Kenichi Oya trained at the NJPW Dojo.[1] He made his wrestling debut in April 1986, against Masahiro Chono. During his tenure in New Japan, Oya also teamed with the likes of Kensuke Sasaki and Osamu Matsuda. However, due to injuries, he retired in 1989.
Super World of Sports (1990–1992)
After a hiatus, Oya joined Super World of Sports in July 1990.[1] Oya would not only wrestle his fellow SWS comrades, he would also wrestle against stars from the World Wrestling Federation as well. In January 1992, he teamed up with Kendo Nagasaki for a tournament to determine the first SWS Tag Team Champions, which was won by Yoshiaki Yatsu and Haku. In June 1992, SWS shut down.
Network Of Wrestling (1992–1993)
After SWS shut down, Oya joined Kendo Nagasaki's Network Of Wrestling. He didn't make much of an impact there, so he left in November 1993.
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (1993–2002)
Oya made his debut in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling in November 1993,[1] under the name Hisakatsu Oya. Unlike his previous stints in NJPW, SWS, and NOW, Oya found his niche. Over the course of a year, Oya proved his worth in FMW, battling the likes of Battle Ranger, Masato Tanaka, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, and Atsushi Onita.
In September 1996, Lethal Weapon disbanded and Oya joined Funk Masters of Wrestling, where he formed a trio with The Headhunters and won the FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. After the Funk Masters disbanded, Oya decided to turn face for the first time in his career and join forces with Hayabusa. Up until the demise of FMW in February 2002, he fought alongside Hayabusa in his wars against Mr. Gannosuke and Kodo Fuyuki.
Freelance and semi-retirement (2002–present)
After FMW shut down, Oya occasionally wrestles from time to time, as many considered him semi-retired. When he did wrestle, he wrestled for many promotions, such as Wrestling Marvelous Future, Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling, and Osaka Pro Wrestling. During his stint in WMF, he developed a Puerto Rican assassin gimmick named HISAKATSU.
Oya runs his own promotion called Hokuto Pro Wrestling.
Personal life and reputation
During his retirement in the late 1980s, he was a sports instructor before coming out of retirement in 1990.
Oya has been one of the most underrated wrestlers in Japan, as well as one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. His ring psychology and submission wrestling is second-to-none, similar to Jake Roberts. As a sneaky heel, he chose not to taunt the crowd and to remain unpredictable to his opponents.
