Kaori Nakayama

Kaori Nakayama (中山香里) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, who spent much of her career for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

The daughter of former All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling star Miyoko Hoshino, Kaori Nakayama followed in her mother's footsteps and trained at the Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling Dojo, where she was trained by another former AJW star, Megumi Kudo. She made her debut on July 19, 1994, against Mayumi Shimizu. After two years of paying dues, she slowly moved up the ranks. It was widely expected that Nakayama was going to be the next big female babyface after the retirement of Megumi Kudo. However, FMW and the media gave up on their women's division, abandoned the championships, and by the summer of 1998, all the women wrestlers left the promotion. However, Nakayama stayed loyal and remained with the promotion.

With no other females to wrestle, Nakayama was put in several intergender matches for over a year, before FMW signed Emi Motokawa in August 1999. Nakayama and Motokawa would alternate as partners and opponents. In 2000, Nakayama joined Masato Tanaka and The World Class Tag Team in a stable called The Complete Players. In September 2000, Nakayama won her only championship, the WEW Six-Man Tag Team Championship, with the World Class Tag Team, defeating Kodo Fuyuki, Mr. Gannosuke, and Shinjuku Shark. They would hold onto the titles, until January 2001, when they vacated the titles. A month later, Nakayama, Jado, Gedo, Tanaka, and Hideki Hosaka announced that they would be leaving FMW, citing problems with Shoichi Arai.

After leaving FMW, Nakayama became a freelancer, wrestling for various promotions, including BattlARTS, GAEA Japan, JWP Joshi Puroresu, Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling, NEO Ladies, OZ Academy, Onita Pro, World W*ING Spirit, World Entertainment Wrestling, and Wrestling Marvelous Future. On October 23, 2002, she wrestled her retirement match, losing to Shark Tsuchiya.

Mixed martial arts career

In May 2001, Nakayama made her mixed martial arts debut at JEWELS' ReMix Golden Gate 2001 event, losing to Yeon Hwa Lee by judges' decision. In August 2002, she fought her second and final fight at Smackgirl's Summer Gate 2002 event, losing to Lay Ho by judges' decision.

In wrestling

• Finishing and signature moves
  • Diamond Dust – adopted from Masato Tanaka
  • Exploder suplex, sometimes bridging into a pin
  • Moonsault
  • Tomikaze (Reverse double underhook facebuster)
• Nicknames
  • "Gang Star"
• Entrance themes
  • "Lonely Girl" by FMW Productions
  • "Caboose" by Sugar Ray – as part of The Complete Players

Championships and accomplishments

• Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling
  • WEW 6-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with The World Class Tag Team

Mixed martial arts record