,
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
, born July 7, 1980
is a
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 ...
retired
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 ...
, better known by her
maiden name
When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also used ...
, .
Nakanishi made her debut for the
All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
, nicknamed Zenjo (全女: 全 meaning "All", 女 meaning "Woman") was a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held th ...
(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
The was the top singles women's professional wrestling championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) from 1970 until it closed in 2005. It was also known in ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' and other London Publishing wrestling magazines as ...
and the
WWWA World Tag Team Championship
The World Women's Wrestling Association (WWWA) World Tag Team Championship was the top doubles championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) from 1970 until it closed in 2005. During those years the title was held by many of the most famo ...
. In 2003, Nakanishi quit AJW to become a
freelancer
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
and went on to win the AtoZ World Championship later that same year and the
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
junior high school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
in 1996, Nakanishi, with a sports background in
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...
,
[ joined the ]All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
, nicknamed Zenjo (全女: 全 meaning "All", 女 meaning "Woman") was a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held th ...
(AJW) promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
for a career in professional wrestling
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 o ...
.[ She made her in-ring debut later that same year on July 14 at the age of sixteen, facing fellow debutant ]Nanae Takahashi
(born December 23, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler and the founder of Seadlinnng. She has wrestled for prominent Japanese promotions All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Sun, and is a two-time women's world champion in m ...
at an event in Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
's Korakuen Hall
is a famous sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many notable boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches.
History
On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with ...
. For the first months of her career, Nakanishi worked exclusively with other AJW rookies, winning her first title, the AJW Junior Championship
The AJW Junior Championship was a tertiary singles title in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. The title started in 1980 and was retired in April 2005 when the promotion closed.
The prize was contested among wrestlers with less than two years of e ...
on March 23, 1997. During the summer of 1997, Nakanishi was finally given her chance to break out, after several AJW veterans had quit the promotion, and despite her inexperience and small stature, began being recognized as one of the top workers in the promotion. Her breakout match took place on October 18, when she and Kumiko Maekawa
Kumiko (くみこ, クミコ) is a feminine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Kumiko can be written using different kanji and can mean:
*久美子, "forever, beauty, child"
*空見子, "sky, see, child"
*公美子, "public, beauty, child"
* ...
faced Las Cachorras Orientales (Etsuko Mita
is a retired Japanese professional wrestler. She formed a successful tag team with her partner Mima Shimoda as ''Las Cachorras Orientales'' (Spanish for "The Oriental Bitches"; which was originally a trio with Akira Hokuto) and Toshiyo Yamada ...
and Mima Shimoda
is a Japanese female professional wrestler, who is working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Japanese promotion World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana. She is most well known for being half of Las ...
) in Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
. Maekawa's regular tag team partner Tomoko Watanabe was unable to attend the event and had to be replaced by Nakanishi.[ Though Nakanishi was pinned by Shimoda for the win, her performance was praised, with Chris Zavisa of the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter writing " heturned in a performance worthy of a five-year veteran ranked among the world's ten best workers" and "she has more talent than any new prospect this decade".][ Nakanishi finished off her 1997 by teaming with Nanae Takahashi to win the ]AJW Tag Team Championship
The AJW Tag Team Championship was the secondary tag team title in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. The title was introduced in 1986 and was retired in April 2005 when the promotion closed.
Title his ...
on November 23 and finally winning the AJW Championship
The AJW Championship was a tertiary belt in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion. The first champion, in 1980, was Rimi Yokota. During the title's history, no one held the belt more than two times. The belt was abandoned in 2005 after ...
on December 12. At the end of her second year in professional wrestling, AJW named Nakanishi the promotion's MVP of 1997.[ The following year, Nakanishi won both the AJW Championship and AJW Tag Team Championship once more,][ before defeating Chaparita Asari on July 11, 1999, for her first World Women's Wrestling Association (WWWA) title, the World Super Lightweight Championship.
In 2000, Nakanishi and fellow AJW youngsters Nanae Takahashi and Miho Wakizawa formed an idol group named Kiss no Sekai.][ The group later recorded and released a music album together.][ Nakanishi and Takahashi continued teaming together in the ring and on July 16, 2000, won AJW's top tag team title, the ]WWWA World Tag Team Championship
The World Women's Wrestling Association (WWWA) World Tag Team Championship was the top doubles championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) from 1970 until it closed in 2005. During those years the title was held by many of the most famo ...
, for the first time by defeating Las Cachorras Orientales. After a six-month reign, the team, dubbed Nana☆Momo☆, lost the title back to LCO. During the summer of 2001, Nakanishi won the 2001 Japan Grand Prix, after which she began chasing the All Pacific Championship
The All Pacific Championship was the secondary singles women's professional wrestling title in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling or AJW. The belt was started as the Hawaiian Pacific Championship in 1977 and was renamed the All Pacific Championship ...
