Kaoru Maeda

Acting · Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan · Born February 9, 1969

Kaoru Maeda (born February 9, 1969), better known by her ring names KAORU and Infernal KAORU, is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Billed as the "Original Hardcore Queen," she is known for her chaotic wrestling style, which combines high-flying with hardcore wrestling. Trained by the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion, Maeda worked in both Japan and Mexico in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before making her breakthrough in the GAEA Japan promotion, where she most notably was a founding member of the D-Fix stable. After GAEA Japan folded in 2005, Maeda became a freelancer, though closely affiliating herself with Mayumi Ozaki's OZ Academy promotion and winning the OZ Academy Openweight Championship. After returning from a three-year-long injury break in March 2014, Maeda resumed working as a freelancer, before signing with the Chigusa Nagayo's new Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling promotion in January 2015, before eventually retiring in 2022.