By Sadef Ali Kully
Japan may be a long way from Queens but Japanese-style professional wrestling has made its way here, with a match that took place before an audience of more than 100 Sunday at the Queensboro Elks Lodge in Elmhurst.
Chigusa Nagayo, a Japanese female professional wrestler, founded the Women’s Pro-wrestling Marvelous earlier this year, and decided to bring her organization to the U.S.
Nagayo partnered with New York Wrestling Connection, a professional wrestling organization in Long Island, to present Marvelous’s matches.
“I wrestled in New York at Madison Square Garden back in 1980,” she said. “I made this group to give everyone a chance to become a professional wrestler, men and women.”
Nagayo, 50, said the only difference between men and women wrestling in Japan is in how the character of the wrestler is perceived by the audience. “For women it is clear who is bad or good,” she said, “and for men it is vague.”
Sunday’s matches included wrestlers from Queens along with professionals from across the nation.
Wrestler Kris Rex, 25, from Brooklyn said, “the story is the act of wrestling—the actions speak louder than the words.”
Another wrestler, Rory Gulak, 25, from Philadelphia, who yells “amazing” after every wrestling move, said, “it is such an intimate show—you can feel and hear everything.”
Even the announcer warned the audience “In the event, the action goes past the ropes—brace yourselves.”
The match between Mike Verna, from New York Wrestling Connection, and Timmy Lou Retton, who claims to be “the only male gymnast” in professional wrestling was just one example of the over-the-top style that was on display. When Retton tried to show off his gymnastic skills, Verna pulled down Retton’s top and twisted his nipples before throwing him past the ropes twice—once almost landing him on an audience member.
As the night approached its end, Nagayo burst into song—also a tradition for female professional wrestlers in Japan.
Nagayo said that her dreams include eventually putting on shows featuring her group in Madison Square Garden, but for now her plans are to come back for another New York show in March.
Reach Reporter Sadef Ali Kully by e-mail at skull
