Manami Toyota With The Muta Lock

Here is a picture of female Japanese wrestling legend Manami Toyota with a Muta-Lock on.....someone....
Help me out people...who is she submitting here?

Takako Inoue and Kyoko Inoue vs. Manami Toyota and Mima Shimoda

Here is a Japanese female wrestling video that I ran across on YouTube that has all the makings of being legendary.
Why?

 Well it's Takako Inoue and Kyoko Inoue (no relation) taking on Manami Toyota and Mima Shimoda.
And it's posted by DoubleMiz so you know it's good!
Takako and Kyoko once formed a tag-team called "Double Inoue" and they held the WWWA tag team titles, losing them to Manami Toyota and Mima Shimoda back on June 22nd, 1996.

More Japanese Female Wrestlers on YouTube

A while back I did an entry on Japanese Women Wrestling on YouTube with the most popular videos at the time.
Well it's been over a year so here are some of the most popular videos with Japanese women wrestlers on YouTube now.

First up we have Chihiro taking on Ray in a match from 2008 for the Japanese wrestling promotion Battlarts.
Even though Battlarts shut down in 2011, we can still see matches like this thanks to YouTube and TFCHooligan69.

Chihiro Oikawa vs. Ray (BattlArts 7/26/08)


Next we have a match between two classics, Ayako Hamada and Azumi Hyuga.
This match was for the Queen of Arsion Title back in 2001.
You'll notice this is just part one of the match and it's over nine minutes long which by itself is what....two WWE Diva matches?
This video was posted by nagashimark.


Ayako Hamada vs. Azumi Hyuga (Part 1)


Again we go back to TFCHooligan69 for this awesome match from 1989 between Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada for the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling title.
There's 25 seconds of dark screen at the begining but dont freak out, it's there.

Manami Toyota vs. Toshiyo Yamada AJW 12-9-89


Next up, two more classic joshi wrestlers, Jaguar Yokota and Mimi Haghiwara.
Japanese female wrestling in all it's glory from Guam!
There is a lot of petite Mimi being tossed around by the powerful Jaguar.
This one was posted by rexmoro37.

Jaguar Yokota vs Mimi Haghiwara


You know I couldnt end this without a Kana video, so why not kick out all the jams and have Kana and The Shirai Sisters against Serena Deeb, Shuri and Mokoto.
I really couldn't name a much better modern joshi line up in a match.
This video was posted by isole75

Triple Tails (Kana and Shirai Sisters) vs Serena, Shuri and Mokoto

Joshi Puroresu in the USA

You know a lot of us have always had to rely on YouTube and other internet sources to see joshi puroresu.
But thanks to Shimmer Women Athletes, ROH and Chikara, we are actually getting to see female Japanese wrestlers here in the US in action.

If you can make it to the Berwyn Eagles Club in Berwyn, Illinois (just outside Chicago), on Saturday and Sunday, March 26th and 27th, 2011 you'll get to see Ayako Hamada, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Misaki Ohata, Ayumi Kurihara and Tomoka Nakagawa
More info here: http://shimmerwrestling.blogspot.com/

If you can get to Ring of Honor's "Honor Takes Center Stage" on April 2nd, 2011 at the Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, you will get to see Hiroyo Matsumoto, Ayumi Kurihara and Tomoka Nakagawa there as well.
More info here: http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/atlanta-ga-april-2nd/

And on April 15,16 and 17th, if you can get to The Asylum Arena in South Philadelphia, Pennslyvania, you'll get to see joshi legend Manami Toyota team up with Mike Quakenbush and Jigsaw at Chikara's King of Trios 2011 tournament.
More info here: http://www.chikarapro.com/events.php

I havent said anything about the tragedy in Japan here, but I have been praying for the people there.
I am also glad to hear that just about all the wrestlers I have spoken with in the past are okay.
The hard times arent over in Japan yet people.
If you can help out, here's the Red Cross website:
https://american.redcross.org/
And if you cant afford it (I know times are tough), there's no price tag on prayers, positive energy and well wishes.

Manami Toyota Wrestling Kyoko Inoue

Here is Manami Toyota taking on Kyoko Inoue from March 31st, 1996.

