Jaguar Yokota

Rimi Yokota is a Japanese pro wrestler and later wrestling trainer, who wrestled under the name Jaguar Yokota. She was one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time, and, during her heyday in the early 1980s, was one of the best wrestlers of either sex in the world.

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 Champion.

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, 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 Wrestling Championship with Ayumi Hori, on December 17, having also become the first AJW Champion with a victory over Nancy Kumi two days earlier. On February 25, 1981 she achieved her greatest success to that point, defeating her original inspiration, Jackie Sato, for the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship. She was 19 years old.

She lost her first world championship to La Galactica on May 7, 1983 in a hair vs. mask match, then won it back a month later. During her second world title run, she had very notable fueds with Devil Masami and Lioness Asuka (of the Crush Gals), but had to vacate the championship in 1985 due to a shoulder injury.

After her early retirement in 1986 (she was 24), she became a trainer for AJW. Notable students of hers are Manami Toyota, Toshiyo Yamada, and Kyoko Inoue. In 1995 she formed the Jd' promotion, and wrestled as its top star until 1998.

Yokota was married in August, 2004. Currently, she wrestles as Jaguar Y, a member of the Monster faction in HUSTLE.

All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
AJW Champion (1 time)
AJW Junior Champion (1 time)
WWWA World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion (2 times)
WWWA World Tag Team Wrestling Champion (1 time) - with Jumbo Hori
Jd'
AWF World Women's Wrestling Champion (1 time)
TWF World Women's Wrestling Champion (1 time)
TWF World Women's Tag Team Wrestling Champion (1 time) - with Yuko Kosugi
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted 1996)

technorati tags: wrestling ,pro wrestling, female wrestling

Yuka Nakamura - Japanese Women Wrestling

Yuka Nakamura

Wrestler: Yuka Nakamura
Height: 5' 2" (155cm)
Weight: 118.8lbs (54kg)
Date of Birth: December 26rd, 1979
Pro Wrestling Debut: August 16th, 1998 vs. Mima Shimoda
Wrestling Promotions: She debuted with Neo Ladies (1998-2000), NEO (2000-)

Yuka has teamed with Kaori Nakayama, Nattie Neidhart, Haruka Matsuo, Junko Yagi, Mima Shimoda, Misae Genki and Acute Sae.

Yuka Nakamura wrestling Kayo Noumi, posted by nagashimark

Wrestler: Yoshiko Tamura

Wrestler: Yoshiko Tamura
Height: 5' 5" (165cm)
Weight: 149.6lbs (68kg)
Date of Birth: February 6 1976
Pro Wrestling Debut: September 15 1994 versus Kaoru Kaneyama
Promotions: AJW (1994-1997), Neo Ladies (1997-2000), NEO (2000-)

On June 26 1995, she defeated Misae Watanabe (Misae Genki) for the AJW Junior title. She lost it on September 1 1996 to Tomoko Miyaguchi.
July 19 1997 - She defeated Toshie Uematsu for the WCW Womens Wrestling Cruiserweight title. Lost it on September 20 1997 to Sugar Sato.
On December 7 1999, she defeated The Bloody for the AWF Women's title. She lost it on January 10 2000 to The Bloody.
August 23 2000, she defeated Nicole Bass to become the first NWA Pacific and NEO Singles champion. Lost the titles on February 11 2001 to Mima Shimoda.

wrestling

Bison Kimura

Wrestler Name Bison Kimura
Real name Nobuko Kimura
Name history Nobuko Kimura, Bison Kimura
Birth date March 9th, 1967 - Tokyo, Japan
Pro Wrestling Debut 1986
Height 5'6"
Weight 165 lbs
Signature moves Kesagiri Chop, Diving Headbutt, STF
Titles: AJW All Japan Tag Team Wrestling Titles (with Aja Kong), AJW WWWA World Tag Team Wrestling Titles (with Aja Kong),AJW All-Pacific Title

technorati tags: wrestling ,pro wrestling ,wrestling news ,woman wrestling,female wrestling ,pro wrestling news,professional wrestling,japanese wrestling

San Francisco Values

No blog this week.

I just got back from a five day vacation in San Francisco, California, which is likely to be the last I'll have in quite a while. Fear not. Good times were had, and I'm refreshed and renewed. We'll return to your regularly scheduleed blog next week.

Carry on as you were.

