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Maki Itoh

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For the Japanese para table tennis player, see Maki Ito (table tennis).

Maki Itoh
Itoh in 2024
Born (1995-07-22) July 22, 1995 (age 29)
Ogōri, Fukuoka, Japan[1]
Musical career
GenresJ-pop
InstrumentVocals
Years active2012–present
Member of
  • Tokiwoikiru
Formerly of
Ring name(s)Maki Ito[2]
Maki Itoh[2]
Billed height5 ft 3 in (160 cm)[2]
DebutDecember 15, 2013

Maki Itoh (伊藤麻希, Itō Maki, born July 22, 1995) is a Japanese professional wrestler, actress, and singer affiliated with Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she is currently one-half of the Princess Tag Team Champion alongside with Miyu Yamashita in the tag team "121000000". She initially debuted as a member of the idol group LinQ, and she is, currently, a member of the idol group Tokiwoikiru (トキヲイキル). She also makes appearances for American based wrestling promotions All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where she is the current GCW Extreme Champion in her first reign.

Early life

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Itoh was born in Ogōri, Fukuoka Prefecture on July 22, 1995. She lived a rural lifestyle during her childhood. She was often bullied at her junior high school. She could not attend high school because she failed the entrance exams.[1]

She became interested in idol culture after learning that her crush likes AKB48 member Yuki Kashiwagi.[1]

Music career

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Itoh made her debut in show business as part of the second generation of LinQ members, officially joining the group on February 11, 2012. She was placed in the group's Qty team.

As a LinQ member, her first experience with professional wrestling was in 2013, when she was invited by president Sanshiro Takagi to participate in an "Idol Lumberjack 4 Way Match" at a DDT Pro-Wrestling show in Ryogoku Kokugikan. In the same year, she played a supporting role in the two-part thriller film ADA.

In 2014 she was selected as a finalist in the Kodansha alternative beauty pageant, Miss iD, and although she was not selected for the main prize, she received a special prize given to her personally by television producer Nobuyuki Sakuma. Her participation in Miss iD led to her being featured on the song "Heisei Shibou Yuugi" by the band Urbangarde. In the same year, she also participated in the 6th anniversary show of Kyushu Pro-Wrestling, "Kinniku Yamakasa '14", where she was the official second for Gabai-jichan.

In 2015, Itoh played a role in the horror film Obakeyashiki Retsuden: Senritsu Meikyuu MAX alongside fellow LinQ members Yusa Sugimoto and Kana Fukuyama. She also played a main role in the short film Inochi no Tokei, written and soundtracked by LinQ member Manami Sakura and featuring a cast made exclusively of the group's members. She appeared on the variety show God Tongue in June, drawing attention from the show's hosts due to the size of her head.

In 2016, Itoh played herself in the film Minna Suitouto (みんな好いとうと), a fictional movie based on LinQ and featuring the group's songs. LinQ were signed to the major label Avex later that year. In August she appeared on Masahiro Nakai's talk show Nakai no Mado, in a special episode featuring "people with unfortunate faces".[3]

In 2017, it was announced that the lineup of LinQ would be rearranged, and that a number of members would leave the group. Those members who were removed from LinQ would be featured in a new group focused on musical theater, but only if LinQ could sell 1,000 tickets to concerts held in Tokyo's Nakano Sun Plaza and the Fukuoka Civic Hall. Itoh personally performed wrestling and music on the streets in order to sell the tickets and promote the group, and they succeeded in meeting the requirements. However, on June 19, 2017, Itoh was removed from the group's lineup along with 6 other members, who were moved into the "entertainment group" Tokiwoikiru. Her response to being dismissed caused "Maki Itoh" to become the #1 Twitter trend in Japan at the time.[4]

After her removal from LinQ, Itoh turned her wrestling tag team with regular partner Mizuki, Itoh Respect Army (伊藤リスペクト軍団, Itō Risupekuto Gundan), into an idol group. The pair released their first CD single, "Setsunairo", on January 4, 2018. Upon successfully selling 400 CDs, a music video was produced for the title track.[5] The group appeared together on internet variety show The Night with host Mari Yaguchi, where they performed "Setsunairo" and demonstrated wrestling moves live in the studio.[6]

Itoh performed her first show as a solo idol at Tokyo Idol Festival 2018: Other Recommend Live, a battle of the bands-style concert where idols nominated by judges compete for a spot at the prestigious Tokyo Idol Festival main event. Nominated by writer Go Yoshida, Itoh performed "Setsunairo" twice, along with an impromptu a cappella cover of "nerve" by BiS. Although she did not make it through as a musical performer, she later appeared as a part of the DDT Street Wrestling show held at the festival.

