Fans recognize the hard-hitting, fast Japanese women's wrestling style as Joshi Puroresu. One must be a beast to compete, much less rise to the top. These muscular pro-wrestling women check both boxes. They are living proof that some extra strength in the ring doesn't hurt, except for their opponents.
These incredibly muscular legends have left their mark on women's pro wrestling in Japan. While some have retired from the arena, some remain, carrying on the legacy of being the buffest women in the country's pro wrestling circles. So, without further ado, let's look at some women in Japanese pro wrestling history whose musculature stood out.
10 Bull Nakano
Arguably, one of the most famous and most formidable women in Japanese pro-wrestling history, Keiko Aoki, popularly known as Bull Nakano, dominated the wrestling ring at the height of her career. At 5'7" and 201 lbs, Bull Nakano was an absolute beast in the ring. She was an excellent heel, taking after her mentor, the legendary Dump Matsumoto.
Bull Nakano won three consecutive All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling Championships and the WWWA World Tag Team Championships in the same year (1985) alongside her partner — Matsumoto. She would win more accolades within Japan and the US, gracing the WWE and WCW for a while before retiring from wrestling in 1997.
9 Aja Kong
Erika Shikido, better known by her ring name, Aja Kong, is a prolific Japanese wrestler with several accolades. Standing 5'5" and weighing about 225 lbs, Aja Kong is an absolute powerhouse. She debuted in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling in 1986 as part of Gokuako Domei (Atrocious Alliance) under Dump Matsumoto. However, the group soon broke apart after Matsumoto retired. Aja Kong and Nobuko Kimura partnered up, forming a formidable tag team called "Jungle Jack."
Aja and her Jungle Jack partner won the WWWA World Tag Team Championship twice. She then went after the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship title, which she wrestled away from her former ally, Bull Nakano, in 1992, effectively ending Bull's three-year reign.
8 Chigusa Nagayo
Chigusa Nakayo is one of the most popular Joshi wrestlers of all time. She stands at 5'5" and weighs 183 lbs. The Japanese wrestler and Lioness Asuka partnered up to form the Crush Gals, one of the best tag teams in wrestling history. She was also a fantastic brawler, demonstrating incredible versatility on her own or as part of her tag team while destroying her opponents with an exceptionally charismatic performance every time.
Chigusa's career has been stellar. She has won the AJW Junior Championship and All-Pacific Championship promotions twice and the IWA World Championship and WWWA World Championship campaigns once. The Crush Gals — Chigusa and Asuka — also won the WWWA Tag Team Championship four times, most notably against Matsumoto's Atrocious Alliance. Chigusa left her mark in Japanese pro wrestling by initiating the GAEA promotion, a major wrestling tournament that endures to date.
7 Kyoko Inoue
Trained by Jaguar Yokota, a famous wrestler in Japan, Kyoko Inoue is one of the most muscular Japanese women to grace the squared circle. Weighing 200 lbs and 5'5" tall, Kyoko Inoue is the first woman to win a men's pro wrestling championship tournament. She also founded the NEO Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion and the World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana. She participated at Survivor Series 1995 alongside WWE Women's Champion Alundra Blayze, Aja Kong, and Bertha Faye.
Kyoko Inoue had a successful career, winning the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship three times, the AJW Championship once, the IWA World Women's Championship twice, and the WWWA World Tag Team Championship four times alongside Takako Inoue.
6 Meiko Satomura
A protégé of Chigusa Nagayo, Meiko Satomura is a bit on the lighter side of this list. However, despite standing at 5'2" and weighing 150 lbs, Meiko, "The Final Boss," is an absolute machine in the ring! She began her career at GAEA in Japan before appearing for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) during a business partnership with GAEA. Meiko is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) working in the NXT women's division, where she continues to impress fans with her charisma, agility, and strength.
Her career has mainly been successful, winning the AAAW Single Championship twice. She has also won the AAAW Tag Team Championship thrice, with three partners: Sonoko Kato, Ayako Hamada, and Chikayo Nagashima, the NXT UK Women's Championship once, as well as numerous other accolades throughout her 25+ year career.
5 Manami Toyota
Manami Toyota is one of the most outstanding female wrestlers of any era. She is a retired pro wrestler and rose to fame in the 1990s. Standing at 5'6" and weighing 158 lbs, Manami was renowned for her extraordinary ring prowess, dexterity, and creative moves. Toyota enjoyed enormous success during her tenure, especially at the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion. Her fans frequently compliment her clashes due to their ferocity and skill.
She won the AJW Championship once, the IWA World Women's Championship once, the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship four times, and the WWWA World Tag Team Championship three times with two partners, Toshiyo Yamada (twice) and Mima Shimoda (once). However, these are not the only accolades she won, making Manami one of the most prolific pro wrestlers in Japanese history.
4 Dump Matsumoto
Shigeko Matsumoto, widely known as Dump Matsumoto, is a retired Japanese professional wrestler. Blazing through the 80s' and 90s', At 5'4" and weighing in at 201 lbs, Matsumoto was a villain in Japanese pro-wrestling circles. She was the head of the "Gokumon-to" (Atrocious Alliance), consisting of notable figures like Bull Nakano and Condor Saito. Matsumoto's career featured intense brawls and even more compelling dramatic storylines that propelled her name to greatness in the world of Joshi.
While Dump Matsumoto got few accolades, she started with a bang, beating Lioness Asuka for the AJW Championship in 1980. While she lost the title six months later, she won the WWWA Tag Team Championship with Bull Nakano and Crane Yu against the Crush Gals. Dump Matsumoto represented the true spirit of a heel, embedding herself as one of Joshi's most remarkable wrestlers.
3 Mayumi Ozaki
Standing 5'2" and weighing 125 lbs, Mayumi Ozaki is a famous professional wrestler born in Japan. She has significantly impacted women's wrestling, starting with her debut at the AJW. Mayumi advocated for the formation of the GAEA promotion while leaving behind a legacy of fierce fighting and skillful execution of moves that made her a Japanese darling in pro wrestling.
Aptly named Queen of the Street Fight, Mayumi Ozaki won many accolades as a pro wrestler, most notably the AAAW Tag Team Championship with Aja Kong. They faced GAEA's Chikayo Nagashima and Sugar Sato in the final and beat them. She also contended and won various WWWA tag titles with Dynamite Kansai and the JWP Junior Championship.
2 Yumiko Hotta
Yumiko Hotta is a retired pro wrestler with impressive combat skills, ferocity, and artistry. At 5'6" and 158 lbs, Yumiko was a trailblazer in Japanese women's pro wrestling. She joined Hyper Visual Fighting Arsion at some point in her career and renamed it Major Girl's Fighting AtoZ.
Yumiko had a blast in pro wrestling, appearing in several successful campaigns like GAEA and AJW. Before joining the World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana, she was a three-time WWWA World Single champion. She also won the WWWA World Tag Team Championship alongside Hisako Uno.
1 Tomoko Watanabe
Tomo-Chan, or Tomoko Watanabe, is a Japanese pro wrestler signed to Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling motion. The 160 lbs, 5'4" woman is a legend among independent agents, mainly appearing in JWP Joshi Puroresu and AJW Pro-wrestling promotions.
Tomoko was crowned the AJW champion twice and took home the All-Pacific Championship title three times. She also twice won the AJW Team Championship with Bat Yoshinaga and Takako Inoue. Ever the high achiever, Tomoko later teamed up with Nanae Takahashi once, Zap I once, and Kumiko Maekawa thrice, winning the WWWA World Tag Team Championship five times.