Malia Hosaka (born October 7, 1969) is an American
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
. She is a former
NWA World Women's Champion
The NWA World Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The title was first won by Mildred Burke in 1937 def ...
.
Professional wrestling career
Malia Hosaka was trained by
Killer Kowalski
Walter Kowalski (born Edward Władysław Spulnik; October 13, 1926 – August 30, 2008), known professionally as Killer Kowalski, was a Polish-Canadian professional wrestler.
Kowalski wrestled for numerous promotions during his career, includin ...
at the wrestling training camp run by
Misty Blue Simmes
Diane Simmes (born February 8, 1956), better known by her ring name Misty Blue Simmes, is an American former professional wrestler.
Career
Beginning
Simmes got into wrestling after learning to box and being part of an all-female boxing show. ...
. In her debut match, Hosaka (wearing a
Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retired gymnast. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals. Her performanc ...
-inspired gymnastics outfit and billed as "Malia Ho") teamed with Simmes against Mad Dog Debbie Irons and Linda Dallas.
Ladies Professional Wrestling Association
In the early 1990s, Hosaka regularly wrestled for the
Ladies Professional Wrestling Association
The Ladies Professional Wrestling Association (LPWA) was a women's professional wrestling promotion which operated in the early 1990s (ca. 1989–1992). It was considered a successor to such women's promotions as Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLO ...
. On February 13, 1992, she teamed with
Bambi
''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten. ...
to challenge the LPWA Tag Team Champions
The Glamour Girls
The Glamour Girls was a female professional wrestling tag team. The members were Judy Martin and Leilani Kai
History Early career and training
Leilani Kai was trained by The Fabulous Moolah in 1975 right after she finished high school at ' ...
on the
LPWA Super Ladies Showdown
The Ladies Professional Wrestling Association (LPWA) was a women's professional wrestling promotion which operated in the early 1990s (ca. 1989–1992). It was considered a successor to such women's promotions as Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLO ...
pay-per-view. She also competed in the
Ladies Major League Wrestling
Ladies Major League Wrestling (LMLW) was a women's professional wrestling company that operated from 1989–1992. Their cards were promoted under the Wild Women of Wrestling (WWOW) name.
History
Howard Brody incorporated the Ladies Major Le ...
and
Women's Pro Wrestling organizations in the early 1990s.
Eastern Championship Wrestling
Hosaka debuted in
Eastern Championship Wrestling
HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
at
NWA Bloodfest
NWA Bloodfest was a professional wrestling live event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on October 1 and October 2, 1993. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylva ...
on October 1, 1993 and defeated Molly McShane. She then substituted for
Madusa
Debrah Ann Miceli (born February 9, 1964), better known as Madusa, is an Italian-born American monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is currently working for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as a producer. In 2015, she has ...
at ''
November to Remember
November to Remember (commonly abbreviated to N2R) was a professional wrestling List of ECW supercards and pay-per-view events, event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was held during the month of November from 1993 to 2000. Star ...
'' on November 13, 1993 and wrestled against
Sherri Martel
Sherry Schrull (née Russell; born February 8, 1958 – June 15, 2007) was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri.
Martel began her professional wrestling career in the ...
.
[
]
Independent circuit and World Championship Wrestling
Hosaka joined World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
in 1996 and competed in their newly formed women's division. She wrestled in the tournament to crown the first WCW Women's Champion, but was eliminated by Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
. During her tenure in WCW, she was managed by Sonny Onoo
Kazuo Sonny Onoo (born July 29, 1962) is a Japanese-American professional wrestling manager, and actor better known by his ring name Sonny Onoo. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1999 as the m ...
and frequently wrestled on ''WCW Monday Nitro
''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the Unite ...
'' and ''WCW Saturday Night
''WCW Saturday Night'' is an American weekly Saturday night television show on TBS that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Launched in 1971 initially by Georgia Championship Wrestling, the program existed through various incarna ...
'' against Madusa, Leilani Kai
Patty Seymour (born January 23, 1960) is a semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Leilani Kai. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school. In the 1980s, as part of the World Wrestling F ...
and WCW Women's Champion Akira Hokuto
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known as .
Career
Born Hisako Uno, Hokuto became a professional wrestler in the wake of the enormous popularity of tag team the Crush Gals (Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka), and was responsib ...
. In 1997, she competed in the WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship
The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Women's Cruiserweight Championship was a singles women's professional wrestling championship in World Championship Wrestling for smaller women. It was created as a joint venture between WCW and GAEA Japan. T ...
tournament and was defeated in the finals by Toshie Uematsu
is a female Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. She was one of the members of the first class of wrestlers trained by Chigusa Nagayo when Nagayo formed the GAEA Japan promotion. Uematsu fi ...
. During March 1997, Malia Hosaka wrestled Madusa Miceli. During this memorable match, Madusa became extremely brutal with Malia. She grabbed her by the hair. Then she tossed her around the ring by the hair.
In 1998, Hosaka became a two-time New Dimension Wrestling Women's Champion.[ She defeated ]Debbie Combs
Debbie Szostecki (born April 18, 1959) is a retired professional wrestler better known as Debbie Combs.