Devil Masami - Japanese Wrestling

Japanese female wrestler Devil Masami was born on January 7th, 1962 in Kitakyushu, Japan.
She trained at the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling Dojo and made her pro wrestling debut on August 21st, 1978
Devil worked for the AJW wrestling promotion from 1978 to 1995.
During that time she held the WWWA World Tag Team Championship on August 10, 1982 (with Tarantula), the All Pacific Championship and the WWWA World Championship.
Devil left AJW and went to work for GAEA Japan in 1995.
There she held the AAAW Singles Championship, the WCW Women's Championship (WCW was working with GAEA at the time) and the AAAW Tag Team Championship (with Aja Kong).
On November 29, 1998, she was inducted into the All Japan Womens Hall of Fame.
In 2005 she went back to AJW and wrestled in the main event of AJW's final card on April 17th, teaming up with  Amazing Kong to take on (and defeat) Kyoko Inoue and Misae Genki.
On December 30, 2008, she wrestled her retirement match and left the business after 30 years.

Wrestler: Mimi Hagiwara

Wrestler: Mimi Hagiwara
Trained by: Jackie Sato
Pro wrestling Debut: 1979
Born: February 6th,1956 in Tokyo Japan.
Titles: The World Women's Wrestling Association (WWWA) World Tag Team Championships (with Yukari Ohmori in 1981), All Pacific Women's Wrestling Championship (twice, once in 1981 and again in 1982)
Mimi also did some acting, she was in the Japanese TV series Kamen Rider, as Choko.
And she also did some singing with several number one pop hits on the Japanese Top 40.

Here is Mimi Hagiwara taking on Princess Victoria in a match for the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling wrestling promotion, posted by pto006




technorati tags: Wrestling, wwe, sports, smackdown, raw, pro-wrestling, tna, ecw

Wrestler: Ofune

Wrestler: Ofune
Popular wrestler and singer in Japan.

She has also done at least one photobook.
Rival/Partner of Apple.

technorati tags: Wrestling, wwe, sports, smackdown, raw, pro-wrestling, tna, ecw

wrestling

Miss Mongol

Wrestler: Miss Mongol
Height: 5' 1" (154cm)
Weight: 143lbs (65kg)
Real Name: Aki Kanbayashi
Date of Birth: September 2 1976

Aki "Miss Mongol" Kambayashi, 154cm / 65kg, was born in Sapporo City, Hokkaido on September 2, 1976. She was trained with Sugar Sato (Toshie Sato / GAEA-Japan), Kiyoko Ichiki (Big Japan), and Genki Misae (Misae Watanabe / NEO) by Kotetsu Yamamoto at a wrestling school for a TV program. Then, she was hired by Atsushi Onita's FMW. She Pro Wrestling Debut : ed as a pro wrestler against Yukie Nabeno in Joetsu City, Niigata on October 25, 1995, when she was 19 years old. Young woman wrestlers usually idolized Japanese "super heroines" like Chigusa Nagayo, Manami Toyota, or Aja Kong, but she was different. She was a big fan of American style women wrestlers like Leilani Kai & Judy Martin. Since leaving FMW in February 1998, she is constantly going back and forth between Tokyo and Victor Quinones' IWA in Puerto Rico wrestling as La Malcriada, where some of the WWE's developmental wrestlers are wrestling now. She will follow her dream to have her name up in the USA until it comes true.

http://www.geocities.com/smokyrobmoore/jp060500.htm

technorati tags: Wrestling, wwe, sports, smackdown, raw, pro-wrestling, tna, ecw

Wrestler: Hikari Fukuoka

Wrestler: Hikari Fukuoka
Height: 5' 3"
Weight: 143lbs
Date of Birth: February 23, 1971
Retired: March 28 1999, with Candy Okutsu & Hiromi Yagi drew with Commando Bolshoi, Azumi Hyuga & Carlos Amano.
Promotions: Japanese Women's Pro [1989-1992], JWP [1992-1999]

January 8, 1995 - She won the JWP Tag Team Wrestling titles with Mayumi Ozaki, from Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda. Lose titles on March 18, 1995 to Cuty Suzuki and Dynamite Kansai.
On December 9, 1995 - Won the JWP Tag Team titles with KAORU from Dynamite Kansai and Cuty Suzuki. Lose them back to Dynamite and Cuty on July 7, 1996.
November 26, 1996 - She won the JWP Tag Team Wrestling titles with Devil Masami from Dynamite and Cuty, Lose belts to Kaoru Ito and Manami Toyota, January 23 1998.
April 8, 1997 - Won the JWP Title from Dynamite Kansai. Lost it on February 28 1999 to Azumi Hiuga [Tomoko Kuzumi].
On February 11, 1998 - She won JWP Tag Team titles with Tomoko Kuzumi from Manami Toyota and Kaoru Ito. Lose them to Devil Masami and Cuty Suzuki.
July 31, 1998 - Won JWP Tag Team titles with Tomoko Kuzumi from Devil Masami and Cuty Suzuki. Lost them to Commando Bolshoi and Rieko Amano, January 15 1999.
Signature moves: The Moonsault Stomp, Rider Kick.

