa (8:43)
Tetsuhiro Kuroda	Kuroda (9:46)	Kuroda (11:52)	X	Kuroda (7:42)	Yokoi (8:45)
Kohei Sato	Corino (9:56)	Sato (6:53)	Kuroda (7:42)	X	Yokoi (7:02)
Hirotaka Yokoi	Corino (7:17)	Ishikawa (8:43)	Yokoi (8:45)	Yokoi (7:02)	X

2003

The 2003 Fire Festival was held from July 25 to August 1, with four matches on July 27 being contested in All Japan Pro Wrestling. The winner, Satoshi Kojima, is to date the only "outsider" to win the Fire Festival, representing AJPW.

Final standings

Block A		Block B
Shinjiro Otani	5	Satoshi Kojima	6
Arashi	4	Masato Tanaka	5
Hirotaka Yokoi	4	Tetsuhiro Kuroda	4
Kintaro Kanemura	4	Alexander Otsuka	3
Yoshiaki Fujiwara	3	Kohei Sato	2

Block A	Arashi	Yoshiaki Fujiwara	Kintaro Kanemura	Shinjiro Otani	Hirotaka Yokoi
Arashi	X	Fujiwara (5:01)	Kanemura (4:50)	Arashi (14:53)	Arashi (9:24)
Yoshiaki Fujiwara	Fujiwara (5:01)	X	Kanemura (7:54)	Draw (11:24)	Yokoi (6:51)
Kintaro Kanemura	Kanemura (4:50)	Kanemura (7:54)	X	Otani (10:38)	Yokoi (7:21)
Shinjiro Otani	Arashi (14:53)	Draw (11:24)	Otani (10:38)	X	Otani (6:48)
Hirotaka Yokoi	Arashi (9:24)	Yokoi (6:51)	Yokoi (7:21)	Otani (6:48)	X
Block B	Satoshi Kojima	Tetsuhiro Kuroda	Alexander Otsuka	Kohei Sato	Masato Tanaka
Satoshi Kojima	X	Kojima (12:52)	Otsuka (12:46)	Kojima (12:34)	Kojima (26:05)
Tetsuhiro Kuroda	Kojima (12:52)	X	Kuroda (9:03)	Kuroda (10:36)	Tanaka (8:07)
Alexander Otsuka	Otsuka (12:46)	Kuroda (9:03)	X	Sato (7:51)	Draw (9:18)
Kohei Sato	Kojima (12:34)	Kuroda (10:36)	Sato (7:51)	X	Tanaka (11:57)
Masato Tanaka	Kojima (26:05)	Tanaka (8:07)	Draw (9:18)	Tanaka (11:57)	X

2004

The 2004 Fire Festival was held from July 27 to August 1, over five shows.

Final standings

Block A		Block B
Takao Omori	5	Kohei Sato	6
Satoshi Kojima	5	Shiro Koshinaka	5
Wataru Sakata	4	Shinjiro Otani	4
Hirotaka Yokoi	3	Kintaro Kanemura	3
Tetsuhiro Kuroda	3	Masato Tanaka	2

Block A	Satoshi Kojima	Tetsuhiro Kuroda	Takao Omori	Wataru Sakata	Hirotaka Yokoi
Satoshi Kojima	X	Draw (13:02)	Omori (19:06)	Kojima (14:52)	Kojima (14:35)
Tetsuhiro Kuroda	Draw (13:02)	X	Kuroda (11:16)	Sakata (15:10)	Yokoi (11:10)
Takao Omori	Omori (19:06)	Kuroda (11:16)	X	Omori (7:17)	Draw (30:00)
Wataru Sakata	Kojima (14:52)	Sakata (15:10)	Omori (7:17)	X	Sakata (9:50)
Hirotaka Yokoi	Kojima (14:35)	Yokoi (11:10)	Draw (30:00)	Sakata (9:50)	X
Block B	Kintaro Kanemura	Shiro Koshinaka	Shinjiro Otani	Kohei Sato	Masato Tanaka
Kintaro Kanemura	X	Draw (5:34)	Kanemura (1:18)	Sato (9:14)	Tanaka (11:07)
Shiro Koshinaka	Draw (5:34)	X	Otani (10:56)	Koshinaka (8:32)	Koshinaka (Forf)
Shinjiro Otani	Kanemura (1:18)	Otani (10:56)	X	Sato (17:32)	Otani (Forf)
Kohei Sato	Sato (9:14)	Koshinaka (8:32)	Sato (17:32)	X	Sato (Forf)
Masato Tanaka	Tanaka (11:07)	Koshinaka (Forf)	Otani (Forf)	Sato (Forf)	X

2005

The 2005 Fire Festival was held from July 29 to August 7, over five shows.

Final standings

Block A		Block B
Shinjiro Otani	5	Kensuke Sasaki	6
Tadao Yasuda	4	Hirotaka Yokoi	4
Masato Tanaka	4	Takao Omori	4
Daisuke Ikeda	4	Chris the Bambikiller	4
Kohei Sato	3	Ryouji Sai	3