Early life
Her mother, Cora Combs, was also a professional wrestler. Debbie Combs made her wrestling debut at Louisville Gardens for Angelo ...
for the belt on August 7, but lost it to Starla Saxton two weeks later.[ The next night, Hosaka defeated Saxton to once again become champion.][ She held the belt for approximately a month and a half until she lost it to ''The Foxy Lady'' on November 9, 1998.][ Hosaka wrestled against Saxton in matches taped for '']WCW Pro
''WCW Pro'' is an American televised wrestling show that was presented by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Along with ''WCW WorldWide'', it was part of the WCW Disney tapings. The rights to ''WCW Pro'' now belong to WWE and 161 episodes of M ...
'' on May 16, 1998 and ''WCW WorldWide
''WCW WorldWide'' was an American syndicated television show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, ''WorldWide'' was the longest-running, uni ...
'' on September 19, 1998 and December 26, 1998.
In 1999, Hosaka took on longtime rival Brandi Alexander in a non-title match in Tulelake, California
Tulelake ( ) is a city in northeastern Siskiyou County, California, United States. The town is named after nearby Tule Lake. Its population is 902 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,010 from the 2010 census.
Tulelake peace officers are authori ...
, for Rob Russen's IWA Florida promotion. She was billed as IWA Women's World Champion, but did not have the belt with her.
World Wrestling Federation
In 1999, Hosaka signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation. She defeated Brandi Alexander in a dark match on March 29, 1999. She then appeared on the June 28, 1999 edition of ''Raw Is War
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...
'' as a fan answering Ivory's challenge for her WWF Women's Championship WWF may refer to:
Non-profit organizations
*World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation group
*World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues
*Working Women's Forum, a training, trade and credit union in In ...
but was instead attacked by Nicole Bass
Nicole Fuchs (''née'' Bass; August 10, 1964 – February 17, 2017) was an American bodybuilder, actress, professional wrestler, and professional wrestling valet. She worked for companies such as Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling F ...
and Ivory until WWF head of security Jim Dotson stopped them. Since she was instantly recognized from her WCW appearances, the proposed "Rocky Balboa" idea for Malia's character fell to the wayside. She also accompanied Taka Michinoku
(born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for the ...
to the ring in his challenge for Dean Malenko
Dean Simon (born August 4, 1960), better known by the ring name Dean Malenko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a senior producer. He is best known for his time with Extreme ...
's WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
The WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) promotion. The title was challenged by light heavyweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs (before deactivation, ...
, but the storyline was not developed further. WWF kept her under contract for a year, and shortly before her contract expired, they considered bringing her to the main roster under the name "Aphrodisia" and pairing her with soon-to-be debuting talent Essa Rios Essa or ESSA may refer to:
Places
* Essa, Ontario, Canada
* Saltash (Cornish: Essa), a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, UK
* Essa Academy, Bolton, England, UK
* Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ICAO code)
People Given name
* Essa (rapper) ...
. Instead, the role was given to Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas (; born April 14, 1975), known professionally as Lita, is an American professional wrestler.
Often regarded as one of the greatest women's performers, she is also one of the most popular female superstars in World Wrestling ...
and the character was renamed "Lita". Hosaka was then released due to an internal lack of character idea development.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
After being released by the WWF, Hosaka returned to the independent circuit. She was contacted by David McLane
David B. McLane is an American businessman, known primarily as a wrestling promoter and television producer. He was the creator of the GLOW- Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and WOW-Women Of Wrestling (recognized as WOW! and WOW), both nationally ...
to compete in the Women of Wrestling
WOW – Women of Wrestling, is an American women's professional wrestling promotion founded in 2000 by David McLane (who also founded Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW)). WOW is based in Los Angeles, California, and is owned by McLane and L ...
organization, but Hosaka turned down the offer because she felt McLaine was more interested hiring models and training them to act like wrestlers. On June 18, 2003, Hosaka competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
and was defeated by Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
.[
]
Return to the independent circuit
In 2005, Hosaka appeared at "Wrestle Reunion" in an 8-woman tag team match teaming with Wendi Richter
Victoria "Wendi" Richter (born September 8, 1961) is an American retired professional wrestler. She began her professional wrestling career in companies such as the National Wrestling Alliance, where she teamed with Joyce Grable, with whom she ...
, Bambi
''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten. ...
, and Jenny Taylor against Sherri Martel
Sherry Schrull (née Russell; born February 8, 1958 – June 15, 2007) was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri.
Martel began her professional wrestling career in the ...
, Peggy Lee Leather
Peggy Lee (born January 19, 1959), also known by her stage names Peggy Lee Leather, Lady X, and Thug, is an American professional wrestler.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Federation
Peggy Lee competed in the World Wrestling Federa ...
, Krissy Vaine
Kristin Parmeter (née Eubanks; born January 12, 1981) is an American model, professional wrestler and valet. She is better known by her ring name Krissy Vaine and also for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment. She also trained at WWE's devel ...
