Bull Nakano the Empress of WWE, Unveils Insights of Battling Bullying, Overcoming Injury and Illness, and Reflects on U.S. Tour
WWE Hall of Fame induction commemorative interview! Tears of joy at becoming the fifth Japanese inductee following Antonio Inoki and the first woman to achieve this feat!
When Bull Nakano (56) was contacted by a representative from the world’s largest professional wrestling organization, WWE USA, to deliver the good news of his induction into the Hall of Fame, her reaction was scared.
“I got scared because I thought, This isn’t an offer for a match, right? (laughs) I did win the WWF (currently WWE) Women’s Championship, but because I was a villain, all I got was boos. And too much time has passed since those days. So when I was asked, `Do you have any intention of winning the award? I burst into tears. It made me realize that I had been recognized as a wrestler, and that all I had done was not in vain.
Despite being a heel (villain), Bull Nakano reigned supreme in Japan and the U.S., not because of her brawling but because of her variety of techniques and ability.
However, despite her brilliant career and being feared as the empress, she faced unimaginable struggles.
I joined All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling in 1983 after graduating from junior high school, but at 15 years old, I didn’t know anything about the world or the hierarchy with my seniors. She was beaten by her seniors, saying, “This guy’s not good enough.” Because she was a rookie, she couldn’t do anything in the match, and even in the ring she got beaten up. No joke, she was beaten every day. She got beaten so much that she said, “Today, I made a mistake in the second.” I started to be able to predict things like maybe 5 shots. Then I thought I was lucky that it only took 3 shots (lol).
At the time, Bull Nakano recalled, “My mouth was always cut.”
In joint practice, we had a discipline called 100-butt throws, in which each senior had to take 10 techniques. It was almost like killing them half to death. Looking back on it now, I think it was super black (laughs). I cried every day, and when I went to bed, I prayed that the morning would never come.
When asked by a reporter why she did not run away, Bull Nakano immediately answered, “Because I love pro wrestling.
At the time, the only women’s pro wrestling organization was Zenjo. If I quit, I would not be able to wrestle anymore. So I persevered. In the process, I came to think, ‘I’m going to get stronger and beat the crap out of these guys in the ring.