JWP named the Hikari Fukuoka & Tomoko Kuzumi vs. Rieko Amano & Tomoko Miyaguchi match on October 21 as their 1998 match of the year.
Has starred in a couple of photo books, one was entitled Desnuda. Cover of Desnuda at JWP's web site.

technorati tags: Wrestling, wwe, sports, smackdown, raw, pro-wrestling, tna, ecw

Tiger Dream

Tiger Mask (Japanese: タイガーマスク) began as a manga in 1968 and was later adapted into a successful anime series in 1969. In real life, the name has been used by a succession of Japanese professional wrestling characters as a gimmick. The Tiger Mask persona is instantly recognizable by its trademark mask, designed to look like a tiger's head, as well as the combination of high flying attacks and martial arts in the ring.

The anime ended in 1971 but it continued to be so popular that the bookers in the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion licensed the character and created a real-life Tiger Mask in 1981, originally portrayed by Satoru Sayama. Sayama played the role until 1983 when he left New Japan due to his hatred for the backstage politics of pro wrestling in general and eventually became one of the first mixed martial artists in the world. As Tiger Mask, Sayama feuded with Kuniaki Kobayashi, and Englishmen Dynamite Kid, the original Black Tiger , and Steve Wright, as well as Mexico's Fishman.

Sayama also gave brief authorization for a female version of the character, called Tiger Dream, to be played by female wrestler Candy Okutsu in the mid-1990s. He and Tiger Mask IV also provided her with training. However, Okutsu being injury-prone and having to take several sabbaticals from the ring, the character was easily forgotten by the fans and eventually abandoned.

technorati tags: Wrestling, wwe, sports, smackdown, raw, pro-wrestling, tna, ecw

Toshie Uematsu - Japanese Wrestling

Wrestler:Toshie Uematsu
Height: 5' 2" (157cm)
Weight: 143lbs (65kg)
Date of Birth: April 14 1974
Debut: April 15 1995 vs. Chikayo Nagashima
Promotions: GAEA (1994-)

April 7 1997 - Defeated Malia Hosaka to win the WCW Womens Cruiserweight title. Lost the belt to Yoshiko Tamura on July 19 1997.

Worked for Chigusa Nagayo's GAEA promotion.

technorati tags: wrestling,wwe, sports, smackdown, raw, pro-wrestling

"Let's All Go to the Lobby"

There's so many different things going on this week, I don't even know what to write a blog about, so I'm going to write about two awesome movies I've seen.

Things are moving well with Women's Studies. Some may say the good vibes are due to the official greenlight and the big casting announcement we made last week. Me? I think it's because I've gotten back to the movie theatre. I've seen two movies in the theatre in as many weeks.

There was time in my life when I hit the movie theatre every weekend. It didn't matter what was playing, I went to see something. Double features were more the norm than not. A Saturday triple feature while it didn't happen often, happened quite a lot. Then a couple years ago, something changed. I stopped going to the cinema. You could chalk it up to getting married or turning thirty. I think part of it was that I started making movies myself which is a pretty time consuming process.

Another part of it was the movies. Where I live, the multiplex is all I really got. If I want to get to the art theatres showing the groovy independent and foreign stuff, I have to drive thirty miles. So, if I want the theatre experience, I have to take what the studios give me, and for a couple of years there, the studio offerings got to be pretty bad. Last fall, they started to get better and I found myself wishing I had a little more time to get to the theatre. (I'm trying to catch up with stuff on DVD. Hollywoodland, The Prestige, and The Departed are all currently on my short list.)

Anyway, the last two movies I've seen in the theater have been absolutely fantastic, and it's making want to pick back up my old movie theatre habit. Those films were 300 and Behind the Mask, The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

300, in case you've been off the planet, is the tale of three hundred Spartans who hold off what seems to be millions of of Persian soldiers. It's supposedly based off a real event, but forget about historical accuracy. This film is pure fantasy, and to me, it's the best part of it. It's a ride form beginning to end, visually stunning, action packed, and totally viscerally engaging. I think some critics were put off by the fact that the filmmakers made it look a lot like the Frank Miler graphic novel it's based on, but I think that was the point. All I know is that I had an absolute blast. I walked away from that movie wanting to learn to swordfight and do three trillion crunches.

