ONI Barker

ONI Barker
Birth name Tasman Mason Barker Born April 22, 1992 (age 25) Porirua, Wellington, New Zealand Resides Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Professional wrestling career Ring name(s) ONI Barker Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight 300 lbs (136 kg) Billed from Wellington, New Zealand Trained By Mana Academy Kamachi Dojo Debut 2011

Tasman Mason Barker (born April 22, 1992) is a New Zealand professional wrestler currently working under the ring name ONI Barker. He is best known for his work on the Australian and New Zealand independent scenes, but also works in Japan and has begun branching out to the United Kingdom.

Professional wrestling career

Training and early career (2011–2012)

Barker began his training at the Mana Academy in Wellington, New Zealand in 2010. He made his in-ring debut for New Zealand Championship Wrestling (NZCW) in mid-2011 under the ring name ONI Barker. Due to his size and strength, Barker soon cemented himself as a heel in the company, going on a winning streak from June 2011 to January 2012, where he would unsuccessfully challenge for the NZCW Heavyweight Championship against Howie Storm at New (Zealand) World Order 2012.

After his failed attempt at becoming Heavyweight Champion, Barker turned face, showing sportsmanship by shaking Storm's hand after the match. Barker later defended Storm against The Pacific Pirates, who attempted to beat down Storm after a title match. This would be the start of Barker's alliance with Storm, as the two would battle with the Pirates for the next few months. Their feud culminated in May at NZCW Shockwave, where Barker and Storm defeated The Pacific Pirates in a tornado tag team match in the main event.

Following this key victory, Barker would go on to feud with Marcus Bane in a cross-promotional rivalry, challenging Bane for the NZCW Oceania Championship. Bane would accept the challenge, but only if he could compete in his home country of Australia at Sydney Pro Wrestling (SPW). Barker would accept, and the match was announced for SPW Survival of the Fittest on June 24, 2012. This match would be Barker's first appearance outside of New Zealand. He was unsuccessful, being pinned by Bane after being hit with the Oceania title. As a result of this, Barker was granted a no DQ rematch for the title at NZCW Impact, which took place the following week. On June 30, Barker would defeat Bane for the Oceania Championship, bringing the title back to NZCW.

Barker's reign lasted for several months, during which he defended the Oceania title in NZCW, SPW, and other independent promotions in New Zealand and Australia. He defeated the likes of Manny Poua, Julian Cross, and Rex Taylor to retain. A key moment during Barker's reign as Oceania Champion was at NZCW House of the Rising Sun, where Barker would retain against Japan's Kosuke Asashi during the crossover event with Kamachi Wrestling Federation. The match would serve as one of the main reasons for Barker's later excursion to Japan and recruitment into KWF. Barker would eventually lose the Oceania title to Ryan Glynn on December 2. Later that month, he would announce his year-long excursion to Japan, set to begin in 2013. KWF announced via their website that Barker was signed to the company for the year as part of their foreign talent training programme, and would be part of their 2013 season.

Excursion to Japan (2013)

During Kamachi Wrestling Federation's off-season, spanning from January to March, Barker would train under Kamachi himself at the KWF dojo, learning from one of the best that Japan has to offer. Barker would also appear on KWF's few off-season house shows, making his in-ring debut for the promotion in a losing effort against Shotaro Sanada on February 8, 2013. He would make his broadcasted debut at KWF's New Fire show on March 1, defeating Kosuke Asashi in a close rematch of their last fight at NZCW. Barker would quickly align with fellow gaijin and masked luchador Sol Asesino, with the two forming the team YoKaiju (a portmanteau of the Japanese words 'yokai' and 'kaiju').

Barker performing a chokeslam on Tessai Okibara

YoKaiju would go on a winning streak in KWF, defeating both relatively-new teams as well as established units. A pivotal victory came over former KWF Dual Spirit Champions Akira Kan and Tessai Okibara, which resulted in YoKaiju being granted a shot at the Dual Spirit titles at KWF Spirit Rising. On August 9, Barker and Asesino unsuccessfully challenged Dual Spirit Champions X Society (GURO and MARQUIS). After this loss, YoKaiju would continue to team together whilst also competing as singles wrestlers. At KWF Soul of the Dragon on October, Asesino would unsuccessfully challenge Yoshiro for the KWF Fighting Spirit Championship, whilst Barker would defeat Tanukihorā for the KWF Growing Spirit Championship.

Barker would make several defences across KWF's events, focussing on his singles career as the Growing Spirit Champion. He would take on several other gaijin wrestlers, many of whom had joined KWF around the same time as him. Barker's reign would eventually end on December 27, where he would be defeated by tag team partner Sol Asesino in what would be Barker's last match for KWF as part of their foreign talent programme.

Return to New Zealand Championship Wrestling (2014–present)

Finished with his year-long contract with KWF, Barker returned to the Australian and New Zealand independent circuit. He would make his return to NZCW on January 17, 2014, serving as Ryan Glynn's mystery opponent at New (Zealand) World Order, where he would pick up a victory. However, his position as a face would not be cemented. After his return, former ally Howie Storm would attempt to celebrate Barker's return, only for Barker to reject his friendship. Whilst this was not an outright heel turn, it would leave Barker in a morally grey area. This grey area was only emphasised as Barker continued to use a ruthless style in the ring, and heightened when on July 26, he would challenge NZCW Tag Team Champions the Devil's Advocates (Braxton DeVil and AJ Dunne) to a title match, revealing that his partner Sol Asesino had joined the company. The match was granted, and on August 25, YoKaiju reunited to win the Tag Team Championships.