On July 22, 2019, Itoh released the digital single "Brooklyn The Hole", a solo recording of a song originally performed by Tokiwoikiru, which she currently uses as her wrestling entrance theme.

Professional wrestling career

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DDT Pro-Wrestling appearances (2013–2016)

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From 2013 to 2016, Itoh made sporadic appearances at DDT Pro-Wrestling shows. On December 15, 2013, at the World Third Total Hakata event, she teamed with Danshoku Dino and Makoto Oishi in a two-on-three handicap match, where they defeated Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi.[7]

On December 13, 2015, at Super Star Lanes 2015, Itoh took part in a battle royal for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, where she was the first eliminated.[8]

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (2016–present)

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Itoh in 2017

On December 11, 2016, at the DDT Pro-Wrestling event Road to SUPER SAND-Dramatic Dream Tonkotsu- in Fukuoka Hakata Star Lane, Itoh made her official DDT debut, where she was defeated by Miyu Yamashita.

On January 4, 2017, Itoh officially joined Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. On March 13, 2017, at At This Time, Get Excited In Nerima! Itoh was defeated by Mil Clown in a three-way match also featuring Maho Kurone.[9]

After her dismissal from the idol group LinQ, Itoh stopped using the group's song "Calorie Nante" as her entrance theme, instead choosing to perform an on-the-spot a cappella version of the Noriyuki Makihara song "Mou Koi Nante Shinai". This continued until the beginning of October 2017, when she began entering to "Setsunairo" by Tokiwoikiru.

In July, Itoh participated in the Tokyo Princess Cup held at Shinjuku Mura Studio. In the first round, she fought against Shoko Nakajima, but was eliminated.[10]

Itoh made her US debut at DDT Coming to America where she wrestled Miyu Yamashita. The next day she appeared at Joey Ryan's Penis Party event organized by Joey Ryan where she fought in a multi-man match for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, but was defeated by the champion Yoshihiko.[11]

On October 2, 2018, at YES! Wonderland 2018, Itoh would face future AEW Women's World Champion and wrestling prodigy Riho - losing by double knee strike.[12]

On October 10, 2019, Itoh would win her first title winning the TJPW International Princess Championship at My life; let's enjoy!!, defeating Yuna Manase by reversing a pin into the Itoh Special (Texas Cloverleaf).[13][14]

In 2019, Itoh's long-standing tag team with her partner Mizuki, Itoh Respect Army, was officially disbanded after a singles match between the two. Itoh later recruited British wrestler Chris Brookes to replace Mizuki, renaming the team to NEO Itoh Respect Army. After leaving his tour of Japan and returning to the United Kingdom, Brookes continued to represent the NEO Itoh Respect Army by wearing the team's official T-shirt and using Itoh's trademark kokeshi headbutt during shows. Itoh and Brookes had their first match as a tag team on November 3 at DDT's Ultimate Party 2019, where they also teamed up with Bakuretsu Sisters (Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino) and lost to Nautilus (Yuki Ueno and Naomi Yoshimura), Yukio Naya and Cody Hall, Yukio Sakaguchi and Ryota Nakatsu, Shuichiro Katsumura and Kouki Iwasaki in a Gauntlet tag team match.[15]

Itoh in 2020

On January 5, 2019, Itoh would lose the International Princess Championship to Thunder Rosa, who also defeated Mizuki the day before on TJPW's signature January 4 show.

On September 22, 2024, Itoh won the Princess Tag Team Championship with Miyu Yamashita at Wrestle Princess V by defeating Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo and Suzume).

All Elite Wrestling (2021–2022)

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On the February 3, 2021, edition of AEW Dynamite, it was announced that Itoh would be participating in the AEW Women's World Title Eliminator tournament.[16] She lost to Ryo Mizunami in the first round which aired on February 15.[17] At Revolution, Itoh made a surprise appearance as Britt Baker's mystery partner, replacing Rebel. They were victorious over Thunder Rosa and Riho.[18] Itoh appeared on the first episode of the web series AEW Dark: Elevation where she lost to Riho in the main event.[19]

On the May 18, 2022, episode of Dynamite, she was revealed to be the "Joker" in the Owen Hart Cup, only to lose by submission to Britt Baker.[20]

Other media

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On September 8, 2022, Itoh announced the opening of her own OnlyFans page via a Twitter post.[21] A picture posted on the same post teased that Itoh was posing either topless or fully nude, given the typical nature of most OnlyFans content providers. However, Itoh noted herself on her OnlyFans that she was only doing bikini and other non-nude shoots for the page.

