Gran Naniwa

Yoshikuni Kimura (木村 吉公, Kimura Yoshikuni) (February 15, 1977 – October 6, 2010) 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. This was also reflected upon in the design of his wrestling mask.

Career

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. 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. 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".