Wrestler Act Yasukawa on Final Episode of The Joshi Pod

The Joshi Pod will release its final episode (#52) with one of the most talked about wrestlers in the history of Japanese wrestling, Act Yasukawa, on Saturday, Oct. 31.

“Act Yasukawa was the most requested guest by listeners,” said The Joshi Pod host Eric Howard. “I was excited to share this great story with them.”

Yasukawa was involved in what has since been dubbed, “The Ghastly Match,” in February 2015. In the match, her opponent, Yoshiko, went off script and brutalized Yasukawa causing factures to her cheek, nose and orbital bones.

Wrestling in Japan has always been considered more physical than its U.S. counterpart, but this assault on Yasukawa, with her parents in attendance, sent shockwaves in the Japanese wrestling scene and received mainstream publicity when it occurred.

In a rare interview with The Joshi Pod, Yasukawa shares an inside look of the match that would eventually end her career. She also talks about how she overcame Graves’ Disease and blindness in one eye to become the most popular wrestler in Japan’s biggest women’s wrestling company, World Wonder Ring Stardom.

Though her in-ring career has come to an end, Yasukawa still remains in the public eye by working with Action RING Girl’z, a stage performance centered around the world of professional wrestling. She trains the actresses to wrestle.

“Yasukawa’s story has both highs and lows, but she remains positive and the podcast reflects it,” said Howard. “It could easily have become a really sad one, but her positive spirit and outlook on life made it a really different than even what I was expecting.”

To listen or download this latest podcast or past ones, visit https://linktr.ee/thejoshipod.

About The Joshi Pod

The Joshi Pod is ending after a one-year run. An informative and fun look into the world of Japanese women’s wrestling with several rare guests, it has become an essential source for Joshi news. The Joshi Pod began airing on Oct. 31, 2019, as the show’s creator and host Eric Howard switched from longtime fan to a reporter and advocate. Returning to his award-winning journalism roots, Howard spotlights on one of the most fascinating sports, Joshi wrestling: https://linktr.ee/thejoshipod