Osaka Pro "Osaka Holiday Paradise"

Date: October 15th, 2006
Location: Osaka Delfin Arena at Festival Gate
Attendance: 159

Ah, Osaka Pro. Founded in 1998 by Super Delfin, almost ten years later the promotion is still going strong. Osaka Pro has never been taken too seriously and probably never will, but they put on a fun show with a mixture of comedy, high flying, and an occasional brawl. Osaka Pro probably wouldn't rank in the top ten in Japan in terms of average attendance, but they have survived and consistently put on entertaining events. This one here is a small show though with no real attraction to it, and honestly I am surprised it made it onto TV. But I can only review what they show, so lets see if this event surprises me. Here is the full card:

- Daisuke Harada vs. Tigers Mask
- Kuishinbo Kamen and Ebessan II vs. Super Delfin and Ice Penguin
- Mineo Fujita and Monkey Magic III vs. Tsubasa and Flash Moon
- Asian Cougar vs. GAINA
- Billy Ken Kid, Masamune, and Asian Condor vs. Miracle Red, Momorio Takaku, and Atsushi-kun

Daisuke Harada vs. Tigers Mask
JIP as Harada has Tigers Mask in a reverse chinlock, but Tigers Mask gets a foot on the bottom rope. Irish whip by Harada and he connects with a polish hammer, cover, but it gets a two count. Back up, Tigers Mask picks up Harada and slams him to the mat. Tigers Mask clubs Harada in the back, Harada tries to fight back but Tigers Mask elbows him back down. Belly to belly suplex by Tigers Mask, cover, but it only gets a two count. Stretch Plum by Tigers Mask, Harada wiggles out of it but Tigers Mask applies a crossface. After a moment Harada gets a foot on the ropes, Tigers Mask picks him up and hits a vertical suplex. Cover, but Harada kicks out. Tigers Mask applies a stretch hold on the mat but again Harada gets to the ropes and forces a break. Tigers Mask picks up Harada and chops him in the chest, but Harada returns fire and the two trade blows. Harada goes off the ropes but Tigers Mask catches him with a kick to the stomach. Tigers Mask goes off the ropes but Harada hits an overhead belly to belly suplex, scoop slam by Harada but the cover only gets a two count. Harada picks up Tigers Mask but Tigers Mask fights him off. Gutwrench suplex by Harada, cover, but it again gets two. Harada picks up Tigers Mask but Tigers Mask hits a standing dropkick. Tigers Mask picks up Harada, Irish whip and he delivers another dropkick. Cover, but Harada kicks out at two. Single leg crab hold by Tigers Mask but Harada gets a hand on the bottom rope. Stomp to the back by Tigers Mask, he picks up Harada and throws him into the corner. Irish whip by Tigers Mask, reversed, but Tigers Mask moves when Harada charges in and hits a jumping kick. Tigers Mask goes off the ropes but Harada catches him with an armdrag slam for a two count pinfall. Harada goes off the ropes and delivers an elbow, cover, but Tigers Mask kicks out at two. Harada picks up Tigers Mask and goes for a suplex, but Tigers Mask blocks it. Slaps by Harada, he goes off the ropes, Tigers Mask catches him and goes for a side slam, but Harada gets out of it and hits a half hatch suplex hold for a two count. Harada picks up Tigers Mask and goes for a second one, but Tigers Mask blocks it and its a uranage. A second uranage by Tigers Mask, cover, but it gets a two count. Tigers Mask slaps on the Stretch Plum and after struggling for a moment Harada submits! Your winner: Tigers Mask

Match Thoughts: Your typical established star vs. rookie match, with Tigers Mask giving Harada some good offense but making sure it was clear that he was not losing. Tigers Mask stretched Harada throughout and won with a submission, which is pretty normal for this type of match. Only half of it or so was shown, and I am surprised that Harada was able to go so long with one of Osaka Pro's biggest stars. Harada did look solid however as he fought evenly with Tigers Mask in parts and they stayed on the same page throughout. Solid opening match, but certainly nothing special. Score: 5.5

