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Takako Inoue
View on WikipediaTakako Inoue (井上 貴子, Inoue Takako; born November 7, 1969) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She wrestled primarily for the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling promotion, and held several championships, primarily in tag team wrestling. She was well known as one-half of the tag team Double Inoue, which she formed with fellow wrestler Kyoko Inoue (no relation).
Key Information
Professional wrestling career
[edit]All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (1988–1999)
[edit]She was born November 7, 1969, in Toride, Ibaraki. A magazine model at the time, she possessed an athletic background in track and field and amateur wrestling. She failed her first audition for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) but trained with Mayumi Ozaki. While she failed her first AJW audition, she passed the second screening for the music group, Onyanko Club. Ozaki passed her audition for Japan Women's Pro Wrestling and invited Takako to join, but she declined. She then passed her AJW audition and joined in October, 1987, where she was trained by Jaguar Yokota. Takako made her debut on October 8, 1988, against (not related) fellow rookie and future tag team partner Kyoko Inoue in AJW.
On April 2, 1991, she defeated Inoue for the All Japan Singles title. This was an important push for a wrestler so young, but her beauty and improving work rate was considered strong enough to put her over for the belt. She held it for a year, pretty outstanding for the time. She lost the title to Mariko Yoshida exactly one year later.
She was paired with Mariko Yoshida; the brain trust figuring their styles would complement each other. They were booked to win the All Japan Tag Team titles on August 2, 1991, from Cynthia Moreno and Esther Moreno.
On November 21, 1991, Inoue released a single called "Door of Miracle".[3]
Inoue and Yoshida then lost them to another up and coming team, Debbie Malenko and Sakie Hasegawa, on January 5, 1992. On April 25, 1992, Takako and Yoshida took the titles back from Hawegawa and Malenko before losing them to Bat Yoshinaga and Tomoko Watanabe on December 1, 1992.
After the hot tag run ended, Takako found herself in the supporting role of a tag team with Yumiko Hotta. On September 5, 1993, she and Hotta won the UWA Tag Team titles from Akira Hokuto and Suzuka Minami. They had a good run, though only defending the titles occasionally, while the AJW brain trust was figuring her future. This caused Inoue to consider retirement. Hotta and Inoue finally lost the titles on March 30, 1994, to Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda.
Her big break came when she and Kyoko Inoue formed a tag-team named “Double Inoue”, in which Takako adopted Kyoko's usual face paint design. They defeated Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada for the WWWA World Tag Team Championship from on October 9, 1994, ending Toyota and Yamada’s almost two1⁄2 year domination. They defended the titles once, and then vacated them in an angle where they, being the 99th WWWA tag champs, wanted to be the 100th. On March 21, 1995, a one-night tournament was held with Double Inoue winning three matches to regain the titles. Double Inoue would now go on to dominate the tag titles, becoming the hot tag team in AJW for the next eighteen months. (They held the WWWA tag titles three times during this period.) Their hottest feud during this time was with the team of Manami Toyota and Sakie Hasegawa (or her masked alter ego, Blizzard Yuki). The feud produced quite a few outstanding tussles, including the one-night tournament final. After losing the titles to Shimoda and Toyota on June 22, 1996, the Inoues split up; it was decided that Kyoko would be getting a serious push at the WWWA World Single Championship.
Takako was not forgotten, however, as she would also win singles gold during this time. She defeated Reggie Bennett for the IWA Women’s title on December 4, 1995, and would defeat Bennett once again on November 21, 1996, in a unification match where Takako walked off with both the IWA title and the All-Pacific title. Takako then challenged ex-partner and WWWA champion Kyoko Inoue on January 20, 1997, in a losing effort to unify all three titles. After Kyoko vacated the All-Pacific title, Takako defeated Yamada to regain the belt on June 18, 1997. However, a severe eye injury suffered in a title defense caused Takako to miss three months and vacate the title. Once healed, she won the All-Pacific title back on January 3, 1998. She then lost it on April 21, 1998, to ZAP T (Tomoko Watanabe as a masked heel).
She has also worked many inter-promotional matches while with AJW, being among the first to work them, notably against Cutie Suzuki and Mayumi Ozaki of JWP Joshi Puroresu. But for all that, she was never positioned as a top-level single in AJW, instead being a top mid-carder, used to set up those for the push into the top level. Amazingly, for someone with her experience, she had only two matches for the WWWA title: one against Kyoko Inoue, and in October, 1995, she was Dynamite Kansai’s first defense after Kansai had just won the WWWA title. Her last major singles hurrah for AJW during this period was her push for the All-Pacific Title.
