Osaka Pro Question

[Tradewynd]

I know that guys in Osaka Pro tend to use wild and crazy gimmicks, but can anyone give me any examples of them? I love Delphins matches on a few tapes I have and wanted to know what kind of off the wall stuff he's got his guys doing(heck, it might even inspire me to invest a few Osaka Pro tapes!)

[Dr Feelgood]

IMO Osaka Pro has the best comedic matches of all puroresu.
Where else can you get to see a guy with an Ultraman gimmick fighting off furry lobsters or an evil child-stealer whilst hitting perfect lucha spots?
The showstealers in terms of wackiness are probably the wrestling clown Kuishinbo Kamen and his rival Ebessan (some sort of gnome who goes around blessing people with a branch off a tree). Naniwa came to the ring with a mask that looked a bit like Ebessan's face at the 95 J-Cup, so Ebessan may be a local Osaka kami or something. Their in-ring antics and nonsensical feuds are often hilarious.

Osaka Pro is definitely worth a look-at, especially if you are already a fan of Delfin's style. Nobody else seems to be able to work comedy spots and crowd pleasing as expertly into solid lucha-style matches, I find. Also, Delfin's students have really come on in the ring, and Takehiro Murahama is like a rough diamond.

[KAZUhiro Jyo]

Looks like to me that everything that has to do with Kansai prefecture has to do with the promotion itself since Osaka's well know for it's dialect gaining in popularity.
Hmm.. I wonder if Spel Delfin talks with a Kansai dialect...

[Peru-Yakuza]

My friend

It's Super not Spel...

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

Originally posted by Dr Feelgood
The showstealers in terms of wackiness are probably the wrestling clown Kuishinbo Kamen and his rival Ebessan (some sort of gnome who goes around blessing people with a branch off a tree). Naniwa came to the ring with a mask that looked a bit like Ebessan's face at the 95 J-Cup, so Ebessan may be a local Osaka kami or something.

"Kuishinbo Kamen" can be translated as "hungry maskedman."

"Ebessan" = "Ebisu-san". For more info about Ebisu, click here.

There is a bridge called "Ebisu-bashi" over the famous "Doutonbori" river in Osaka.

"Naniwa" is an old name for a part of Osaka. Gran Naniwa's crab mask is from a famous seafood restaurant "Kani Douraku". He used to wear Hanshin Tigers baseball uniform for the entrance.

Originally posted by KAZUhiro Jyo
I wonder if Spel Delfin talks with a Kansai dialect...

Yes, Super Delfin does talk with Osaka-ben.

[Dr Feelgood]

Thanks for the detailed information on the cultural background of Osaka Pro, Hisa-san.
It all makes a lot more sense now.