ENSOU! TV スポーツ LIGHTNING NEWS!! ~ GM Sano breaks silence!

The 4536 Group has been mum on the cancellation sending MAX-J ambassadors to North America, but following the reports of Laurentide Promotions' acquisition of the Pollo Road brand and its prompt restructuring as IRON ROAD Pro-Wrestling, MAX GM Masaaki "Genki" Sano made a long-awaited publication appearance to address the past, present, and future of the brand.

Sano confirmed that he had some foreknowledge that an ownership shake-up seemed likely and he'd made this known to the 4536's board of directors as well as the All-Japan Sports and Wrestling Commission's International Development Office (AJSWC-IDO). It was the latter entity, which owns the rights to and governs the conduct of the World Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, that balked at the current champions METAL HERO and Earth Warrior making their V4 defense in such a chaotic situation. The AJSWC-IDO was primarily concerned that losing the titles overseas in such an uncertain landscape might result in a scenario where custody of the titles could be "thrown in limbo". And without an overseas tour anchored by the title defense, the 4536 Group subsequently became nervous that it would bankroll so many fighters to cross the Pacific with perhaps no upside.

The MAX GM moved quickly, however, to share news that MAX and IRON ROAD had recently come to an agreement that not only would allow MAX ambassadors more frequent participation at IRON ROAD events, but also announced that the brand would now extend MAX sponsorships to foreign competitors as part of their GLOBAL HEROES program to allow talent from other promotions to compete in Japan. He stressed that while he would encourage any member of the IRON ROAD roster to apply, MAX would be looking high and low for "new heroes", including some countries one might not expect.

As a result of this decision, he confirmed that METAL HERO and Earth Warrior would travel overseas to make their V4 defense of the tag titles in North America on an IRON ROAD event. Upon noting that a recent ENSOU! TV poll listed the most recent V3 defense versus AJ Knight and Jimmy Winner as one of the Top 10 matches in MAX history, he has stated he has ultimate confidence in the champions to be ready and for IRON ROAD's management to select the strongest opponents.

In terms of the future, Sano stated that while there are many big plans that he cannot elaborate on at this time, he said that all eyes are focused on the return of the J1 SUMMIT in 2024. A venue has been booked in Tokyo to host the return of the round-robin tournament and he has extended an open invitation to any former MAX-J champion to participate should they choose, and will likely hold a J1 eliminator match or two to determine some of the candidates.

All in all, Sano appeared to be invigorated and lively. If his demeanor is any indication, it would appear there are big plans in store for MAX in the upcoming months and we at ENSOU! TV will stay tuned to give you all the updates.