In the Dream Explosion series, Ryan Dilbert revisits and explores the best matches in All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling History.
Chigusa Nagayo vs. Devil Masami
AJW Summer Night Festival in Budokan
August 22, 1985
A triumph of skill and story. In front of a crowd whose crackling energy elevated the art in front of them. This is Chigusa Nagayo vs. Devil Masami.
In one of their many clashes, the two legendary joshi wrestlers fought for the All Pacific Championship. Chigusa Nagoya, one half of the ultra popular tag team, Crush Gals versus the menacing champion Devil Masami as a jam-packed Nippon Budokan watched on.
Each of the Crush Gals were on the hunt for gold that night. In the main event, Nagoya’s partner Lioness Asuka would face Jaguar Yokota for the WWWA World Championship. Crush Gals had been WWWA tag champs twice over, knocking off teams like the Villainous Alliance and Dynamite Girls. It’s hard to explain how popular this pair was until you click on a video and hear the fans losing their minds. They were absolute rock stars.
On this card, though, Nagayo would go it alone. Against a daunting foe, one who had beaten Lioness Asuka and Dump Matsumoto, one who was undefeated against Nagayo at this point. Devil had taken down Nagayo eight consecutive times, the Crush Gal’s impressive fighting spirit be damned.
Perhaps this was to be a turning point. Perhaps this was to be Nagoya’s moment, snatching that All Pacific Championship from Masami, a title she’d held since April of 1984.
The fans clearly felt the significance of this match. You can see it in their hopeful but worried faces. You can hear it as they roar and rumble throughout the action. Two of their heroes could walk out of this arena as champions.
The contrast between the two characters in this drama is striking. Nagayo stands her corner in white martial arts gear while Masami strides into the ring in a pink skirt that drags on the floor. Nagayo looks like she came straight from the dojo; Masami looks ready for the runway.
After the introductions, there is no time wasted for this to become personal. The two wrestlers slap each other hard and then lock eyes in a long, intense staredown. Neither woman can be intimidated.
This seething intensity stays charged for the whole bout. You can feel the bad blood between them. Through the screen. 40 years after the fact.
There’s an MMA-like feel to this contest. Both fighters are cautious and calculated. They hold their arms up in a boxer’s guard. There is zero room to play to the crowd; foe is locked on foe.
Early on, Nagayo outgrapples the champ. She slides from hold to hold, staying on top of Masami, holding tight to maintain control. It’s engrossing to watch skill that precise on display.
Masami in turn responds with sadism. She’s not wrestling Chigusa so much as tormenting her. And she clearly loves her work. Masami’s face holds a sinister grin as she twists Nagayo’s limbs and yanks on her hair.
Nagayo is unfazed, though. She fights on, focused. A dragon suplex and a dive to the outside leaves Masami visibly frustrated. The merciless champ returns to the ring snarling, with a length of pipe in her hand.
While the ref does prevent her from bringing in that weapon and seeing chaos erupt, he cannot stop the wrestling match from devolving into a street fight.
Masami boxes her opponent, tagging her with blows to the head and gut. Her punches are emphatic, unforgiving, loud enough to be heard over the raucous fans.
A pattern emerges within this slugfest: Masami fires off nasty shots; Nagayo hits back with a big suplex. The layout is simple, but damn is it effective. I found myself sucked in for all of it, on the edge of my seat much like the fans in the Budokan.
It’s an even fight for the most part, each women wearing the other out. The warrior Nagayo takes a beating but keeps charging forward. Masami looks wiped out, but finds a way to keep evading the challenger.
Masami’s facial expressions elevate all of it. She’s borderline cartoonish with her emoting, her anger and worry big enough to be seen by even the folks in the nose-bleeds.
At times, Masami seems shocked by the challenger’s resilience. She has to be wondering if this is the time the result is different, if her dominance over the Crush Gal is to be no more.
But instead of victory for either woman, we end with a stalemate.
Masami and Nagayo each struggle to stand on different sides of the ring. They are slow-moving and spent. Their bodies simply stop obeying their commands. The ref calls it.
The title match ends in a draw. Chigusa’s championship dreams have to wait.
The shots of the crowd show how well this drama worked. Fans are close to tears. They look drained. It’s a testament to Nagayo and Masami’s storytelling ability. We have all just been through an emotional ride thanks to them.
The post-match only adds to that.
Neither wrestler can stand without help. They have battled honorably and gained respect if not a win. Masami and Nagayo embrace before the tearful champ is left alone to collect her title belt and trophy.
Their animosity would fester in a rivalry that stretched on years beyond this. These two were locking horns in the ring all the way up to 2004.
There are a good number of big matches between them, both tags and singles, worth seeking out, including their collision at Dream Slam in 1993. This one, though, is the most taut and absorbing. This is a saga rich with hostility, where the emotions and the violence speak profoundly.
Watch it with the volume up. The passion of that crowd is infectious and only adds to the experience. You may find yourself caught up in the Crush Gals wave, your breathing paused, your heart full of hope.
Check out the previous entry in this series: Manami Toyota vs. Mima Shimoda
RESURA 