Block A	Daisuke Ikeda	Shinjiro Otani	Kohei Sato	Masato Tanaka	Tadao Yasuda
Daisuke Ikeda	X	Draw (30:00)	Draw (6:50)	Tanaka (9:03)	Ikeda (5:57)
Shinjiro Otani	Draw (30:00)	X	Otani (13:39)	Tanaka (17:11)	Otani (10:49)
Kohei Sato	Draw (6:50)	Otani (13:39)	X	Sato (12:47)	Yasuda (7:18)
Masato Tanaka	Tanaka (9:03)	Tanaka (17:11)	Sato (12:47)	X	Yasuda (7:46)
Tadao Yasuda	Ikeda (5:57)	Otani (10:49)	Yasuda (7:18)	Yasuda (7:46)	X
Block B	Chris the Bambikiller	Takao Omori	Ryouji Sai	Kensuke Sasaki	Hirotaka Yokoi
Chris the Bambikiller	X	Omori (8:03)	Chris (14:13)	Chris (7:46)	Yokoi (10:46)
Takao Omori	Omori (8:03)	X	Omori (20:03)	Sasaki (22:51)	Yokoi (6:15)
Ryouji Sai	Chris (14:13)	Omori (20:03)	X	Sasaki (12:06)	Sai (11:41)
Kensuke Sasaki	Chris (7:46)	Sasaki (22:51)	Sasaki (12:06)	X	Sasaki (10:44)
Hirotaka Yokoi	Yokoi (10:46)	Yokoi (6:15)	Sai (11:41)	Sasaki (10:44)	X

2006

The 2006 Fire Festival was held from July 20 to July 29, over six shows. Due to a tie for first place in Block A, a four-way elimination match was made on the night of the finals to determine the winner of the block, with that man facing Block B winner Ryouji Sai later in the night. This would end up being Masato Tanaka, who also went on to defeat Sai and win the tournament. The top 4 in Block A are ranked below by order of elimination, with the first eliminated, Kazunari Murakami, ranked lowest.

Final standings

Block A		Block B
Masato Tanaka	5	Ryouji Sai	6
Yutaka Yoshie	5	Takao Omori	5
Shinjiro Otani	5	Tatsutoshi Goto	4
Kazunari Murakami	5	Kohei Sato	3
Tomoaki Honma	0	Daisuke Sekimoto	2

Block A	Tomoaki Honma	Kazunari Murakami	Shinjiro Otani	Masato Tanaka	Yutaka Yoshie
Tomoaki Honma	X	Murakami (5:58)	Otani (11:57)	Tanaka (11:08)	Yoshie (10:41)
Kazunari Murakami	Murakami (5:58)	X	Murakami (9:15)	Tanaka (8:23)	Draw (11:18)
Shinjiro Otani	Otani (11:57)	Murakami (9:15)	X	Draw (30:00)	Otani (10:18)
Masato Tanaka	Tanaka (11:08)	Tanaka (8:23)	Draw (30:00)	X	Yoshie (11:27)
Yutaka Yoshie	Yoshie (10:41)	Draw (11:18)	Otani (10:18)	Yoshie (11:27)	X
Block B	Tatsutoshi Goto	Takao Omori	Ryouji Sai	Kohei Sato	Daisuke Sekimoto
Tatsutoshi Goto	X	Omori (7:29)	Goto (7:44)	Sato (6:42)	Goto (9:40)
Takao Omori	Omori (7:29)	X	Sai (14:20)	Draw (30:00)	Omori (11:50)
Ryouji Sai	Goto (7:44)	Sai (14:20)	X	Sai (12:18)	Sai (14:14)
Kohei Sato	Sato (6:42)	Draw (30:00)	Sai (12:18)	X	Sekimoto (14:06)
Daisuke Sekimoto	Goto (9:40)	Omori (11:50)	Sai (14:14)	Sekimoto (14:06)	X

2007

The 2007 Fire Festival, currently underway, will be held from July 16 to August 2, over nine shows. Four of the ten participants were determined by each winning a qualifying match on May 27. Four more were determined by fan voting, and the final two were outsiders handpicked by ZERO1-MAX. On July 20, it was announced that Ikuto Hidaka would be replacing Kazunari Murakami, who was forced out of action after just one match due to a head injury, due to finishing in fifth place in the fan vote. In a similar situation to the 2006 tournament, Block A ended in a full tie with four points, leading to a five-way match on August 2 to determine the finalist. The participants and schedule are as follows:

Current standings

Block A		Block B
Ryouji Sai	4	Masato Tanaka	7
Ikuto Hidaka	4	Kohei Sato	6
Shinjiro Otani	4	Daisuke Sekimoto	3
Akitoshi Saito	4	Yoshihito Sasaki	2
Yutaka Yoshie	4	Takao Omori	2

Block A	Ikuto Hidaka	Shinjiro Otani	Ryouji Sai	Akitoshi Saito	Yutaka Yoshie
Ikuto Hidaka	X	Draw (14:22)1	Sai (13:34)	Draw (12:08)	Hidaka (12:25)
Shinjiro Otani	Draw (14:22)1	X	Sai (14:22)	Otani (11:55)	Draw (30:00)
Ryouji Sai	Sai (13:34)	Sai (14:22)	X	Saito (14:16)	Yoshie (14:29)
Akitoshi Saito	Draw (12:08)	Otani (11:55)	Saito (14:16)	X	Draw (30:00)
Yutaka Yoshie	Hidaka (12:25)	Draw (30:00)	Yoshie (14:29)	Draw (30:00)	X
Block A	Takao Omori	Yoshihito Sasaki	Kohei Sato	Daisuke Sekimoto	Masato Tanaka
Takao Omori	X	Sasaki (8:40)	Sato (15:21)	Omori (16:11)	Tanaka (14:57)
Yoshihito Sasaki	Sasaki (8:40)	X	Sato (12:11)	Sekimoto (15:25)	Tanaka (14:39)
Kohei Sato	Sato (15:21)	Sato (12:11)	X	Sato (12:30)	Tanaka (12:05)
Daisuke Sekimoto	Omori (16:11)	Sekimoto (15:25)	Sato (12:30)	X	Draw (30:00)
Masato Tanaka	Tanaka (14:57)	Tanaka (14:39)	Tanaka (12:05)	Draw (30:00)	X

¹Kazunari Murakami wrestled this match; Hidaka was awarded the point upon replacing Murakami.

References

★ MAXIMUM Zero

★ Shining Road

★ ZEROONEUSA.com