Kuishinbo Kamen and Ebessan II vs. Super Delfin and Ice Penguin
Kamen and Penguin start things off. Tie-up, wristlock by Penguin but Kamen reverses it. Penguin flips out of it and applies an armlock into a crucifix pin, but it gets a two count and both men are back up. Tie-up, Irish whip by Penguin but Kamen slams on the breaks and gets Penguin to the mat. They struggle for position, armdrag by Kamen and they trade pin attempts (including the referee at one point) until both are back on their feet. Penguin tags in Delfin while Kamen tags in Ebessan. Snapmare by Delfin, Ebessan lands on his feet but Delfin hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick Irish whip by Delfin from the corner, reversed, Delfin sends Ebessan onto the apron, Delfin goes for a strike but he ends up outside the ring. Ebessan goes to do a dive, Delfin ducks, but instead of diving though the ropes Ebessan reaches through and bops Delfin on the head. Kamen and Penguin come in as the legal men, kick by Penguin in the corner, Irish whip, Kamen goes out to the apron and goes for a senton but Penguin rolls out of the way. Chop by Kamen in the corner, Irish whip, Penguin tries to flip himself out to the apron but he gets stuck in the ropes until the referee helps him over. Penguin goes for a senton through the second rope but Kamen moves and Penguin lands on his head. Kamen throws Penguin into the corner, Irish whip, and Kamen hits a lariat. A second lariat by Kamen as Penguin fires up, but a third one knocks Penguin off his feet. Kamen tags in Ebessan, cover but Ebessan but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Ebessan, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Penguin gets up in time and throws him off. Penguin tags in Delfin, and Delfin hits a butterfly suplex onto Ebessan. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Delfin tags Penguin back in, Penguin gets Kamen on his shoulders and hits a spinning over-the-shoulder drop for a two count cover. Penguin tags in Delfin, kick by Delfin in the corner and he stomps Ebessan to the mat.

Delfin picks up Ebessan and hits a delayed brainbuster, cover, but Ebessan barely gets a shoulder up. Stretch hold by Delfin, Kamen comes in the ring but Delfin bops him in the head. Irish whip by Ebessan to Delfin but Delfin kicks him in the head when he goes for a back bodydrop. Ebessan is hurt by this and Delfin feels sorry for him, but finally he gets back to his feet. Delfin goes for a scoop slam, Ebessan pushes him away at first but after a moment he hits it. Penguin comes in the ring and helps Ebessan up, Kamen comes in the ring, and they Irish whip Penguin and Delfin into each other. Double lariat by Ebessan and Kamen, double pin, but both get a two count. Ebessan and Delfin stay in the ring and Ebessan hits a jumping lariat, cover, but it gets a two count. Ebessan slams Delfin in front of the corner and goes for a moonsault, but Delfin rolls out of the way. High-angle DDT by Delfin, cover, but it gets a two count. Delfin gets onto the top turnbuckle and hits a Tornado DDT, he goes for a shotei but Ebessan ducks it and dropkicks Delfin out of the ring. Asai Moonsault by Ebessan, as in the ring Penguin slams Kamen to the mat. Lariat by Penguin but Kamen won't go down. A second one doesn't do the trick either, Penguin goes up to the top turnbuckle but Kamen falls before Penguin can do another move. Cover by Penguin but Ebessan breaks up the pinfall. Kamen throws Penguin into the corner, Irish whip but Penguin avoids both Kamen and Ebessan as they all do leapfrogs over each other. Penguin goes for a backdrop suplex onto Kamen, Delfin comes in the ring and grabs Ebessan, and both wrestlers hit a backdrop suplex on their opponents. Pescado by Delfin onto Ebessan, while in the ring Penguin kicks Kamen in the chest. Penguin goes off the ropes but Kamen moves out of the way of the spinning heel kick. Penguin punches Kamen when he charges in and goes for a DDT, but Kamen blocks it and hits a DDT of his own for the three count cover! Your winners: Kuishinbo Kamen and Ebessan II

Match Thoughts: Comedy matches can be hit and miss and this one was on the "miss" side. A few of the spots were humorous but the match went way too long for what they were doing. I am also disappointed that this is all we get of Super Delfin for he is fun to watch and here he couldn't really do his normal match. The new Ebessan is significantly less funny then the original one, and Penguin entertained me here more then anyone else. I know this is part of what Osaka Pro is, as every card has at least one comedy match with some combination of these wrestlers, but this one just fell a little flat and plodded along too much to be entertaining. Score: 4.0

