Chigusa Nagayo
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| Chigusa Nagayo | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Chigusa Nagayo ZERO |
| Billed height | 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) |
| Billed weight | 71 kg (192 lb) |
| Born | December 8, 1964 Omura, Nagasaki |
| Trained by | All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) |
| Debut | August 8, 1980 (against Yukari Omori) |
Chigusa Nagayo (長与千種 Nagayo Chigusa?) 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.
Nagayo appears in the 2000 documentary Gaea Girls made for the BBC by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams.
[edit] Career
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 Nagayo 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 Nagayo'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 professional wrestling. Later in the decade, Nagayo achieved the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship, finishing Yukari Omori with a moonsault, on August 22, 1988. Nagayo 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, Nagayo 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 Nagayo's rivals and winning the presidency of GAEA from Nagayo 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.
[edit] Championships and Accomplishments
-
- AJW Junior Champion (2 times)
- AJW All Pacific Champion (2 times)
- IWA World Women's Champion (2 times)
- Japan Grand Prix (1987)
- WWWA World Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
- WWWA World Tag Team Champion (4 times) - with Lioness Asuka (4)
-
- AAAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- AAAW Singles Championship (1 time)
- AAAW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Lioness Asuka
-
- Member of the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame
[edit] Links
A Brief History of The Crush Gals
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nagayo Chigusa |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Japanese professional wrestler |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 8, 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Omura, Nagasaki |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
