Osaka Pro Wrestling, though a local and fully Japanese language promotion, is quickly becoming one of the most accessible Japanese indie promotions, with entire events available for free on YouTube and flagship shows on the Wrestle Universe streaming service. They are also the home of one of 2024’s early breakout matches – Billy Ken Kid vs Ryuya Matsufusa – and several stars you might recognise from other Japanese promotions, like Zeus or comedic character Ebessan.
Through their childrens’ wrestling classes, Osaka Pro is partly responsible for an entire generation of excellent Osaka wrestlers now making their mark globally, including Konosuke Takeshita, Shigehiro Irie and Rina Yamashita.
If you’re curious to see the wrestlers that Takeshita looked up to as a child or to see more of what their current talent can do, this guide will give you a bit more insight into the promotion, its characters, and how to start watching.
What to Expect
Osaka Pro Wrestling is a small, locally-focused and locally-flavoured promotion. They reflect Osaka and the surrounding Kansai region’s reputation for laid-back fun and comedy, whilst also being able to punch above their weight in the quality and variety of their matches.
The Osaka Pro style has historically incorporated elements of lucha libre, with several of their wrestlers having trained and debuted in Mexico. However, their existing roster draws on a mix of styles and talents, from speedy high flyers to hard-hitting powerhouses.
Osaka Pro has a long history, having been founded in 1999 by serial promotion-founder Super Delfin. Delfin, alongside Ultimo Dragon and The Great Sasuke, was one of the foremost figures in Japanese lucha and Osaka Pro today still honours those historical connections.
The company has weathered hard times, with the roster disbanding entirely in 2014. Current Osaka Pro is a relaunched product, the result of former Osaka Pro and All Japan Triple Crown Champion Zeus taking over as CEO and President in 2021.
Their new roster is a mix of original Osaka Pro veterans and fresh talent from the Kansai region. Building up the company is still an ongoing battle for all involved, so there is a strong sense of camaraderie between the performers and with their growing fanbase, which makes it an exciting time to start watching.
Osaka Pro has the goal to become the promotion with the most child-aged fans in Japan. That means you won’t see any blood or violent weapons here, though chairs and low blows are very much allowed.
As a company still trying to attract new fans, they keep a lot of their storytelling in the ring, so you can get a good sense of relationships and characters from their interactions. Their focus on being accessible to children also makes them easy to follow if you don’t know Japanese, with distinctive characters and relatively simple dialogue.
Don’t assume that means the wrestling or storytelling is basic, though – Osaka Pro have a track record of delivering high quality matches and stories throughout their 25 year history and have played host to some of Japan’s (and Mexico, and America’s) best wrestlers.
How to Watch
Almost all of Osaka Pro’s ticketed shows for 2023 and 2024 are available for free in full or digest form on YouTube, with solid production values that mean you aren’t at risk of missing crucial information.
That means that the best way to watch is to subscribe to their YouTube channel and keep an eye on updates. If you have access to GAORA Sports, you can also catch their monthly one-hour slot, which is regularly repeated in programming, and since April 2024, some select shows on Wrestle Universe, uploaded around a week after the show date.
Ticketed show digests tend to go up on YouTube within 2-5 days, with full shows being made available through YouTube or Wrestle Universe within a week. Their priority is selling tickets, so they don’t tend to release broadcast details until very close to the show date, and not at all if it doesn’t sell out.
You’ll need to keep a close eye on their social media or, if you know some Japanese, listen to their fortnightly interview show on YouTube, which is often how they first release broadcast information.
Rest assured though, they do want fans to see their shows, so even if you might not know on show day when you can see the full thing, you can be confident it will appear on YouTube or Wrestle Universe fairly quickly.
Osaka Pro average one ticketed show a month, for an in-person audience of between 200-300 for smaller shows and 600-700 for their flagship events. They have been adding more big events as they grow, so the calendar isn’t fully fixed, but they’ll usually announce the next big event during the previous one, so you’ll know what’s coming.
Like many Japanese promotions, Osaka Pro have a big annual tournament to determine the strongest of the roster – Tennozan, held in Autumn, is named after a mountain in Kyoto prefecture.
In addition to their major events and tournaments, the promotion also does regular sponsored performances, from mall shows and kids classes to full cards. These don’t tend to include story elements unless a big title match is coming up, so you won’t miss much, but they have been appearing on YouTube in full recently, so there’s more to enjoy!
Who You’ll Be Watching
There is just one formal unit in Osaka Pro – the rudo group ‘Rogue Nation’, led by Quiet Storm and founded in August 2023. You’ll spot them easily by their swagger and purple attire. Everyone else, from veterans to rookies, belongs to the main unit, headed up by President Zeus.
Most shows will feature the main roster, plus a few guests from local promotions like Dotonbori Pro, some of Zeus’ former connections, or other small promotions like Kyushuu Pro Wrestling.
Rogue Nation (the rudos)
Quiet Storm (Leader): One of the last Osaka Pro Champions before the roster disbanded in 2014 and Champion yet again in the new Osaka Pro. Storm is a power fighter known for his lariats.
Yasutaka Oosera: Oosera was first introduced to Osaka Pro as the masked wrestler Ares, son of Zeus. After a short absence from the company, he reappeared late in 2023, only to unmask, turn on Zeus and reveal himself as Oosera and a member of Rogue Nation!
TORU: One of the founding members of Rogue Nation and nominally their spokesperson, TORU is sneaky and strategic.
Goliath: Masked and mysterious, the giant Goliath appeared in October 2023 to join Rogue Nation. His power and height are intimidating, so he’s a valuable weapon for the group.
