Happy holidays to everybody who checks us out, from the United States to Japan.  As 2010 slowly approaches, we here at Osaka Holiday Paradise take a look back at the 2009 year.  From exciting matches to surprising turns, it was an interesting year for Osaka Pro.

We’ll first start off with the most newsworthy stories of the past year.

1) The death of Ted Tanabe: Unfortunately, this really was the top story for Osaka Pro as the beloved referee passed away suddenly from heart problems after a Holiday Paradise show.  His death not only hit Osaka Pro hard, but other independent wrestling companies like Michinoku Pro.  The 6/19 show was dedicated to Tanabe, with wrestlers coming from all around Japan to pay tribute.  If you haven’t already, please take some time to click on the Tanabe tribute section on the sidebar.  A few more pictures have been added, as well as the 2009 Tokyo Sports Award he received in memorium.  Tanabe may be gone, but he’ll never be forgotten.

2) Dick Togo returns and wins the Osaka Pro Title: Osaka Pro celebrated its 10th anniversary and one of the surprises was Togo coming back.  Togo was a part of the company’s debut, but left to go freelance.  Togo returned and the man known to fans as “Master of Senton” shocked many by not only pinning Billyken Kid once…..not twice, but three times.  The last time was in July to win the Osaka Pro Title and hold the championship hostage as LOV’s advisor.  He closed out the year with successful title defenses against Asian Cooger and Hideyoshi.  However, his next challenger…

3) Billyken Kid wins a second straight Tennozan: BKK promised a road of redemption almost immediately after losing the title to Togo and it began by putting away the upstart Tadasuke at the August Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2 show.  It continued in the fall as he went through four grueling matches, including the finals over Magnitude Kishiwada, to win his second straight Tennozan tournament.  A week later, he formally challenged Togo to a title match at Hurricane.  Togo agreed, but only if it was contested under No DQ rules.  BKK reluctantly accepted the stipulation as Togo is no stranger to hardcore-type matches.  As Hurricane 2010 approaches, can BKK truly regain his status as the company ace and bring the title back home?

4) The rise of Tadasuke: If you predicted Tadasuke would rise this fast in one year, you should go play the lottery.  In no way did anybody expect to see Tadasuke in this kind of position at the end of the year.  He went from a constant losing post as a member of B&G to a bonafide main event heel in a matter of a few months.  The charisma and attitude that we saw glimpses of just came out of him and fans got into him, whether it was booing or cheering him.  He picked up wins (abeit, not real clean ones) over the likes of BKK and former teammates Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada.  He also main evented the 8/23 OSAKA DAMA show, barely coming up short against BKK.  While he lost the match and his hair as a result, he continues to be a very difficult man to defeat.  He lost to LOV ally Black Buffalo in the Tennozan first round, but seemed to be dominant in the contest.  What will 2010 bring?  I’d be surprised if Tadasuke doesn’t get a title shot and/or takes over the LOV leadership role, but he certainly was the breakout star of 2009.

5. Other Notable Returns: Not only did we see Togo return to an Osaka Pro ring, but we also saw guys like Kengo Takai (Perro) and Magnitude Kishiwada made appearances as well.  Takai was on the IMP Hall anniversary show, challenged his good friend BKK for the Osaka Pro Title, and teamed up with him for the Tag Festival under the Perro mask.  Kishiwada was a surprise entrant in this year’s Tennozan and destroyed the competition until losing to BKK in the finals.  None though will possibly affect the roster more than Robert Tanaka…..or his good friend Ultimate Spider Jr.  While Takai and Kishiwada were probably special attractions, Tanaka/Spider adds another promising youngster in the mix.  Spider’s currently on the sidelines with a knee injury and just had his operation.  However, he just got out of the hospital and now is trying to recover as quickly as possible.

Honorable Mentions: Zeus leaving Osaka Pro for a boxing career, Sengoku reuniting and winning both the Tag Festival and Osaka Pro Tag Titles, Kikutaro winning the Owari Title, and the debut of Johnel Sanders.

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Now, if you’re wondering on what matches you should check out from Osaka Pro this year, here’s our recommendations.  Please note that the Tennozan footage hasn’t been released as of yet besides the Occupation of the Indies highlights.

1) Sengoku vs. Momo no Seishun Tag (8/23 OSAKA DAMA): This surpassed all expectations and showed that Kotoge & Harada are ready for the next step.  Rematch at Hurricane 2010?  Yes please.

2) Billyken Kid vs. Hideyoshi (2/12 Hurricane 2009): It wasn’t as clean or well done as their first battle in 2008, but worthy of a Hurricane main event.  Hideyoshi cemented his status as a true main eventer here.

