Osaka Pro Wrestling’s major annual singles tournament, Tennozan, is nearly here. The tournament will decide the strongest in Osaka Pro and the next challenger for the Osaka Pro Wrestling Championship. This guide will give you an insight into the tournament, this year’s competitors, and everything you need to enjoy Tennozan 2025. Be warned though, the matches will likely only be available in digest format on Osaka Pro’s YouTube channel, at least for the early rounds, until more complete matches air on GAORA in October and November. That can mean a long wait and no promise that you’ll get to see all of the match-ups you most want to see. Despite that, it’s well worth following to learn more about the competitors and stories, and can be essential viewing for setting up the last three big shows of Osaka Pro’s year.
What is Tennozan?
The Tennozan tournament is an elimination format and takes place across four dates in September – 13th, 14th, 21st, and 28th – all held at Osaka Pro’s current main base of Azalea Taisho Hall. The tournament is named for Mount Tenno (Tenno-zan), the site of a crucial battle in the Sengoku period and now commonly used as an idiom to refer to decisive battles in sports and other fields. It has been a major part of Osaka Pro’s annual calendar since 2000, lapsing in 2014 (with a brief revival in 2016 and 2018) and fully revived in 2022 when President Zeus relaunched the company.
This year features a field of 14 competitors, all Osaka Pro regulars or closely linked to the promotion. There’s no restrictions on weight class, which makes for interesting match-ups that rarely happen as singles matches during the year. There are plenty of stories to build on though, with the potential for matches between rivals, friends, trainees, and teachers.
The Competitors
Rogue Nation
Now two years old, the only formal unit in Osaka Pro is the rudo team Rogue Nation, led by TORU. Founded in August 2023 by Quiet Storm, TORU and Asakawa, they are a close knit team, popular and central enough to Osaka Pro to run their own event and be in demand as a unit in other promotions. TORU took over leadership after winning Tennozan in 2024, kicking out Quiet Storm and stepping up their campaign to excite Osaka Pro using the full range of their capabilities.
As current singles champions, both TORU and Oosera have byes for the first round of the tournament.
TORU (Osaka Pro Champion)
TORU is Mr Tennozan. Having made it to the final in 2022 and 2023, he won last year, earning a challenge against Zeus to become Osaka Pro Champion. Like most on the roster, TORU has ties to the old Osaka Pro, having attended Tigers Mask’s wrestling classes in his youth. With extensive singles and championship level experience in Osaka Pro and elsewhere TORU is in a strong position to tackle most opponents and has a steel chair handy (with all the names of his beloved unit mates on it) if conventional approaches don’t work.
Yasutaka Oosera (Light Heavyweight Champion)
Last official student of Dick Togo, Oosera trained and debuted in Michinoku Pro and currently leads the dastardly Demonios faction there. In Osaka Pro, he has held the Light Heavyweight Championship since January. An excellent heel, technician, and talker, Oosera made it to the 2nd round of Tennozan last year before he was eliminated by friend and unit leader TORU.
Shu Asakawa (Osaka Pro Tag Team Champion, with Goliath)
The man formerly known as K-dojo’s GO Asakawa, Asakawa and his trusty kendo stick have been part of Rogue Nation from the start. He is a graduate of old Osaka Pro’s wrestling classes but otherwise his loyalties have entirely been with the rudo unit. TORU, facing Asakawa recently in a no-DQ match, said that he believes that Asakawa is at his best when attacking and not holding back. TORU won that match but Tennozan may be an opportunity for Asakawa to demonstrate whether he has learned any lessons from a match that enabled him to unleash his strengths.
Goliath (Osaka Pro Tag Team Champion, with Shu Asakawa)
The masked giant was TORU’s first addition to Rogue Nation in October 2023. He may not speak, or know how to handle a handshake, or how to wear a t-shirt, but he has great destructive power. That power has led him to two OPW Tag Team Championship reigns with TORU and with Asakawa. Rumour has it that he can be calmed by stroking his beard.
TiiiDA
The first Okinawan wrestler to debut for Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling, TiiiDA counts TORU amongst his early teachers. He joined Rogue Nation at TORU’s invitation in February 2025. A big fan of reggae, he fits in well in Osaka. He recently challenged Oosera for the Light Heavyweight Championship as part of Rogue Nation Day.