Shu Asakawa: One of the founding members of Rogue Nation, Asakawa trained in the Osaka Pro Wrestling School.
The comedians (all masked)
Kuishinbo Kamen: The ‘Gluttonous mask’ character is a veteran of fart jokes and closely connected with the ‘jump’ that everyone in the ring must do when a spin is performed. You’ll know when you see it.
Ebessan: Based on one of the seven gods of fortune in Japanese mythology, Ebessan is a good natured character who hands out blessings and, shockingly, occasionally wrestles.
Joichiro Osaka: A new comedic character for the new Osaka Pro, Joichiro is a boxer and self-proclaimed king of Osaka castle. Don’t get caught with your legs either side of a rope when he’s around.
The veterans (mostly masked)
Tigers Mask: Named for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, Tigers is an Osaka Pro legend who may have wrestled under some other names in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is responsible for having trained many younger Osaka wrestlers but definitely more the tough love variety of wrestle-parent.
Billy Ken Kid: Named for Billiken, a god of good fortune representing the Osaka region, Billy is a masked character and one of the best junior wrestlers you might not have heard of. He debuted in Mexico and spent several years there before debuting in Osaka Pro.
Tsubasa: Like Billy, the masked Tsubasa trained and debuted in Mexico. He’s perhaps the most obviously lucha-trained wrestler on the roster and has a strong arsenal of submissions.
The Bodyguard: Former tag partner to Zeus, and singer of his own entrance music, the bodybuilder Bodyguard (pronounced Bodigā) is the oldest member of the roster. He’s there to be big, tough, and surprisingly funny.
The not-quite veterans (also masked!)
Takoyakida: The Prince of Takoyaki Kingdom (go with it). You’ll hear chants of “Ou-ji” (Prince) when he gets in the ring. Originally a comedy character, he is beloved by Osaka Pro fans for his perseverance and reputation for being forgetful. He’s a trainee of Tigers Mask.
Ultimate Spider Jr: Tag partner to Takoyakida. They share the Taco-Spa dance. USJ is the more successful and serious of the pair.
The young guns (some have entrance masks)
Ryuya Matsufusa: The young light heavyweight star, Matsufusa has been a darling of the company since signing early in 2023. He was a huge fan of the promotion as a child and is keen to lead it into a new era.
Yuuto Kikuchi: The former ‘Red Eagle’ has recently become a Black Eagle following a heel turn in his home promotion of Dotonbori Pro. He’s also formerly a long-time friend of Matsufusa, as they both attended Osaka Pro’s childrens wrestling classes together.
Aran Sano: The new Osaka Pro’s first fully ‘home-grown’ talent, rookie Sano is full of fire, especially when it comes to fighting the veterans and wrestlers who can match his power.
ARASHI: High-flyer ARASHI trained and debuted in Mexico before joining Osaka Pro. He’s still very much in a rookie position, but keen to prove himself.
The President (face of a skincare company)
Zeus: Zeus gets his own category because he’s very important. Multiple-time champion in Osaka Pro and AJPW, he’s the leader and sets the tone for the company. His catchphrase, and now the catchphrase of all Osaka Pro, is ‘life is a festival’, so you’ll see him leading the crowd in a festival chant of ‘wasshoi’ at the start and end of shows.
The supporting cast
Shinjiro Miyao: General Manager, announcer, composer, podcast host, and just about everything else. Miyao has been with Osaka Pro since he graduated from technical school in 2003 and wears a suit and hat wonderfully.
Keigo Yoshino: The promotion’s lead referee and comedian, Yoshino has refereed all over the world. His style of comedy is perfect for Osaka Pro.
Kensuke Okada: Osaka Pro’s young homegrown referee. He also does excellent comedy, but often finds himself on the receiving end of some tomfoolery due to his youth.
The Championships
Osaka Pro Wrestling Championship
An openweight championship established in 2000 and first held by founder, Super Delfin, this is the promotion’s premier belt.
OPW Tag Team Championship
Created in 2001 and held by teams including Harada Daisuke and Atsushi Kotoge, Masaaki Mochizuki and Don Fujii, Jushin Thunder Liger and Takehiro Murahama, as well as by all the veterans on the roster, this is an openweight championship.
Tag team wrestling is an important feature of Osaka Pro, with an annual tag festival being a core part of the events calendar.
Osaka Meibutsu Sekaiichi Championship (most recently formerly known as the OPW Owarai Championship)
A comedy championship that has existed in one form or another since 2000, this title is a core part of Osaka’s championship scene, but usually either barely contested, leading to over 1000 day reigns for Kuishinbo Kamen and Billy Ken Kid, or lost very quickly.
Osaka Pro Wrestling Light Heavyweight Championship
A new title created specifically for the new Osaka Pro, it was launched in 2022 with the first light heavyweight tournament, and was won by veteran Tigers Mask.
What else do you need to know?
To get started, that’s it! Just pick a show on YouTube and see what you like. If you haven’t seen the Ryuya Matsufusa v Billy Ken Kid match mentioned at the start, that’s a great place to begin. The tag festivals will also give you a quick introduction to lots of characters and styles.
If you should find yourself falling in love with this strange little promotion, give them some support! You can buy merchandise at their webshop, and use a proxy service like Tenso or Japan Rabbit to ship it worldwide. Follows and subscriptions to their social media platforms and YouTube can offer a boost and are great for accessing information.
Don’t forget to tell someone else about them too, and share any matches you love. There is currently very little English language coverage of the promotion, but Five Star Network will be sharing some previews for big shows to help you to learn more.
For more on Osaka Pro, listen to the Dramatic Dream Dragons Dramatic Special and follow Five Star Network on social media to not miss our upcoming articles on the promotion.