Some stories from KANZEN Pro

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When Molokai Milk was planning to move home to Hawaii in 2015 and start a small wrestling school, he didn’t really have plans to launch a wrestling company. He simply wanted to help a few young hopefuls sharpen up before being sent out into the world; while enjoying a rest on his slightly aching body.

 

An opportunity mere weeks into his new life saw two nights at a local music show in 2016 turn into something much bigger. KANZEN Pro was created alongside the KANZEN Wrestling Academy. Both have continued all the way through 2025.

 

Along the way KANZEN Pro has welcomed some of the wrestling industries biggest and brightest names into its ring - including Yoshimi Mushashibo, American Elemental II, Chill and Yellow Flash - while producing a fun-filled, colourful and not-always serious show that has delighted thousands of fans live, and millions across the globe.

 

Here follows some of the more interesting stories from the 141 shows that have made up Seasons 1-10 of KANZEN Pro.

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The Opening Weekend

 

It is entirely possible that if Clutch - the real-life band of musician and wrestler Ryan Turner - hadn’t been booked for the 2016 Volcano Fire Festival then KANZEN Pro may never have existed. An exchange of social media messages between Turner and a wrestling fan based in Hawaii pointed him towards Milk’s box fresh wrestling academy - and the duo were quickly on a path to figuring out a wrestling showcase to be part of the Volcano Fire Festival.

 

Both nights began with a “performance” from Thirsty - the band made up of Ryan Turner, his long time tag team partner Stan Manna and their recently-installed lead singer Diablo Duvak. The opening night’s performance was brought to a crashing halt by Steve Flash and Tennessee William attacking the three men.

 

Manna and Turner agreed to meet the “invading” NYCW pairing in the main event with the undercard filled by a string of fresh faced workers battling in front of crowds for potentially the first time.

 

Mid Atlantic Wrestling alumni swept the opening show as Copperhead, Ricky Turner and the tag team of Tyrone Gray and Nate DeMarcus bettered their opponents before the NYCW invaders proved victorious over Thirsty in a fun main event.

 

Night two had a much friendlier beginning as Hawaii’s own Clark Alexander stopped by to figure out why he hadn’t been invited to be part of the show. The crowd were ultimately too raucous for Thirsty to continue. Milk offered an apology and the duo agreed that Alexander would be in the main event should another show be put on.

 

Thirsty defeated a trio of KANZEN’s earliest trainees and Acid II went 1-1 across the weekend with a win over Jimmy Stratosphere. Despite various efforts for him to return, the match proved to be Stratosphere’s only contest in KANZEN Pro as he signed an exclusive deal with World Level Wrestling shortly afterwards - and he remains a key part of their roster.

 

Gray and DeMarcus defeated a future set of KANZEN Tag Team Champions for their second win, before Molokai Milk ended the weekend with a victory in the main event. He pinned Steve Flash with the Full Phat Slam.

 

Volcano Fire Festival, Night One - February 2016

1. o Diablo Duvak (Diablo Driver II -> Pin, 6’12) Phobia x
   
2. x Little Dragon (Copper Bottom -> Pin, 5’34) Copperhead o
   
3. o Ricky Turner (Figure Four Leglock -> Submission, 10’04) Acid II x
   
4. o Tyrone Gray W and Nate DeMarcus (High Energy Splash -> Pin, 7’38) Reid Dazzler and Lucas Crowe L x
   
5. x Thirsty (Stan Manna and Ryan Turner L) (Flash Bang -> Pin, 13’15) Steve Flash W and Tennesse William o
   

Volcano Fire Festival, Night Two - February 2016

1. o Thirsty (Diablo Duvak W, Stan Manna and Ryan Turner) (Diablo Driver II -> Pin, 7’31) Lucas Crowe L, El Hijo Del Neutron and Reid Dazzler x
   
2. x Copperhead (Devil’s Crossroad -> Pin, 8’11) Tennesse William o
   
3. o Tyrone Gray and Nate DeMarus W (High Energy Drop -> Pin, 7’01) Nathan Coleman and Jefferson Striker L x
   
4. x Jimmy Stratosphere (Acid Cutter -> Pin, 11’03) Acid II o
   
5. o Molokai Milk (Full Phat Slam -> Pin, 14’12) Steve Flash x
   

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Yoshimi Mushashibo

 

When Yoshimi Mushashibo stood alongside Mito Miwa on the opening night of the 2020 Paradise Tag Team Tournament, it was a big deal for KANZEN Pro.

 

Miwa had been promising for weeks that he had an ace up his sleeve in his battle to prise the SAISHO Ride The Tiger Championship out of the hands of Reid Dazzler. Motty Kuroda, Gail Force and Goemon Komiya (twice) had all failed to reclaim the title belt from the man that Miwa deemed “unworthy”. As such, the former SAISHO owner drafted in “The Eternal Icon”.

