Mika Akino
, better known as Akino, (born October 24, 1973 in Tokyo, Japan) is a female Japanese ''joshi wrestler'', signed to Oz Academy. Billed from Honshū, she started late in the sport and didn't debut until the age of 24. Trained by Mariko Yoshida, she proved to have an innate ring presence and excelled at the sport. Professional wrestling career Early career Akino debuted in the newly formed federation Arison (then run by Aja Kong) as Mika Akino. In her first months she floated around and tagged with fellow rookie Ayako Hamada now and again. Her most notable match was for the Queen of Arsion Championship, against her mentor, Yoshida. This match is considered by some to be the quintessential rookie versus veteran match of the 1990s, and both women were praised for their performance. It wasn't long before Akino was repackaged as Akino, and placed in the stable called "Cazai", or Girls with Attitude. Fellow members included tag team partner Hamada, Ai Fujita, and Candy Okutsu. Th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Adachi-ku
is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It is located to the north of the heart of Tokyo. The ward consists of two separate areas: a small strip of land between the Sumida River and Arakawa River and a larger area north of the Arakawa River. The ward is bordered by the cities of Kawaguchi, Sōka and Yashio in Saitama and Katsushika, Sumida, Arakawa and Kita in Tokyo. The ward is called Adachi City in English. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 692,707 and a population density of 13,010 persons per km². The total area is 53.25 km². The Adachi Land Transportation Office is located here, and automobiles registered at this office bear Adachi number plates. History Under the Ritsuryō system, the present-day ward was the southern extremity of Adachi District, Musashi Province. In 826, during the Heian period, the Nishiarai Daishi temple was founded. During the Muromachi period and into the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan held cont ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yumiko Hotta
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Hotta was trained by and started her career in the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion in June 1985. She worked for the promotion until 2003, becoming a three-time WWWA World Single and WWWA World Tag Team Champion. In June 2003, Hotta took over the Hyper Visual Fighting Arsion promotion and renamed it Major Girl's Fighting AtoZ. Under Hotta's leadership, the promotion lasted only three years, before folding in 2006, after which Hotta became a freelancer. In January 2011, Hotta joined the new Universal Woman's Pro Wrestling Reina promotion, but just sixteen months later she announced that the promotion was folding. Afterwards, she affiliated herself with the World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana promotion, becoming the leader of the villainous Bousou-gun stable. She resigned from Diana in July 2016 to once again become a freelancer. Since 1995, Hotta has also fought several mixed martial arts matches, mostly ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chikayo Nagashima
is a Japanese professional wrestler. She started her career in 1995, working for the Gaea Japan promotion, where she became a one-time AAAW Single Champion and a record five-time AAAW Tag Team Champion. She was also notably one of the four founding members of the Oz Academy stable. Following the folding of Gaea Japan in 2005, Nagashima affiliated herself with Oz Academy, now a full-time promotion, where she has become a three-time Oz Academy Tag Team Champion and a one-time Oz Academy Openweight Champion, holding the record for the longest reign in the title's history. Nagashima remained with Oz Academy until August 2015, after which she became a freelancer. Early life Nagashima grew up a fan of professional wrestling and began practising judo in junior high school and amateur wrestling in high school, finishing third at the class of the All Japan Women's Open Championship games. Professional wrestling career Gaea Japan (1995–2005) Instead of continuing her amateur wrest ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tomoka Nakagawa
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. After being trained by Taka Michinoku, she started her career in his Kaientai Dojo promotion in September 2004. After leaving Kaientai Dojo in 2007, Nakagawa briefly joined Ibuki, where she underwent further training under Mariko Yoshida, before becoming a freelancer and starting to work on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Oz Academy and Pro Wrestling Wave. She also became a regular for American promotion Shimmer Women Athletes. Nakagawa was a decorated tag team wrestler, becoming a one-time FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Champion, three-time Oz Academy Tag Team Champion, two-time Shimmer Tag Team Champions and a three-time Wave Tag Team Champion. As a singles wrestler, she held the Smash Diva Championship. After a ten-year career, Nakagawa announced her retirement from professional wrestling in June 2014. After a Japanese retirement match in December 2014, Nakagawa wrestled her final match in the United States on ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hiroyo Matsumoto
(born November 6, 1985) is Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. Emi Sakura gave her the nickname of because Matsumoto broke a wall in the Ichigaya arena during her Ice Ribbon debut. She is best known with other wrestling promotions such as Oz Academy and Seadlinnng. She graduated from Hiratsuka Konan High School in the Kanagawa Prefecture. Professional wrestling career Career beginnings and Japan (2006-present) On March 19, 2006, Matsumoto had a pre-debut 5-minute exhibition match in Shin-Kiba 1st Ring against Mai Ichii. On July 16, Matsumoto had her official debut match against Hanako Kobayashi in Shinjuku Face, winning in 6:38 with a Body Slam. On May 5, 2007, Matsumoto teamed with Shuu Shibutani to face veterans Mariko Yoshida and Meiko Satomura. She scored the pinfall against mentor Mariko Yoshida with her Backdrop Driver finisher. On October 7, Matsumoto teamed with fellow Ibuki worker Tomoka Nakagawa to debut in Ice Ribbon, with the pai ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fuka Kakimoto