Given the fact she was spinning her wheels and facing the specter of continued bookings against the ZAPs, in what essentially turned into comedy matches, Takako left AJW in 1999 to freelance. Getting out from under AJW seemed to help, for she found herself in demand. She soon landed in Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling, where, on September 2, 2000, Takako, Rumi Kazama and Eagle Sawai (collectively known as Black Joker) won the vacant LLPW Six Woman Tag Team titles from Miho Wakizawa, Nanae Takahashi and Toyota They held the belts for almost two years before dropping them to Mizuki Endo, Keiko Aono, & Rieko Amano on June 15, 2002.
Freelance (1999–present)
[edit]As a freelancer she worked for various women's promotions, such as LLPW (Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling), Oz Academy, and Arsion. She has been signed to LLPW since February 2005.[4]
Other fields
[edit]Inoue has posed for several modeling photobooks. In 2008, she appeared with fellow wrestlers Mio Shirai and Kayo Noumi in The Brute Educational Institution (野獣学園, Yajū Gakuen), a video with lesbian discipline and catfight themes, released by ATTACK ZONE, a label of Attackers.[5][6][7]
Championships and accomplishments
[edit]- All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
- All Pacific Championship (3 times)
- AJW Championship (1 time)
- AJW Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Mariko Yoshida (2) Tomoko Watanabe (1)
- IWA World Women's Championship (1 time)[8]
- UWA World Women's Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Yumiko Hotta
- WWWA World Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Kyoko Inoue (4), Mima Shimoda (1), and Rumi Kazama (1)
- Tag League the Best (1994) – with Manami Toyota
- Arsion
- Twin Star of Arsion Championship (1 time) - with Rie Tamada
- Dramatic Dream Team
- Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling
- LLPW Six Woman Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Rumi Kazama and Eagle Sawai
- LLPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shinobu Kandori
- World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana
- World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Yumiko Hotta and Kyoko Inoue (1)
References
[edit]- ^ "Jwp女子プロレス [情報] ザ☆Wanted!?がコメントを発表".
- ^ Triggs, James (July 29, 2009). "CvC: Jaguar Yokota for Greatest Women's Champion". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ "奇蹟の扉". Oricon (in Japanese). March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ 井上 貴子 - Joshi Pro-Wrestling
- ^ "ATTACK ZONEとは". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ 野獣学園
- ^ The Brute Educational Institution
- ^ Hoops, Brian (January 20, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/20): HHH returns, wins 2002 Royal Rumble". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
External links
[edit]Takako Inoue
View on GrokipediaEarly life and training
Background and athletics
Takako Inoue was born on November 7, 1969, in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.[6][3] Public information on her family background remains limited, with no widely documented details about siblings or specific familial influences on her early athletic interests; she grew up in an area east of Tokyo during her formative years.[7] Inoue attended local schools in Ibaraki Prefecture, where she participated in school sports programs as part of her early education. She engaged in track and field, gymnastics, table tennis, and later amateur wrestling during high school, becoming a prominent female athlete in Japan.[7][8] Her decision to enter professional wrestling stemmed from exposure to joshi puroresu through television during high school, inspiring her to apply to the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) training program; she auditioned multiple times, failing twice before succeeding in her senior year.[7]Wrestling debut and initial training
Takako Inoue joined the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) dojo in October 1987 at the age of 17, shortly after passing her audition for the promotion.[9] Her entry into the dojo came amid a period of intense recruitment for AJW, which sought to build a new generation of wrestlers following the retirement of key figures in the mid-1980s. Influenced by her background in athletics, including amateur wrestling, Inoue was selected for her physical potential and determination.[1] Under the strict guidance of trainer Jaguar Yokota, Inoue underwent a demanding one-year training program designed to instill the core elements of joshi puroresu, focusing on technical grappling, endurance, and agility central to AJW's style.[3] This foundational period honed Inoue's technician style, setting her apart as a promising talent suited for high-impact performances.[10] Inoue made her professional debut on October 10, 1988, facing fellow rookie Kyoko Inoue in a singles match at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. The bout, part of a double debut showcase, lasted 6 minutes and 54 seconds and ended in defeat for Takako, a common outcome for AJW newcomers to build experience. This match held immediate significance, as it introduced the "Double Inoue" pairing that would later define much of their early teamwork, blending their shared rookie status with complementary skills—Kyoko's power against Takako's agility. Positioned in AJW's junior heavyweight roster, Inoue quickly adopted an agile, high-impact approach influenced by her athletic roots, focusing on speed and precision in subsequent undercard appearances.[11][1]Professional wrestling career
