Chigusa Nagayo
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is a Japanese
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
best known for her mainstream popularity in the 1980s as a member of the Crush Gals with long-time
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
partner
Lioness Asuka is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by her ring name . She was one half of the Crush Gals professional wrestling tag team, along with Chigusa Nagayo, who are known for their mainstream popularity in the 1980s, and for be ...
. In 1995 she founded GAEA Japan and in 2014 created its successor Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. Nagayo is often regarded as the most popular and one of the greatest and most influential female wrestlers of all time. Wrestling Journalist and historian
Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist, author, and historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter' ...
has stated that in the 1980s, the Crush Gals reached a level of popularity in Japan equatable to
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Known for his flamboyance and massive physiq ...
in the United States in the same period, and thereafter Chigusa Nagayo was the most popular woman in wrestling for an extended period until her first retirement in 1989.


Professional wrestling career


All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (1980–1989)


Early career (1980–1983)

Nagayo debuted on August 8, 1980, for
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 the ...
(AJW) against Yukari Omori. She cried upon losing and was scolded by Tomi Aoyama, a member of the Queen Angels, who was retiring that night. Through 1981, she only wrestled eight times due to the promotion having too many wrestlers. On May 15, 1982, Nagayo won the vacant
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 originally contested among wrestlers under the age of 2 ...
by defeating Itsuki Yamazaki.


Crush Gals (1983–1986)

On January 4, 1983, Nagayo was matched against her future partner and one-half of the future Crush Gals,
Lioness Asuka is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by her ring name . She was one half of the Crush Gals professional wrestling tag team, along with Chigusa Nagayo, who are known for their mainstream popularity in the 1980s, and for be ...
. They had a standout performance and got a good reaction, which led to them becoming partners. The Crush Gals name was created from a combination of a nickname of
Akira Maeda (born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed martial arts promoter, writer and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Maeda was also known by the ring name Kwik-kik-Lee durin ...
and a Japanese magazine called ''Gals''. The team gained popularity after a losing effort on August 27, in a title match for the WWWA World Tag Team Championship against the Dynamite Girls. The two teams wrestled again in January 1984 to a 60-minute draw. The Crush Gals then wrestled to another 60-minute draw against
Jaguar Yokota (born July 25, 1961) is a Japanese professional wrestler and later wrestling trainer, who wrestled under the name . She is currently signed to World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana, where she is the leader of the CRYSIS stable. Yokota is widely consid ...
and
Devil Masami Masami Yoshida (吉田 雅美,born January 7, 1962) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler best known for her appearances in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, GAEA Japan and JWP Joshi Puroresu under the name Devil Masami. She is a member ...
in June to a crowd of 5,000 fans. The Crush Gals released their first music single on August 21, called ''Bible of Fire'', eventually selling over 100,000 copies. Nagayo claimed to have never sang in public prior to this single. On August 25, the Crush Gals finally defeated their rivals, the Dynamite Girls, to capture the WWWA World Tag Team Championship. In 1985, the Crush Gals began a rivalry with Dump Matsumoto's
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
, the Atrocious Alliance. The feud drew consistent ratings over 12.0 for AJW's weekly television program on Fuji TV. Nagayo claimed she had to move frequently during this time due to large amounts of fans waiting outside her home. On February 25, 1985, Matsumoto and Crane Yu defeated the Crush Gals for the WWWA World Tag Team Championship. In June, Nagayo competed in the 1985 Japan Grand Prix, losing in the semi-finals to Matsumoto. On August 28, Nagayo and Matsumoto met in a
hair vs. hair match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
. Nagayo lost the highly acclaimed match, having her head shaved which shocked the crowd. Soon after, Nagayo was able to get some revenge when the Crush Gals defeated the Atrocious Alliance to win the 1985 Tag League the Best. However, Nagayo suffered a knee injury in December, which caused the Crush Gals to vacate the WWWA World Tag Team Championship and for Nagayo to miss some of early 1986. On March 20, 1986, the Crush Gals re-captured the WWWA World Tag Team Championship from The Jumping Bomb Angels, who had won the vacated belts. The Nagayo and Matsumoto feud continued in a match at
Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The first ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the premises of the Ekōin temple i ...
on April 5, where Nagayo won.


