All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling’s Japan Grand Prix was a tournament held by the promotion to determine the number one contender for the WWWA World Single Championship. The tournament was held in the summer every year from 1985 to 2004. During that time, legends of the business such as Bull Nakano, Minami Toyota, Yumiko Hotta, Aja Kong and Awesome Kong won the tournament and earned a shot at the promotion’s top prize.
The 1990 edition of the Japan Grand Prix was held at the world-famous Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan on June 17, 1990. Taking place one year after the last event on our list, Wrestlemarinepiad ’89, this event was less of a spectacle and more a happening with a purpose…to crown a number one contender.
As such, the handful of superstars on this card were top level competitors. For some reason, there were only seven wrestlers entered in the tournament, leaving an uneven bracket that would get even more lopsided as the night progressed. In addition, the night featured a kickboxing exhibition (known as a Kakutogisen match), as well as a main event match for the All Pacific Championship.
MATCH #1
BAT YOSHINAGA vs. MAYUMI YAMAMOTO
KAKUTOGISEN MATCH
This match had very little place on this card, it seemed to me. As soon as the event started, martial arts champion Bat Yoshinaga was in the ring opposite Mayumi Yamamoto, each with gloves on. With no commentary, there was no explanation for this match or the circumstances leading to it.
The match lasted three rounds, during which Yoshinaga seemed to be in control most of the time. Each round started with Yoshinaga unloading a barrage of punches to the face and low kicks to weaken the legs. The kicks had an obvious effect on Yamamoto’s ability to maintain a consistent attack. Additionally, Yoshinaga was clearly the more powerful, more experienced fighter. Bat’s strikes each seemed to have more impact in the moment than her counterpart.
The bout was not all Bat Yoshinaga, though. As each round wore down, Bat Yoshinaga tired and slowed significantly. It seemed that, if Yamamoto could withstand the onslaught early in the round, she could take advantage of the tired Yamamoto later on. As Yoshinaga showed signs of exhaustion, Yamamoto would use a series of takedowns to keep Yoshinaga on the mat and negate her power advantage.
As the third round wound down, I kept thinking that one shot from Yoshinaga would be all it would take to end this contest suddenly. In the final minute, Yamamoto took a standing eight count after spending the first six seconds bent over at the waist as if she could not stand. Just as Yoshinaga moved in for the kill, the final bell rang and Yoshinaga was declared the obvious winner anyway.
WINNER: BAT YOSHINAGA
MATCH #2
SUZUKA MINAMI vs. AJA KONG (c)
ALL PACIFIC TITLE MATCH
The All Pacific Title, the secondary title of the All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling promotion, was around the waist of Chigusa Nagoya as our last reviewed event, Wrestlemarinepaid ’89, began. Following Nagayo’s retirment, the title was vacated and, ultimately, won by Bull Nakano a month later. Aja Kong defeated Noriyo Tateno at a live event in April 1990 to win the championship.
The last match before the Grand Prix tournament began, we joined Aja Kong’s title defense against Suzuka Minami already in progress with Minami sitting on the top turnbuckle. Kong hammered Minami with a chair and knocked her to the outside, then followed her with another jumping chair shot from the apron. Kong rammed Minami’s head into the post, then into the commentary table before she grabbed the ring bell and rang it a bunch of times for her own amusement.
Back inside the ring, Kong continued to unleash the brutality on Suzuka. Kong choked Minami with the ring ropes, bit Suzuka on the forehead, then hit a package piledriver and a regular piledriver. Suzuka popped up surprisingly fast and hit a German suplex for a two count, but Kong regained control right away with two German suplexes of her own.
Minami hit some more German suplexes, but made the mistake of climbing to the top rope too slowly. The champion met Minami up top and turned what looked like a superplex into a super Jackhammer that sent Suzuka crashing through the mat. Still, it was clear Minami had more life left. She reversed an Irish Whip and came off the ropes with a sleeper. Kong backed Minami into the corner and charged, but Minami lifted Kong up and over.