All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (1988–1999)
Takako Inoue made her professional wrestling debut for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) on October 10, 1988, facing fellow rookie Kyoko Inoue in a match that highlighted their immediate chemistry despite no familial relation.[4][3] Following her debut, Inoue quickly formed the tag team "Double Inoue" with Kyoko, establishing an initial midcard role through undercard bouts from 1988 to 1990, where they built a dedicated fanbase with high-energy performances against up-and-coming talent.[12] This period saw Inoue honing her technical skills while contributing to AJW's roster depth during the promotion's post-Crush Gals transition, emphasizing teamwork and resilience in multi-woman matches.[1] Inoue's career gained momentum through major feuds and storylines in the early 1990s, including rivalries with remnants of the Crush Gals era, such as bouts against Lioness Asuka-influenced teams, and intense solo encounters with veterans like Bull Nakano, whose power-based style tested Inoue's agility.[4] A pivotal event was the 1991 Japan Grand Prix, where Inoue competed in the tournament's opening rounds, showcasing her potential against competitors like Manami Toyota and advancing AJW's narrative of emerging stars challenging established hierarchies.[13] These conflicts, often intertwined with tag team dynamics, positioned Double Inoue as a counterforce to dominant pairings, blending athleticism with dramatic storytelling that captivated audiences during AJW's golden era of joshi wrestling.[1] The Double Inoue partnership peaked in tag team successes from 1991 to 1993, with Inoue and Kyoko capturing multiple accolades, including a standout victory in the WWWA World Tag Team Championship on October 9, 1994, defeating Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada in a two-out-of-three-falls match at Wrestlemarinepiad in Kawasaki.[4] Later, in the mid-1990s, Inoue transitioned to new alliances, teaming with Mariko Yoshida to win the Japanese Tag Team Championship twice—on April 25, 1992, and July 15, 1992—and partnering with Yumiko Hotta for the UWA World Women's Tag Team Championship, which they held until losing it on March 30, 1994. These collaborations, highlighted by the 1994 AJW Tag League of the Best victory, underscored Inoue's versatility as a tag specialist, contributing to AJW's reputation for innovative multi-woman formats.[1] Inoue achieved her first major singles breakthrough by defeating Kyoko Inoue for the All Japan Singles Championship on April 29, 1991, a significant push for the 21-year-old wrestler that elevated her to main-event status.[4][14] She defended the title successfully, including against Debbie Malenko on November 21, 1991, before losing it to Mariko Yoshida on April 29, 1992, in a hard-fought bout at Toda City Sports Center.[12] During this reign, Inoue evolved her in-ring style, incorporating power moves such as the German suplex alongside her technical base, which became hallmarks of her matches and influenced younger talent in AJW's training system.[1] Throughout the 1990s, Inoue played a key role in AJW's dominance of joshi wrestling, participating in major tours like the 1997 Summer Action Series, where she featured in high-profile cards that drew record crowds and solidified the promotion's global influence.[12] Her contributions extended to inter-promotional clashes, such as against JWP's Mayumi Ozaki and Cutie Suzuki on April 2, 1993, at Dream Slam I, fostering rivalries that boosted AJW's competitive edge.[4] Inoue departed AJW in 1999 as part of a broader mass exodus driven by internal disputes over pay and creative direction, amid the promotion's financial decline following earlier talent departures in 1997.[10] Her final AJW match occurred earlier that year, marking the end of an 11-year tenure that helped sustain the company's legacy during its most acclaimed period.[12]Freelance career (1999–present)
