NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling
AcronymNEO
Founded1997[1]
Defunct2010[1]
StyleJoshi Puroresu
HeadquartersYokohama, Japan[1]
Founder(s)Kyoko Inoue

NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling (frequently styled as NEO) was a joshi puroresu (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 1997 by Kyoko Inoue. The first event took place on January 9, 1998.[1]

NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling

NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling was founded during All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling financial struggles. The figurehead of the company was Kyoko Inoue, a former All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling wrestler. The name was meant to reference the "Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling" part of the name for All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling. The group was pegged with problems from the beginning as the group was initially supposed to be called New Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, but due to copyright concerns, NEO was chosen instead.

Their first show on January 9, 1998, featured the 9 members of the roster wrestling multiple times due to the small roster. The main event of the first show featured Las Cachorras Orientales of Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda teaming with Saya Endo to defeat Chaparita Asari, Kyoko Inoue and Yoshiko Tamura.[2]

During Spring 1998, Kyoko Inoue feuded with Lioness Asuka. Kyoko captured Lioness' TWF title on April 26, 1998.[3] The feud carried over to NEO where they met in a singles match on May 6, 1998, for JDStar's TWF Title, in which Asuka won the title back. In August 1998, Nicole Bass toured with the promotion, defeating Etsuko Mita, Chaparita ASARI and Kyoko Inoue on August 16, 1998.[4]

On October 29, 1998, the promotion featured a match between Kyoko Inoue and Aja Kong for Kyoko Inoue's 10th anniversary as a wrestler.

During Summer 1999, the promotion feuded with JWP and All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, resulting in multiple inter-promotional matches. On July 11, 1999, Kyoko Inoue captured the WWWA World Single Championship of All Japan Women's, defeating Yumiko Hotta. The two had a rematch at a NEO event on October 22, 1999, with Hotta winning the title back.[5]

The original incarnation of the promotion only lasted until January 6, 2000, less than two years after its first show. The last show featured Kyoko Inoue wrestling in every match on the card.[6]

NEO Women's Wrestling

NEO renamed itself to NEO Women's Wrestling after NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling closed in 2000. The promotion's pre-debut show was on March 16, 2000, and their official debut was on May 31, 2000. The promotion regularly held events at Itabashi Green Hall in Itabashi, Tokyo, due to its smaller size, while running Korakuen Hall for bigger events.

The promotion rose to power in 2005 after the closure of All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling and Gaea Japan, with NEO being considered by many to be the top joshi puroresu promotion during this time. In 2007, founder Kyoko Inoue had complications from her pregnancy and was unable to wrestle, which hurt the promotion.

In 2009, business declined when two of their top stars, Etsuko Mita and idol wrestler Haruka Matsuo retired.[7]

The promotion announced its closure May 5, 2010.[7] Kyoko Inoue announced her resignation,[8] Yoshiko Tamura, Tanny Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki were slated to retire, young wrestlers Aoi Ishibashi and Natsumi Kawano had already left the company and the roster would have only been left with three wrestlers, due to the companies struggles with finding new talent.[7] The company held their final show on December 31, 2010. The first main event featured Ayumi Kurihara capturing her long-awaited first major singles title by defeating Yoshiko Tamura for the NWA Women's Pacific/NEO Single Championship and the second main event featured the remaining members of the NEO roster competing in 10-minute time limit trios match.

Titles

NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling

ChampionshipFinal champion(s)ReignDate wonPrevious champion(s)
NWA Women's Pacific/NEO Single ChampionshipAyumi Kurihara1May 25, 2011Yoshiko Tamura
High Speed ChampionshipLeon1November 27, 2010Natsuki☆Taiyo
NEO Tag Team ChampionshipNEO Machine Guns
(Tanny Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki		2November 28, 2010Aya Yuuki and Ryo Mizunami
NEO Itabashi Tag Team ChampionshipChiharu and Yuka Nakamura1
(2, 2)		December 23, 2004Tanny Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki
NEO Kitazawa Tag Team ChampionshipTanny Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki4October 4, 2004Etsuko Mita and Kyoko Inoue

International Wrestling Association of Japan

ChampionshipFinal championReignDate wonPrevious champion
AWF World Women's ChampionshipTanny Mouse1June 26, 2004Misae Genki

Alumni

NEO Hall of Fame

# Year Ring name
(Real name)[a]		 Inducted for Notes[b]
1 2005 Chaparita Asari
(Masami Watanabe)		 Wrestling
2 2005 Tomiko Sai Wrestling Won the NEO Itabashi Tag Team Championship (1 time)
3 2005 Yu Tanabe Wrestling
4 2005 Junko Nagura
5 2010 Etsuko Mita Wrestling Won the NWA Women's Pacific/NEO Single Championship (1 time), NEO Tag Team Championship (1 time), NEO Kitazawa Tag Team Championship (1 time), and NEO Itabashi Tag Team Championship (1 time)
6 2010 Yuka Shiina Wrestling Won the NEO Kitazawa Tag Team Championship (1 time)
7 2010 Misae Genki
(Misae Watanabe)		 Wrestling Won the NWA Women's Pacific/NEO Single Championship (3 times) and NEO Tag Team Championship (2 times)
8 2010 Azumi Hyuga
(Tomoko Kuzumi)		 Wrestling Won the NWA Women's Pacific/NEO Single Championship (1 time)
9 2010 Yuka Nakamura Wrestling Won the NEO Tag Team Championship (2 times) and NEO Itabashi Tag Team Championship (1 time)
10 2010 Haruka Matsuo Wrestling Won the NEO Tag Team Championship (2 times) and NEO Itabashi Tag Team Championship (1 time)
11 2010 Megumi Asano Refereeing
12 2010 Katsuhiro Nagata Wrestling
13 2010 Yoshiko Tamura Wrestling Won the NEO Tag Team Championship (3 times)
14 2010 Tanny Mouse
(Mina Taniyama)		 Wrestling Won the NEO Tag Team Championship (2 times), NEO Kitazawa Tag Team Championship (4 times), and NEO Itabashi Tag Team Championship (6 times)
15 2010 Yuki Miyazaki Wrestling Won the NEO Tag Team Championship (2 times), NEO Kitazawa Tag Team Championship (4 times), and NEO Itabashi Tag Team Championship (6 times)

Footnotes

  • a – Entries without a birth name indicates that the inductee did not perform under a ring name.
  • b – This section mainly lists the major accomplishments of each inductee in the NEO promotion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "NEO". cagematch.net. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  2. ↑ "NEO". cagematch.net. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ "World Women's Title". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ "NEO @ ???". wrestlingdata.net. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Neo Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling Videos ISO". quebrada.net. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ "NEO @ Tokyo". wrestlingdata.net. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 "ＮＥＯが記念興行で解散を発表／ＮＥＯ". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  8. ↑ "京子は「方向性の違い」とＮＥＯ退団". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. May 5, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
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