Ran Yu-Yu

Ran Yu-Yu
Yu-Yu in July 2010
Birth nameTomoko Miyaguchi[1][2]
Born (1975-08-17) August 17, 1975 (age 49)[1][2]
Sennan, Osaka[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Made in Philippines[3]
Ran Yu-Yu[1][2]
Tomoko Miyaguchi[2]
Billed height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1]
Billed weight62 kg (137 lb)[1]
DebutDecember 4, 1994[1][2]
RetiredDecember 9, 2012[4][5]

Tomoko Miyaguchi (宮口 知子, Miyaguchi Tomoko, born August 17, 1975)[1][2] is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Ran Yu-Yu (輝優優, Ran Yū Yū). Best known as a tag team wrestler, Yu-Yu held the JWP Tag Team Championship a record seven times, the Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Championship three times, the AAAW Tag Team Championship and the Oz Academy Tag Team Championship twice each and the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship and Wave Tag Team Championship once each, but also excelled in singles competition, most notably winning the JWP and Oz Academy Openweight Championships. She finished her 18-year career on December 9, 2012.

Professional wrestling career

Miyaguchi started her professional wrestling career in 1994, working under her real name in JWP Joshi Puroresu.[2] She made her debut on December 4, 1994, in a match against Rieko Amano.[1][2] Originally working as a "junior" wrestler in not only JWP, but also All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) and Gaea Japan, Miyaguchi went on to win the Junior Championships in both JWP and AJW.[2] After the end of her junior days, Miyaguchi adopted the new ring name Ran Yu-Yu, which she held for the rest of her career.[2] Under her new ring name, Yu-Yu went on to win the JWP Openweight Championship in 1999.[2] She remained affiliated with JWP until October 2002, when she officially joined Gaea Japan full-time.[2]

In Gaea Japan, Yu-Yu formed the highly successful Uematsu☆Ran tag team with Toshie Uematsu.[2] The two remained together for ten years, winning Gaea Japan's AAAW Tag Team Championship twice,[6] JWP's Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Championship twice,[7][8] the JWP Tag Team Championship four times,[9] and the Wave Tag Team Championship once,[10] while also winning JWP's Tag League the Best tournament in 2012.[8] On April 30, 2012, Yu-Yu and Uematsu defeated Moeka Haruhi and Shuu Shibutani in Uematsu's retirement match.[11]

Following the folding of Gaea Japan in 2005, Yu-Yu began working as a freelancer though effectively making Oz Academy her new home promotion. In Oz Academy, Yu-Yu became a two-time Tag Team Champion with Akino,[12][13] with the two representing Aja Kong's Jungle Jack 21 stable.[14] On April 29, 2011, Yu-Yu defeated Kong to win the Oz Academy Openweight Championship.[15] After a three-month reign, she lost the title to Dynamite Kansai.[16] Shortly after her longtime tag team partner Toshie Uematsu had announced her retirement, Yu-Yu followed suit and announced that she would retire before the end of 2012.[17] On November 11, Oz Academy founder Mayumi Ozaki was announced as Yu-Yu's opponent for her retirement match on December 9.[18] Having quit Jungle Jack 21 and joined the villainous Seikigun stable on September 23, 2011, in order to get another shot at the Oz Academy Openweight Championship,[14][19] Yu-Yu reunited with her old stablemates for her final self-produced event, titled Starlight's Regret, on December 2, 2012, which saw Yu-Yu, Aja Kong, Akino, Hiroyo Matsumoto and Tomoka Nakagawa defeat Carlos Amano, Chikayo Nagashima, Meiko Satomura, Sonoko Kato and Tsubasa Kuragaki in a ten-woman tag team match that lasted over an hour.[20][21] On December 6, Yu-Yu wrestled her final matches for her original home promotion, JWP. First she wrestled Arisa Nakajima to a fifteen-minute time limit draw and then won a twelve-woman main event battle royal, where all participants were dressed as her, scoring the last elimination over Kazuki.[22][23] On December 9, Yu-Yu was defeated by Ozaki in her advertised retirement match, following interference from Ozaki's Seikigun stable.[4][5] However, immediately afterwards, Yu-Yu teamed with Carlos Amano to defeat Ozaki and Dynamite Kansai, pinning Ozaki for the win in the final match of her career.[4][5]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i 輝優優. Oz Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Gaea Inc is under construction" 輝優優. Gaea Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  3. ^ 2005年. AyakoHamada.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 15, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c 試合結果. Oz Academy (in Japanese). Livedoor. December 10, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "輝優優が引退試合で尾崎と完全燃焼／Oz". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). December 9, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "All Asia Athlete Women Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "(結果)10月12日（日）新宿Face". JWP Joshi Puroresu (in Japanese). FC2. October 13, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d (結果)４月８日（日）東京キネマ倶楽部. JWP Joshi Puroresu (in Japanese). FC2. April 9, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "JWP Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "『大阪ラプソディ Vol.14』". Pro Wrestling Wave (in Japanese). Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "『Virgin Shock～catch the Wave2012開幕戦～』". Pro Wrestling Wave (in Japanese). Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  12. ^ a b "2009/8/16（日） Oz後楽園大会 12:00～「 プラムの花咲くOzの国 2009 」". Oz Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "2010/07/11（日） Oz新宿大会 12:30～ 「 Summer Factor 」". Oz Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  14. ^ a b "Ozアカデミー女子プロレス ユニットについて". Oz Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  15. ^ a b 試合結果. Oz Academy (in Japanese). Livedoor. April 30, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  16. ^ "2011/07/24（日） Oz新宿大会 12:00～ 「Gravity」". Oz Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  17. ^ 輝優優引退発表. Oz Academy (in Japanese). Livedoor. March 26, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  18. ^ 11/11試合結果. Oz Academy (in Japanese). Livedoor. November 12, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  19. ^ "2011/09/23(金) 12:00～「Stand By My Woman」". Oz Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  20. ^ "12/2 試合結果". Oz Academy (in Japanese). Livedoor. December 2, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  21. ^ 【結果】輝優優自主興行12・２キネマ. Ringstars (in Japanese). Ameba. December 5, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  22. ^ 引退前の輝優優が最後の参戦／ＪＷＰ. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). December 6, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  23. ^ "［結果］１２月６日（木）『JWPプレゼンツFinal Ranスペシャル』 レッスル武闘館". JWP Joshi Puroresu (in Japanese). FC2. December 7, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  24. ^ a b (結果)12月13日（日）ラゾーナ川崎プラザソル. JWP Joshi Puroresu (in Japanese). FC2. December 14, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  25. ^ 2005年. Leon Spirits (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  26. ^ "Nikkan Sports Awards - 2006". wrestlingscout. February 23, 2016. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  27. ^ "Nikkan Sports Awards - 2008". wrestlingscout. February 27, 2016. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  28. ^ ファンが選んだベストバウト表彰式. Oz Academy (in Japanese). Livedoor. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  29. ^ "2010年 Best Wizard". Oz Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2012.