#10 – Manami Toyota
She is the least likely member of this list to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but Manami Toyota is the single greatest female pro wrestler in history. This isn't an "open for debate" statement with names like Mae Young and Moolah thrown in just to have a discussion – Manami is the best, and there's nobody even close. I'm sure most people reading this are going to be highly skeptical, but if you need physical proof, take a visit to her Wiki page. Check out those Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards.
Over the course of pro wrestling history, there have been very few ladies who could keep up with the men inside the squared circle. There's only been ONE that was better. That's not a sexist statement, it's just an honest reflection on the seemingly eternal treatment of women in the wrestling world. If women were given as much time to work, and to talk, and their training was taken as seriously, they would be just as good. A couple people came close – Trish Stratus, Lita, Lisa Marie Varon and a few others have put on some great matches. No condescending "great…for women" tag added on to the end; they were truly great. But Manami was the one that went out there and wrestled the best match of the night, regardless of who was on the card, every single time she worked. She wasn't, and isn't a "Diva", and she's the only female performer in my recollection that made me think "wrestler", and not "women's wrestler" when I first saw one of her five-star matches.
The reason she's not likely to ever be recognized in the WWE Hall of Fame is their general exclusivity to former company names. Antonio Inoki got past that, but Antonio Inoki is essentially a national treasure in his home land. Same goes for Stu Hart and Mil Mascaras. I don't have any faith in how WWE handles female wrestlers, much less female wrestlers who barely ever worked in America.