Minami leapt to the top rope and flew from the high rent district down to the floor with a cross body/plancha that drew gasps from the crowd. Minami hit a piledriver on Kong on the hard wooden floor, then slowly strolled back into the ring. Kong needed until the count of eighteen to regroup and avoid the countout. Kong’s friends around ringside equipped the champion for battle as she returned, passing in what looked like huge mirror, but which did not break when Kong drilled Minami in the head with it.
As Kong’s friends distracted the referee, Kong laid the object on the mat and hit a tombstone piledriver to Minami. The referee turned around and realized what was going on. He called for the disqualification and awarded the title to Minami Suzuka. Kong attacked the referee with the weakest, least believable shots I have ever seen, then turned her attention back to Minami.
The former champion dragged Suzuka through the crowd to the top row of bleachers where she hit Suzuka with, among other things, a spectator’s purse. Kong pulled Minami by her hair back down to the floor into the seats and hit her with plastic buckets as the two women were finally separated for good and escorted to the dressing room. Suzuka, not content with winning the championship by disqualification, immediately relinquished the title.
WINNER BY DQ AND NEW CHAMPION: SUZUKA MINAMI
MATCH #3
NORIYO TATENO vs. MADUSA MICELI
JAPAN GRAND PRIX 1990 FIRST ROUND MATCH
In her pre-match promo, Madusa Miceli said she was excited to show everyone what she learned in Japan. She instructed all those watching to sit back, relax, and enjoy. Noriyo Tateno was keyed up for this first round contest, clearly. She slapped Miceli across the face during the referee’s instructions. After the first lockup found its way to the ropes, Madusa returned the slap.
The match started quickly with Madusa missing a spin kick, but hitting a clothesline and running strike. Tateno tried an O’Connor roll, but Miceli held onto the ropes, and countered with a belly-to-belly suplex. Miceli whipped Tateno into one corner, but Tateno jumped up to the second rope and came off with a cross body.
Miceli tried to slow things down with a standing rear choke that ended up with the competitors both on their stomachs. Tateno escaped and used a headlock and front face lock to contain Madusa and set up a leg scissors around Madusa’s mid section. Miceli would reverse that into a Boston Crab. As she lost her grip on the hold, Madusa started to focus on one leg, then tried to recapture her firm grip with a handful of Tateno’s hair.
Miceli confidently stomped on Tateno’s back until Noriyo countered with a single leg takedown, two running knees and a flying double knee strike like a modified Meteora from the second rope. Madusa reversed a rear choke into a front face lock, then hit a swinging neck breaker, and used a head scissors to propel Tateno’s face into the mat over and over.
Tateno finally rolled through and converted to a toe hold until Madusa reached the ropes. Tateno rolled under the ropes and out, dragging Miceli out with her by Madusa’s hair. Tateno flung Madusa into the guardrail. Madusa countered with a body slam on the hardwood floor. Tateno barely avoided a countout when she returned to the ring at the count of sixteen.
Tateno countered a Madusa roll up pin attempt by rolling through and using her legs to send Madusa crashing back out to the floor, then brought the crowd to its feet with a tope suicida and jumped back in the ring. Tateno approached as Miceli climbed up onto the apron. Miceli leapt over into a sunset flip for a near fall. Tateno hit a German suplex, but the second one was blocked as Madusa grabbed the ropes and countered with an elbow to Tateno’s face.
Miceli then did sort of a handstand to wrap her legs around Tateno’s neck and tossed her backward in what looked like a modified Frankensteiner. Miceli fell backward into a bridge to forcefully pin Tateno’s shoulders to the mat. Unbeknownst to Madusa, her own shoulders ended up flat on the mat as the referee used both hands to count the simultaneous pinfalls. As a result of the decision, the winner of the Toyota/Hokuto match would receive a bye to the finals.