As part of YoKaiju, Barker would defend the belts for over a year, competing against both imported and homegrown talent. Notable opponents include Romano and Machismo from the UK, the Pacific Pirates, Society X from KWF, A.R.K from the US, and the Knight Riders. They eventually lost the titles on September 19, 2015, to the team of Kieran McGinnis and Duncan Harker.

Heavyweight Champion (2015–2017)

After losing the Tag Team titles, Barker and Asesino began to branch out into singles careers as well as occasionally teaming. Whilst Asesino pursued the Oceania title, Barker set his sights on the Heavyweight Championship. On October 17, 2015, Barker defeated former Heavyweight Champion Julian Cross, pushing him further into the main event scene. On November 14, Barker would compete alongside Rex Taylor, Howie Storm and Murphy Dropkick in a fatal four-way to determine the number one contender for the Heavyweight title. He would lose after Dropkick scored the pinfall victory over Storm. In response to this, Barker attacked Storm after the match out of rage, fighting Taylor as well when he tried to stop the attack. On December 5, Barker teamed with Asesino to defeat Storm and Taylor in a tag team match, with Taylor taking the loss. On January 16, 2016, Barker defeated Storm to become the number one contender for the Heavyweight Championship.

On February 13, Barker defeated Manny Poua to become the new NZCW Heavyweight Champion and a triple crown winner. His first defence would be on March 12, where he defeated tag team partner Sol Asesino. During his reign, Barker defeated opponents such as Rex Taylor, Marcus Bane, Braxton DeVil, AJ Dunne, and Xcion. As well as defending the title at NZCW shows, Barker also defended the title twice at OWA: against Eagle on June 18, and against Samuel Daiz on September 24. Barker also defended the title at a KWF event on August 5, defeating Taiji Ishimoto.

Barker as the NZCW Heavyweight Champion

On October 15, Barker came close to losing the Heavyweight Championship against Ryan Glynn, only winning thanks to assistance from Asesino. After the match, Howie Storm called Barker's ethics into question before engaging in a brawl with him and Asesino. On November 12, with Barker watching at ringside, Storm defeated Asesino to become the number one contender for the Heavyweight Championship. However, this decision was questioned by Glynn, who claimed he hadn't been beaten fairly and deserved a second chance for the title. On December 3, Storm defeated Glynn to cement his place as the number one contender. After the match, Storm and Barker had a confrontation, being held apart by security.

Barker lost the Heavyweight Championship to Storm on January 14, 2017, ending their long-time feud. After the match, the two shook hands and Storm congratulated Barker on how he had elevated the belt and company, thus turning Barker face again.

More TBP

Outback Wrestling Association (2014–present)

The Rise of YoKaiju (2014–2015)

With Asesino now more involved in the Oceania wrestling scene, YoKaiju were able to compete in various other independent promotions. They made their in-ring debut for SPW on September 20, 2014, defeating Eagle and Johnny Rise. In the same month, they also debuted for Extreme OZ Wrestling in a losing effort against the Adrenaline Junkies. In addition to debuting for new promotions, YoKaiju also continued to appear for NZCW, defending their Tag Team Championships against homegrown and imported talent. The sudden spike in appearances for YoKaiju resulted in Outback Wrestling Association (OWA), arguably one of the biggest promotions in the Oceania area, taking notice of the team. On October 11, YoKaiju made their debut for OWA, defeating the team of Jackson Bennett and Steve Amos. On November 8, they would be inserted into a three-way elimination tag team match for the chance to become the number one contenders for the OWA Tag Team Championships. YoKaiju defeated the Devil's Advocates and the Sesh to become number one contenders.

On December 6, at OWA's last show of 2014, YoKaiju defeated the Social Club to become the new OWA Tag Team Champions.

Personal life

Barker is an avid reader of manga, being a fan of series such as Ichi the Killer, Bleach, Fist of the North Star, Berserk, and the works of Junji Ito, the latter of which he takes inspiration from for the names of several of his signature moves. He claims to be semi-fluent in Japanese, being able to understand it in both written and verbal forms and knowing how to speak it, but still learning how to write it out.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Uzumaki Bomb (Argentine powerbomb)
  • Spirit of the Demon (Short-arm lariat)
  • Fragment of Horror (Frog splash)
• Signature moves
  • Gyo Buster (Bridging fisherman buster)
  • The Death Stench (Dragon sleeper)
  • Nagai Yume (Series of headbutts)
  • Cut of the Blade (Running European uppercut)
  • Multiple suplex variations
    • Saito
    • German
    • Exploder
    • Vertical
    • Dragon
  • Forearm clubs
  • Elbow smash
  • Bearhug
  • Running senton
  • Multiple powerbomb variations
    • Pop-up
    • Sitout
    • Pull-up
  • Cannonball
  • Leg drop
  • Brainbuster
  • Body avalanche
  • Kesagiri chop
• Nicknames
  • "Yokai Killer"
  • "Kaiju Killer"
  • "The Kaiju Amongst Monsters"
• Entrance themes
  • "Symphony of Destruction" by Megadeth (2011–2012)
  • "I Believe In Me" by lynch. (2013–present)

Championships and accomplishments

• New Zealand Championship Wrestling
  • NZCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NZCW Oceania Championship (1 time)
  • NZCW Tag Team Championship (1 time; with Sol Asesino)
  • Triple Crown Champion
• Kamachi Wrestling Federation
  • KWF Growing Spirit Championship (1 time)
• Outback Wrestling Association
  • OWA Tag Team Championship (1 time; with Sol Asesino)