Yoshikuni Kimura (木村 吉公 Kimura Yoshikuni)[1] (February 15, 1977 – October 6, 2010)[2] was a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Gran Naniwa (愚乱・浪花 Guran Naniwa). Naniwa was known for his comedic gimmick, in which he performed mannerisms of crabs.[3] This was also reflected upon in the design of his wrestling mask.
Contents
Career[edit | edit source]
Naniwa debuted professionally in 1993 in Michinoku Pro Wrestling, immediately making an impact as one of the most popular faces within the company. His first major attempt at becoming a top performer saw him compete in the 1995 Super J-Cup. Naniwa managed to get to the quarterfinals, but he was later eliminated by Jushin Thunder Liger, who later went on to win the Super J-Cup.[2] In the late 1990s, Naniwa competed in the United States for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he wrestled Gran Hamada in January 1998 at the ECW House Party event.[3] After this, Naniwa took a brief hiatus for a few years but made his return in 2006, again under his Gran Naniwa ring name, competing in a match for New Japan Pro Wrestling's now defunct WRESTLE LAND "brand".
Death[edit | edit source]
Kimura died on October 6, 2010 due to a heart attack at the age of 33.
In wrestling[edit | edit source]
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
Championships and accomplishments[edit | edit source]
- Central American Middleweight Championship (1 time)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Profile at Puroresu Central . Puroresu Central. Retrieved on 2013-11-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 ja:選手名鑑 (in ja). New Japan Pro Wrestling. Retrieved on 2010-10-09.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Caldwell, James 2010-11-21. Japan News: Japanese pro wrestler Gran Naniwa dies at age 33, briefly wrestled for ECW in 1990s . Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved on 2010-11-21.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 WAR Super J Cup 1995 . Puroresu Central. Retrieved on 2014-08-04.