Following her departure from All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling in 1999, Takako Inoue transitioned to a freelance career, competing across multiple independent promotions including Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling (LLPW), Oz Academy, and Arsion.[15] During this initial period from 1999 to 2004, she engaged in notable rivalries, such as tag team encounters with AKINO and Ran YuYu in Oz Academy, showcasing her adaptability in multi-woman bouts against rising indie talent.[16] On September 2, 2000, Inoue teamed with Rumi Kazama and Eagle Sawai to win the LLPW Six Woman Tag Team Championship in Yokohama, defeating Manami Toyota, Nanae Takahashi, and Miho Wakizawa, marking a key achievement in her early independent run.[17] In February 2005, Inoue signed a full-time contract with LLPW, ending her initial freelance phase and providing a stable base for consistent booking.[18] This affiliation led to regular appearances in tag and multi-woman matches, where she evolved into a veteran performer, often mentoring younger wrestlers through structured feuds and exhibition bouts.[18] Her role emphasized teamwork, drawing on prior tag expertise to guide LLPW's roster amid the promotion's focus on legendary joshi revival. From the mid-2010s into the 2020s, Inoue expanded her freelance appearances beyond LLPW to include Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling, Ice Ribbon, and Marvelous, participating in three documented matches each in the latter two promotions.[12] These outings featured nostalgia-driven team-ups, such as partnering with her sister Kyoko Inoue in high-profile tag matches that highlighted their enduring chemistry from earlier tag foundations.[12] Inoue's activity remained sporadic into 2023–2025, reflecting a semi-retired status with selective high-profile engagements. On July 13, 2024, at Marigold's Summer Destiny event in Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, she teamed with Shinobu Kandori and NORI to defeat Mai Sakurai, Nanae Takahashi, and Nao Ishikawa in a 15-minute six-woman tag match, earning praise for blending veteran resilience with the promotion's newer talent.[19] On April 29, 2025, at Sendai Girls' "Meiko Satomura THE FINAL" in Korakuen Hall, Inoue competed in a battle royal won by Ryo Mizunami, featuring participants like Kyoko Inoue, Nanae Takahashi, and Shinobu Kandori, as part of the festivities surrounding Meiko Satomura's retirement.[4] Over her freelance years, Inoue's in-ring style shifted from the high-flying junior approach of her early career to a more grounded technical brawling emphasis, incorporating signature strikes like the Diving Kneedrop and Rolling Savate Kick for impactful, story-driven exchanges.[12] This evolution was influenced by long-term physical wear, including a history of injuries that prompted comebacks focused on strategic veteran pacing rather than aerial risks, allowing sustained performances into her 50s.[20] Inoue's independent legacy lies in her tag team proficiency, influencing modern joshi by exemplifying seamless partner synergy and mentorship in fragmented promotions, with her 2024 matches averaging a 9.33 rating on Cagematch based on three reviews.[12]Other pursuits
Music and entertainment
Inoue ventured into music during her peak years with All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), releasing her debut single "Kiseki no Tobira" (Door of Miracle) on November 21, 1991, via Pony Canyon, the promotion's affiliated label.[21] The track, featuring lyrics by Nemuko Oikawa, music by Shin Tanimoto, and arrangement by Koki Mizushima, thematically aligned with her underdog storyline, portraying themes of aspiration and breakthrough amid urban lights and emotional longing.[22] Released as part of a split EP with the tag team Mint Showers' "TIME TO GO," it served as a promotional tie-in to her wrestling narrative, emphasizing resilience and dreams.[23] The single resonated within the joshi wrestling community, where Inoue performed it live at AJW events, including a dedicated segment in the 1991 VHS release TAKAKO Yume no Tobira, which captured her singing and behind-the-scenes footage to engage fans.[24] This musical foray amplified her "pretty girl" persona in AJW, blending athletic intensity with approachable idol-like appeal to broaden her fanbase beyond the ring. Inoue later reflected on such endeavors as essential for visibility in the entertainment landscape, paralleling diversification efforts by contemporaries in the joshi scene.[25] Beyond music, Inoue appeared as a guest on 1990s Japanese television variety programs, showcasing her charisma through wrestling-themed segments and lighthearted challenges that highlighted her personality.[26] These spots, often on shows featuring celebrity athletes, included promotional skits produced by AJW to promote events and her image, fostering cross-media exposure during joshi's golden era. Fan reception was positive, with her media presence reinforcing her status as a multifaceted entertainer while maintaining ties to her core wrestling identity.Modeling and media appearances