Post-Crush Gals (1986–1989)

In May 1986, the Crush Gals suspended all non-wrestling activities and soon after broke up. Nagayo competed in the 1986 Japan Grand Prix, losing in the finals to rival Yukari Omori. The feud between Nagayo and Dump Matsumoto still continued, and the two met in a second
hair vs. hair match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
after an incident where the Atrocious Alliance cut up Nagayo's clothes after a performance. The rematch was held on November 7, with Nagayo gaining revenge and cutting Matsumoto's hair. On February 26, Nagayo and
Lioness Asuka is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by her ring name . She was one half of the Crush Gals professional wrestling tag team, along with Chigusa Nagayo, who are known for their mainstream popularity in the 1980s, and for be ...
clashed in a #1 Contender's Match for the WWWA World Single Championship. The match went to a 30-minute draw. They were given an additional five minutes but when no winner was decided, the match went to a referee's decision where Asuka was awarded the victory. Nagayo won the 1987 Japan Grand Prix. The tournament featured another Nagayo vs. Lioness Asuka match before Nagayo defeated Dump Matsumoto in the finals. On October 20, Nagayo met rival Yukari Omori in a title vs. title match, with Nagayo putting up her All Pacific Championship against Omori's WWWA World Single Championship, with Nagayo winning. After winning both the 1987 Japan Grand Prix and the WWWA World Single Championship, Nagayo was awarded the 1987 All Japan Women's MVP award. Nagayo finished off the year on December 26, by competing against
Devil Masami Masami Yoshida (吉田 雅美,born January 7, 1962) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler best known for her appearances in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, GAEA Japan and JWP Joshi Puroresu under the name Devil Masami. She is a member ...
in Masami's retirement match. On January 5, 1988, Nagayo and Yukari Omori had their last singles match against each other for the WWWA World Single Championship, with Nagayo winning. On February 25, 1988, two of Nagayo's main rivals, Dump Matsumoto and Yukari Omori retired. To mark this occasion, Nagayo and Lioness Asuka teamed up to take on the oddball pairing of Dump Matsumoto and Yukari Omori. Later that night, Nagayo pleaded with Matsumoto to team together one time before they retired. They wrestled a five-minute exhibition against Asuka and Omori. The show drew a 13.3 rating, making it the most-watched wrestling event in Japan in 1988. Nagayo held the WWWA World Single Championship up to August 25, 1988, when she lost the title to Lioness Asuka, who vacated it upon winning it due to Nagayo's arm injury. Nagayo toured North America in October, wrestling for
World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA), was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by ...
's 5th Annual Cotton Bowl Extravaganza,
Stampede Wrestling Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the prom ...
and
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...
. Nagayo and Lioness Asuka met in a WWWA World Single Championship rematch on January 22, 1989, with Asuka winning. On March 4, 1989, the Crush Gals won the WWWA Tag Titles for the last time from The Calgary Typhoons of Yumi Ogura and Mika Komatsu. They vacated the titles in May. In 1989, Nagayo reached age 26, the mandatory retirement age for female wrestlers in AJW at the time. Nagayo claimed to be getting married, however later admitted that it was a lie. Nagayo retired at WrestleMarinepiad '89 on May 6, 1989. In Nagayo's retirement match, she teamed with Lioness Asuka against Mitsuko Nishiwaki and Akira Hokuto. Then four impromptu exhibition matches followed including the final Crush Girls vs Jumping Bomb Angels match and one final match between Nagayo and Asuka.