, leading to her winning the title on February 24, 2002. On May 2, 2002, Nakanishi made a rare appearance for 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 ...
, a male promotion, which normally did not hold any female wrestling matches, teaming with Kaoru Ito
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotions All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and JWP Joshi Puroresu.
Professional wrestling c ...
in a tag team match at the Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
, where they defeated Manami Toyota
is a retired professional wrestler, best known for her work with the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion. She is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
Following AJW's closure, she continued to work ...
and 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 ...
. The following July, Nana☆Momo☆ regained the WWWA World Tag Team Championship from Rumi Kazama and Takako Inoue
is a Japanese professional wrestler. She wrestled primarily for the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling promotion, and held several championships, primarily in tag team wrestling. She was well known as one-half of the tag team Double Inoue, which ...
. On September 8, 2002, Nakanishi vacated
A vacated judgment (also known as vacatur relief) makes a previous legal judgment legally void. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court, which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgment of a lower court. ...
the All Pacific Championship in order to concentrate on winning AJW's top title, the WWWA World Single Championship
The was the top singles women's professional wrestling championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) from 1970 until it closed in 2005. It was also known in ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' and other London Publishing wrestling magazines as ...
.[ On October 20, 2002, she defeated the much larger Kaoru Ito to win the WWWA World Single Championship and become the top wrestler in AJW.] At the end of the year, the Tokyo Sports
is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960.
See also
* Tokyo Sports Film Award
* Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards
The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' mag ...
magazine named Nakanishi the 2002 ''joshi'' wrestler of the year.[ After a seven-month reign at the top of AJW, Nakanishi lost the WWWA World Single Championship to ]Ayako Hamada
is a Mexican professional wrestler. During her 20-year career, Hamada wrestled for various promotions, including All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Gaea Japan and Pro Wrestling Wave in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Lib ...
on May 11, 2003, in the main event of AJW's 35th anniversary event. Just two months later, Nakanishi surprisingly announced that she was quitting AJW.[
]
Freelancing (2003–2005)
After leaving AJW, Nakanishi became a freelancer
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
, working for promotions such as 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 wr ...
, Major Girl's Fighting AtoZ,[ and NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling,] while also forming the short-lived M's Style promotion with Mariko Yoshida
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by the ring name . She is best known for her work with the ARSION professional wrestling promotion, where she was also head trainer.
Professional wrestling career
Yoshida debuted for All Japan ...
, Michiko Ohmukai and 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, ...
. During 2003, she also took part in the third ''Kunoichi
is a Japanese cant term for . In popular culture, it is often used for female shinobi or practitioner of ninjutsu (''ninpo''). The term was largely popularized by novelist Yamada Futaro in his novel ''Ninpō Hakkenden'' (忍法八犬伝) in 1964 ...
'' (Women of Ninja Warrior) competition, where she made it past the first two stages. In AtoZ, Nakanishi became the first AtoZ World Champion on November 9, 2003,[ while in NEO, she won the NEO Stage tournament on January 17, 2004.] Nakanishi followed up her NEO Stage win by defeating Yoshiko Tamura
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Tamura was trained by the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion, made her debut in September 1994 and worked for the promotion for three years, winning the AJW Junior Championship, before ...
on March 12 to win the NEO Single and NWA Women's Pacific Championships. In May 2004, Nakanishi wrestled two matches for All Japan Pro Wrestling
(AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...
, another promotion mainly featuring male wrestlers.[ After two successful defenses, Nakanishi lost the NEO Single and NWA Women's Pacific Championships to Misae Genki on August 14, 2004.][ The following month, Nakanishi announced that she was retiring from professional wrestling.][ On January 7, 2005, Nakanishi produced her retirement event at Korakuen Hall.] In the opening match of the event, she teamed with Kuishinbo Kamen
is a Japanese professional wrestler better known as , a masked clown character. Kuishinbo Kamen is Japanese for "Gluttonous Mask". For a while he was forced to give up the Kuishinbo Kamen character, instead he worked as "Super Robo K", a futuri ...
in a comedy tag team match, where they defeated Ebessan and Ebekosan, who during the match unmasked as Nakanishi's old associate Ayako Hamada. Later, in the main event of the evening, Nakanishi was defeated in her retirement match by her longtime tag team partner Nanae Takahashi.
Post-retirement
On March 19, 2011, Nakanishi, billed under her married name Momoe Oe, made her first professional wrestling appearance in six years, when she appeared at an Ice Ribbon
is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan.
History
Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler wh ...
event, which led to the promotion's founder, Emi Sakura
, better known by the ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler performing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). After starting her career in International Wrestling Association of Japan in August 1995, Sakura worked for several promotions acro ...