3) Billyken Kid vs. Tadasuke (8/23 OSAKA DAMA): The biggest match in Tadasuke’s career and possibly BKK up to now, with a Mascara contra Cabellero stipulation.  These two will probably do better in the future if given a chance, but a super above average match.  This officially turned my doubt on Tadasuke.

4) Tigers/Buffalo vs. Sasaki/Ishikawa and Tag Festival DVD Footage (10/26 BJW, June 2009): I included the Tag Festival DVD footage because it really shows how great Tigers & Buffalo can be if serious.  A more complete version is their match in BJW against Sasaki & Ishikawa.  From their hilarious promo beforehand to them getting roundly booed by the Korakuen crowd is a thing of beauty.  These two together still have a ton of potential, I think.

5) Kuishinbo Kamen vs. Shodai Ebessan (4/29 IMP Hall): Pessimists will say that there was nothing new, blah blah blah.  True Osaka Pro fans will appreciate the history behind it, from the surprise of Yukinori Matsui coming back to Masato Matoba’s fantastic cameo appearances.  A shame that Kuishinbo’s speech afterwards was cut from the DVD and sky-A showing, but this is essential.

5a) Kuishinbo Kamen 10th Anniversary DVD: Words can’t do this DVD justice.  2 hours of the best of Kuishinbo Kamen, mixing it up with legends like Liger and joshi wrestlers.  And yes, there’s even a serious match or two on it as well.

Honorable Mentions: Sekigun vs. LOV 8-man Tag (4/29 IMP Hall), Comedy 6-person Tag (8/23 OSAKA DAMA), Kansyu/Ebenami vs. Tigers/Buffalo (3/29 Miracle Tenpozan)

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Onto a more opinion-based section…..what went well for Osaka Pro and what can be improved upon.

Good
-Osaka Pro continuing to be a feel good family environment all-around
-The rise of guys like Kotoge, Harada & Mihara
-The unexpected push of Tadasuke, who’s really grown in the last year
-Tigers & Buffalo, doesn’t matter whether it’s comedy or serious….these guys are awesome together
-Robert Tanaka’s return….yes, we know he’s Ultimate Spider Jr….or do we?

Bad
-Billyken Kid’s story.  Not that it hasn’t produced good matches, it’s been predictable since the summer.
-Takoyakida.  He’s got potential, but needs a more defined role.  Been with Osaka since 2005.
-Setoguchi’s injury curse.  Is it too late for him?
-Okinawa Pro.  Related of course to Osaka, but our interest is gone.  Thanks, Delfin.

Hopes for 2010
-Personal level….a return to Osaka in the spring/summertime.  I miss Kenji, Kae, Gordi, etc.
-Kotoge & Harada to win the Osaka Pro Tag Titles at last
-Buffalo to win the Osaka Pro Title….yeah, I know this probably won’t happen
-A BKK vs. Tadasuke title match to headline a IMP Hall show
-A BKK vs. Tigers Mask title match….anywhere.
-Kuishinbo Kamen to finally break his Tennozan winless streak

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Personal Acknowledgements for 2009

A lot does go into this site by myself and Andy, the latter of which really doesn’t get enough credit that he should.  So please, it’s fine if you thank me, but also recognize the hard work Andy does here too….from the results to some of the hard translations.

To Kenji and Kae, your friendship will always be valued and it’s amazing how devoted you both are to the Osaka Pro product.  To Naomichi-san for being so friendly to me and my friends during our trip, as well as his food explainations.  To Gordi Whitelaw, thank you for your fan reports and pictures, not to mention not clocking Adam and I for calling you “Hikari no Hage.”  To Sebastien for his e-mails and help.  Without all of you, this site wouldn’t be as much fun to update.  My vacation in 2009 was probably the best of my life and can’t be topped.  Meeting Black Buffalo and being treated like a rock star….yeah, that couldn’t have been imagine when this site wasn’t started.  Not like it’s possible to top it, but let’s see if there can be a sequel soon…

To the Osaka Pro-Wrestling company, we’d like to thank you for entertaining us.  Andy and I have numerous responsibilities like work, family, friends etc.  In the little free time we do have, it’s usually occupied with updating the site, searching the net or YouTube for recent clips, etc.  So thank you for a great year and we hope for the best in 2010.

And to the rest of the readers, we thank you for checking us out.  With the ranks of the Puroresufan sites starting to dwindle down, we’re proud to be one of the few still standing.

Again, have a great holiday season!

Sincerely,

Andy and John