Devil Masami
Real Name - Masami Yoshida
Birthdate - 1/7/62
5'6" 171 lbs. - Kita Kyushu, Japan
Aliases - none
Athletic background - Volleyball
Teachers - (AJW Dojo)
Professional background - AJW(`78-`87), Free(`87-`92), JWP(`92-`01), GAEA(`01-)
Peak Years - `84-`94
Career Highlights -
- Beats rival Lioness Asuka to become the second AJW Singles champion
- Captures the vacant WWWA title beating Dump Matsumoto and holds it for the better part of `86
- Becomes the top star in the the new JWP group, the first rival to AJW
- Defeats Dynamite Kansai for the JWP Singles title
- Beats Chigusa Nagayo for the AAAW championship and holds it for just under a year
Finisher(s) -
- Powerbomb
- Liger Bomb
- German Suplex
Favorites -
- Guillotine Legdrop
- Sleeper
- Facefirst Suplex
- Lariat
- Headbutt
Ringwork Rating -
move set - 7
science - 5
aerial - 2
power - 8
strikes - 9
Intangible Rating -
entertainment - 8
selling - 7
bumping - 6
heat - 8
carrying - 7
legacy - 8
Place in History - Amongst the major stars of the 80s, Devil Masami was one of the second wave of wrestlers who were good workers and took the place of the Beauty Pair generation. She had a pretty simple in-ring style, but worked a slower pace with more emphasis on big moves and brawling. Naturally she was made a sword-weilding heel and became the Jaguar Yokota's biggest rival and later her tag partner. But after her days on top, as is Zenjo protocol, Masami was placed into the undercard never to emerge again and choose that or retirement. She chose the most unlikely path, she was the figure star of Japan Women's Pro (JWP), which was the first ever rival of All Japan Women. Though the company did not last it allowed Masami to stay on top to a degree and kickstarted a trend of past-their-prime top stars beginning and/or being the centerpieces their own companies. She redesigned herself in the mid-90s giving her self a gimmick similar to The Undertaker, where she stalked around, sold little and acted strangely. She remains a well-respected and pushed heel to this day (though her legacy makes her popular amongst many) and is the only still-active top star of her generation. Devil Masami is a one-of-kind star who is hanging tough into her 40s and while her work is not top tier, she can still work better than many and remains a believable star.