Japanese retired professional wrestler Bull Nakano recently spoke to Five Star Network about her signature look and heaped praise on the current generation of joshi stars.
In 1997, Nakano retired from professional wrestling due to injuries. On January 8, 2012, Nakano produced her own professional wrestling event, titled “Empress”, and the event ended with her official retirement ceremony.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On how WCW and WWF treated joshi talent: “WWF and WCW were different. WWF has history, games, interviews, daily tours, practices, food, and everything was supported. Focus on your daily game and how much will your customers enjoy? How exciting will you come back? I was just thinking about it every day. It was a tough day, but as a professional, I was fulfilled. WCW is a new organization. All the players, led by Eric, were full of energy. Every day was new and the players enjoyed themselves. Of course, I am too. The number of games was more than WWF, but I have a lot of fun memories. I think I had a lot of interaction with the players.”
On the current era of joshi talent: “There are many great players in this era. And they have limitless possibilities. Today there are many different groups. There are fun groups, deathmatches, and fiercely contested groups, each with its own personality, and the audience can choose their favorite group. In the past, there was only All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling, so fans couldn’t choose. It’s fair now. You can choose your favorite professional wrestling and watch it. I don’t compare past and present. In the past, there is the goodness of the past, and together with the background of the times, we have expressed the darkness and suffering of that era, the fun, the awesomeness, and everything in the match. I bet you are playing a game that fits the current era now. I respect their growth and expression.”
On her trademark look: “From the 80’s, it has its own half-borrowed style. From the 90s, the style of stroking the hair backwards. In Japan at the time, there was a band boom, and that style was born. I wanted to be someone who wasn’t human, who wasn’t a woman, who wasn’t a man, who wasn’t of this world. That was Bull Nakano. That’s how it turned out.”
