#4 Kyoko Inoue
Looking at her, some might dismiss Kyoko Inoue as some kind of low-card comedy wrestler. After all, what kind of wrestler would wear such garish ring attire and face a star painted in the middle of their face?
The answer is, a very good one.
Beneath that smile is a dangerous force, the likes of which may never be seen again in women’s pro wrestling. Inoue made up for her unusual appearance by becoming the very definition of vicious power in women’s wrestling.
She used a lot of impressive power moves on her smaller opponents, which made her look far fiercer than it would’ve been if someone else was using those moves.
Like many women on this list, Inoue reached her peak during the first half of the 1990s. During that period, she had 8 5-Star matches and took part in 1995’s Match of the Year (her opponent in that match will be discussed later). As if that wasn’t enough, she is credited as the inventor of two impressive manoeuvres that have had a lasting impact on pro wrestling.
The first was the Niagara Driver, a crazy version of the Cross Powerbomb. Watch Roman Reigns pull of something similar:
The second move, what she called the Victoria Driver, is known around the world by a different name, the Burning Hammer:
Kyoko Inoue invented and used both of these moves to win matches. Enough said.
