{"id":84662,"date":"2021-02-10T14:00:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T19:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=84662"},"modified":"2021-02-10T06:22:48","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T11:22:48","slug":"joshi-watch-maki-itoh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/02\/10\/joshi-watch-maki-itoh\/","title":{"rendered":"Joshi Watch: Maki Itoh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling<\/strong> (TJPW) has been getting pretty popular with the western audience lately and some of that success is down to the social media popularity of one of their stars. The foul-mouthed fired idol Maki Itoh<\/strong> has been quickly growing in popularity since debuting in 2016 but just who exactly is she?<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/deadlockpw\/status\/1255966491662565378?s=20<\/p>\n

Idol Days<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Well, Maki Itoh was first introduced to the world as an idol back in 2012 debuting for LinQ, an idol girl group based in her hometown of Fukuoka, Japan. While she didn\u2019t make her official debut until later on, she did compete in DDT<\/strong> on occasion. This would be in various battle royals and other special attraction matches, mostly to promote her idol group. Even back then, it was clear to see that Itoh had a large personality, getting a lot of camera time by using the tricks we know her for such as flipping people off and even using her signature headbutt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally Maki joined Tokyo Joshi Pro part-time to gain more popularity as an idol and eventually made her debut against future rival and tag partner Miyu Yamashita<\/strong> in late 2016. Her outlandish attitude quickly won over the crowd, which is almost unheard of for someone that has just debuted. After just three months, Maki soon used this cockiness to her advantage, challenging Mizuki<\/strong>, a new arrival to TJPW to a match. Although her confidence couldn\u2019t get her the win against the far more experienced Mizuki, she went with the old saying “If you can\u2019t beat them, join them.\u201d<\/em> That is exactly how the Itoh Respect Army was formed, creating many whacky moments that TJPW is known for.<\/span><\/p>\n

During her time as an idol for LinQ, she wasn\u2019t the most popular member, even her management team lacked faith in her. This caused her segments in shows to get reduced or cut entirely. Behind the scenes, she had to sell a certain amount of tickets or she would be fired. Despite reaching that threshold, she was still fired from the group. Maki found this out via social media when her name wasn\u2019t included in the official lineup announcement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maki Itoh, Fired Idol <\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo \/ LinQ<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What brought her more attention was her reaction to the news. During her match with Takigawa<\/strong> in an Idol Lumberjack match, the LinQ music began to play until Itoh ran out yelling. She shared that she had been fired and was no longer an idol, which she found out earlier that day. This wild act earned her the number one trend on Twitter in Japan and was the first of many times she would end up going viral in her career.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With her idol career now behind her, Maki had the chance to focus more on professional wrestling. She would have more matches in both TJPW and DDT. Maki and Mizuki did turn the Itoh Respect Army into an idol group briefly. They sold CDs and even had a music video. For the next year, she was only growing even more in terms of popularity despite her in-ring success being up and down. International fans were starting to notice Maki as she was learning English; fans found her use of all kinds of profanity outrageous.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2019 was a huge year for the fired idol as Maki finally got her biggest shot yet. During WrestleMania<\/strong><\/em> week, DDT held their first-ever show in the United States. The card included Maki taking on Miyu Yamashita. Despite not picking up a victory, she won the hearts of the fans. She even showed up at WrestleCon’s Penis Party<\/strong><\/em>, also during Mania week. Throughout the rest of the year, she went on to fight the likes of Aja Kong<\/strong><\/a>, went past the first round of the Tokyo Princess Cup, and got a few reigns as DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal champion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Maki<\/p>\n

With all eyes on her, it made complete sense for Maki to start looking towards some gold. The perfect crown was the newly created International Princess Championship. At the time held by ex-TJPW star Yuna Manase<\/strong>. The co-main event was set for October 19th and in a hard-fought battle, Maki finally picked up a championship<\/a> in the promotion. Throughout her 78 day reign she had two successful defenses; against British wrestler Nightshade<\/strong> and Up Up Girls’ Hikari Noa<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ups and Downs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Photo \/ DDT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the ups, there are also downs: 2019 saw the Itoh Respect Army fall apart. Mizuki and Maki had a match signifying the break up however, all is not lost. Soon after, Maki formed the NEO Itoh Respect Army with DDT star Chris Brookes<\/strong> which helped boost her international presence, especially with Brookes repping the NEO Ito-Respect merch in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

While she had the second-longest reign in the championship’s short history, it was about to come to an end at the start of 2020. On January 5th, she and NWA<\/strong> World Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa<\/strong> were the main event for the International Princess Championship. These two had been going back and forth since Rosa debuted in TJPW. This put an end to their rivalry with Rosa picking up the win and taking the title from Maki.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3042\u3068\u5927\u4ec1\u7530\u539a\u3068\u53cb\u9054\u306b\u306a\u3063\u305f\uff01 pic.twitter.com\/stYKNrIc6H<\/a><\/p>\n

— \u4f0a\u85e4\u9ebb\u5e0c Maki Itoh (@maki_itoh) June 19, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n