WINNER: NONE – BOTH WOMEN ELIMINATED
MATCH #4
YUMIKO HOTTA vs. GRIZZLY IWAMOTO
JAPAN GRAND PRIX 1990 FIRST ROUND MATCH
The more I watch Yumiko Hotta’s matches, the more impressed I get. Grizzly Iwamoto must have been similarly well-informed about Hotta’s skill level and decided to get an early jump by throwing Hotta outside the ring as the bell rang. Iwamoto dragged Hotta through the crowd and up into the bleachers, completely out of the sight of the camera for a moment.
Back inside the ring, Iwamoto continued the onslaught with a series of kicks and chokes as Hotta slumped against the ropes. When the referee forced a break and a reset, Hotta took charge with a series of low and face kicks of her own. Iwamoto fell onto her back in one corner and slid underneath one of the ring posts.
After another reset, Iwamoto grabbed a kendo stick, but never got a chance to use it. Hotta ducked the swinging stick as she came off the ropes, then used another series of kicks to force Iwamoto to drop it. A spinning back kick and more kicks with Iwamoto backed into the ropes soon sent Iwamoto onto her back once again in the corner. Instead of waiting for a referee break, Hotta pulled Iwamoto back onto her feet.
Iwamoto ducked Hotta’s ensiguri attempt and grabbed a toe hold until Hotta reached the ropes. Iwamoto found the kendo stick, once again, and began pummeling Hotta with it from the apron. She pulled Hotta outside completely, threw her into the guardrail, and made her way back into the ring. A hobbled Hotta was able to pull herself up and back into the ring at the count of fourteen.
Sensing blood in the water, Iwamoto attacked immediately, using a running powerslam for a near fall and a takeover into a roll up for another. Iwamoto whipped Hotta into the ropes and was barely affected by the clothesline Hotta attempted as she rebounded. Hotta tried again with another clothesline that was slightly more effective and stunned Iwamoto just long enough. Hotta hit a series of kicks as Iwamoto began to cower, then came off the ropes with a rolling somersault kick to the back of Iwamoto’s head that knocked her out completely. The referee confirmed as much with a ten count during which Iwamoto did not move. After Hotta was declared the winner, Iwamoto had to be carried to the dressing room by four people.
WINNER: YUMIKO HOTTA
MATCH #5
MANAMI TOYOTA vs. AKIRA HOKUTO
JAPAN GRAND PRIX 1990 FIRST ROUND MATCH
As I outlined in my last review, I have seen Akira Hokuto’s work in the United States and was already a big fan. However, throughout this night, I got my first look at, and began developing a huge admiration for, the work of Manami Toyota. Toyota sold every bit of Akira Hokuto’s offense like it was the most devastating move ever and screeched in agony and frustration as her attempts to rally were thwarted.
Hokuto used a test of strength to mask an ambush of punches and kicks to set up back-to-back clotheslines. After a suplex and an elbow drop, Hokuto slowed things down with a rear choke. Toyota tried to kick overhead to force a break, but Hokuto held on tightly and rolled the move over onto her back like a Coquina Clutch. When Toyota escaped, Hokuto grabbed one leg, then the other, and rolled Toyota into a Boston Crab.
Toyota wriggled one leg free, but Hokuto continued to hold the single leg crab. When Toyota used the free leg to try to kick free, Hokuto repositioned into a sitting position on the mat next to Toyota’s unbelieveably arched and contorted body. Toyota used the ropes to force a break, temporarily, but Hokuto hit a dropkick and used an exploder suplex to get Toyota back onto the mat to lock her back in the single leg submission.
Toyota was locked in the hold even longer this time and desperately crawled to the ropes again. Hokuto tried a whip, but missed the dropkick. Toyota whipped Hokuto into the ropes, but missed with a cross body on the rebound. From here, it was chaos, the action spilled onto the apron where each competitor slammed the other’s head into the turnbuckle from the apron. Hokuto fell to the floor first and Toyota quickly jumped to the top rope. Hokuto used a bicycle kick to knock Toyota down to the floor and followed her down with a cross body.