The other movie I saw was Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, and maybe I only loved it because in my youth, I was obsessed with 80s slasher films. Long story short, a documentary filmmaker follows a killer in the mold of Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers as he prepares for his slaughter. It's hilarious as the killer talks about his exercise program, his methodology, and basically deconstructs the elements of the slasher film. Then in the film's final third as the killer's rampage begins, the filmmakers become characters in the film. At that point, the film switches visual formats and becomes a true slasher film. I might add it's a damned scary one at that. Somebody called the Behind the Mask "a gift to horror fans" and it is. Boy is it.

Okay, that's all. Back to work.

Azumi Hyuga

Wrestler: Azumi Hyuga
Height: 5' 3"
Weight: 128lbs
Date of Birth: January 6 1975
Real Name: Tomoko Kuzumi
Pro Wrestling Debut: December 4 1994 against Fusayo Nouchi
Promotions: JWP (1994-)

On April 21 1996 - With Yuki Miyazaki, she won the JWP Korakuen Tag Team Wrestling titles, defeating Rieko Amano and Tomoko Miyaguchi in a tournament final. Vacated the titles in 1997.
August 10 1996 - Defeated Rieko Amano in a tournament final to win the JWP Junior Wrestling title. Lost it to Tomoko Miyaguchi on August 17, 1997.
September 20 1997 - With Kanako Motoya, she won the JWP Korakuen Tag Team Wrestling titles, defeating Mayumi Ozaki and Rieko Amano in a tournament final.
On February 11 1998 - With Hikari Fukuoka,she won the JWP Tag Team Wrestling titles from Manami Toyota and Kaoru Ito. Lost them on June 14 1998 to Devil Masami and Cuty Suzuki.
July 31 1998 - With Hikari Fukuoka won the JWP Tag Team titles from Devil Masami and Cuty Suzuki. Lost them to Commando Bolshoi and Rieko Amano, January 15 1999.
On February 28 1999 - Defeated Hikari Fukuoka for the JWP Open Weight title. Lost the title on December 23 1999 to Ran YuYu.
February 11 2000 - Defeated Kumiko Maekawa for the All Pacific title. Lost the title on July 15 2000 to Tomoko Watanabe.
On June 18 2000 - With Commando Bolshoi, won the JWP Tag Team titles from ZAP I and ZAP T. Current holders.
February 18 2001 - Defeated Commando Bolshoi for the JWP Open Weight title.
On August 31 2001 - With Kayoko Haruyama won the JWP Tag Team titles from Ran YuYu and Misae Genki.
July 20 2002 - With Ran YuYu won the JWP tag team titles from GAMI and PIKO.
Other Notes

JWP named the Hikari Fukuoka & Tomoko Kuzumi vs. Rieko Amano & Tomoko Miyaguchi match on October 21 as their 1998 match of the year.
1998 JWP MVP.
Changed her name from Tomoko Kuzumi to Azumi Hyuga in early 1999.

wrestling

technorati tags: sports, smackdown, raw, pro-wrestling, tna, ecw, john cena, femdom, humiliation

KAORU

Wrestler Name: KAORU
Real Name: Kaoru Maeda
Wrestler Name history Kaoru Maeda, Infernal KAORU, KAORU
Birth date February 9, 1969 - Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan
Professional wrestling debut: August 8, 1986 against Megumi Kudo
Height 5'5"/167 cm
Weight 150 lbs/68kg
Signature moves Excalibur (Michinoku Driver II)

On December 26 1987, she lost to Suzuka Minami in a match for the vacant AJW Junior title.
October 10 1988 With Mika Takahashi (Honey Wings), she won the AJW Tag Team Wrestling titles, defeating Erika Shishido (Aja Kong) & Nobuko Kimura (Bison Kimura). They lost the titles on March 4 1989 to Reuben Amada & Miori Kamiya (later Cooga).
1992 - Won the Universal JCTV title. She lost it to Lady Apache in 1993.
On January 19 1992, KAORU and Lady Apache lost to Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada in a match where the winners would become the first UWA Womens Tag Team Wrestling champions.
December 9 1995 With Hikari Fukuoka, she won the JWP Tag Team titles, defeating Dynamite Kansai & Cuty Suzuki. They lost the titles on July 7 1996 to Dynamite Kansai & Cuty Suzuki.
April 7 2002 - With Mayumi Ozaki won the AAAW Tag Team Wrestling titles from Chikayo Nagashima and Sugar Sato.

female wrestling

Mayumi Ozaki - Japanese Female Wrestling

Wrestler name(s) Mayumi Ozaki,Pure Wild,Queen Of The Street Fight
Billed height 156cm (5'3")
Billed weight 54kg (119lbs)
Born October 28, 1968
Pro Wrestling Debut August 17, 1986 with Esther Moreno Vs. Maiko Tsurugi & Reina Gallegos