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and model better known simply as (pronounced and sometimes transliterated as "Fuuka"). She was trained by JDStar as part of the promotion's "Athtress" program and made her debut in February 2004, quickly garnering a large fan following. From 2005 to 2006, Fuka also fought three mixed martial arts fights, finishing with a record of two wins and one loss. During her years in JDStar, Fuka became the inaugural Princess of Pro-Wrestling (POP) Champion and also held the Princess of Ketsudeka (POK) and TWF World Tag Team Championships. After the promotion folded in July 2007, Fuka became a freelancer, while also starting to promote her own series of independent wrestling events under the banner of Fuka Matsuri ("Fuka Festival"). As a freelancer, Fuka also made several trips to Mexico, working for local independent promotions. Fuka ended her in-ring career in March 2010 at the age of 25, after which she began training wr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tsubasa Kuragaki
is a Japanese people, Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler better known by the ring name . For most of her career, Kuragaki has worked for JWP Joshi Puroresu, becoming a one-time JWP Junior Championship, JWP Junior and two-time JWP Openweight Championship, JWP Openweight Champion as a singles wrestler. As a tag team wrestler, she is best known as one half of the "Harukura" tag team with Kayoko Haruyama, with whom she has held the Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Championship, Daily Sports Women's and JWP Tag Team Championships three times each. She quit JWP in October 2013 to become a freelancer. She is currently working most notably for Oz Academy, where she is a former one-time Oz Academy Openweight Champion and a one-time Oz Academy Tag Team Champion. Professional wrestling career Kuragaki was trained in professional wrestling at the JWP Joshi Puroresu dojo, where she trained alongside the likes of Azumi Hyuga, Carlos Amano, Kana Misaki and Ran Yu-Yu. She made h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ayumi Kurihara
(born July 13, 1984) is a retired '' joshi puroresu '' wrestler. Professional wrestling career Kurihara entered training with the women's pro wrestling promotion AtoZ and then transferred to M's Style, where she learned the craft from well-known Japanese female wrestlers Gami, Mariko Yoshida, Akino, and Michiko Ohmukai. Kurihara debuted in 2005, at the age of 20. In a "1 Day Tournament" Kurihara had her professional debut and defeated Gami when she reversed a pin attempt into a roll-up. She then lost her following tournament match when Toshie Uematsu beat her with a flying body press. M's Style closed in the fall of 2006. The final match was a six-person tag match, pitting Tojuki Leon, Bullfight Sora and Kurihara against Akino, Ohmukai and Yoshida. The younger generation won the match. Since then, Kurihara has wrestled as a freelancer, in Neo, JWP Project, JDStar, Ibuki and Pro Wrestling Sun. Near the end of her tenure in M's Style, Kurihara incorporated a stronger finishi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jaguar Yokota
(born July 25, 1961) is a Japanese professional wrestler and later wrestling trainer, who wrestled under the name . She is widely considered one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time, and, during her heyday in the early 1980s, was considered one of the best wrestlers in the world, irrespective of gender. Career Yokota was born on July 25, 1961, in Tokyo, Japan. She spent the majority of her career as a headliner for the All Japan Women's promotion (AJW). It was highlighted by two title runs as the WWWA World Single Champion. All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling (1977–1986) Having been inspired to join AJW by 1970s stars, the Beauty Pair (Jackie Sato and Maki Ueda), Yokota debuted on June 28, 1977, in Tokyo at the age of 15, against Mayumi Takahashi. She won her first belt on January 4, 1980, when she became the AJW Junior Champion. Later that year, she won the WWWA World Tag Team Championship with Ayumi Hori, on December 17, having also become the first AJW Champi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares of the company. Naoki Sugabayashi has served as the promotion's Chairman since September 2013, while Takami Ohbari has served as the president of the promotion since October 2020. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, NJPW is the largest and longest-running professional wrestling promotion in Japan. It was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance at various points in its history. NJPW has had agreements with various MMA and professional wrestling promotions around the world, including WWE, World Championship Wrestling, American Wrestling Association, World Class Championship Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, WAR, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, UWFi, Ring of Honor, Pride Fighting Championships, and All Elite Wrestling. NJPW's bigge ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Momoe Nakanishi
, née , born July 7, 1980 is a Japanese people, Japanese retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by her Married and maiden names, maiden name, . Nakanishi made her debut for the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) in July 1996 at the age of sixteen and during the next seven years, won all of the promotion's top titles, including the WWWA World Single Championship and the WWWA World Tag Team Championship. In 2003, Nakanishi quit AJW to become a freelancer and went on to win the AtoZ World Championship later that same year and the NWA Women's Pacific/NEO Single Championship, NEO Single and NWA Women's Pacific Championships in 2004. Nakanishi retired from professional wrestling on January 7, 2005, at the age of just twenty-four. She now works as a trainer at the U.W.F. Snakepit gym. Professional wrestling career All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (1996–2003) After graduating from Middle school, junior high school in 1996, Nakanishi, with a sports backgrou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gaea Japan
Gaea Japan (trademarked as GAEA Japan) was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. GAEA's name comes from the Greek mythological goddess of the Earth, Gaea or Gaia. History GAEA was founded in 1995 by Chigusa Nagayo, a professional wrestler who achieved huge success in the 1980s with her tag team partner, Lioness Asuka, as the Crush Gals. GAEA's formation was first announced at a press conference held on August 24, 1994. Present at the event were charter members Nagayo, KAORU, and Bomber Hikaru. GAEA's first rookie auditions were also held on this occasion. Their rookie class included Meiko Satomura, Toshie Uematsu, Chikayo Nagashima, Sonoko Kato, Sugar Sato, Maiko Narita, Chihiro Nakano, and Makie Numao. On April 15, 1995, the new promotion held its first show. It was at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall and was called ''Memorial First Gong''. The event was a sellout and received good press. From this point on, GAEA held monthly shows at Korakuen and also occasionally went ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |