(February 15, 1977 – October 6, 2010)
was a Japanese
professional wrestler, better known by the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
. Naniwa was known for his comedic
gimmick
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...
, in which he performed mannerisms of
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
s.
This was also reflected upon in the design of his
wrestling mask.
Professional wrestling career
Naniwa debuted professionally in 1993 in
Michinoku Pro Wrestling as a
face. He participated in the 1995
Super J-Cup
The Super J-Cup is a periodically held professional wrestling tournament featuring junior heavyweight wrestlers from all over the world promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). This tournament differs from NJPW's annual Best of the Super Junio ...
, managing to get to the quarterfinals, but he was later eliminated by eventual winner
Jyushin Thunder Liger.
In the late 1990s, Naniwa competed in the United States for
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). 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".
Death
Kimura died on October 6, 2010 due to a
heart attack at the age of 33.
Championships and accomplishments
*
Michinoku Pro Wrestling
:*Central American Middleweight Championship (1 time)
References
External links
Cagematch profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naniwa, Gran
1977 births
2010 deaths
Japanese male professional wrestlers
Masked wrestlers
20th-century professional wrestlers