Mayumi Ozaki debuted in a tag match in August, 1986. In her career, she held the WWWA tag team wrestling titles with Dynamite Kansai from April 11, 1993 to December 6, 1993 (both winning from and losing to Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW). She also held the UWA Junior and JWP Junior Wrestling titles between 1988 and 1991, and teamed with Cuty Suzuki and Hikari Fukuoka to win the JWP Tag Titles a number of times between 1992 and 1995. Most recently, she held the AAAW Tag title with Aja Kong, beating GAEA's Sugar Sato and Chikayo Nagashima on August 23, 1998 in Tokyo.

Until recently, Ozaki usually wrestled in JWP (Japan Women's Project), but was also the leader of her own heel stable called the Oz Academy, which freelanced in other women's promotions in Japan, such as AJW and GAEA. In 1998 Ozaki became a true free agent, and began to promote her own shows using her Oz Academy wrestlers, looking for a niche in the fragmented joshi puroresu scene.

Ozaki has a talent for setting up and working with the psychology of a match. She is able to work any style from mat wrestling to "street fighting," and is able to look credible dominating larger wrestlers, such as former partner Dynamite Kansai, and she is especially good at settling down young or erratic workers and making a match flow smoothly. Her own moves are crisp and intense, with no wasted motion; and every movement has meaning.

wrestling

Emi Motokawa

Emi Motokawa

Height: 5' 2" (156cm)
Weight: 123.2lbs (56kg)
Debut: August 17 1996 vs. Kyoko Ichiki
Date of Birth: October 4 1976
Hometown: Chiba
Career Title History

January 24 1998 - Defeated Momoe Nakanishi to win the AJW Singles title. Lost it on April 12 1998 to Momoe Nakanishi.

Emi played the Pink Falcon in Mask de 41 (2004).

womens wrestling

Kaori Nakayama

Wrestler name: Kaori Nakayama
Height: 5' (150cm)
Weight: 123.2lbs (56kg)
Date of Birth: March 14 1978
Hometown: Osaka

Joined Mayumi Ozaki's Oz Academy group in March 1999 and worked for GAEA.

Meiko Satomura

Height: 5' 2" (157cm)
Weight: 158.4lbs (72kg)
Date of Birth: November 17 1979
Pro Wrestling Debut: April 15 1995, vs. Sonoko Kato
Promotions: GAEA (1994-)

November 2 1996 - With Sonoko Kato, won the AAAW Junior Tag team titles, defeating Sugar Sato and Chikayo Nagashima. Lost the titles on March 2 1998 to Sugar Sato and Chikayo Nagashima.
December 15 2001 - Won the AAAW Title from Aja Kong. Lost it on June 2 2002 to Chikayo Nagashima.
October 20 2002 - With Ayako Hamada won the AAAW Tag Team titles from KAORU & Mayumi Ozaki. Lost the titles to Aja Kong & Devil Masami, February 11 2003.

Meiko appeared in Gaea Girls (2000) as herself

Meiko Satomura Teaches a Dropkick:
http://www.psfights.com//details.php?image_id=1330

Sonoko Kato

Sonoko Kato

Height: 5' 3" (158cm)
Weight: 147.4lbs (67kg)
Date of Birth: June 11 1976
Pro Wrestling Debut: April 15 1995, vs. Meiko Satomura
Promotions: GAEA (1994-)
Career Title History

November 2 1996 - With Meiko Satomura, won the AAAW Junior tag team title, defeating Sugar Sato and Chikayo Nagashima. Lost the titles on March 29 1998 to Chikayo Nagashima and Sugar Sato.
Other Notes

Winner of the 1999 GAEA High Spurt 600 tournament.

http://homepages.which.net/~james.phillips/kato.htm

Senatorial Debate

First, the big news:

Judith O’Dea, who played the iconic role of “Barbara” in George A. Romero’s 1968 horror classic, Night of the Living Dead, has signed on to play Senator Gayle Hamlin in Women’s Studies.

Allow me to take a moment and totally geek out.

. . .

There. Much better.

O'Dea's character, Gayle Hamlin, is A U.S. senator whose party affiliation has conveniently been made ambiguous. (Who wrote this movie?) She's strong willed, a fighter who's passionate and believes that the world can be made a better place.

"Kind of like Hillary, right?"