You know...I know both Manami and Kyoko are highly skilled athletes, but when I saw Manami going to the ring at the beginning of the video, the only thing I could thing was "My God...her hair is beautiful!"

Anyway, both of these women are Joshi legends.

Manami made her pro wrestling debut in 1987...

and Kyoko debuted the next year in 1988.


This match is a sequel to Manami and Kyoko's match in 1995, which won the Wrestling Observer Match of the Year.

And this match takes off like a rocket with a missed dropkick, a giant swing and a kiwi roll all in rapid succession.

Coming up from that, they go into the classic test of strength...

Which leads into Kyoko unleashing an array of submission moves on Manami...








Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue - AJW 12/8/96 by Uppgreyedd

Manami Toyota Takes on Everybody!

This is one of the most amazing joshi puroresu matches I have ever seen.
It was posted on YouTube by nagashimark with credits to DoubleMiz and Uncle Oni.

In this match, Manami Toyota takes on every girl on the AJW roster.
Yes, that's right, every girl on the AJW roster.
Some of the wrestlers she takes on are Takako Inoue, Aja Kong, Mima Shimoda and Mariko Yoshida.
Can you see a WWE Diva or TNA Knockout doing this?
Okay, maybe Beth Phoenix or Awesome Kong.

This is only part one of the match, and I would love to know the set up behind this.
Did Manami do something wrong?

Anyway, here is part one....

Sonoko Kato vs. Manami Toyota

I think this is Sonoko Kato trying to lock in a crippler crossface on Manami Toyota.




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Miho Wakiwaza wrestling Manami Toyota in Japan

Here's a photo of the legendary Manami Toyota corner kicking the crap outta Miho Wakiwaza.



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Manami Toyota wrestling Toshio Yamada

Japanese female wrestler Manami Toyota applying a bridging supplex pin to Toshio Yamada.

Manami Toyota wrestling Momoe Takahashi

Manami Toyota wrestling Momoe Takahashi

Manami Toyota delivering a brutal dropkick to Momoe Takahashi while she's hung over the ropes.
Judging from her position when the dropkick hit, I imagine she became " Air Takahashi" afterwards.

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Manami Toyota wrestling Kayo Noumi, part 2

The wily ring veteran Manami Toyota continues to torture Kayo Noumi.

Manami Toyota wrestling Kayo Noumi

Heres a couple of pictures of Manami Toyota wrestling Kayo Noumi.
It looks like the ring veteran has Kayo pretty well tied up here.

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Manami Toyota wrestling Dynamite Kansai

Here's a photo of Manami Toyota wrestling Dynamite Kansai in Japan.
I think thats an octopus hold ( manji-gatame ) Manami has on Dynamite.

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Manami Toyota wrestling Ayako Hamada in Japan

Here's a couple of photos of Manami Toyota wrestling Ayako Hamada in Japan.
It looks like Manami has her pretty well tied up here.




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Hikari Fukuoka wrestling Manami Toyota

I'm pretty sure this is Hikari Fukuoka applying a surfboard to Manami Toyota.

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Manami Toyota, part 2

Soon after this match the two stars once again teamed up to win their first WWWA World Tag Team Championship in March 1992, defeating the evil Jungle Jack (Aja Kong & Bison Kimura) in Tokyo. On November 26, at AJW’s Dreamrush show Toyota and Yamada defended their WWWA Tag Team titles against Dynamite Kansai and Mayumi Ozaki in a legendary 2/3 Falls match, considered one of the best wrestling matches ever, and rated 5 Stars by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

In April of that year Toyota furthered her singles career by defeating rival Kyoko Inoue on April 25 in Yokohama for the IWA Singles Championship. Toyota defended that title eight times over the course of three years, before losing it to Reggie Bennett on May 15, 1995.

At Dreamslam II, on April 11, 1993 Toyota and Yamada fought a rematch against JWP Project's Kansai and Ozaki in yet another highly-rated 2/3 Falls encounter. This time, however, Toyota and Yamada were on the losing side, and Kansai and Ozaki got their revenge. The feud concluded at AJW’s St. Battle Final event, on December 6, 1993, where Toyota and Yamada regained their tag titles.

