| Saito Brothers | |
|---|---|
  Jun Saito and Rei Saito | |
| Tag team | |
| Members | Jun Saito Rei Saito |
| Billed heights | Jun: 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] Rei: 1.92 m (6 ft3+1⁄2 in)[2] |
| Combined billed weight | Combined: 594 lb (269 kg) 254 lb (115 kg) (Jun) 340 lb (150 kg) (Rei)[1][2] |
| Debut | June 9, 2021[3][4] |
| Years active | 2021–present |
TheSaito Brothers are aprofessional wrestlingtag team composed ofJapanese American twin brothersJun Saito (斉藤ジュン,Saitō Jun) andRei Saito (斉藤レイ,Saitō Rei). They were born on December 19, 1986, inKakuda,Miyagi, Japan to an American father and Japanese mother. They are signed with the Japaneseprofessional wrestling promotionAll Japan Pro Wrestling, where they were aligned with theVoodoo Murders stable, before they expanded the Saito Brothers from a tag team into a stable and added new members such as"Mr.Saito" Naruki Doi andSenor Saito.[5][6] They are also known for their work with various promotions of theJapanese independent scene.[7][8][9]
In September 2009, after having prowess in the United States asAmerican football players, the Saito brothers joined theDewanoumi stable to compete insumo. They were given theshikona (ring name) of Fujinoumi Jun (藤の海 順) and Fujinohana Rei (藤の花 礼). Jun achieved his highest rank ofmakushita 47 in July 2013 and retired in May 2017;[10] Rei achieved his highest rank ofsandanme 16 in July 2012 and retired in September 2017.[11][12]
Trained by theAll Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) dojo from December 2020 through to June 2021, the Saito Brothers made theirprofessional wrestling debut on the first night of the Dynamite Series on June 9, where they fell short toRyuki Honda andTakao Omori in atag team match.[13] On the first night of the 2022 Raising An Army Memorial Series from October 2, they joined theVoodoo Murders stable after teaming up withYoshihiro Tajiri to defeat Hokuto Omori,Izanagi, Shuji Ishikawa and Takao Omori ineight-man tag team action.[14] They soon began chasing after tag team titles promoted by AJPW. At ManiaX In Korakuen Hall on September 19, 2022, they unsuccessfully challenged Gungnir Of Anarchy (Ryuki Honda and Shotaro Ashino) for theAJPW World Tag Team Championship.[15]
They competed in one of the promotion's signature events, theReal World Tag League, making their first appearance at the 2021 edition, where they placed themselves in the A block in which they failed to score any points after competing against the teams ofSuwama andShotaro Ashino,Abdullah Kobayashi andDrew Parker, andJake Lee andHokuto Omori.[16] At the 2022 edition, they scored a total of six points in a single block after going against the teams ofKento Miyahara andTakuya Nomura,Shuji Ishikawa and Cyrus, Jake Lee andYuma Aoyagi, Suwama andKono,Kuma Arashi andKoji Doi,Yuji Nagata and Yuma Anzai, andShotaro Ashino and Ryuki Honda.[17] Another event in which they competed was theChampion Carnival. At the 2023 edition, they competed in separate blocks. Jun clashed into the A block withT-Hawk, Kento Miyahara, Ryuki Honda, Yuma Aoyagi,Satoshi Kojima, Cyrus andYoshitatsu, scoring a total of six points, whilst Rei clashed into the B block against Shotaro Ashino, Shuji Ishikawa, Suwama,Manabu Soya, Hokuto Omori,Yuma Anzai, and Hokuto Omori, coming out the runner up with eight points.[18]
In October 2023, they competed in their first-ever hometown event in Kakuda, Miyagi, where they defeated Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi to win theWorld Tag Team Championship for the first time. They went on to successfully defend the titles four times.
In December 2023, though they narrowly missed winning theBest Tag Team Award presented by Tokyo Sports by just one vote, they were honored with theNewcomer Award(2023). The award review highlighted their achievements, including capturing the World Tag Team Championship, as well as their contributions outside the ring, such as their appearances on Miyagi Television'sTAXI Meshi Returns.[19] In this program, they visit local restaurants recommended by taxi drivers, showcasing unique dishes from Miyagi Prefecture.[20]
On February 9, 2024, Rei suffered a dislocated right shoulder, forcing the team to vacate the championship.[21]
After his two-month absence, they regained the World Tag Team Championship on March 30, 2024, by defeatingHideki Suzuki and Suwama.
The Saito Brothers regularly appear on theJapanese independent scene. At Infinity: New Year, an event promoted byActive Advance Pro Wrestling on January 9, 2023, they picked up a victory overKotaro Yoshino andTaishi Takizawa.[22] AtGleat's Ver. EX "Face-Off" Access 2 TDCH, on June 7, 2023, they defeated Bulk Orchestra (Check Shimatani andHayato Tamura) to win theG-Infinity Championship, the first tag championships of their career.[23]
Jun and Rei underwent a six-month foreign excursion in the first half of 2022, with most of their work spreading towards several promotions from theAmerican scene and European scene. The first event they competed in was the January 21, 2022, episode ofFusion, promoted byMajor League Wrestling, where they defeated Budd Heavy and Gnarls Garvin.[24] At Banjaxed 3, an event promoted byOver the Top Wrestling on June 26, 2022, they fell short to The Kings of the North (Bonesaw and Damien Corvin).[25]