Return to AJW (1993–1994)

Nagayo returned from retirement at All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling Dream Slam 1 on April 2, 1993, losing to
Devil Masami Masami Yoshida (吉田 雅美,born January 7, 1962) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler best known for her appearances in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, GAEA Japan and JWP Joshi Puroresu under the name Devil Masami. She is a member ...
. She said was encouraged by Kōhei Tsuka to return to wrestling. She also wrestled at All Japan Women's Big Egg Wrestling Universe on November 20, 1994, defeating
Reggie Bennett Reggie Bennett (born January 24, 1961) is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her work in ''joshi puroresu'' organizations such as All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Early career (1986 ...
.


GAEA Japan (1995–2005) and World Championship Wrestling (1996–1997)

In 1995, Nagayo formed GAEA Japan (GAEA). Nagayo made her full-time in-ring return at GAEA's first show on April 15, 1995. She wrestled as one of GAEA's main eventers and top faces. Nagayo appeared twice in the American national promotion
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (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 National W ...
(WCW) in 1996 under the ring name "Zero". Zero's first appearance would be as part of a tournament for the WCW Women's Championship, and saw Zero defeated by Madusa on the December 14 edition of ''Nitro''. After the departure of then champion Akira Hokuto, she would appear on the September 20, 1997 edition of WCW Japan competing for the vacant title, though she would be defeated by
Devil Masami Masami Yoshida (吉田 雅美,born January 7, 1962) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler best known for her appearances in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, GAEA Japan and JWP Joshi Puroresu under the name Devil Masami. She is a member ...
. In December 1998, Asuka debuted in GAEA and played a heel, allying with Nagayo's rivals and winning the presidency of GAEA from Nagayo in their first match together in ten years, on April 4, 1999. Eventually, however, on December 27, 1999, Crush Gals re-united and went on to win their fourth tag team championship together in spring 2004. While with GAEA, Nagayo briefly competed as her alter-ego, Lady Zero.


Second retirement (2005–2013),

On April 3, 2005, Nagayo and Asuka teamed up for the last time, defeating Chikayo Nagashima and Sugar Sato on GAEA's 10th Anniversary Show; Asuka retired afterward because of neck injuries. Nagayo retired a week later after losing to her
protégée Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...
,
Meiko Satomura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. She is known for her time in American promotion WWE and in Japanese promotion Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling. She is the former two-time Sendai Girls World Champion and a former one-time NXT UK Wom ...
in the main event of GAEA's ''Eternal Last Gong Show'', the promotion's farewell card. Following her retirement, Nagayo began producing her own independent events. During this time Nagayo returned to the ring sporadically: On April 15, 2005, Nagayo, Ryuji Ito and
Sanshiro Takagi , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter who works for the Japanese wrestling promotion CyberFight, where he serves as executive vice president. He is one of the founding members and current chairman of ...
defeated Mayumi Ozaki, Abdullah Kobayashi, and Shadow WX in a Fluorescent Lighttubes & Barbed Wire Alpha Death match. She also produced and wrestled at Devil Masami's retirement event in December 2008.


Sendai Girls & Marvelous (2013–2024)

Having spent five years being mostly inactive, Nagayo returned to the ring in late 2013 to participate in a storyline at Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling, where she took Meiko Satomura trainee Kagetsu under her wing. On December 11, 2013, Nagayo announced that she would return to the ring at her self-produced event on March 22, 2014, when she would face Dump Matsumoto in a six-woman tag team match. In the match, Nagayo, Kagetsu and Takumi Iroha defeated Matsumoto, Kaoru and Yoshiko with Nagayo pinning Matsumoto for the win. At the end of the event, Nagayo announced she was planning on starting her own promotion named Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling.


