The first form of wrestling dates back to around 15,000 years ago. Since then, it’s continually evolved into the sport that fans worldwide love to consume, whether on the independent circuit or major networks. In Japan, where modern wrestling began in 1887, it has also seen significant evolution. Notably, Japan was ahead of many other countries when it came to promoting women in wrestling and showcasing them as stars. On September 19, Netflix will release The Queen of Villains, a story based on women’s pro wrestling from the 1970s to the 80s. It’s a series that tells the story of a group of women who revolutionized women’s wrestling in Japan and indirectly paved the way for women in the States 30 years later.
The story is based primarily on the life of Kaoru Matsumoto, known in the wrestling world as “Dump Matsumoto,” from her childhood of humble beginnings, to her stumbling upon wrestling by chance. Intrigued and inspired by the famous tag team “Beauty Pair”, consisting of Jackie Sato & Maki Ueda, Matsumoto was motivated to try her hand at wrestling despite being overweight and not as athletic as the other women involved in the sport.
Seeing the timeline between Matsumoto’s childhood and the moment she attempted to become a wrestler was eye-opening. Wrestling was treated much differently in Japan than in the States back then. Although both cultures kept the “kayfabe” going at all times and lived the character 24/7, the Japanese wrestlers, even amongst themselves, kept the match finishes and storylines close to the chest. They also trained extremely hard at their craft, never taking for granted the opportunity to perform in front of an audience. Also, the media in Japan was really interested in women’s wrestling, whereas it took until the 2000s for women to get recognized as legitimate talent in WWE, the biggest wrestling promotion.
Matsumoto would finally get her shot, and when she did, the door was kicked off the hinges. She created an environment where the finishes were often unknown until they happened, and she adopted the fork as a weapon of choice, the weapon famously used by legendary wrestler “Abdullah The Butcher.”
The pain Matsumoto harbored from her anger towards her father was felt throughout the series. Yuiyan Retriever, who plays Matsumoto, delivered a performance that was both innocent and savage, honoring Matsumoto in a way no one else could. Even when she was disrespectful and demeaning to her peers in the series, Retriever still made you feel sorry for the character. That’s hard to do, and her performance was flawless.
On the other hand, seeing how “The Crush Girls” (Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka) became pop-culture icons as wrestlers and music artists was amazing. They had their own records and introductory music, which took years to cross over to the States, paving the way for wrestlers like John Cena to come up with and record their own ringwalk music. The director, Katsuhito Mogi, beautifully aligned their struggles with Matsumoto’s journey. The Crush Girls were a hit in Japan, and the series beautifully presented how much of an impact they had on society.
The promoters and the bookers of the wrestling promotion were doing exactly what they are still doing these days: building up their product enough to get a network deal and expand their audiences. It was interesting to see the battle between the promoter and network executives even back then, as it became more prominent towards the end of the 20th century with Ted Turner, TBS, and WCW (World Championship Wrestling). This wasn’t a significant part of the series, but it created an uncomfortable environment for the Crush Girls and Dump Matsumoto, adding to the story.
The series is only five episodes long, with each episode running about an hour, except for the finale, which is almost an hour and a half long. The Queen of Villains is a must-see series on Netflix for wrestling fans and anyone interested in the impact women had on sports entertainment in Japan during a time dominated by males worldwide. Women from Japan who wrestled have a significant chapter in the rich history of wrestling, not just for their impact in Japan but for the road they paved for the women wrestlers of today.
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