Gran Naniwa
Japanese professional wrestler (1977 – 2010)
title: "Gran Naniwa" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1977-births", "2010-deaths", "japanese-male-professional-wrestlers", "masked-wrestlers", "20th-century-male-professional-wrestlers", "20th-century-japanese-professional-wrestlers", "21st-century-male-professional-wrestlers", "21st-century-japanese-professional-wrestlers"] description: "Japanese professional wrestler (1977 – 2010)" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Naniwa" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Japanese professional wrestler (1977 – 2010) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox professional wrestler"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Gran Naniwa |
| image | Gran Naniwa.jpeg |
| birthname | Yoshikuni Kimura |
| names | Gran Naniwa |
| The Claw | |
| height | |
| weight | 98 kg |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Ibaraki Prefecture |
| death_date | |
| trainer | Great Sasuke |
| debut | June 2, 1993 |
| retired | October 3, 2009 |
| :: |
|name = Gran Naniwa |image =Gran Naniwa.jpeg |birthname = Yoshikuni Kimura |names = Gran Naniwa The Claw |height = |weight = 98 kg |real_height = |real_weight = |birth_date = |birth_place = Ibaraki Prefecture |death_date = |death_place = |resides = |billed = |trainer = Great Sasuke |debut = June 2, 1993 |retired = October 3, 2009 Yoshikuni Kimura (February 15, 1977 – October 6, 2010) was a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Gran 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.
Professional wrestling career
Naniwa debuted professionally in 1993 in Michinoku Pro Wrestling as a face. He participated in the 1995 Super J-Cup, 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
References
- "Profile at Puroresu Central". Puroresu Central.
- link. [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]
- 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.
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