On August 24, 1994 Toyota once again squared off against Kyoko Inoue, and defeated her to unify the IWA and All Pacific Singles Championships. Toyota’s run with the two titles was not to last long. On October 9, 1994, Inoue gained a measure of revenge against Toyota, as Kyoko and her partner Takako Inoue (no relation) won the WWWA Tag Team Championship from Toyota and Yamada. Toyota then vacated her All Pacific Championship, prior to her first WWWA Heavyweight Championship match against the monstrous Aja Kong at AJW’s Queendom III show, on March 26, 1995. The match saw Toyota reach the summit of AJW when she won and became the 39th WWWA Champion.

On May 7, Toyota defended her crown against arch-rival Kyoko Inoue at the Korakuen Hall, where the two fought to a 60 minute time limit draw.Despite piledrivers on the floor, German suplexes off the top rope, and multiple finishers, neither combatant was able to secure outright victory. Nonetheless, Toyota retained, and the match was voted Match of the Year for 1995 in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The following month, Toyota lost the WWWA Championship to former champion Aja Kong, on June 27.

Toyota soon recovered from the loss. In 1995, she won the AJW Grand Prix tournament, securing her position as the number one contender for the WWWA Championship. Before she received her title opportunity, she faced the legendary Akira Hokuto at AJW's Destiny show on September 2, 1995. On December 4, she finally received her title shot, and defeated then-champion Dynamite Kansai to become a two-time world champion.

Over the next 12 months Toyota made three successful defenses of her WWWA title. In December of 1996 she came up against long term rival Kyoko Inoue and lost in a match that saw the All Pacific and IWA Women's World titles unified with the WWWA Title.

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Manami Toyota, part 1

Manami Toyota is a professional wrestler best known for her work with the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) wrestling promotion. Following AJW's closure she has continued to work in other joshi promotions such as GAEA and NEO. Toyota is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

Manami was born March 2, 1971 in Masuda, Shimane.She was trained by Jaguar Yokota.

Manami Toyota made her professional wrestling debut on August 5, 1987, in a singles match against Sachiko Nakamura. Her big break came in her second year, on the first Wrestlemarinpiad show from Yokohama Arena, on May 6, 1989. Teamed with Mima Shimoda, she defeated Etsuko Mita and Toshiyo Yamada in a lightning-paced match that nearly stole the card from the more established veterans. The bout had all the basic ingredients that made Toyota a star, including flashy moves, fast and frequent tags, double-team moves, and a long series of dramatic near falls. When the bout was released as part of a four-hour commercial tape, Toyota became recognized as a wrestler to watch.

Toyota won her first title on November 18, 1989 in Matsuda, when she defeated Mika Takahashi for the AJW Championship. She defended the title three times, including one defense against her future rival Kyoko Inoue (on August 1, 1990), before vacating it on September 1, 1990. The following month (October 7 in Tokyo) she challenged Bison Kimura for the All Pacific Championship and emerged victorious. However she only managed to defend the title once before losing to Suzuka Minami on March 17, 1991.

Parallel to this success ran Toyota’s famous feud with future tag-team partner Toshiyo Yamada. Initially, following Toyota’s success teaming up with Shimoda, the AJW braintrust felt they could well be the new Beauty Pair or Crush Gals, but that was not to be. Toyota's real chemistry came not with Shimoda but with Yamada, whose style was unlike Toyota's and provided more of a contrast. Yamada was a slightly built, short-haired, kicking specialist, who idolized both Chigusa Nagayo and Akira Maeda. Unlike other wrestlers who rely on kicks and submissions, Yamada could also work the rapid-paced matches, and was accomplished at building to near-falls with repeated kick-outs at the last possible moment.

To begin with, however, Toyota and Yamada were opponents rather than partners. Between 1989 and 1991 they wrestled many times, producing bouts that rivaled the quality of the main events that AJW's champions were presenting. At the start of 1992, the two won their first tag team championship when they defeated KAORU and Lady Apache in Tokyo on January 19 for the UWA titles.

However, their singles feud was not yet over, and it reached a climax on August 15, 1992 at Korakuen Hall in a Hair vs. Hair match. The bout was a dramatic one, not least due to what occurred after the match was over. Toyota, even though she had won the match, did not want Yamada to get her head shaved, and had to be forcefully restrained by four prelim girls, who eventually forced her back to the mat. In respect of the match conditions Yamada wanted her head shaved and went ahead with the stipulation.