Mineo Fujita and Monkey Magic III vs. Tsubasa and Flash Moon
JIP as Monkey Magic has Moon in a reverse chinlock, reversed into a wristlock by Moon but Monkey Magic reverses it back. Reversed again by Moon, Monkey Magic tries to flip out of it but Moon keeps the hold applied. Monkey Magic finally gets to the ropes, tie-up, armdrag by Moon, Monkey Magic goes off the ropes and Monkey Magic hits a headscissors. Moon gets back up quickly however and Moon bops Monkey Magic on the head. Moon tags in Tsubasa as Monkey Magic tags in Fujita, armdrag by Tsubasa and he hits a second one. Cross armbreaker by Tsubasa but Fujita gets a foot on the bottom rope. Back up, kicks by Tsubasa and he tags in Moon. Moon and Fujita trade chops, Moon goes off the ropes and connects with an elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Fujita makes the tag to Monkey Magic, who kicks Moon in the corner. Irish whip by Monkey Magic and he delivers a spinning elbow strike. Monkey Magic picks up Moon and kicks him in the chest, but Moon absorbs the blows. Chop by Moon, he picks up Monkey Magic and hits a scoop slam for a two count cover. Moon picks up Monkey Magic again and tags in Tsubasa. Tsubasa comes in the ring with a slingshot senton, cover, but Monkey Magic gets a foot on the ropes. Stomps by Tsubasa and the two trade chops, which Tsubasa gets the better of. Back up, Tsubasa puts Monkey Magic in the corner and kicks him repeatedly. Snapmare by Tsubasa and he rakes Monkey Magic's eyes with his feet. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tsubasa applies a reverse chinlock but Monkey Magic gets out of it. Scoop slam by Monkey Magic and he hits a running Shooting Star Press (where did that come from?) for a two count. Monkey Magic picks up Tsubasa but Tsubasa chops him and they trade blows. Back kick by Tsubasa, he picks up Monkey Magic as Moon comes in the ring and they both hit running strikes in the corner. Catapult Hurricanrana by Moon but it only gets a two count. Moon picks up Monkey Magic, snapmare, Irish whip by Moon and he delivers a dropkick. Cover, but Fujita breaks it up.

Moon tags in Tsubasa, snapmare by Tsubasa and he applies a stretch hold on the mat. Back up, wristlock by Monkey Magic and he applies an abdominal stretch, Fujita runs in the ring but Moon hits a cross body over Tsubasa onto Fujita. Fujita manages to break it up anyway. Moon and Tsubasa put their opponents into opposite corner and Irish whip them into each other. A double dropkick sends Fujita and Monkey Magic out of the ring, and then both Tsubasa and Moon hit pescados down onto their opponents. Moon throws Fujita back into the ring and hits a missile dropkick, cover, but it gets a two count. Two jumping heel kicks by Moon, cover, but again it gets two. Moon waits for Fujita to get up and hits a superkick, he then hits a springboard tornado DDT. Cover, but Fujita barely gets a shoulder up. Moon goes off the ropes but Fujita catches him with a cutter. Another cutter by Fujita, cover, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Fujita, reversed, but Fujita hits a satellite armbar takedown. Moon falls out of the ring, Fujita goes off the far ropes and sails out onto him with a tope con hilo. Monkey Magic and Tsubasa get in the ring, Irish whip by Monkey Magic and he delivers a dropkick. Cover, but it only gets a two count. Fisherman Suplex by Monkey Magic but that also gets a two. Monkey Magic picks up Tsubasa, scoop slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving body press. Cover, but Tsubasa gets a shoulder up. Monkey Magic goes off the ropes but Tsubasa catches him with a tornado DDT. Tsubasa picks up Monkey Magic and hits a Falcon Arrow, cover, but Fujita breaks it up. Moon dropkicks Fujita out of the ring and sails out after him with a springboard plancha suicida. In the ring Tsubasa grabs Monkey Magic and goes for a powerbomb, but Monkey Magic goes over his back and rolls him up for a two count. Backslide by Monkey Magic but Tsubasa barely gets out of it. Schwein by Tsubasa, cover, but Fujita breaks it up. Tsubasa throws Fujita out of the ring while Moon grabs Monkey Magic, scoop slam by Moon in front of the corner and he delivers a top rope driving senton. Cover, and he picks up the three count! Your winners: Tsubasa and Flash Moon

