Japan’s Wrestle-1 has partnered with Lucha Otaku to conduct tryouts at select U.S. pro-wrestling training centers beginning in June 2019. In addition to the tryouts, a multi-promotion alliance that will exchange talent with Wrestle-1 is being formed.
We can confirm that the Inoki Dojo in Huntington Park will be one of the locations holding tryouts for Wrestle-1, and the tryouts will be on June 15, 2019. Kaz Hayashi and Sonny Onoo will be running the tryouts and selecting up to two wrestlers to train at the Wrestle-1 Dojo in Japan for a week.
Here is the full press release:
Lucha Otaku has partnered with Kaz Hayashi’s Wrestle-1, and Michael Weber, COO of FITE to conduct tryouts at select dojos within the United States beginning June 2019. Lucha Otaku’s Management Team of Gary Lee Jackson, Dan Madigan, and Mitch Berlow have also contracted Sonny Onoo to serve as an International Consultant. Onoo will oversee the launch of a new, never-before seen, multi-dojo/promotion alliance that will exchange talent with Hayashi’s Wrestle-1, a leading Japanese Wrestling dojo and training center in Shinjuku, Japan.
The newly formed partnership will be referred to as Wrestle-1 Alliance, or W1A.
W1A will conduct the tryouts for the sole purpose of providing up to 2 scholarships per dojo, for wrestlers to train at the Wrestle-1 dojo in Japan for one week. FITE, who already has an agreement to distribute Wrestle-1 content on their platform, has come aboard as the premiere sponsor of W1A. FITE will also distribute content from the W1A tryouts across all platforms.
The launch of W1A comes at a time of heightened interest in the history, culture, and mystique of Japanese Professional Wrestling with today’s wrestling fans, as well as up and coming wrestling talent. The alliance formed by multiple dojos/training centers within the US will be the first of its kind, exchanging talent within the United States and internationally with Wrestle-1 in Japan.
Training centers, gyms, or dojos in New York, Atlanta, Kansas, Texas, Northern and Southern California, and others have already signed on to have W1A visit their facility to hold tryouts.
Lucha Otakuis a multi-dimensional production company and talent agency, with a singular vision: to establish a creative haven for the indie artist – Musicians, Graphic Artists, Writers, Performing Artists, and Athletes. Established names and burgeoning talent all flourish under the Lucha Otaku banner. Lucha Otaku literally means “Fight Geek”. A name, born out of the reverence and respect for Japanese and Mexican Pop Culture, it represents the fusion of these two distinct and rich traditions into one unique transnational merger.
Kaz Hayashi (Hayashi Kazuhiro) who was trained by Gran Hamada and Último Dragón, debuted in 1992 as a Japanese professional wrestler, and is best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW),where in addition to being a wrestler for the promotion, he also served as the head booker for the company’s junior heavyweight division. Since leaving AJPW in 2013, Hayashi continues to compete for Wrestle-1, where he also works as a trainer.In April 2017, Hayashi took over as the new president of Wrestle-1.
FITE TV is the largest independent digital streaming platform for combat sports featuring over 1,000 pay per view events per year available a-la-carte. FITE is free to join through its downloadable apps for iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, Android TV, ROKU and Amazon Fire or at www.FITE.tv. FITE streams live events from the MMA, Boxing and Pro Wrestling world to its community of 1.2 million registered viewers.
For information regarding the Wrestle-1 Alliance and the upcoming training seminars, please visit www.W1Alliance.com or send all inquiries to info@W1Alliance.com.
