Osaka Pro Wrestling celebrates their 14th anniversary, having held their debut show on April 29th, 1999. Founded by masked wrestler Super Delfin, Osaka Pro is best known for its hybrid style of professional wrestling, mixing high-flying Luch Libre with traditional Japanese strong style and of course their eccentric brand of comedy wrestling.
But perhaps it is best known for its memorable cast of characters. The majority of their wrestlers wear masks and bright colorful costumes. Well known Osaka stars include Ebessan (the god of good fortune), Kuishinbo Kamen (the masked clown) and NOAH junior heavyweight standout Atsushi Kotoge.
OPW holds events six days a week, year round. Most of their weekday events draw anywhere from 10 to 50 fans with weekend shows usually having around 200 - 400. They also have bigger shows a few times a year where they invite some bigger stars which can attract thousands of fans.
Osaka is well known for their affiliation with American independent wrestling company CHIKARA, which seems to have been heavily influenced by them. Through the years CHIKARA stars such as Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Hallowicked and more have wrestled in OPW as well as OPW sending their talent to bigger CHIKARA events such as the annual King of Trios tournament.
The OPW 14th anniversary show is scheduled for Monday the 29th of April at the Matsushita IMP Hall in (of course) Osaka, Japan. The full card can be found below. However, the 29th of April may not be much of a celebration as recently it was announced that several mainstay wrestlers of OPW have given their resignation to the company and will be leaving after the anniversary show, namely Daisuke Harada, Kuuga, Hideyoshi, Masamune, Orochi and HAYATA, leaving the future of OPW in serious jeopardy.
1. Katsumi Oribe vs. Yoneda
2. Yun Gang Chul & Naoki Setoguchi vs. Zeus & The Bodyguard
3. Tsubasa & Billyken Kid vs. Quiet Storm & Spider J
4. Black Buffalo & Yumemaru-kun vs. Tigers Mask & Bull Armor TAKUYA
5. Special 8man Tag Match: Kuuga, Hideyoshi, Masamune & Orochi vs. Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke, HAYATA & Kazuaki Mihara
6. Atsushi Onita, Kuishinbo Kamen & Ebessan vs. Kikutaro, Kanjyuro Matsuyama & Takoyakida
Make sure to check out Osaka Funny Wrestling on Fightbox. Check your local listings for times and availability.