Setting up Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling

Nagayo began signing wrestlers for Marvelous in early 2015. In May 2015, Nagayo revealed that Marvelous was also scheduled to feature male wrestlers, while also announcing that she was returning to the United States to hold tryouts for the promotion, which was scheduled to launch in the spring of 2016. On September 12, Nagayo and
Atsushi Onita is a Japanese actor, politician, and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and is credited with introducing the hardcore wrestling, deathmatch style of professional wrestling t ...
defeated Dump Matsumoto and Taru to become the inaugural Bakuha-ō ("Blast King") Tag Team Champions. The title was promoted by Onita as part of his Chō Hanabi Puroresu shows. Marvelous held its first event on May 3, 2016. Thereafter, Nagayo would wrestle for Marvelous a few times a year until 2020 and the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. which significantly disrupted professional wrestling events in Japan for many years.


Third retirement

In March 2024 Nagayo announced she would be once again retiring from active in-ring wrestling following a retirement match that pitted Nagayo, Queen Aminata &
Takumi Iroha is a Japanese professional wrestler working for Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She also competes in Seadlinnng, where she is a former Beyond the Sea Champion. Iroha was trained by Fuka Kakimoto and made her debut in April 2013 for World ...
against Masha Slamovich, Mio Momono & Sandra Moone for
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
-based wrestling promotion West Coast Pro. She came out of retirement 5 months later, wrestling Chi-Chi at a Marvelous show.


Other media

Nagayo appears in the 2000 documentar
Gaea Girls
made for the BBC by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams. Nagayo also attempted the Daruma 7 challenge on Kinniku Banzuke.


Personal life

Nagayo did work in theatre and in 1991 performed in a play called, "Ring! Ring! Ring!", which was about women's wrestling. She also appeared on a television show as a physical education teacher. On November 19, 2018, Nagayo saved a woman from assault in a carpark in Susukino.


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 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 originally contested among wrestlers under the age of 2 ...
( 2 times) ** All Pacific Championship ( 2 times) ** IWA World Women's Championship ( 2 times) ** WWWA World Single Championship ( 1 time) ** WWWA World Tag Team Championship ( 4 times) – with
Lioness Asuka is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by her ring name . She was one half of the Crush Gals professional wrestling tag team, along with Chigusa Nagayo, who are known for their mainstream popularity in the 1980s, and for be ...
** 1981 Rookie of the Year Decision Tournament ** Japan Grand Prix (
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
) ** Tag League the Best (
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...
) – with Yumiko Hotta ** Tag League the Best (
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
) – with Lioness Asuka **AJW Hall of Fame (Class of 1998) *
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 Ab ...
**Other honoree (
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
) *Chō Hanabi Puroresu **Bakuha-ō Championship (1 time) **Bakuha-ō Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Atsushi Onita is a Japanese actor, politician, and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and is credited with introducing the hardcore wrestling, deathmatch style of professional wrestling t ...
** Bakujoō Championship (1 time, inaugural) * GAEA Japan ** AAAW Single Championship ( 2 times, inaugural) **
AAAW Tag Team Championship The AAAW Tag Team Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship formerly contested in the Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion Gaea Japan. The title which was originally known as the AAAW Junior Heavyweight Tag Team C ...
( 1 time) – with Lioness Asuka *
Oz Academy is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion founded by Mayumi Ozaki. The promotion's full official name is . In addition to the contracted members of the roster, Oz Academy has also employed some of the top f ...
**Best Wizard Award (1 time) ***Best Bout Award (2023) *''
Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards References External links

* http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp Official website 1960 establishments in Japan Da ...
'' ** Best Tag Team Award (2015) with Atsushi Onita *''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' **
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...
( Class of 1997)


Notes


References


External links


A Brief History of The Crush Gals
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagayo, Chigusa 1964 births 20th-century female professional wrestlers 20th-century Japanese professional wrestlers 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers AAAW Single Champions AAAW Tag Team Champions AJW Junior Champions All Pacific Champions IWA World Women's Champions Japan Grand Prix winners Japanese female professional wrestlers Living people Japanese professional wrestling executives Stampede Wrestling alumni Tag League the Best winners WWWA World Single Champions WWWA World Tag Team Champions