Match Thoughts: Ah, now this was what I wanted to see. What a fun indy match. And I don't mean "indy match" in a negative way, I enjoy matches that are a bunch of masked wrestlers flying around beating each other up at a fast pace for 15 minutes. All four men looked good although Fujita did the least. Flash Moon was particularly impressive as he hit a lot of fun spots almost effortlessly. I was glad the match had a definite ending as if they had ended with a roll-up after all of that I would have been very disappointed. Sure, the selling was suspect and there was little rhyme or reason to it, but they weren't pretending like there was. The end was well done with Monkey Magic clearly being targeted and after a few quick pin attempts failed you knew that he was done for. Overall this was very entertaining and just the type of match I want to see when I pop in an Osaka Pro DVD. Score: 7.5

Asian Cougar vs. GAINA
JIP as the two are battling in the crowd. GAINA throws Cougar into a column and kicks him while he lays on the floor. GAINA picks up Cougar and throws him into another column before clubbing him in the back. GAINA picks up Cougar and stomps him repeatedly in the back. Finally we get into the ring, elbows by GAINA, Irish whip from the corner and he delivers a lariat. Snapmare by GAINA and he goes for Cougar's mask, but after a moment he breaks the hold. GAINA kicks Cougar in the stomach, Irish whip, reversed, and Cougar hits a flapjack. Cougar goes to the ropes while GAINA's head is over the apron and hits a slingshot leg drop down onto GAINA. Outside the ring now Cougar rams GAINA into the ring post. Cougar then goes up to the apron and hits a slingshot senton over the ring post to the floor. Cougar gets back into the ring and GAINA slowly follows, Cougar clubs him as he gets on the apron and rams him into the turnbuckle. A choke over the ropes is applied by Cougar but GAINA gets out of it and hits a leg sweep. GAINA drags Cougar over to the ring post and rams his left leg into it. GAINA then gets back in the ring and stomps Cougar in his now injured leg. Leg lock by GAINA and he applies an inverted Sharpshooter. Cougar eventually makes it to the ropes however and GAINA is forced to break the hold. GAINA waits for Cougar to get up and goes off the ropes, but Cougar moves and GAINA sails out of the ring. Cougar rolls out after him and gets a chair, but GAINA kicks him before he can use it and rams him into a column. GAINA then gets two chairs and lays them on the floor, he picks up Cougar but Cougar blocks the backdrop suplex attempt. Cougar then grabs GAINA and hits the Sky Canal off the ring apron to the floor on top of the chairs. Cougar picks up GAINA, snapmares him on the floor, and puts two chairs on top of him. Cougar then gets back into the ring, goes to the ropes and hits a slingshot senton down onto GAINA. Cougar slides GAINA back into the ring, he hits the Sky Canal, cover, but it gets a two count. Cougar picks up GAINA and puts him up on his shoulders, but GAINA punches his way out of it. Cougar goes off the ropes but GAINA hits a powerslam for a two count. Back up, Irish whip by GAINA and he hits an atomic drop followed by a lariat. Cover, but it gets another two. GAINA goes up to the top turnbuckle and connects with the diving elbow drop, but it also only gets a two count. GAINA picks up Cougar and goes for a powerbomb, but he can't get Cougar up. Cougar goes for a uranage, GAINA blocks it, but Cougar hits an enzigieri. Cougar goes off the ropes but GAINA hits a low blow and rolls up Cougar for the three count! Your winner: GAINA

Match Thoughts: A pretty bland brawl with a few good spots but not enough to make up for the match. I liked the rebound bulldog outside the ring by Cougar and the slingshot senton, but the rest came across as rather dull and ultimately meaningless. The leg work was sold about as long as it should have been, but in a match that started with brawling outside the ring I don't see why limb work was really necessary, especially if it wasn't going to factor into the ending. The ending looked really weak as GAINA didn't get a good grip onto Cougar and it looked like a five year old girl could have gotten a shoulder up. Not a very good match and one that did nothing for either wrestler. Score: 3.5