 

A four-time Glory Crown Champion and three-time Elite Series winner, Mushashibo’s presence in a KANZEN ring drew international eyes to the small Hawaiian wrestling company. With an illustrious career already under his belt and a growing injury list looking set to slow him down, the move to an American company seemed to be a sign that Yoshimi was winding down and joining his long-term rival Miwa in beautiful Hawaii made sense.

 

Fresh off rehab on a rotator cuff injury, Yoshimi was ready to face Dazzler in the main event of that show. However the Champion feigned injury and left Mushashibo to be challenged by the COTT World Heavyweight Champion, Jack DeColt. The fighting Champion from Canadian Charisma Championship Combat had seemingly heard a rumour of Mushashibo’s appearance and invited himself to Hawaii so he could match up against one of the best that ever lived - and ensure he went down in history as the first man to face (and beat) Mushashibo on American soil.

 

DeColt regretted that challenge by the end of the evening when trapped in the Yoshimi Lock. So began Mushashibo’s 12 months with the title and a period that also saw him refocus how the Ride the Tiger Championship would be taken from Dazzler. Mushashibo realised the onus was on him to lead those around him.

 

He was in the corner of Yellow Flash when he defeated Reid for the title belt in December, but could do little to stop the brutal attack that followed from the Natural Disasters. Chill, The Storm, Huraken and Gail Force laid Mushashibo out and then beat the new Champion so badly that he was carried out on a stretcher and never seen in KANZEN again (signed with South of the Border Pro Wrestling).

 

2021 began with Mushashibo knowing he needed a team around him to counteract both SHORAI - lead by Dazzler and Natural Disasters - lead by Gail Force. Team Dynasty America came together a few months later when Acid II crossed the locker rooms to join Mushashibo and leave his mentor behind - alongside Diablo Duvak, Riley McManus and American Elemental II. The group had a loose alliance with Blue Dragon and James Diaz, as well as Am El’s tag team partner Corey Shibo and the eight men found themselves battling wave after wave of enemy. Mushashibo’s presence elevated the various members of his teams to performances beyond themselves and they have accumulated a host of title and tournament victories in KANZEN since being under his leadership.

 

At the Season Six finale - Summit - Team Dynasty America were trending towards a very successful evening when a new enemy arrived. Riley McManus had bettered SHORAI’s William Drake Young and the team of American Elemental II and Corey Shibo had become the new KANZEN Tag Team Champions before Mushashibo’s match with Laura Flame was thrown out due to interference. Acid returned with new partners - O’CONNOR and Yoshimi’s own long time partner/protege Masaru Ugaki. POISON announced themselves in KANZEN with a vicious attack, and Acid went on to promise that Acid II’s betrayal would have serious consequences for the entire company.

 

Yoshimi didn’t win another match in KANZEN and more attacks from POISON followed in 2022. The leader of Team Dynasty America was driven out - and the group slowly drifted apart as POISON and Natural Disasters grew in numbers. Corey Shibo joined POISON, blaming Mushashibo for never letting him in Team Dynasty America and Acid II was eventually drawn back to the Rudo locker room by his quest to better and retire his mentor - while the others allowed some title focus to cloud their collective mentality.

 

In truth, his 22 month stay with KANZEN Pro proved to be a catalyst for a career resurgence for the last active member of Pride Glory Honour Wrestling’s Golden Generation. Mushashibo returned to PGHW and has since gone on to win two more PGHW Elite Series (2022 and 2024), taking his total wins to five.

 

Five Notable Matches

 

Paradise Tag Tournament 2020, Night One - May 2020

COTT World Heavyweight Championship - o Yoshimi Mushashibo (Yoshimi Lock -> Submission, 21’23) Champion, Jack DeColt x

 

Feel Good Time - June 2020

SAISHO Ride the Tiger Championship - x Yoshimi Mushashibo (Dazzling DDT -> Pin, 16’53) Reid Dazzler o

 

KANZEN Grand Prix, Night Two - April 2021

o Yoshimi Mushashibo and Blue Dragon W (Dragon Drop -> Pin, 22’11) SHORAI (William Drake Young L and Laura Flame) x

 

KANZEN Grand Prix, Finals - May 2021

COTT World Heavyweight Championship - x Yoshimi Mushashibo (Acid Rain Bomb -> Pin, 11’50) Acid o

 

Humble - November 2021

o Team Dynasty America (Yoshimi Mushashibo, Acid II and Diablo Duvak W) (Diablo Driver II -> Pin, 24’11) Natural Disasters (Chill, Gail Force L and Huraken) x