Beginning in 2025, Netflix will be the new home of WWE’s flagship series Raw. But if you can’t wait that long to get your wrestling fix on the streaming service, there’s a new show about a legendary wrestler premiering soon.
The Queen of Villains covers the life and career of Kaoru “Dump” Matsumoto, an iconic (and feared) Japanese female wrestler. Her feud with The Crush Gals — Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo — as part of the heel Atrocious Alliance stable was must-watch television; one match was reportedly watched by over 10 percent of the entire Japanese population.
Here’s everything to know about The Queen of Villains, including plot details, the cast, and the premiere date.
Plot
The Queen of Villains follows Kaoru Matsumoto, who dreams of becoming a professional wrestler… a dream not by shared by those closest to her, including her own father. However, she channels her rage into becoming notorious heel, Dump Matsumoto. “This set the stage for the Hair vs. Hair Death Match between the nation’s darling Chigusa Nagayo and enemy of the people Dump Matsumoto — a legendary women’s pro wrestling match that is still talked about to this day,” according to the official Netflix description.
Dump was such a convincing villain during the peak of her professional wrestling career that according to wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, “she often brought crowds literally to tears with her villainous tactics, and when she would merely walk down the street in any major city, people would scatter in fear.”
Yuriyan Retriever, who plays Dump in The Queen of Villains, told Tudum how she prepared for the grueling role. “I auditioned in the fall of 2020, and filming began in July 2022,” she said. “We started with bodybuilding. You can’t have the body of a pro wrestler without building up your muscles, so under the guidance of a trainer, we started by developing muscle to gain strength.” Retriever even learned how to properly swing a bamboo sword.
You can see a fun thread of Dump Matsumoto’s famous matches here.
Cast
The Queen of Villains is led by actress and comedian Yuriyan Retriever (check her out on America’s Got Talent) as Kaoru “Dump” Matsumoto.
Retriever’s performance received raves from the real life Matsumoto.“Yuriyan’s powerful performance is incredible,” she told Tudum. “Some parts will make you cry, and I hope viewers will watch The Queen of Villains and feel inspired to believe that their dreams can come true if they never quit or give up.”
The cast also includes also Erika Karata as wrestler Chigusa Nagayo; Ayame Gorika as Lioness Asuka, described as “the most athletic and technical wrestler among her peers”; Hitomi Kamoshida and Haruka Imou as tag team duo Jackie Sato and Maki Ueda; Jun Murakami, Daisuke Kuroda, and Takumi Saitoh as All Nippon Women’s Pro Wrestling founders Takashi Matsunaga, Kunimatsu Matsunaga, and Toshikuni Matsunaga; Takuma Otoo as promoter and referee Shiro Abe; and Nobuko Sendo as Dump’s mother, Satoko.
Release Date
All five episodes of The Queen of Villains will begin streaming on Netflix on Thursday, September 19.
Trailer
You can check out the trailer for The Queen of Villains below.