, and Amber O'Neal
Kimberly Dawn Davis (born June 22, 1974) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Amber O’Neal.
She formerly wrestled in Ring of Honor (ROH) in their "Women of Honor" division as well as various promotions on the U. ...
.
In 2006, Malia became part of the then-fledgling SHIMMER roster. Malia debuted as a villainess in a losing effort against Lorelei Lee on Volume 3. After the match, the evil Malia and Lexie Fyfe
Mary Beth Bentley (born May 30, 1969), better known by her ring name Lexie Fyfe, is an American professional wrestler. She has wrestled in various independent wrestling promotions, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She is a one-time NWA Wo ...
attacked Lee in the ring before Cindy Rogers made the save. On Volume 4, Hosaka and Fyfe defeated Lee and Cindy Rogers in a tag team match. During this encounter, Cindy Rogers was wearing spandex tights. On Volume 5, they became an official team under the name The Experience and would start a winning streak which was broken by Cheerleader Melissa
Melissa Anderson (born August 17, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Cheerleader Melissa. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she worked as Alissa Flash and Raisha Saeed ...
and MsChif
Rachel Frobel (née Collins) is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United States, with guest m ...
on Volume 12. They then started another winning streak which was broken this time by Ashley and Nevaeh
Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best known ...
in the final of a six-team Gauntlet Match on Volume 21. After missing Volume 23, The Experience came back as part of the Volume 24 as they defeated the team of Rayna Von Tosh and Tenille. Once again, the Experience missed a Volume, but they came back as part of the Volume 26 losing to the team of Nikki Roxx
Nicole Raczynski (born April 19, 1979) is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring names Roxxi Laveaux, The Voodoo Queen, and Roxxi. She is also known for her time ...
and Ariel
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
. Lexie Fyfe, due to some illness, was not scheduled for the SHIMMER 4th ANNIVERSARY Tapings but Malia was and defeated Tenille, but lost to Ariel in Singles Action.
Malia was also the "Queen of PMA" for Team PMA along with Syren and Evil Zebra.
On July 4, 2009 at the United States Championship Wrestling "Summerbash 2009" show in Macclenny, Florida, Hosaka won the vacant USCW Women's Championship by defeating Amber O' Neal in the finals of the championship tournament match.
On February 17, 2012 via her Facebook she announced her retirement:
"It has been a great 25 years, and I am grateful to all the fans who have supported me thru the years! but I am officially retired from the wrestling industry as of today. Thank you to all who supported/employed and believed in me thru the years!" However, Hosaka would return to the ring the following year for two matches. Hosaka then returned full-time in 2014, becoming SHINE Tag Team Champions with Brandi Wine.
She made a recent appearance on Rocky Mountain Pro's "Charged" program.
Personal life
Hosaka is half Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. She graduated Citrus High School in 1989 and later that year briefly attended Central Florida Community College
The College of Central Florida (CF) is a public college with campuses in Marion, Citrus, and Levy counties. It is part of the Florida College System. Founded in 1957 as Central Florida Junior College, CF has grown to span three counties and inc ...
.
Championships and accomplishments
* Cauliflower Alley Club
The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America.
Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abram ...
** Women's Wrestling Award (2015)
*International Wrestling Association
**IWA Women's Championship (1 time)
*National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
**NWA World Women's Championship
The NWA World Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The title was first won by Mildred Burke in 1937 def ...
( 1 time)[
*New Dimension Wrestling
**NDW Women's Championship (2 times)]
*''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
''
**Ranked No. 35 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the ''PWI Female 50
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...
'' in 2008.
*Shine Wrestling
Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on Int ...
**Shine Tag Team Championship
The Shine Tag Team Championship is the tag team championship contested in the professional wrestling promotion Shine Wrestling.
Inaugural Championship Tournament (2014)
The tournament was held in one night at the ''" Shine 17"'' event on Februa ...
( 1 time) - with Brandi Wine
*Tulalip Championship Wrestling
**TCW Women's Championship (2 time)
*Ultimate Championship Wrestling
**UCW Women's Championship (1 time)
*United States Championship Wrestling
**USCW Women's Championship (1 time)[
*]Women Superstars Uncensored
Women Superstars United (WSU; formerly ''Women Superstars Uncensored'') is an American, New Jersey based women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event in 2006. Shows combine wrestling interspersed with both serious and c ...
** WSU Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
*World League Wrestling
Harley Race's Wrestling Academy is a professional wrestling school located in Troy, Missouri. It was established in 1999 by former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race. Students of the school are incorporated into the professional wres ...
** WLW Ladies Championship (2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)[
* Wild Women of Wrestling / Ladies Major League Wrestling
**WWOW/LMLW Junior Championship (1 time)][
]
References
External links
Official Website
Official Yahoo Group
Official Yahoo Group for Team PMA
Malia Hosaka in LPWA
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hosaka, Malia
1969 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Honolulu
American female professional wrestlers
Faux Japanese professional wrestlers
Professional wrestlers from Hawaii
21st-century American women
20th-century professional wrestlers
21st-century professional wrestlers
NWA World Women's Champions