Main Unit: the veterans
Headed by President Zeus, who is not participating in Tennozan this year so he can concentrate on his Presidential responsibilities, the main unit are a broad range of characters with lots of relationships but sometimes very loose alliances. These are the good guys, but that doesn’t mean that they always play nice.
Tigers Mask
Named for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, Tigers is a 24 year veteran who does not move like he’s nearly 50. Hard headed and with brutal kicks, he is scary in his own right, but especially terrifying to the several wrestlers on the roster he has trained including Aran Sano, Takoyakida, Ultimate Spider Jr, and the visiting Mihara. He’s not above the occasional tactical victory, with a low blow against Matsufusa in the build up being just a taste of what he’s like when he loses his temper. Never one to count out in any weight class.
Takoyakida
The takoyaki prince is a beloved long-term character of Osaka Pro, receiving his character and mask when he debuted in 2005 from founder Super Delfin (apparently Takoyakida was too scared to refuse). Although a partly comedic character who rarely looks to be in line for a singles title, Takoyakida has become an important veteran and teacher in Osaka Pro and for several Dotonbori wrestlers. He’s also very popular, with cries of Ouji (prince) coming from the crowd whenever he’s in the ring. As expected of a Tigers Mask trainee, he’s very versatile, and is more than capable of putting up a serious singles challenge.
Ultimate Spider Jr.
Tag partner to Takoyakida as part of the long running Taco-Spa tag team (complete with dance entrance), Ultimate Spider Jr or Spa-san, is the more serious competitor of the two. Although current Light Heavyweight Champion Oosera has been quick to dismiss him, USJ, like Takoyakida, is a beloved veteran and has been an important part of Osaka Pro and Osaka wrestling for nearly 20 years. Since Osaka Pro relaunched, he has won the Light Heavyweight tournament, and been OPW Tag Champion with Takoyakida twice. Oosera also took nearly 20 minutes to beat him in their title match back in June, so he might not be making the most impartial assessment.
Quiet Storm
Former Osaka Pro Champion in old and new Osaka Pro, Storm has been a core part of Osaka Pro for over a decade, though not always as the good guy he is now. Although not as experienced as Tigers or Taco-Spa, Storm has a lot of Tennozan and singles match experience at Osaka Pro, and can always rely on his 53cm biceps to power a victory. His last Tennozan did not go well, losing in the first round to rookie Aran Sano, and then being booted from his own faction when TORU won the tournament. He’s had some positive achievements since, but may be out for a little revenge.
Shigehiro Irie
Irie is yet another former attendee at Osaka Pro’s children’s classes and much loved in the new Osaka Pro. He joined formally as a regular last year and made it to the Tennozan final in his first entry, losing out to TORU. Since then he won the OPW Tag Championship alongside Quiet Storm, holding it for six months, and has never been too far down the card. Although he wasn’t a regular in the old Osaka Pro, he entered the Tag Festival twice, including with frequent tag partner Kazuaki Mihara, who he’ll be facing in the first round this year.
Main Unit: the new blood
Ryuya Matsufusa
Former Light Heavyweight Champion, the self-appointed hero of the main army has not been having a great time since he lost his belt. Despite making it to the semi-final of the Tag Festival and the final of the Light Heavyweight tournament this year, he has yet to make it back to the championship and has suffered some painful defeats along the way. Debuting in Doutonbori Pro in 2020, Matsufusa made Osaka Pro his home in 2023 after a lifetime as an Osaka Pro fan, including attending Osaka Pro’s children’s wrestling classes alongside current tag partner Kohei Kinoshita and former tag partner Yuuto Kikuchi. He is fired up for this year’s Tennozan, keen to unleash his frustration on trainer Tigers Mask and on Rogue Nation, whose members have eliminated him in the past three tournaments.
Aran Sano
The ‘Blue Storm’ is New Osaka Pro’s first trainee. Don’t let his rookie status fool you though – he has developed significantly in his third year, making an impressive title challenge against TORU in April. Last year he got his first big win in the first round against Quiet Storm, before losing out to teacher Tigers Mask. Things might be different this time around, as Aran got a win over Tigers in June and is ready for the challenge.
