[joshi] Wrestler of the 1990s

[Hisaharu Tanabe]

Please judge by the wrestler's achievement between 1990 and 1999, not by your preference.

[kkeller]

Manami Toyota is going to win this poll in a landslide but man didn't the joshi industry have some talented workers in the 90's.

[Tradition Rules]

You said it double K!

Zenjyo alone was the single best promotion in the world at one point having the most talented roster from top to bottom,and I'm not just saying that because I'm a strictly joshi fan(because I'M NOT),but the company was really that good at one point and JWP was a close second.


I personally feel that Akira Hokuto was an overall better worker,but Toyota's highlights,and high profile matches FAR outweigh those of Hokuto's.I had to go with Toyota even I think Hokuto is more deserving.

Kyoko Inoue was such an incredible worker and created the AJW version of the Triple Crown(WWWA,IWA,and All-Pacific Titles unified).Its hard to believe that when watching her today she was REALLY that good.I don't know when the last time she visited the gym or worked out was.

One last comment,Mayumi Ozaki was such a good worker,if JWP would have given her the chance to really become their ace(or even just hold the JWP Open-weight Title),they may still have been a mahor force in Japan.She truely was in the top five workers for some time.

T.R!

[Dr Feelgood]

I can't seem to get my vote to register on any of the polls
Must be this rotten university connection...

Scratch an extra one for the Queen Bee of puro, though. Hokuto might be a more compelling performer for some, but taking the whole decade, the titles and popularity/aura into account I don't see who can compare to Manami. She's been the face of Joshi over the 90s IMO. In the end of the day, even Aja seems to be just a stepping stone for Manami's legend.

[greenman]

My johsi collections still pretty limated (about half a dozen events from 90-97) but from that id say Toyota purley on the number of classic matches shes had. Im suppirzed Yamada isnt on the poll thought I spose she was only really at her best from 92-93. Still during that period she was IMHO the best AJW had.

[metroMRX]

Hokuto should probably get this, she did more to create the crossover appeal that caused the boom of the early-mid 90's than anyone else.

Toyota is an all time great, but she was never really a great draw on her own, and didn't get pushed to the top until everything was on it's way rapidly downhill.

[frankp316]

Manami Toyota will win this poll but Manami & Akira are equal as far as I'm concerned. The main difference between the two was Akira's career was hampered by injury.

[metroMRX]

Yeah, that's the big one concerning Akira, she missed half the decade. Still, I think she did more in the big picture in 5 years than anyone else did in 10. Just my opinion though.

[Dr Feelgood]

Without the injuries she wouldn't have been the Dangerous Queen, though. THE most gutsy wrestler in the world, bar none. A wrestler so adept at integrating her real injuries into her matches and with such an attitude that she has me legitimately cringing when I see her selling that knee or the neck...
Also, Hokuto was smart and complete enough to adapt her style to her physical situation (unlike a Kobashi for example).

It's a pity she ended up in GAEA, you can probably count that as part of missing half the decade.

[TsurutaistheKing]

I voted for Aja Kong. I think overall for the decade she was by far the most consistent wrestler in Joshi. Toyota could get too spotty and miss moves in her matches but Aja was just superb in everything she did. She held the WWWA title numerous times plus the tag titles as well and helped to start up a new promotion later on in ARSION.