Manami Toyota Reveals She Was Unaware That WWF/E Made Her An Offer, Says AJW Turned It Down Without Consulting Her

Toyota had been told by AJW that the promotion would tank without her.

There is an extensive interview with Manami Toyota that was conducted by Sports Graphic Number. Many wrestlers, past and present, have labeled Toyota as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

During the interview, Toyota dove into why she stayed with All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling despite the promotion being on the decline financially and eventually going bankrupt. She remembers the promotion asking her for money to stay afloat. She gave it to them, and days later, they went bankrupt.

Toyota mentioned that one of her biggest regrets is not going to the USA at a better time. She wrestled for CHIKARA in 2010 and 2011.

“When my savings were down to just a few tens of thousands of yen, All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling asked me, ‘Do you have any money?’ I was like, ‘Uh…’ and they said, ‘We have a clear outlook for the future, so lend us anything you have, even if it’s just a little. Otherwise, we’ll go bankrupt right now.’ I replied, ‘Maybe 100,000 or 200,000 yen…’ and they said, ‘That’ll be enough to get by!’ So I lent them the money. Then, three days later, they went bankrupt. Completely bankrupt. I heard about it secondhand too. (The management) didn’t tell me anything. In the end, whether I lent them the money or not, they would have gone bankrupt anyway. Well, it was a shady business.” Toyota was asked why she chose to stay with AJW for five years post-bankruptcy and said, “I was on good terms with many wrestlers, and I wasn’t contacted by any of the wrestlers who left All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling to start their own promotions like ARSION and NEO Ladies. But I still loved All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling, so even in that situation, I think I still thought, All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling is the best! My only regret is that I wish I had gone to America at a better time.”

Further speaking about wrestling in the USA, Toyota said there were apparently offers from overseas promotions, but AJW was turning those down on their own. She remembers being told that the promotion would not make it without her.

She later learned that WWF/E made an offer, but she was unaware of it because AJW shut it down.

“That’s right. I wanted to go (to the USA), but I kept being told, ‘All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling will be in trouble without you.’ Apparently, there were offers from overseas, but All-Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling turned them down on their own.” Toyota was then asked about the offer from WWF/E and said, “I hadn’t heard about that either. I found out later that an offer had come in, and I regretted it so much.”

Toyota retired from full-time in-ring competition in 2017. She made an in-ring return in 2019 for the Ice Ribbon promotion.