The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Women's Heavyweight Championship was a title for the women's professional wrestling division in World Championship Wrestling. It lasted from 1996 until 1998, when it was abandoned. It is not to be confused with prior women's titles recognized by the promotion.
Chigusa Nagayo is a Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her mainstream popularity in the 1980s as a member of the Crush Gals with long-time tag team partner Lioness Asuka. In 1995 she founded GAEA Japan and in 2014 created its successor Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. Nagayo is often regarded as the most popular and one of the greatest and most influential female wrestlers of all time. Wrestling Journalist and historian Dave Meltzer has stated that in the 1980s, the Crush Gals reached a level of popularity in Japan equatable to Hulk Hogan in the United States in the same period, and thereafter Chigusa Nagayo was the most popular woman in wrestling for an extended period until her first retirement in 1989.
Mayumi Ozaki is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently working for Oz Academy.
Gaea Japan was a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. GAEA's name comes from the Greek mythological goddess of the Earth, Gaea or Gaia.
Tomoko Kitamura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by her ring name Lioness Asuka. She was one half of the Crush Gals, along with Chigusa Nagayo, who are known for their mainstream popularity in the 1980s, and for being one of the most successful women's tag teams of all time.
Meiko Satomura is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently signed to the American promotion WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand and the Japanese promotion Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling. She is a former one-time NXT UK Women's Champion.
Toshie Uematsu is a female Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. She was one of the members of the first class of wrestlers trained by Chigusa Nagayo when Nagayo formed the GAEA Japan promotion. Uematsu finished her career in 2012, working for the Pro Wrestling Wave promotion. After her retirement, Uematsu continued working as a trainer for Pro Wrestling Wave.
The AAAW Tag Team Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship formerly contested in the Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion Gaea Japan. The title which was originally known as the AAAW Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship before weight classes were dropped in 1998, was abandoned when GAEA closed in 2005. It was revived in May 2022 and began being sanctioned by Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling ever since.
Masami Yoshida is a Japanese professional wrestler best known for her appearances in All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, GAEA Japan and JWP Joshi Puroresu under the name Devil Masami. She is a member of the All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, being inducted in 1998.
Kaoru Maeda is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name KAORU. Billed as the "Original Hardcore Queen", Kaoru is known for her wrestling style, which combines high-flying with hardcore wrestling. Trained by the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion, Maeda worked in both Japan and Mexico in the late 80s and early 90s, before making her breakthrough in the Gaea Japan promotion, where she most notably was a founding member of the D-Fix stable. After the folding of Gaea Japan in 2005, Maeda became a freelancer, though closely affiliating herself with the Oz Academy promotion. After returning from a three-year-long injury break in March 2014, Maeda resumed working as a freelancer, before signing with the new Marvelous promotion in January 2015.
Chikayo Nagashima is a Japanese professional wrestler. She started her career in 1995, working for the Gaea Japan promotion, where she became a one-time AAAW Single Champion and a record five-time AAAW Tag Team Champion. She was also notably one of the four founding members of the Oz Academy stable. Following the folding of Gaea Japan in 2005, Nagashima affiliated herself with Oz Academy, now a full-time promotion, where she has become a three-time Oz Academy Tag Team Champion and a one-time Oz Academy Openweight Champion, holding the record for the longest reign in the title's history. Nagashima remained with Oz Academy until August 2015, after which she became a freelancer.
Sonoko Kato is a Japanese professional wrestler. She made her debut in April 1995, working for Gaea Japan, where she became one half of the inaugural AAAW Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. After becoming a two-time winner of the High Spurt 600 Tournament, Kato's career came to a halt following multiple injuries. After being sidelined for five years, Kato returned to the ring in October 2006, following the folding of Gaea Japan, and found a new home in the Oz Academy promotion, where she is a former two-time Oz Academy Openweight Champion and currently a six-time Oz Academy Tag Team Champion. Kato has also wrestled in the US for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and in Mexico for Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA).
Takumi Iroha is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She also competes in Seadlinnng, where she is a former Beyond the Sea Champion.
Kazumi Sasaki, better known by her ring name Rin Kadokura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Wave where she is the current Wave Tag Team Champion in their second reign.
Mio Momono is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She is best known for her time with the Japanese promotions Pro Wrestling Wave, Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling and Ice Ribbon.
Maria Takeda mononymously known as Maria is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She is also known for her tenure with Pro Wrestling Wave. She also represents one-half of the Marvelous tag team Magenta with Riko Kawahata.
Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling often abbreviated simply as Marvelous is a Japanese joshi puroresu or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Chiba, Japan. It was founded by Chigusa Nagayo in 2014.
Mei Hoshizuki, better known by her ring name Mei Seira (星来芽依), is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the current Goddess of Stardom Champion in her first reign.
Yurika Oka is a Japanese professional wrestler currently performing the Japanese promotion Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling where she is a former Sendai Girls Junior Champion.
Riko Kawahata is a Japanese professional wrestler currently competing in Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling where she is one half of the current AAAW Tag Team Champions alongside Maria. She is also known for her tenure with Pro Wrestling Noah where she competes under the gimmick of Great Sakuya, as well as for various other stints with promotions from the Japanese independent scene such as Seadlinnng and Pro Wrestling Wave.
