Leilani Kai
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Leilani Kai

Patty Seymour[dubiousdiscuss] (born January 23, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known by her ring name Leilani Kai. She is best known for her work in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling (AJW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from the 1980s to the 1990s. She is currently signed to the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under a legends contract.

Early career (1975–1985)

Seymour began training with The Fabulous Moolah in 1975 after she finished high school. Originally from Florida, Moolah thought Seymour looked Hawaiian therefore she was given the ring name Leilani Kai, as in the Hawaiian language Leilani translates to "heavenly flowers" and Kai translates to "ocean water". Her fellow wrestlers also bestowed upon her the nickname "The Hawaiian Princess" during her early career. Four weeks after she began her training Moolah sent Kai on a two-week tour of Alaska, over the next few years she worked through multiple promotions throughout the United States including; California, Minnesota, New York and Oklahoma. In 1979, in North Carolina, Kai began working with Judy Martin, who would be her future tag team partner. Early in her career Kai was tag team partners with The Fabulous Moolah, her first recorded match was a tag team match on the 20 June 1975, in which she and Moolah defeated Sheila Shepherd and Sue Green. Throughout the 1970s Kai faced multiple women including Donna Christanello, Joyce Grable, Judy Mansfield, Kitty Adams, Sylvia Hackney, Terri Shane, Toni Rose, Vivian St. John and most notably Vicki Williams who she feuded with through the majority of 1975. In 1977 she faced The Fabulous Moolah in a losing effort, in her first singles championship match for the NWA World Women's Championship. She began tag teaming with Pepper LaBianco in 1978 where they challenged for the NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship on multiple occasions.

All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling (1980–1986)

On 17 May 1980 Kai wrestled her first match for AJW in a 6-woman tag team match, teaming with Joyce Grable and Mami Kumano in a no contest against Ayumi Hori, Jackie Sato and Lucy Kayama. Kai's first singles match for the promotion saw her face Mami Kumano which ended in a double count out. Kai wrestled for AJW until June 1980, sometimes wrestling for 8 to 9 days in a row. She returned to the promotion briefly in February 1981 before debuting for the World Wrestling Federation in March 1981.

Kai made sporadic returns between the years of 1982–1984, including appearing on the 14 June 1982 episode, where she returned to the company teaming with Devil Masami and Wild Kazuki defeating the team of Lioness Asuka, Mimi Hagiwara and Yukari Omori. In 1984 she briefly returned once again to the company, defeating Itsuki Yamazaki in a singles match and forming a tag team with Devil Masami. In August 1986 Kai defeated Japanese wrestling legend Chigusa Nagayo winning the All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling's All Pacific Championship in an infamously brutal match. She lost the title back to Nagayo in an April 1987 rematch. Kai and Nagayo's matches are known for being ahead of their time, being noted as wrestling classics. Kai was one of only four American women to hold the All Pacific Championship, alongside Jane O'Brien, Judy Martin and Reggie Bennett, her 249-day reign with the championship was the eighth longest reign in the championships history.

World Wrestling Federation (1981–1989)

Kai made her debut for the WWF on March 27, 1981, where she and The Fabulous Moolah defeated the team of Jill Fontaine and Suzette Ferreira, Kai and Moolah entered a feud with Fontaine and Ferreira, appearing regularly for the WWF. Majority of Kai's matches in her early WWF career consisted of tag team matches alongside Moolah, the villainous duo feuded with multiple different female tag teams. She continued to make various appearances for American Wrestling Association, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Mid South Wrestling among other territories. She began working with different women wrestlers including; Black Venus, Peggy Lee, Princess Victoria, Velvet McIntyre and Wendi Richter. In 1983 she, alongside The Fabulous Moolah, were involved in a long feud with Princess Victoria and Susan Starr trading victories back and forth. She briefly teamed with Despina Montagas, defeating the then WWF World Women's Tag Team Champions; Princess Victoria and Velvet McIntyre in a non-title match, on the 29 August 1984 episode, of WWF Championship Wrestling. Kai and Montagas would lose their tag team championship match against Victoria and McIntyre, three days later.

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