In 1993, Vince McMahon attempted to make up for the lack of quality depth on his roster by reintroducing women's wrestling to the North American audience. He did so by debuting Alundra Blayze and strapping the WWE Women's Championship on her. She would be the face of his renewed effort to bring the art form to a new generation of fans. Every hero needs a villain, though, and McMahon would turn to a familiar foe of Blayze's from the orient for his lead baddie. Bull Nakano was a heavyweight competitor whose ability to brutalize her opposition with stiff strikes, a power-based offense and backbreaking submissions made her the perfect opposition for the resilient babyface Blayze. While she lost more than she won, thanks to McMahon's determination to put Blayze over, Nakano won the respect of the American audience for introducing a style they had never seen before. Better yet is the fact that Nakano looked the part. She was every bit as intimidating as a comic book villainess and as physically imposing as the greatest heels the industry had ever seen. When she finally did knock off Blayze in her home country of Japan to capture the title, it appeared as though she would be unstoppable. That was not the case, as the blonde babyface would regain the title before Nakano departed the company.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