Well, not exactly, though that's the comparison everybody wants to make. I don't want to get too political here. I like Hillary a lot. I think she exhibited class, dignity, and poise during Bill's embarrassing "interlude." I also think she has the ideas, drive, and thick skin it takes to lead this crazy, beautiful nation I call home. Plus, I'm of the mind that some positive feminine energy in our leadership is exactly what the world needs. However, there's something mildly androgynous and a little fake about Hillary that rubs me the wrong the way. Like she's a Stepford Wife programmed in 1994, except instead of being the perfect housewife, she's the perfect mouthpiece for her (male) political and (male) corporate overlords. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am. Only time will tell though, right?

I liken the character of Hamlin more to someone like Ralph Nader, who's been down in the trenches trying to clean the system up. Politically, Hamlin is championing causes that a lot of her fellow politicians simply could care less about. In Hamlin's case, they are issues of women's rights. Also, Hamlin has been diagnosed with breast cancer and a lot of her colleagues think she's washed up politically.

Additionally, Hamlin is also mentor to the heroine of Women’s Studies, Mary (Cindy Marie Martin). Mary has been interning under Hamlin while getting her Masters degree and is prepped to join her staff full time. However, though Mary believes in Hamlin's ideals, she has some fear that her alignment with Hamlin may jeopardize her own burgeoning political career.

You'll remember from previous blogs that at the beginning of the film, Mary is caught between wanting to continue her political work for Hamlin and acquiescing to the desire of her boyfriend, Zack, to settle down and start a family. Hamlin is one of Mary's possible futures, and the first one the audience is exposed to in the film. She's everything Mary wants to be and is afraid of being.

It's a vital role in that Hamlin's presence is felt even when she's not on screen. So it seemed appropriate that we cast someone with a commanding presence. Judith O'Dea fits the role perfectly.

I could rattle on about Night of the Living Dead, Barbara, and the influence that character has on not just the women of Women's Studies but ALL horror movie heroines, but I think it's simply an understood part of the equation at this point. That we still talk about it today is all the proof you need that O'Dea's performance in that film was of the highest caliber.

O'Dea is still an amazing actress. If you don't believe me, pick up a copy of Jason Paul Collum's October Moon in which O'Dea plays the conservative matriarch of a married man who suddenly realizes he's gay. She only has a few scenes but they're gripping, with all the intensity, vigor and passion she had in her twenties, perhaps even more so because those traits are tempered with experience and wisdom.

"They're coming to get you, Barbara?" I think these days Barbara is ready.

The fire burned very hot that weekend....

And there was white light.....mess'eh dunc.

Ka-Boom!! Chimps on Acid on Tour and in trouble

It started out in a sensible and civilised manner......"Ok, so that 8 trays of sausages, 20 steaks, 3 chickens, 4 legs of ham, pork loins, chirizo and some cake mix"

Then signs started creeping in.........

And then it got messy.......

Ai Fujita

Ai Fujita
Height: 5' 3" (160cm)
Weight: 127.6lbs (58kg)
Date of Birth: February 15 1976
Mexican Pro Wrestling Debut: July 18 1998, vs. Ampola
Japanese Pro Wrestling Debut: April 14 1999, with Candy Okutsu vs. Ayako Hamada & Mika Akino
Promotions: ARSION (1999-)

February 17 2002 - With Michiko Ohmukai won the Twin Star of ARSION from GAMI and Rie Tamada. Current holders.

Worked for ARSION

Joshi Puroresu: Chigusa Nagayo

Name: Nagayo Chigusa
Date Of Birth: December 8 1964,Omura, Nagasaki
Height: 165 cm (5 ft, 5 inches)
Weight: 71 kg (192 lb)
Pro Wrestling Debut: August 8, 1980 (against Yukari Omori)
Promotions: AJW (1980-1989), Free (1993-1994), GAEA (1994-)

Chigusa Nagayo (長与千種) is a female Professional Wrestler best known for her popularity in the 1980s for her tag team The Crush Gals with partner Lioness Asuka. She was the founder of the GAEA Women's Professional Wrestling organization (known simply as GAEA) She briefly competed as alter-ego Lady Zero in GAEA and in the WCW.

Nagayo appears in the 2000 documentary Gaea Girls made for the BBC by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams.

Nagayo & Lioness Asuka vs. Dynamite Girls on August 27, 1983 was named as the 1983 AJW Match Of The Year.
Devil Masami vs. Chigusa Nagoya on August 22, 1985 was named as the 1985 AJW Match of the Year.
Yumiko Hotta & Chigusa Nagayo vs. Akira Hokuto & Yukari Omori on October 10 1986 was named as the AJW 1986 Match of the Year.
Inducted into the All Japan Womens Wrestling Hall of Fame on November 29, 1998.

