Bull Nakano

Nakano was a warrior, plain and simple, and the women who survived their run-ins with her have the scars to prove it.

Debuting as a competitor in the notoriously stern world of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling when she was only a teenager, Nakano became familiar to WWE fans when she terrorized Alundra Blayze in 1994. She competed in WWE long before that, however, teaming up with powerhouse Dump Matsumoto as The Devils of Japan on a series of shows in 1986.

Even back then, Nakano was already carving out her persona as a black-hearted villain with a captivating appearance that was equal parts Tokyo scream queen and Bowery punk rocker. Shaving the sides of her long hair before it was popular, Bull rocked leather vests and fright makeup to draw the crowd's attention, but she was much more than that.

A singles champion in Japan, Mexico, and WWE, Nakano intimidated opponents with her unbridled intensity and put them down with her imposing frame. Taking obvious pleasure in causing pain, she’d grab a handful of hair and fling a rival across the ring in tribute to The Fabulous Moolah.

Nakano became a revered sports-entertainment figure following a string of physical encounters against formidable opponents like Aja Kong and Manami Toyota in Japan. It was this international reputation that brought her to WWE in 1994 for a rivalry with Blayze that revitalized the long-stagnant Women’s Title. The two battled exhaustively throughout the year with Nakano’s biggest victory coming on Nov. 24, 1994, when she won the Women’s Championship in front of more than 42,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome.

Nakano and Blayze rumbled again in WCW in 1995, but her ring career began to wind down soon after. Following a brief stint as a professional golfer, Nakano officially retired from wrestling on Jan. 8, 2012. 

Her iconic career both domestically and abroad influenced multiple generations that followed, cementing her legacy as one of the all-time greats as she now takes her rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.