Maki Itoh | |
|---|---|
 Itoh in 2024 | |
| Born | (1995-07-22)July 22, 1995 (age 30) Ogōri, Fukuoka, Japan[1] |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Member of |
|
| Formerly of | |
Musical artist | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Maki Ito[2] Maki Itoh[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)[2] |
| Debut | December 15, 2013 |
Maki Itoh (伊藤麻希,Itō Maki; born July 22, 1995) is a Japaneseprofessional wrestler, actress, and singer best known for her tenure withTokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she is a former 2-timeInternational Princess Champion and former 2-timePrincess Tag Team Champion, both times alongsideMiyu Yamashita. She initially debuted as a member of the idol groupLinQ, 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 promotionsAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) andGame Changer Wrestling (GCW).
Itoh was born inOgōri,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 likedAKB48 memberYuki Kashiwagi.[1]
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 aDDT Pro-Wrestling show inRyogoku Kokugikan. In the same year, she played a supporting role in the two-partthriller filmADA.
In 2014 she was selected as a finalist in theKodansha 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 bandUrbangarde. In the same year, she also participated in the 6th anniversary show ofKyushu Pro-Wrestling, "Kinniku Yamakasa '14", where she was the officialsecond forGabai-jichan.
In 2015, Itoh played a role in thehorror filmObakeyashiki Retsuden: Senritsu Meikyuu MAX alongside fellow LinQ members Yusa Sugimoto and Kana Fukuyama. She also played a main role in the short filmInochi no Tokei, written and soundtracked by LinQ member Manami Sakura and featuring a cast made exclusively of the group's members. She appeared on thevariety showGod Tongue in June, drawing attention from the show's hosts due to the size of her head.
In 2016, Itoh played herself in the filmMinna 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 labelAvex later that year. In August she appeared onMasahiro Nakai's talk showNakai 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'sNakano 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 #1Twitter 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 showThe Night with hostMari Yaguchi, where they performed "Setsunairo" and demonstrated wrestling moves live in the studio.[6]
Itoh performed her first show as a solo idol atTokyo Idol Festival 2018: Other Recommend Live, abattle of the bands-style concert where idols nominated by judges compete for a spot at the prestigiousTokyo Idol Festival main event. Nominated by writer Go Yoshida, Itoh performed "Setsunairo" twice, along with an impromptu a cappella cover of "nerve" byBiS. Although she did not make it through as a musical performer, she later appeared as a part of theDDT Street Wrestling show held at the festival.
On July 22, 2019, Itoh released thedigital single "Brooklyn The Hole", a solo recording of a song originally performed by Tokiwoikiru, which she currently uses as her wrestling entrance theme.
From 2013 to 2016, Itoh made sporadic appearances atDDT Pro-Wrestling shows. On December 15, 2013, at theWorld Third Total Hakata event, she teamed withDanshoku Dino andMakoto Oishi in atwo-on-three handicap match, where they defeatedSanshiro Takagi andToru Owashi.[7]
On December 13, 2015, atSuper Star Lanes 2015, Itoh took part in abattle royal for theIronman Heavymetalweight Championship, where she was the first eliminated.[8]
On December 11, 2016, at theDDT Pro-Wrestling eventRoad to SUPER SAND-Dramatic Dream Tonkotsu- in Fukuoka Hakata Star Lane, Itoh made her official DDT debut, where she was defeated byMiyu Yamashita.
On January 4, 2017, Itoh officially joinedTokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. On March 13, 2017, atAt This Time, Get Excited In Nerima! Itoh was defeated byMil 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-spota cappella version of theNoriyuki 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 theTokyo Princess Cup held at Shinjuku Mura Studio. In the first round, she fought againstShoko Nakajima, but was eliminated.[10]
Itoh made her US debut atDDT Coming to America where she wrestled Miyu Yamashita. The next day she appeared atJoey Ryan's Penis Party event organized byJoey Ryan where she fought in a multi-man match for theIronman Heavymetalweight Championship, but was defeated by the champion Yoshihiko.[11]
On October 2, 2018, atYES! Wonderland 2018, Itoh would face futureAEW Women's World Champion and wrestling prodigyRiho - losing by double knee strike.[12]
On October 10, 2019, Itoh would win her first title winning the TJPWInternational Princess Championship atMy life; let's enjoy!!, defeatingYuna Manase by reversing a pin into the Itoh Special (Texas Cloverleaf).[13][14]
In 2019, Itoh's long-standing tag team with her partnerMizuki, Itoh Respect Army, was officially disbanded after a singles match between the two. Itoh later recruited British wrestlerChris 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 trademarkkokeshi headbutt during shows. Itoh and Brookes had their first match as a tag team on November 3 at DDT'sUltimate Party 2019, where they also teamed up with Bakuretsu Sisters (Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino) and lost to Nautilus (Yuki Ueno andNaomi Yoshimura),Yukio Naya andCody Hall,Yukio Sakaguchi andRyota Nakatsu,Shuichiro Katsumura andKouki Iwasaki in aGauntlet tag team match.[15]
On January 5, 2019, Itoh would lose theInternational Princess Championship toThunder Rosa, who also defeated Mizuki the day before on TJPW's signature January 4 show.
On September 22, 2024, Itoh won thePrincess Tag Team Championship withMiyu Yamashita atWrestle Princess V by defeating Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo andSuzume).
On August 26, 2025, Itoh announced that her contract with TJPW had ended.
On the February 3, 2021, edition ofAEW Dynamite, it was announced that Itoh would be participating in theAEW Women's World Title Eliminator tournament.[16] She lost toRyo Mizunami in the first round which aired on February 15.[17] AtRevolution, Itoh made a surprise appearance asBritt Baker's mystery partner, replacingRebel. They were victorious overThunder Rosa andRiho.[18] Itoh appeared on the first episode of the web seriesAEW Dark: Elevation where she lost toRiho in the main event.[19]
On the May 18, 2022, episode ofDynamite, she was revealed to be the "Joker" in theOwen Hart Cup, only to lose by submission to Britt Baker.[20]
On October 19, 2025, Itoh made her first appearance since leaving TJPW forKyushu Pro-Wrestling, teaming withTajiri and Charles Crowley to defeat Jet Wei, One Kyushu and Princess Pistachio at the Ogōri Citizens Festival.[21]
On September 8, 2022, Itoh announced the opening of her ownOnlyFans page via a Twitter post.[22] 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 gameAEW Fight Forever as a selectable track in the in-game jukebox.[23]
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