Formed in the early 1980s, the Crush Gals were possibly the most famous and beloved women's tag team of all time. During the mid-80's they had three runs as WWWA World Tag Team Champions at All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), and were pop culture sensations. They had several top 10 pop singles, and their main event feud against Dump Matsumoto's heel stable drew consistent ratings over 12.0 for AJW's weekly television program on Fuji TV. The feud was highlighted by events such as the first women's hair vs. hair match in Japan between Nagoya and Matsumoto on August 28, 1985, and a vicious run-in on September 10, 1986, when Matsumoto and her gang interrupted as the Crush Gals performed a concert in the ring, and proceeded to cut up Nagoya's clothes, leading to a second hair vs. hair match. The success and popularity of the Crush Gals inspired many young Japanese women to enter pro wrestling. Later in the decade, Nagoya achieved the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship, finishing Yukari Omori with a moonsault, on August 22, 1988. Nagoya lost the belt to her best-friend and Crush Gals partner, Lioness Asuka, on January 22, 1989, after a historic and emotional feud.

In 1989, Nagoya reached age 26, the mandatory retirement age for female wrestlers in Japan, at the time; however, she came out of retirement in the mid-90's to form GAEA Japan. She wrestled as one of GAEA's main eventers and top faces. In December, 1998, Asuka debuted in GAEA and played a heel, allying with Nagoya's rivals and winning the presidency of GAEA from Nagoya in their first match together in ten years, on April 4, 1999. Eventually, however, on December 27, 1999, the Crush Gals were re-united, and went on to win their fourth tag team championship together in spring 2004.

http://homepages.which.net/~james.phillips/history/cgals.htm

Megumi Kudo - Japanese Wrestling

Megumi Kudo
Height: 5 ft 4 in
Weight: 132 lb
Born: September 20th, 1969 in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan
Resides in: Chiba, Japan
Ring names: "Evil Princess" Megumi Kudo
Pro Wrestling Debut: August 8th, 1986 against Kaoru Maeda
Retired: April 29th, 1997

Retired Japanese female wrestler Megumii Kudo was born Megumi Takayama on September 20th, 1969 in Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan.

Megumi started out with sports playing basketball in high school.
At the age of 16 she joined the joshi puroresu wrestling promotion All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (also known as AJW or Zenjo).
Not finding a lot of success there, she was released after two years and worked as a kindergarten teacher for a time.

Megumi still wanted to pursue pro wrestling though, so in 1990, she joined Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW) a Japanese hardcore wrestling promotion that featured matches with weapons such as barbed wire and fire.

She went to the top of the card fairly quickly.
A lot of people assumed it was because of her looks, but Megumi trained hard, becoming a talented in-ring performer.
Because of her looks and skills, she became one of the most popular female wrestlers in Japan.

Megumi did all types of matches for FMW, but she was best known for "death matches".
Of course they aren't actually "death matches", the bouts usually consisted of the ropes being replaced with barbed wire.

In FMW, she feuded with other female wrestlers like Shark Tsuchiya, Combat Toyoda and Sumie Sakai.
She also created the Vertebreaker (called the Kudo Driver or the Kudome Valentine) which is a back to back double underhook piledriver.

On April 29th, 1997, Megumi had her retirement match against her old rival Shark Tsuchiya.
The match had one of the coolest names ever, a "No ropes, 200 volt double hell, double barbed wire barricade, double landmine glass crush death match"

Outside of wrestling, Megumi has worked as a commentator for pro wrestling events, hosted a weekly radio show in Japan, released a music CD titled "Keep On Running", and appeared in the 1992 film, A Human Murder Weapon.







Megumi Kudo - Japanese Wrestling, posted to http://joshipuroresu.blogspot.com/ on 3-9-2007

Kayo Noumi

Kayo Noumi
Height: 5' 5" (164cm)
Weight: 127.6lbs (58kg)
Date of Birth: June 4 1976
Pro Wrestling Debut: October 4 1995 vs. Mari Mogami
Promotions: AJW (1995-1996), AJW (1997-)
Favourite Sports: Tennis
Finishing Moves: Double Wrist Armsault, Neckbreaker Drop
Career Title History

March 13 1998 - With Miho Wakizawa, won the All Japan Women's tag team titles from Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi. The titles were vacated in June when Noumi broke her leg and missed several months of action.
November 29 1998 - With Miho Wakizawa, won the All Japan Women's tag team titles from Yuko Kosugi and Sumie Sakai. Lost them on July 10 1999 to Kana Misaki and Tsubasa Kuragaki.
May 12 2000 - With Miho Wakizawa, won the All Japan Women's tag team titles from Kana Misaki and Tsubasa Kuragaki. Current holders.
July 27 2001 - Won the vacant All Japan singles title defeating Miho Wakizawa.
Other Notes

Debuted for All Japan Women's in 1995, but dissapeared before the end of the year. Noumi returned to AJW in 1997.
On November 10 1998, Noumi and Miho Wakizawa challenged for the vacant All Japan Womens tag team titles, against Yuko Kosugi and Sumie Sakai. Sakai & Kosugi won the match.