Inoue began her modeling career in the 1990s, releasing several photobooks targeted at the joshi wrestling fanbase that highlighted her athletic physique alongside glamorous and occasionally provocative poses. These publications were often distributed through wrestling magazines and specialized publishers, blending her in-ring persona with visual appeal to broaden her popularity. Key examples include Make Love, published by Wani Books in 1990, which featured a mix of portrait and dynamic shots; Body Oil from 1995, emphasizing sensual athletic themes; BLESS, a portrait-focused collection; and YUAN, an oversized photo album released around the mid-1990s.[27][28][29][30] Additional titles like LOVE 2 and Peak Blue further showcased her in multi-color, high-production photography, reinforcing her status as a multifaceted joshi icon.[31][32] A notable media project came in 2008, when Inoue collaborated with fellow wrestlers Mio Shirai and Kayo Noumi on The Brute Educational Institution, an instructional video series aimed at introducing wrestling techniques to non-fans through demonstration segments. While specific endorsements remain limited in public records, her modeling work occasionally intersected with promotional features in wrestling periodicals, such as appearances in Lady's Weekly Gong issues highlighting joshi stars.[33][34] In the 2020s, Inoue's media engagements have shifted toward reflective and promotional roles, emphasizing her legacy as a veteran of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW). She participated in events like the 2023 STARDOM MidSummer Festival, appearing alongside legends such as Shinobu Kandori and Kyoko Inoue to honor joshi history and draw crowds to veteran-focused shows. These sporadic interviews and cameos in wrestling retrospectives, including discussions on AJW's golden era, have solidified her image as a respected elder stateswoman, moving beyond the idol-esque glamour of her earlier modeling to embody enduring influence in the sport.Championships and accomplishments
Singles championships
Takako Inoue achieved significant success in singles competition throughout her career, particularly during her time in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), where her title wins helped transition her reputation from a prominent tag team specialist to a top-tier individual contender. Her reigns emphasized technical prowess and endurance, often featuring high-stakes defenses against elite opponents that showcased her ability to compete at the highest level of joshi puroresu. Inoue's singles accomplishments spanned multiple promotions and included long-term holds that contributed to her legacy as a versatile champion.[35][12] Inoue's first major singles title was the AJW Singles Championship (also known as the All Japan Title), which she captured on April 29, 1991, by defeating her sister Kyoko Inoue in Tokyo. This victory marked a pivotal moment, as the 365-day reign—ending on April 29, 1992, when she lost to Mariko Yoshida—solidified her status as a main event singles wrestler. During this period, Inoue made several notable defenses, which highlighted her resilience and elevated her profile beyond tag team success. The one-year hold was unusual for a relatively young talent at the time and underscored AJW's investment in the Inoue sisters as cornerstone figures.[35][36] Inoue later ventured into international recognition with the IWA Women's World Championship, won on December 4, 1995, against Reggie Bennett in a freelance bout in Tokyo. Her 413-day reign, which concluded on January 20, 1997, when she was defeated by Kyoko Inoue, demonstrated her appeal beyond AJW and included a key unification match on November 21, 1996, where she defeated Bennett again to merge the title with the All Pacific Championship. This extended hold featured defenses that emphasized Inoue's technical style against diverse challengers, reinforcing her as a global draw in women's wrestling during a transitional phase of her career.[37][38] Inoue's most frequent singles success came with the All Pacific Championship, for which she is a three-time champion. Her first reign began on November 21, 1996, over Reggie Bennett in Kobe as part of the IWA unification and lasted 61 days until lost to Kyoko Inoue on January 20, 1997. She won the title for a second time on June 18, 1997, defeating Toshiyo Yamada in Sapporo, holding it for 41 days until an eye injury in late July 1997 led to a temporary champion. Inoue reclaimed the title—her third reign—on January 3, 1998, defeating Tomoko Watanabe in Tokyo, holding it for 109 days until April 21, 1998, against ZAP T (Tomoko Watanabe) in Tokyo. Cumulatively, Inoue's All Pacific reigns totaled approximately 211 days across three holds, with defenses that highlighted her adaptability in midcard and upper-midcard bouts.[39][40]| Title | Reigns | Total Days Held | Notable Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| AJW Singles Championship | 1 (1991–1992) | 365 | N/A |
| IWA Women's World Championship | 1 (1995–1997) | 413 | Unification vs. Reggie Bennett (1996) |
| All Pacific Championship | 3 (1996–1998) | 211 | N/A |