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Keiko Nakano

Keiko Nakano

Born: 1968-01-08 • Saitama, Japan

better known as Bull Nakano, is a Japanese professional golfer and former professional wrestler. She began competing in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) as a teenager under the ring name Bull Nakano. As a wrestler she was a villain, who often teamed with her mentor Dump Matsumoto. In Japan, she held several of AJW's singles and tag team championships. After being phased out by the company in the early 1990s, she traveled to North America, where she first competed in Mexico's Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), becoming its first World Women's Champion. In 1994, she made her way to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where she had feuded with Alundra Blayze over the WWF Women's Championship. After holding the title once, she also competed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1998, Nakano began competing as a professional golfer, and in 2006, she joined a tour with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She is an overall one time champion in WWE. After she stopped working for AJW, Nakano traveled to Mexico in June 1992, where she was a finalist in a 12-woman battle royal and later defeated Lola González to become Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's first World Women's Champion. She lost the title to Xóchitl Hamada in March 1993.

She then made her way to the United States and competed for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) once again. Debuting as an associate of Luna Vachon, Nakano competed against the WWF Women's Champion, Alundra Blayze in August 1994 at SummerSlam, but failed to win the title. Nakano eventually defeated Blayze for the title on November 20, 1994 in Tokyo at the Big Egg Wrestling Universe event. Nakano held the title for approximately five months, until losing it back to Blayze on the April 3, 1995 episode of Raw. The WWF had planned on bringing in Bertha Faye to feud with Nakano while Blayze got plastic surgery on her nose and breasts, but Nakano was found in possession of cocaine and quickly fired from the company.

Retirement

Due to injuries, Bull Nakano retired from professional wrestling in 1997. On January 8, 2012, Nakano produced her own professional wrestling event, titled "Empress", which saw her recreate her most famous matches with her old opponents. The event ended with Nakano's official retirement ceremony, though she had not been an active wrestler for several years.

RISE Wrestling (2017)

It was announced at RISE Wrestling's Bellatrix 26/RISE 4 event on September 15, 2017, that Bull Nakano would join the promotion as a facilitator, along with Cheerleader Melissa and Madusa, Nakano's former rival. Nakano turned heel during her appearance at RISE 6 on December 1, when she attacked Melissa during her match against Kikyo, and formed a modified version of her heel faction, Gokumon-To; aligning with Kikyo, Dynamite DiDi, and Kris Wolf. Nakano appeared later in the event as a heel manager for Kris Wolf in her match against Shotzi Blackheart (who had Madusa in her corner), and provided interference that led to Wolf defeating Blackheart.

Filmography
WrestleMania XL Saturday poster
WrestleMania XL Saturday
2024 • Bull Nakano
WWE Hall of Fame 2024 poster
WWE Hall of Fame 2024
2024 • Bull Nakano
Sukeban World Premiere poster
Sukeban World Premiere
2023 • Bull Nakano
Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division poster
Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division
2018 • Bull Nakano (archive footage)
Stardom Queen's Fest poster
Stardom Queen's Fest
2018 • Commentary
Stardom 7th Anniversary poster
Stardom 7th Anniversary
2018 • Commentary
RISE Wrestling. RISE 6 Brutality poster
RISE Wrestling. RISE 6 Brutality
2017 • Bull Nakano
The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions poster
The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions
2012 • Bull Nakano
No Image
Bull Nakano Retirement Show
2012 • Bull Nakano
WCW Clash of The Champions XXXIII poster
WCW Clash of The Champions XXXIII
1996 • Bull Nakano
WCW Hog Wild 1996 poster
WCW Hog Wild 1996
1996 • Bull Nakano
World Wrestling Peace Festival poster
World Wrestling Peace Festival
1996
No Image
Jd' Yoshimoto Joshi Puroresu Osaka Pre Debut
1995 • Bull Nakano
AJW Destiny poster
AJW Destiny
1995 • Bull Nakano
NJPW & WCW Collision In Korea poster
NJPW & WCW Collision In Korea
1995 • Bull Nakano
WWE Wham, Bam, Bodyslam! poster
WWE Wham, Bam, Bodyslam!
1995 • Bull Nakano
AJW Big Egg Wrestling Universe poster
AJW Big Egg Wrestling Universe
1994
WWE SummerSlam 1994 poster
WWE SummerSlam 1994
1994 • Bull Nakano
WWF SummerSlam Spectacular 1994: Sunday Night Slam poster
WWF SummerSlam Spectacular 1994: Sunday Night Slam
1994 • Bull Nakano
Ring! Ring! Ring! The Champion Belt of Tears poster
Ring! Ring! Ring! The Champion Belt of Tears
1993
AJW Dream Slam 1 poster
AJW Dream Slam 1
1993 • Bull Nakano
The Devils Of The Ring poster
The Devils Of The Ring
1991 • Bull Nakano
The Best of the WWF: volume 16 Around the World poster
The Best of the WWF: volume 16 Around the World
1988 • Bull Nakano
Tokyo Pop poster
Tokyo Pop
1988 • Mean Jumbo