Discuss here.

I'm really looking forward to re-watching some of her career. When I did watch a bunch of joshi Bull Nakano and Kyoko Inoue were my favourites. I need suggestions for this one.

Early Kyoko has the most natural charisma of any wrestler I've seen and her enthusiasm is infectious. Here are the matches I remember liking:

 

vs. Mariko Yoshida, 7/5/92

vs. Mariko Yoshida, 8/30/92

vs. Akira Hokuto, 11/16/92

vs. Takako Inoue, 1/24/93

vs. Shinobu Kandori, 8/25/93

w/ Toshiyo Yamada vs. Akira Hokuto/Manami Toyota x2, 12/10/93

vs. Bull Nakano, 1/24/94

vs. Bull Nakano, 3/26/95

The Kandori match and the two Nakano matches are both good, especially the Kandori match, which you would think is a huge styles clash but becomes a fantastic match by the end.

 

I'm not sure if early Kyoko is enough for me to put her on the Top 100, although people who are fans of the go-go style she has will probably think differently.

Coey's match database is a good reference point for Joshi -- http://web.archive.org/web/20060428211822/http://www.airraidcrash.com/ajwmatch.html

I don't think she's the best female wrestler ever, but... I can't think of another I've had more fun watching, consistently, than Kyoko. As Dan said, incredible charisma, enthusiasm, she captures the joy of performance better than any wrestler I can think of. She might have had the most well-rounded move-set in AJW, and I certainly think she had the best "shine" routine as the early baby-face control. I'm not sure she has anything of note after the Asuka series (the '99 match with Toyota is a nice tribute, I guess), nor do I envision myself combing through NEO shows to find any, but she's certainly a Top 10 female, perhaps pushing her way as high as #5?(I'd have to think about it more), but absolutely someone who warrants mention in this whole debate and I'd push for something around the 50-spot...

 

I also second those matches listed above. Some people might enjoy the 9/91 match with Bull more than the later ones. I'd add:

 

w/Takako vs. Ozaki/Cuty - Dream Slam

w/Takako vs. Toyota/Hasegawa - 1/95 TV and especially 8/30/95

vs. Kansai - Big Egg

vs. Toyota - 8/94 and the 60:00 5/95.

 

Toyota vs. Kyoko were a better pair at the most stereotypical Zenjo sprint than Toyota vs. Yamada (for me, for their differences). The 8/94 - sans finish - is the "perfect" sprint for them... and the broadway just has to be seen. That they tried to work their match for an hour is insane; that they made it to about the 45:00 mark before it all fell apart is pretty fucking incredible.

Kyoko is very weird. Sometimes she's really great with her unpredictable, unique offense and good selling, sometimes annoying with Kurt Angle-ish tendencies, popping up and killing a match and sometimes just plain boring. I felt those Nakano matches were carries. She gets bonus points for having one of the best Hokuto matches and looking great in it. I also have a feeling her late career run as grumpy gender switched Super Porky is either terrible or has some bizarre interesting stuff in it. Can't be bothered to watch it though. I like some of the matches listed above, and some not so much. The Kandori match is very fun but seems to be overrated just because it's "different". I could see someone who's really into joshi ranking her, but I don't see the case right now.

I'm up until 1992 in my joshi watching and I have fallen completely for Inoue. What a tremendous babyface with great sympathetic charisma.

Yes, she's a freaking oddball doing bizarre shit all the time, but it's really charming. She sells amazing, and looks awesome in all of her big matches. Plus a giant swing gets bonus points, and super bonus points for adding spins into almost any other moves she does!