, challenging her to an exhibition match. The match took place two days later at ''Ice Ribbon March 2011'' in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall and ended in a 1–1 draw. Originally billed as a three-minute exhibition match, the match ended up lasting closer to five minutes, with Oe winning the first fall with her signature finishing maneuver, the ''Momo☆Latch'', before being pinned for the draw with a la magistral. After the time-limit had already expired, Nakanishi pinned Sakura for another three count with a bridging German suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs.
Professional wrestling featu ...
.[
On May 8, 2014, it was announced that Oe would return to wrestle another exhibition match at Passion Red's May 24 event, where she and Nanae Takahashi would face Miho Wakizawa and ]Natsuki☆Taiyo
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . Making her debut for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) in January 2004, Mizushima quickly affiliated herself with Nanae Takahashi, following her out of AJW in 2006 a ...
. The match ended in a five-minute time limit draw.
Personal life
Nakanishi's father, Shigezo, is also involved in professional wrestling as the owner of the Japan Pro-Wrestling 2000 promotion. On January 23, 2005, Nakanishi married Makoto Oe, a kickboxer
Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...
, UWF International
Union of Professional Wrestling Force International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. The UWF international was the successor to the ''Newb ...
alum and a trainer at U.W.F. Snakepit, adopting his surname in the process.[ The Oes have four children together: , , , and .][ Momoe currently holds gymnastics classes at the U.W.F. Snakepit gym on Saturdays.][
]
Championships and accomplishments
*All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
, nicknamed Zenjo (全女: 全 meaning "All", 女 meaning "Woman") was a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held th ...
**AJW Championship
The AJW Championship was a tertiary belt in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion. The first champion, in 1980, was Rimi Yokota. During the title's history, no one held the belt more than two times. The belt was abandoned in 2005 after ...
(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 ...
)
**AJW Junior Championship
The AJW Junior Championship was a tertiary singles title in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. The title started in 1980 and was retired in April 2005 when the promotion closed.
The prize was contested among wrestlers with less than two years of e ...
( 1 time)[
**]AJW Tag Team Championship
The AJW Tag Team Championship was the secondary tag team title in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. The title was introduced in 1986 and was retired in April 2005 when the promotion closed.
Title his ...
(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 ...
) – with Nanae Takahashi
(born December 23, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler and the founder of Seadlinnng. She has wrestled for prominent Japanese promotions All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Sun, and is a two-time women's world champion in m ...
[
**]All Pacific Championship
The All Pacific Championship was the secondary singles women's professional wrestling title in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling or AJW. The belt was started as the Hawaiian Pacific Championship in 1977 and was renamed the All Pacific Championship ...
( 1 time)[
**]WWWA World Single Championship
The was the top singles women's professional wrestling championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) from 1970 until it closed in 2005. It was also known in ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' and other London Publishing wrestling magazines as ...
( 1 time)[
**WWWA World Super Lightweight Championship (1 time)][
**]WWWA World Tag Team Championship
The World Women's Wrestling Association (WWWA) World Tag Team Championship was the top doubles championship in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) from 1970 until it closed in 2005. During those years the title was held by many of the most famo ...
(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 ...
) – with Nanae Takahashi[
**]Japan Grand Prix
The Japan Grand Prix was an annual professional wrestling tournament held by the promotion All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) to determine the number one contender for the promotion's highest achievement, the WWWA World Single Championship. ...
(2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
)[
**]Tag League the Best __NOTOC__
The was an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament, founded by All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), which held it from 1985 to 2004 (with no tournament taking place in 1990). After the folding of AJW in 2005, the tournament wa ...
( 1998) – with Nanae Takahashi
**Tag League the Best __NOTOC__
The was an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament, founded by All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), which held it from 1985 to 2004 (with no tournament taking place in 1990). After the folding of AJW in 2005, the tournament wa ...
(2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
) – with Kayo Noumi
**MVP Award (1997)
*Major Girl's Fighting AtoZ
**AtoZ World Championship (1 time)[
**AtoZ World Championship Tournament (2003)][
*NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling
**]NEO Single Championship
Neo or NEO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional entities
* Neo (''The Matrix''), the alias of Thomas Anderson, a hacker and the protagonist of the Matrix film series
* Neo (''Marvel Comics'' species), a fictional race of superhumans
* ...
( 1 time)[
** NWA Women's Pacific Championship ( 1 time)][
**NEO Stage (2004)][
*'']Tokyo Sports
is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960.
See also
* Tokyo Sports Film Award
* Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards
The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' mag ...
''
**Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize
The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' magazine annually since 1974. The most publicized awards in Japanese professional wrestling, they are recognized by all the major pr ...
(2002)
References
External links
Puroresu Central profile
Official blog
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakanishi, Momoe
1980 births
Living people
People from Fujiidera, Osaka
Sportspeople from Osaka Prefecture
Japanese female professional wrestlers