Itoh's version of "Brooklyn The Hole" is featured in the video game AEW Fight Forever as a selectable track in the in-game jukebox.[22]

Championships and accomplishments

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Discography

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  • Setsunairo (セツナイロ), released January 4, 2018.
    1. Setsunairo [セツナイロ, credited as Ito Respect Gundan; 伊藤リスペクト軍団]
    2. Muteki no Pathos (Maki Itoh ver.) [無敵のパトス（伊藤麻希ver.）]
    3. Setsunairo (instrumental) [セツナイロ (instrumental)]
  • Brooklyn The Hole, released July 22, 2019.
    • 1. Brooklyn The Hole (Maki Itoh ver.)

Filmography

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  • ADA: Senritsu-hen
  • ADA: Zetsubou-hen
  • Obakeyashiki Retsuden: Senritsu Meikyuu MAX
  • Minna Suitouto

References

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  1. ^ a b c "高校中退、アイドル解雇。絶望から天職を見つけるまでの波乱万丈". Nikkan SPA!. March 13, 2021. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Maki Ito". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "LinQ伊藤麻希 『ナカイの窓』で痛感「中途半端な顔のでかさに腹が立つ」 (2016年8月18日)". エキサイトニュース (in Japanese). August 18, 2016. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  4. ^ "1位キタ！！！！ 後楽園ホールってのは8月26日に行われる #東京女子プロレス のことかな！伊藤出るから遊びに来てね！". Twitter. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  5. ^ 【MV】セツナイロ / 伊藤リスペクト軍団, March 2, 2018, archived from the original on July 7, 2019, retrieved October 19, 2019
  6. ^ "矢口真里の火曜The NIGHT#106〜伊藤リスペクト軍団って何者？？？ | 無料のインターネットテレビは【AbemaTV(アベマTV)】". AbemaTV (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  7. ^ "DDT World Third Total Hakata ~DDT~". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "DDT Super Star Lanes 2015". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  9. ^ "TJP At This Time, Get Excited In Nerima!". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  10. ^ "TJP 4th Tokyo Princess Cup 2nd ROUND!". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  11. ^ "WrestleCon Joey Ryan's Penis Party". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "DDT ProWrestling". Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  13. ^ @ddtpro_eng (October 19, 2019). "And your NEW, 3rd International Princess Champion is...Maki Itoh!This is going to take some getting used to#tjpw#DDTUNIVERSE" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "DDT ProWrestling". Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  15. ^ "DDT ProWrestling". DDT ProWrestling. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  16. ^ Joshua Gagnon (February 3, 2021). "Names Announced For AEW Women's Title Eliminator Tournament". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  17. ^ Powell, Jason (February 15, 2021). "2/15 AEW Women's Championship Eliminator tournament results: Powell's live review of Yuka Sakazaki vs. Mei Suruga, Veny vs. Emi Sakura, Maki Itoh vs. Ryo Mizunami, and Aja Kong vs. Rin Kadokura in first round matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  18. ^ Raphael Garcia (March 7, 2021). "AEW Revolution: Maki Itoh surprises as Britt Baker's tag partner". Daily DDT. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  19. ^ "AEW Dark: Elevation Results (03/15): Riho vs. Maki Itoh". Pro Wrestling News Hub. March 16, 2021. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  20. ^ Powell, Jason (May 18, 2022). "5/18 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Adam Cole vs. Jeff Hardy, Rey Fenix vs. Kyle O'Reilly, and Samoa Joe and Britt Baker face "Jokers" in Owen Hart Cup tournament matches, AEW Champion Hangman Page vs. Konosuke Takeshita in a non-title match, MJF gives Wardlow ten lashes, William Regal and Chris Jericho meet". ProWrestling.net. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  21. ^ @maki_itoh (September 8, 2022). "HELLO MOTHERFUCKERS! Finally I have started ONLY FANS! Subscribe if you want to see it.🤓" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ @PuroresuFlow (June 21, 2023). "Maki Itoh's "Brooklyn The Hole" is in AEW Fight Forever!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Ross, Patrick (October 27, 2022). "Full 2022 PWI Women's 150 list revealed". aiptcomics.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  24. ^ Ross, Patrick (September 10, 2024). "Full 2024 PWI 500 list revealed". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  25. ^ Michael, Casey (October 19, 2019). "Maki Itoh Wins TJPW International Princess Championship". Squared Circle Sirens. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  26. ^ Edwards, Scott (March 18, 2023). "TJPW Grand Princess '23 Results (3/18/23): Yuka Sakazaki vs. Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Billie Starkz, And More". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  27. ^ "TJPW 8th Tokyo Princess Cup - Day 7". Cagematch. August 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
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