Yumi Fukawa

Yumi Fukawa
Height: 5' 1" (153cm)
Weight: 121 lbs (55kg)
Measurements: (CM) 86-69-90
Pro Wrestling Debut: November 11 1993 w/Kumiko Maekawa vs. Chikako Shiratori & Miki Yokoe
Date of Birth: May 22 1976
Nickname: Dynamite Mini
Promotions: AJW (1993-1997, ARSION (1997-)
Hometown: Kanagawa

December 4 1995 - Won the All Japan Womens tag team wrestling titles with Rie Tamada from Chaparrita ASARI and Kumiko Maekawa. Lost them to Chikayo Nagashima & Sugar Sato on September 1 1996.

Worked for the Arsion promotion.
Released a photo book called 'Aphrodite'.

Mariko Yoshida

Ring name(s) Mariko Yoshida
Billed height 5'4" (163 cm)
Billed weight 140.8 lbs (64 kg)
Born February 15, 1970,Hiroshima
Pro Wrestling Debut October 10, 1988

Mariko Yoshida (吉田 万里子, Yoshida Mariko?), (born February 15, 1970 in Onomichi, Hiroshima) is a professional wrestler best known for her work with the ARSION wrestling promotion, where she was also head trainer.

Yoshida debuted for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW or Zenjo) on October 10, 1988 at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall in a match against Keiko Waki. Before her neck injury in late 1992 - which would cause her to miss two years of ring time - Yoshida was easily one of the best young stars in AJW, often showcasing beautiful Lucha Libre inspired aerial maneuvers to go along with her very good matwork skills.

In 1997, she left AJW to join Aja Kong's ARSION promotion, becoming their head trainer. There she was repackaged as a technical wrestling master, and was pushed as a major star. She has been nicknamed ARSION no Shinjutsu, or "ARSION True Heart". Forgoing the high-flying techniques of her run in Zenjo, her style in ARSION was centered around mat wrestling and submission holds derived from shoot wrestling, along with more elaborate lucha-inspired submissions.

In 2006, Yoshida was presented with the Cauliflower Alley Club's Future Legend Award, becoming only the second female after Cheerleader Melissa, to win this award.

Sachie Abe

Sachie Abe is a Japanese womens wrestler.

Chaparrita ASARI

Wrestler: Chaparrita ASARI
Real name Masami Watanabe
Nicknames Top of the Superlight
Name history Chaparrita ASARI
Birth date September 15, 1973 - Tokyo, Japan

Pro wrestling debut: November 19, 1992
Height 4'11"/152 cm
Weight 114 lbs/52kg
Signature moves Skytwister Press
Titles: AJW All Japan Tag Team Champion (with Kumiko Maekawa), AJW All Japan Junior Wrestling Champion (2), WWWA World Super Lightweight Champion (3), Sky High of ARSION Champion.

Miho Wakizawa - Japanese Women Wrestling

Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 127 lbs
Date of Birth: October 9th 1979
Wrestling Promotions: AJW (1996-)
Pro Wrestling Debut: July 28th 1996
Finishing Moves: Fisherman Buster

On March 13th, 1998 MihoKayo (Kayo Noumi and Miho Wakizawa) won the All Japan Women's tag team wrestling titles from Momoe Nakanishi and Nanae Takahashi. The titles were vacated later in June when Noumi broke her leg and missed several months of action.
On November 10th 1998, Wakizawa and Kayo Noumi challenged Yuko Kosugi and Sumie Sakai for the vacant All Japan Womens tag team wrestling titles. Sakai and Kosugi won the match
On November 29th 1998 (again with Kayo Noumi), Miho won the All Japan Women's tag team wrestling titles from Yuko Kosugi and Sumie Sakai. They lost them on July 10th 1999 to Kana Misaki and Tsubasa Kuragaki.
On May 12th, 2000, Miho and Kayo Noumi won the All Japan Women's tag team wrestling titles from Kana Misaki and Tsubasa Kuragaki.
Then on September 17th, 2000, Miho won the All Japan Singles title from Nanae Takahashi. She lost the title on May 26 2001 to Rumi Kazama.
On January 19th, 2002, Miho retired from wrestling.



Miho Wakizawa vs Kayo Noumi (Part 1)