Unfortunately, while executing the move, Hokuto’s knee was torn open when it slammed into the guardrail. Officials came over to check on Hokuto who was hopping on one leg to, ineffectively, convince the referee that she could continue. Soon, though, it was obvious that Hokuto would not be able to continue.
Rumor has it that Hokuto was so desperate to continue because she was originally booked to win the tournament. Her loss may have forced All Japan officials to change the finishes of the remaining matches on the fly and pick a new number one contender. Additionally, because of the result of the Miceli/Tateno match, Toyota received a bye to the finals.
WINNER: MANAMI TOYOTA
MATCH #6
YUMIKO HOTTA vs. MITSUKO NISHIWAKI
JAPAN GRAND PRIX 1990 SEMI-FINAL MATCH
Out of all of the byes awarded throughout the evening, this match featured the only pre-determined bye, given to Mitsuko Nishiwaki to allow her to avoid a first-round match. Yimiko Hotta, who defeated Grizzly Iwamoto in the first round, made her way back out to the ring to face the daisy-fresh Nishiwaki.
Mitsuki’s obvious strategy from the start was to weaken the legs of Hotta to take those powerful kicks out of her arsenal. Mitsuki wrapped up Hotta’s legs on the mat, kicked them repeatedly, and drove Hotta’s knees into the mat over and over again. Nishiwaki hit a leg drop to Hotta’s right leg, then locked Hotta in a modified figure four leg lock. Hotta crawled to the ropes, but Nishiwaki dragged Hotta back to the center just before she could force a break and tightened her grasp on the hold.
Nishiwaki voluntarily released the hold, but quickly locked Hotta in a Boston Crab. Again, Hotta crawled to the ropes. Again, Nishiwaki pulled her back to the center. In the process, however, Nishiwaki lost her grip and had to release the hold. Mitsuko started headbutting Hotta’s leg. Hotta really sold the leg injury as Nishiwaki lifted her up and whipped Hotta into the ropes.
Hotta, limping through the Irish Whip and as she rebounded off the ropes, had her hair pulled into a snap mare, then withstood two sling blades from Nishiwaki, but still tried to block Mitsuko’s double underhook suplex. Mitsuko headbutted Hotta’s back to help get Hotta up into the suplex.
Hotta used a back elbow off the ropes and a series of kicks to Mitsuko to force a reset and came out with renewed energy after it. She hit a clothesline, another clothesline, and a butterfly suplex, then followed a near fall with a sleeper hold on the mat. Mitsuko sold the move so well, I was certain she was going to sleep. As she faded, Mitsuko still tried to muster the strength to fight back and barely avoided a referee stoppage.
Hotta simply gave up on getting the relentless Mitsuko to fall asleep and released the hold, foolishly. Nishiwaki reversed a whip and got a near fall with an O’Connor roll and grabbed a quick figure four. Soon, she released the hold to hit two Kevin Nash-style Jackknife Powerbombs.
The action spilled outside briefly. Hotta returned to the ring first, but her attempt to suplex Mitsuko in from the apron was blocked. Mitsuko countered with a back suplex, but lost her hold on the awkward pinfall attempt at the count of two. Nishiwaki climbed to the top rope, but Hotta sidestepped her dropkick. Hotta tried a backward arching pin but could only garner a two count. However, Yumiko’s follow-up chicken wing suplex to Mitsuko punched her ticket to the finals.
WINNER: YUMIKO HOTTA
MATCH #7
MANAMI TOYOTA vs. YUMIKO HOTTA
JAPAN GRAND PRIX 1990 FINAL MATCH
With virtually no time to recover, Yumiko Hotta returned to the ring to face a well-rested Manami Toyota in the finals. Toyota got a quick start to take advantage of Hotta’s exhaustion. She dropkicked Hotta before the bell rang, then kicked her outside under the bottom ropes, flung her into the guardrail and tossed her into the crowd. Instead of following Hotta, Manami climbed up to the top rope for a suicide dive onto Hotta and into the crowd.