Billy Ken Kid, Masamune, and Asian Condor vs. Miracle Red, Momorio Takaku, and Atsushi-kun
Ken Kid and company attack the Miracle Rangers to start the match, and Red stays in the ring with Condor. Red goes off the ropes and hits an armdrag, Red blocks Condor's kicks, stomps him in the foot and hits the oil check followed by a dropkick. Condor falls out of the ring and they are replaced by Takaku and Masamune. Irish whip by Takaku but Masamune shoulderblocks him down. Masamune goes off the ropes but Takaku hits a flying double chop, sending Masamune out of the ring. Takaku tags in Atsushi-kun while Ken Kid comes in, snapmare by Atsushi-kun, Ken Kid goes off the ropes and he knocks Atsushi-kun back. Chops by Ken Kid in the corner, double Irish whip with Masamune's help but Atsushi-kun outsmarts them both and hits a double armdrag. He ducks a double lariat attempt and dropkicks them both out of the ring, he goes to do a pescado but instead flips himself back into the ring. Takaku dropkicks Masamune out of the ring, all three Miracle Rangers get in the ring and go to do a dive but instead roll back into the ring and pose for the crowd. Condor gets upset and gets back in the ring, but he is triple teamed. His teammates come in and help and the action spills to the outside. Masamune rams Takaku into the column at ringside and accidentally takes his mask off. Masamune feels bad and gives it back to him, and as soon as he gets it back on they resume fighting. Inside the ring Atsushi-kun is now getting triple teamed, Irish whip from the corner and all three wrestlers connect with running strikes. Snapmare by Ken Kid and Masamune hits a slingshot senton. Ken Kid stays in the ring and throws Atsushi-kun into the corner before stomping him to the mat. Running dropkick to the chest by Ken Kid, cover, but it gets a two count. Ken Kid tags in Condor, snapmare by Condor and he dropkicks Atsushi-kun in the head.

Condor applies an armbar but Takaku gets Condor to let go. Choke by Condor over the second rope and he kicks the rope into Takaku's throat. Condor tags in Masamune, who chops Atsushi-kun against the ropes. Irish whip by Masamune, reversed, and Atsushi-kun hits a dropkick. Atsushi-kun tags in Red and he delivers a missile dropkick to Masamune. He then gives an enzigieri to Condor, Ken Kid comes in the ring and he gets the advantage with a low blow. Irish whip by Ken Kid but Red kicks him back and Takaku comes in the ring with a cross body. Masamune runs in the ring to help but Atsushi-kun comes off the top turnbuckle with a cross body on both Masamune and Ken Kid, cover, but it gets a two count. Condor tries to break it up, but he misses and lands between his partners. All three of the Miracle Rangers then hit splashes onto Ken Kid and his teammates, cover, but it gets a two count. Double Irish whip to Ken Kid and they apply a double stretch hold. Masamune and Condor come in the ring to reverse it and they all end up in a big pile. The Rangers get their opponents in the corners and Irish whip them into each other, sending them out of the ring. They then go to the ropes and all three hit pescados out of the ring. Back inside, the Miracle Rangers use their powers to transform into a super machine. Ken Kid doesn't believe it and comes in the ring, but he gets kicked back as does Masamune. Condor tries and gets knocked back as well, and they transform back into their normal selves as they position themselves in the ring. While the Miracle Rangers kneel to make steps, Atsushi-kun runs up them and jumps off to hit a jumping forearm onto Condor. High kick by Takaku onto Condor, Atsushi-kun goes off the ropes and hits a satellite DDT. Miracle Driver by Red and this one is over! Your winners: The Miracle Rangers

Match Thoughts: Low level comedy at its finest. I wish that they had switched this match and the last tag team match, but the Rangers were the main event and apparently the kids love them. I wasn't impressed though as Ken Kid seemed to be the only one willing (or able) to do real wrestling moves and much of the comedy wasn't even as good as the earlier comedy match which wasn't the best either. The transforming bit was cute but it is just so cheesy and I'd rather the main event not be such a comedy-based match. Score: 4.5

Final Thoughts:

As I mentioned I was a bit surprised that this event of all shows made it onto TV. It isn't terrible, but the whole card screams "house show" as there wasn't even a real main event and there were no matches with substantial time or emotion. I really liked the Flash Moon tag team match but none of the other matches are worth going out of your way to see. There are better Osaka Pro events from 2006 to get if you want to see what the promotion is all about, I'd skip over this one.

Not Recommended

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review completed on 10/7/07