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Manami Toyota - Part 3

Toyota soon recovered from the loss. In 1995, she won the AJW Grand Prix tournament, securing her position as the number one contender for the WWWA Championship. Before she received her title opportunity, she faced the legendary Akira Hokuto at AJW's Destiny show on September 2, 1995. On December 4, she finally received her title shot, and defeated then-champion Dynamite Kansai to become a two-time world champion.

Over the next 12 months Toyota made three successful defenses of her WWWA title. In December of 1996 she came up against long term rival Kyoko Inoue and lost in a match that saw the All Pacific and IWA Women's World titles unified with the WWWA Title.

On January 20, 1997, Tomoko Watanabe & Kumiko Maekawa beat Manami Toyata & Mima Shimoda to win the WWWA Tag Team wrestling titles.
January 23 1998, Manami Toyata & Kaoru Ito defeated Hikari Fukuoka & Devil Masami for the JWP Tag Team wrestling titles.
On February 11, 1998, Hikari Fukuoka & Tomoko Kuzumilost defeated Manami Toyata & Kaoru Ito for the JWP Tag Team wrestling titles.
January 4 2000, Manami Toyata defeated Yumiko Hotta to win the WWWA Singles Wrestling title.
On September 17 2000, Kaoru Ito defeated Manami Toyata for the WWWA Singles Wrestling title.
February 24 2002, Manami Toyata defeated Kaoru Ito for the WWWA Singles Wrestling title.
On May 5 2002 - WEW, Manami Toyata defeated Kumiko Maekawa to retain the WWWA Singles Wrestling title.
July 6 2002, Kaoru Ito defeated Manami Toyata to capture the WWWA Singles Wrestling title.
In July 2002, Manami Toyota Left AJW due to problems with the promotion.
July 4, 2002, Manami Toyota showed up to start trouble with Toshiyo Yamda.
On July 14, 2002, Manami Toyata & Aja Kong defeated Power Team.
October 20, 2002, Manami Toyata defeated Chikayo Nagashima to win the AAAW Singles wrestling title.
On November 17, 2002, Toshiyo Yamda/Dynamite Kansai/Chigusa Nagayo beat Manami Toyota/Aja Kong/Lioness Asuka.
November 24, 2002, Manami Toyata/Devil Masami/Aja Kong beat Toshiyo Yamada/Suger Satoh/Meiko Satomura.
On January 12, 2003, Manami Toyota defeated Toshiyo Yamada to retain the AAAW Singles wrestling title in Kourakuen Hall.
November 30, 2003, Dynamite Kansai defeated Manami Toyota for the AAAW wrestling Singles title.
On September 20, 2004, Manami Toyota & Amano defeated Aja Kong & Amazing Kong for the AAAW Tag Team wrestling titles.
April 3, 2005, Toshie Uematsu & Ran Yu Yu defeated Manami Toyota & Carlos Amano for the AAAW Tag Team wrestling titles.
Manami Toyota became free agent after GAEA's final show on April 10, 2005.

Manami Toyota - Part 2

However, the feud between Manami and Toshiyo Yamada was not yet over.
It reached it's climax on August 15th, 1992 at Korakuen Hall in a Hair vs. Hair match. The bout was a very dramatic one, but what made the event was what occurred after the match. Manami, even though she had won the match, did not want Toshiyo to get her head shaved, and had to be forcefully restrained by four preliminary girls, who eventually forced her back to the mat. In respect of the match conditions Toshiyo wanted her head shaved and went ahead with the stipulation.

Soon after this match the two women once again teamed up to win their first World Women's Wrestling Association (WWWA) World Tag Team Championship in March 1992, defeating "Jungle Jack" (Aja Kong and Bison Kimura) in Tokyo. At AJW’s Dreamrush shown on November 26th, Manami and Toshiyo defended their WWWA Tag Team wrestling titles against Dynamite Kansai and Mayumi Ozaki in a legendary two out of three falls match, which is considered one of the best wrestling matches ever.

In April of 1992 Manami furthered her singles career by defeating Kyoko Inoue on April 25th in Yokohama for the IWA World Women's Championship. Toyota defended that title eight times over the course of the next three years, before losing it to Reggie Bennett in Niigata Prefecture, Japan on May 15th, 1995.