Hotta was fired up when she made it back into the ring and it quickly became obvious why. Hotta was busted open from the altercation on the floor at ringside and took out her frustrations on Manami with a flurry of kicks and open hand slaps. After another reset, a test of strength was won by Hotta who followed with two clotheslines and a flying clothesline from the second rope for a near fall. A Hotta piledriver also resulted in a near fall. Manami tried a drop kick off the ropes, but Hotta caught her legs and rolled her into a Boston Crab.
Toyota tucked under into a pin to break the hold, but Hotta dropped her face first on the mat out of a torture rack and locked her back into a modified Texas Cloverleaf instead. Toyota used her free leg to kick her way out and reach the ropes, but Hotta grabbed a single leg off the reset and slowly converted it into a surfboard. Hotta released the hold, only to follow with two overhead suplexes and an ensiguri. Hotta’s rolling kick completely missed Manami’s head, but Toyota sold it anyway.
Hotta hit a double underhook suplex for a near fall. Toyota bridged out and almost back up to her feet before she fell back to the mat dramatically without being touched. Hotta grabbed a rear choke on the mat that looked like an illegal choke at certain points. Toyota tried to sell the illegality of the move by coughing loudly to convince the referee to force a break. As Toyota loosed Hotta’s grip, Hotta yanked her by the hair and hit a German suplex.
With what energy she had remaining, Toyota used a fisherman’s suplex for a near fall, then grabbed a rear choke of her own. As Hotta tried to escape, the hold turned into more of a cross face. Hotta made it to her feet, but Toyota turned it back into a sleeper hold and pulled Hotta down to the mat once more. Hotta made it to her feet and whipped Toyota into the ropes, but was dropkicked in the face off of a pop up. Manami hit another dropkick from the mat, followed by a missile dropkick from the top rope and a final second rope dropkick to Hotta’s back.
Toyota went for the cover, but too close to the ropes. Hotta got one foot on the bottom rope to halt the count at two and force yet another reset. Toyota withstood a spinning back kick and chicken wing suplex, then got a near fall off of a German suplex with a bridge. Toyota whipped Hotta into the ropes and both competitors fell to the mat as they simultaneously clotheslined one another.
Hotta tried a backslide, but only managed a two count. Hotta tried an exploder suplex, but, again, could not secure the victory. Toyota returned fire with another suplex into a bridge for a near fall, followed by a quick roll up for another. Hotta tried to whip Manami into the ropes, but Toyota managed to roll Hotta up for the final three count all of a sudden to end the three match Cinderella story of Yumiko Hotta. Barely able to stand on her own, Toyota was presented with a comically large trophy that stood taller than she did.
WINNER: MANAMI TOYOTA
This event was much more enjoyable watch than last year’s Wrestlemarinepiad. The card was more streamlined and the only gimmick match of the night was the kickboxing debacle that was long forgotten by the time the night was over. The competitors featured on this show were top level, main event performers and it showed.
I am not one of those old-school wrestling fans who lament the state of the current product and reminisce about the “good old days” when performers knew how to sell. On the other hand, there were several performers, most notably Manami Toyota, whose facial expressions and body language really made you feel like they were suffering through an ordeal as they grappled with the tournament’s fiercest competitors. In today’s world, post-kayfabe, some fans argue that the selling is not as important because everyone knows it’s a work anyway. I disagree. I dare you to watch this show and tell me you were not sucked in.
I have said it before, but the wrestling in this promotion is way ahead of its time. Performers flying from the ring into the crowd with cross bodies and tope suicidas was something I would not see until years later in my part of the world. Now, I am thinking back to 1989 and the first time I saw The Great Muta. I was amazed by moves I had never seen before and an offense that looked unstoppable. If only I had known about All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling…
EVENT SCORE: 86/100
Next up, All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling from the Ota Ward Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan from July 21, 1990.
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