The first woman to bleed and participate in hardcore pro wrestling matches… Megumi Kudo is a name that oftentimes gets overlooked in today’s Joshi scene. With new, crazy, talent and performers, sometimes people forget to look back at their roots and appreciate those who paved the way. Which is why I want to talk about her today. Not only did she pave the way for many women in her sport, but she also redefined what it meant to be a wrestler in the 80s and 90s. Trained by Jaguar Yokota and debuting in 1986, her impact wouldn’t be felt until much later. She debuted for All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling at age 16 where she didn’t make many waves as a rookie.
After failing to “make waves” as a wrestler for AJW, she was released from the company in ’88. After her release, she pursued a career as a kindergarten teacher. That, of course, didn’t last very long… as she returned to wrestling in 1990 under the company Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW). If there is one thing I have learned in my very short time in the ring is that its call can be heard far and wide. It’s like a siren that calls to you from the sea, inescapable yet beautiful. Megumi quickly started making history in FMW, a few months after her debut she participated in the first-ever mixed-gender tag team match in the entire country of Japan. She had great feuds and matches with Sumie Sakai and Combat Toyoda.
1992 was truly Megumi’s year as a “star” we shall say. She released a music album called “Keep on Running” and starred in a movie called “A Human Murder Weapon”. Participating regularly in hardcore and deathmatch-style wrestling, not only was she fighting her opponents, but she was also fighting the harsh stereotypes and expectations of women in Japan at this time. Why be a stay-at-home mom when you can be an international star while covered in your opponent’s blood? The lifestyle certainly isn’t for everyone, but this lifestyle was almost made for
(Megumi Kudo (in pink!) feeling the fire…She was hardcore before hardcore was cool!)
I should also mention for those who don’t know…she’s the innovator and creator of the Kudome Driver (Back-to-back double under-hook piledriver) which you see her do here. She briefly returned to her stomping grounds of AJW for one night only in 1993 (that’s how you know you’ve made it! Haha!) in a losing effort to the WWWA women’s champion Aja Kong. Of course, Megumi’s career is filled with master craft matches… but her true magnum opus (in my opinion) is her retirement match versus Shark Tsuchiya. It was a “no ropes barbed-wire double landmine glass crush deathmatch” that took place in 1997. What else can I truly say but “wow” to this match? She quite literally put it all on the line here, sacrificing life and limb for the sport and art form she loved. Of course, not as insane as some of today’s deathmatches are, but you have to understand this was crazy for 90s Japan! Watch it all go down here.
Retirement has been nice for Megumi, as she is the current general manager for Pro Wrestling ZERO1. I bet you’re wondering “What is her legacy?” well let me tell you, it is every female deathmatch wrestler, every woman who dared to bleed in a wrestling match, any and every woman who bent the rules and didn’t do as they were told, and everyone who never dared to give up on their dreams. A true history maker and page-turner for women across the world. Current Japanese women’s deathmatch wrestlers like Suzu Suzuki and Risa Sera might not exist if it weren’t for Megumi Kudo. A truly under-thanked and under-appreciated woman. I will forever hype and parade the career of Megumi Kudo and you should too.
(The legacy of Megumi lives on in every female hardcore wrestler, but Suzu and Risa live her truth…)
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