10 Female Wrestlers Ignored In WWE's Revisionist History
8. The Jumping Bomb Angels
The Jumping Bomb Angels were, bar none, the most exciting women’s act in the WWF when they debuted at the first Survivor Series in 1987.
Composed of Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki, the Bomb Angels were a popular
tag team from All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling. The story goes that the reigning
WWF Women’s Tag Team Champions, The Glamour Girls (Judy Martin and Leilani
Kai), were interested in working with foreign talent, and the WWF was able to
arrange for the Bomb Angels to join the promotion on a loan.
At Survivor Series, the Jumping Bomb Angels were the sole survivors in a match that included the likes of the Glamour Girls, The Fabulous Moolah, and then-WWF Women’s Champion Sensational Sherri. The end of the match came down to the Bomb Angels versus the Glamour Girls, and the Japanese tag-team received a deafening pop when they drop-kicked Glamour Girls’ manager Jimmy Hart off the apron and then won the match. Showcasing a fast-paced, harder-hitting style that American audiences weren’t used to, the Bomb Angels were immediately over with crowds.
The duo captured the WWF Women’s Tag Team Championship in a 17-minute 2/3 falls match at the 1988 Royal Rumble. According to shoot interviews by the Glamour Girls, the plan was for a sustained push for the Bomb Angels, culminating in a high-profile rematch at WrestleMania. However, The Fabulous Moolah allegedly disliked the Bomb Angels, and changed the booking behind the backs of Pat Patterson and Vince McMahon, leading to the Bomb Angels dropping the titles back to the Glamour Girls at a house show in Japan. When he found out, Vince believed Moolah’s word over that of the tag teams, and by 1989, the women’s tag division folded entirely.
It’s no great surprise that the Jumping Bomb Angels aren’t considered an important part of the WWE’s history. They were in the company for less than a year, and they only had one run with a pair of titles that aren’t even in existence anymore.
With regards to women putting on exciting technical
matches though, it’s hard to argue that the Bomb Angels weren't ahead of their time.