At Dreamslam II, on April 11th, 1993 Manami and Toshiyo fought a rematch against JWP Project's Kansai and Ozaki in yet another highly-rated two out of three falls encounter. This time, however, Manami and Toshiyo were on the losing side, and Kansai and Ozaki got their revenge. The feud concluded at AJW’s St. Battle Final event, on December 6th, 1993, when Manami and Toshiyo regained their tag titles.

On August 24th, 1994 Manami once again squared off against Kyoko Inoue, and defeated her to unify the IWA and All Pacific Singles Championships. Manami’s run with the two titles was not to last very long, because on October 9th, 1994, Inoue gained a measure of revenge against Manami, when Kyoko and her partner Takako Inoue (no relation) won the WWWA Tag Team Championship from Manami and Toshiyo. Manami then vacated her All Pacific Championship, prior to her first WWWA Heavyweight Championship match against the monstrous Aja Kong at AJW’s Queendom III show, on March 26th, 1995. The match saw Manami reach the summit of AJW when she won and became the 39th WWWA Champion.

On May 7th, Manami defended her crown against arch-rival Kyoko Inoue at the Korakuen Hall, where the two fought to a 60 minute time limit draw. Despite piledrivers on the floor, German suplexes off the top rope, and multiple finishers, neither combatant was able to secure outright victory. Nonetheless, Manami retained, and the match was voted Match of the Year for 1995 in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The following month, Manami lost the WWWA Championship to former champion Aja Kong, on June 27.

Manami Toyota vs Kyoko Inoue (May 7, 1995)

Manami Toyota - Part 1

Height, 167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight, 150 lb. (68 kg)
Birthday, March 2, 1971
Hometown, Masuda, Shimane, Japan
Trained By, Jaguar Yokota
Professional Debut, August 5, 1987, vs. Sachiko Nakamura
Real name , Toyota Manami

Manami Toyota is a japanese professional wrestler best known for her work with the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) wrestling promotion. Following AJW's closure she has continued to work in other joshi promotions such as GAEA and NEO. Toyota is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

Manami Toyota made her professional wrestling debut on August 5, 1987, in a singles match against Sachiko Nakamura. Her big break came in her second year, on the first Wrestlemarinpiad show from Yokohama Arena, on May 6, 1989. Teamed with Mima Shimoda, she defeated Etsuko Mita and Toshiyo Yamada in a lightning-paced match that nearly stole the card from the more established veterans. The bout had all the basic ingredients that made Toyota a star, including flashy moves, fast and frequent tags, double-team moves, and a long series of dramatic near falls. When the bout was released as part of a four-hour commercial tape, Toyota became recognized as a wrestler to watch.

Toyota won her first title on November 18, 1989 in Matsuda, when she defeated Mika Takahashi for the AJW Championship. She defended the title three times, including one defense against her future rival Kyoko Inoue (on August 1, 1990), before vacating it on September 1, 1990. The following month (October 7 in Tokyo) she challenged Bison Kimura for the All Pacific Championship and emerged victorious. However she only managed to defend the title once before losing to Suzuka Minami on March 17, 1991.

Parallel to this success ran Toyota’s famous feud with future tag-team partner Toshiyo Yamada. Initially, following Toyota’s success teaming up with Shimoda, the AJW braintrust felt they could well be the new Beauty Pair or Crush Gals, but that was not to be. Toyota's real chemistry came not with Shimoda but with Yamada, whose style was unlike Toyota's and provided more of a contrast. Yamada was a slightly built, short-haired, kicking specialist, who idolized both Chigusa Nagayo and Akira Maeda. Unlike other wrestlers who rely on kicks and submissions, Yamada could also work the rapid-paced matches, and was accomplished at building to near-falls with repeated kick-outs at the last possible moment.

To begin with, however, Toyota and Yamada were opponents rather than partners. Between 1989 and 1991 they wrestled many times, producing bouts that rivaled the quality of the main events that AJW's champions were presenting. At the start of 1992, the two won their first tag team championship when they defeated KAORU and Lady Apache in Tokyo on January 19 for the UWA titles.