The irregulars
Kazuaki Mihara
If Mihara were a regular, he would qualify as a veteran, having made his debut for Osaka Pro in 2008. Tigers Mask has even referred to him as his favourite student. Although he has now largely made his name elsewhere, Mihara held the Osaka Pro Championship just prior to the relaunch of the company in 2022. He lost it to President Zeus in the third relaunch show but remains an important member of Osaka Pro’s past and present.
Motonobu Tezuka
Tigers Mask’s latest student, though with a near 20 year MMA career behind him, Tezuka had a dramatic start to his pro wrestling career, beating his teacher in less than 10 minutes on his first outing in June this year. He has only had one match since and is dangerous not only for his skillset but also his unpredictability for the majority of the roster.
What to watch out for
Round 1: 13th and 14th September
TiiiDA v Spider Jr (13/9)
The last two challengers for the Light Heavyweight Championship face off, trying to prove that they are worthy of another shot at a title. They have only faced each other twice in Osaka Pro, with TiiiDA getting the win in their outpost match.
Asakawa v Storm (13/9)
Asakawa only spent a few months as part of Quiet Storm’s Rogue Nation, with eight months out for injury. His main relationship to his unit’s former leader is as an opponent for the Osaka Pro Tag Team Championships. Storm and Irie took the belts from Asakawa and Oosera last December, with Asakawa reclaiming them with Goliath in June. Storm will be relying on power to overwhelm Asakawa before he can get in any offence (whether involving a kendo stick or not). Based on Asakawa’s history, it wouldn’t be a shock if this wasn’t a fair fight.
Mihara v Irie (13/9)
Long-time tag partners the Green Bear face each other, though not for the first time. Debuting within a month of each other, the two seem equally at home with being opponents as they are with being teammates. It’s just as well given that they are on the same side again for day 2. Although Irie is only the senior wrestler by a few days, he has tended to win over Mihara in Osaka Pro, but Mihara has more experience of Tennozan to draw on. Expect them to make the most of their history with each other and go full force.
Aran v Goliath (14/9)
Aran has never beaten Goliath on an official show. Although strong, it’s not clear whether Aran has the strength to hit his devastating musou on someone as dominating as Goliath. Goliath is certainly not unbeatable though – Zeus and Irie have managed it in previous Tennozans – and although Aran doesn’t have their experience, this past year has seen him go from strength to strength. Goliath has had his own tests of a very different kind against Osaka’s castle lord Joichiro Osaka, but they probably don’t amount to the same level of training for a tournament of this kind.
Matsufusa v Tigers (14/9)
Both competitors have been trying to get this fight started before the tournament even starts, with heated brawls in pre-matches, a low blow by Tigers Mask, and Matsufusa having to be dragged off Tigers after the bell. Tigers has been vocal about Matsufusa’s skills as the future of Osaka wrestling but nor is he shy about his own talents. For Matsufusa, Tigers Mask represents an important benchmark in his career; when Matsufusa first joined Osaka Pro full time, he faced Tigers Mask for the Light Heavyweight Championship. He was injured in that match and out for four months but eventually redeemed himself by beating Tigers and winning the title. A win over the Tigers would be a big indication that he’s back on track. But Tigers Mask lies down for no-one. Expect fireworks and violence.
Tezuka v Takoyakida (14/9)
Takoyakida is one of the few members of the roster to have actually faced Tezuka. Unfortunately, he lost. It would be a huge achievement for Takoyakida to come back from that loss to beat the man who beat their shared teacher in less than 10 minutes. This could be an easy win for Tezuka or a spirited fight from Osaka Pro’s prince. The winner will face TORU in the next round.
In addition to the tournament matches, we have a new debut for Osaka Pro in the form of MeriKen regular and MMA fighter Sho Mizuno. He has been training with Tezuka and at the Tigre Gym with Aran, Tigers and others, so should fit in well. He’s working with Matsufusa against Takoyakida and Tigers Mask on day 1, and with Quiet Storm against Mihara and Irie on day 2. There’s also the essential Osaka Pro comedy match for each show, with Super Delfin making an appearance alongside classic characters like Ebessan, Kuishinbo Kamen and Joichiro Osaka (who is challenging Minoru Suzuki for the Uptown Championship soon).
If you want to watch previous Osaka Pro shows and tournaments, including two days of shows from August, check out Osaka Pro’s YouTube channel.