 Osaka Pro Wrestling's logo | |
| Acronym | OPW |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 4, 1999; 26 years ago (March 4, 1999) |
| Style | Puroresu Comedy Lucha libre |
| Headquarters | Osaka, Japan |
| Founder(s) | Super Delfin |
| Owner(s) | Zeus |
| Split from | Michinoku Pro Wrestling |
| Website | www |
Osaka Pro Wrestling (Japanese:大阪プロレス,Hepburn:Ōsaka Puroresu) is a Japaneseprofessional wrestling promotion based inOsaka. The promotion was founded bySuper Delfin on March 4, 1999 following his departure fromMichinoku Pro Wrestling, and has been operated byZeus since July 2021. Commonly associated with thecomedy wrestling andlucha libre genres, Osaka Pro features a variety ofmasked wrestlers inspired by Osaka characters.
In January 1999,Super Delfin announced that due to disagreements withThe Great Sasuke regarding the direction ofMichinoku Pro Wrestling, he would be leaving the promotion alongside several wrestlers and backstage personnel. On March 4, he officially foundedOsaka Pro Wrestling (OPW) in his hometown ofOsaka. Starting April 29, OPW produced their first tour, the Spicy Series 1999. The first event took place at theNamihaya Dome – now the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome – inKadoma, Osaka and saw the team of Super Delfin, Masato Yakushiji andNaohiro Hoshikawa defeatDick Togo,Black Buffalo andViolencia.[1]
The promotion held a major flagship event called theOsaka Hurricane each year from 2003 to 2012 and also hosted thefourth edition of theSuper J-Cup in 2004, which was the second edition of Osaka Hurricane.
In 2010 Osaka Pro started a close working relationship with American promotionChikara.
On March 1, 2014, Osaka Pro announced that it would fold on April 20, 2014 due to financial difficulties, after which all of its wrestlers would becomefreelancers.[2] Osaka Pro later announced that the promotion would continue under new president Yuji Sakagami and wrestlersKuishinbo Kamen andTakoyakida. The new Osaka Pro Wrestling lost many of the old one's key wrestlers as well as their home base of Nasci Hall Umeda, forcing them to employ a new tour format.[3]
In October 2021, it was announced thatZeus had been appointed as the owner and president of OPW. He became president on July 30, and on August 26, he received a share transfer from former owner Yuji Sakagami. However, he remained under contract withAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) for the rest of the year.[4]
| Ring name[5] | Real name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aran Sano | Undisclosed | |
| Billyken Kid | Undisclosed | |
| Black Buffalo | Keisuke Yamada | Sales manager |
| The Bodyguard | Noboru Kurakawa | |
| Ebessan III | Osamu Suganuma | |
| Goliath | Undisclosed | Freelancer |
| Hub | Yuto Kigawa | |
| Joichiro Osaka | Undisclosed | |
| Kuishinbo Kamen | Akinori Tsukioka | |
| Osaka Banpaku Machine | Undisclosed | Alter ego of Billyken Kid |
| Quiet Storm | Undisclosed | Freelancer Osaka Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champion |
| Ryuya Matsufusa | Ryuya Matsufusa | Osaka Light Heavyweight Champion Signed to Dotonbori Pro-Wrestling |
| Shigehiro Irie | Shigehiro Irie | Freelancer Osaka Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champion |
| Shu Asakawa | Taisuke Asakawa | Freelancer |
| Super Delfin | Hiroto Wakita | Affiliated with Sea Food Pro Wrestling |
| Suzaku | Undisclosed | |
| Takoyakida | Undisclosed | |
| Tigers Mask | Atsushi Maruyama | |
| Toru | Toru Matsunaga | Freelancer Osaka Pro Wrestling Champion |
| Tsubasa | Undisclosed | |
| Ultimate Spider Jr. | Undisclosed | |
| Yasutaka Oosera | Yasutaka Oosera | Signed toMichinoku Pro Wrestling |
| Yuto Kikuchi | Yuto Kikuchi | Freelancer Signed to Dotonbori Pro-Wrestling |
| Zeus | Kensho Obayashi | Owner and president of OPW |
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka Pro Wrestling Championship |  | Toru | 1 | December 29, 2024 | 81+ | Osaka, Japan | DefeatedZeus at Excalibur 2024. | [6] |
| Osaka Light Heavyweight Championship |  | Yasutaka Oosera | 1 | January 12, 2025 | 67+ | Osaka, Japan | Defeated Ryuya Matsufusa at Name der Veranstaltung:Osaka Pro New Year Special 2025 - Day 2. | [7] |
| Osaka Meibutsu Sekaiichi Championship | | Joichiro Osaka | 2 | December 29, 2024 | 81+ | Osaka, Japan | DefeatedKanjyuro Matsuyama at Excalibur 2024. | [8][9] |
| Osaka Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship |   | Quiet Storm andShigehiro Irie | 1 (1, 1) | December 29, 2024 | 81+ | Osaka, Japan | Defeated Rogue Nation (Shu Asakawa and Yasutaka Oosera) at Excalibur 2024. | [10] |
| Championship | Last champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Location | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka Owarai Championship | Joichiro Osaka | — | January 8, 2023 | Osaka, Japan | Won abattle royal to win the championship. The title change was voided when Billyken Kid confessed he had lost the physical title belt prior to the match. It was then replaced with the revivedOsaka Meibutsu Sekaiichi Championship. | |
| Super Welterweight Championship | Super Delfin | 5 | November 28, 1999 | Osaka, Japan | DefeatedBlack Buffalo then immediately abandoned the title to create theOsaka Pro Wrestling Championship. | [11] |
| MWF World Junior Heavyweight Championship | Goya Mask | 2 | October 3, 2008 | Naha, Japan | Won a10-man battle royale by last eliminating Kaijin Habu-otoko to win the vacant title. Title deactivated in 2012 when Okinawa Pro-Wrestling, where the title had moved to in May 2008, closed. | [12] |
| Tenpohzan Grand Prix Championship | Miracle Man | 2 | November 22, 2011 | Osaka, Japan | DefeatedTakoyakida at Osaka Happy Weekday. Title moved toFFF Pro-Wrestling. | [13][14] |
| Osaka Pro Wrestling Battle Royal Championship | Tigers Mask | 1 | April 20, 2014 | Osaka, Japan | Won a18-man battle royale by last eliminating Billyken Kid to win the title. Title deactivated two days later when Tigers Mask left the promotion. | [15] |
| Tournament | Last winner(s) | Date won |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka Tag Festival | Aran Sano andTigers Mask | February 24, 2025 |
| Osaka Pro Light Heavyweight Tournament | Yasutaka Oosera | May 26, 2024 |
| Tennōzan | Toru | September 23, 2024 |
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