Reimagined as The Queen of Villains: How ‘Crush Gals Unshown on Netflix Achieved Musical Success

Enthusiasm like a male idol concert

Streaming on September 19, Netflix’s original series “The Queen of Villains” quickly became a huge hit. The series depicts the life of Dump Matsumoto (63), who ruled as the most feared heel in the All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling (AJW) during the 1980s and sparked a boom. The protagonist, Dump, is played by comedian Yuriyan Retriever (33).

Also gaining renewed attention in the series is the ultra-popular tag team “Crush Gals,” who had fierce rivalries with Dump in the ring. In the series, Erika Karata (27) plays Chigusa Nagayo (59), while Ayame Goriki (32) portrays Lioness Asuka (61).

“Crush was incredibly popular, transcending the boundaries of pro wrestling at the time. They debuted as singers with ‘The Holy Bible of Flames’ in August 1984. The song was a big hit, written by Yukinojo Mori and composed by Tsugumi Goto, showcasing a star-studded lineup.

With backing from Fuji Television, AJW had previously succeeded in promoting wrestlers like Macho Munehisa and Jackie Sato, who were known as “Beauty Pair,” as dual-threats of wrestler and singer before Crush came along.”

After the disbandment of “Beauty Pair,” there were no idol-like wrestlers left, leading to the promotion of Crush, which turned out to be a huge success. It became the norm for wrestlers to sing before their matches, and the venues were often filled with enthusiastic middle and high school girl fans, resembling a male idol concert atmosphere,” said a music industry insider familiar with that era.

 

 

The reason why the music was also a hit

Nagayo appeared in a video titled “The Formation Secret and Stardom of the Crush Gals,” released on Bull Nakano’s (56) YouTube channel on August 27, 2021.

According to what she said in the video, initially, Nagayo was not very enthusiastic about singing. However, she learned that she would debut under the same record company as “Pink Lady,” with the producer who worked with them overseeing her debut. Since Nagayo had been a fan of Pink Lady, she became motivated, thinking, “I can be like Pink Lady,” and decided to pursue a career as a singer.

“The two members of Crush had a literally murderous schedule. They would manage their entertainment activities from early morning until evening, and then they would head to the match venue in a car driven by their manager. Given that it was a completely different field, it’s no wonder that they sometimes felt like they were ‘being made to do it.’

However, despite their busy lives, as Nagayo said, they became ‘completely motivated’ and engaged positively in their entertainment activities, which brought a certain shine to their performances. Because of that, they were able to achieve great success” (a veteran pro wrestling journalist).

However, their peak did not last long. After releasing their sixth single, “Ikki ni Rock’n Roll,” in July 1986, there were no further records released as Crush. Instead, Nagayo made her solo debut in October 1986 with “100 Carat no Hitomi,” releasing five singles and four albums during the All Japan Women’s era.

“While ‘Gokuaku Joō’ does not detail it, Asuka gradually began to refuse entertainment activities. It is said that this was because she became infatuated with a certain female entertainer and started to listen only to her.

In contrast, due to sending money to her parents every month and the unfortunate circumstance of both parents falling ill in quick succession, Nagayo had to earn money and could not avoid continuing her entertainment activities. Therefore, even after becoming a solo artist, she continued to work, but she was unable to gain the same level of popularity she had with Crush” (same source).

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of Crush. Since then, no idol wrestler with both popularity and skill has surpassed Crush in the history of women’s pro wrestling. The unique brilliance of Crush was undoubtedly due to both members being together.

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