Maki Itoh Says Her Strategy In TJPW Comes Down To Luck, Creating Buzz

Of all of the Japanese wrestlers to have success in America, Maki Itoh is nothing if not unique. Previously a member of Japanese girl group LinQ (and now a member of Tokiwoikiru), she parlayed her singing career into becoming a wrestler with Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, an all-women's offshoot of DDT that's one of multiple promotions owned by parent company CyberFight. There, her gimmick is a satire of Japanese "idol" culture, an endless parade of young female pop stars who are treated as disposable once they age slightly. And with that gimmick, "The Cutest in the World" is just different enough to be the one person who, for example, can get away with being used as a surrogate for her complete opposite, Nick Gage, when she's in GCW. And on Thursday, ahead of her TJPW Princess Tag Team Title challenge at Grand Princess, Weekly Pro Wrestling published a new interview with Itoh, where she chalked up her success to sheer luck.

"But to do that, it's not enough just to win the belt, you have to create a lot of buzz," said Itoh as translated by Monthly Puroresu. "So if you only focus on winning the belts, you will lose anyways. Luck may be a factor, but we also have to keep the future in mind as well. Well, I will do my best." She also added that "If we win, we hit the jackpot and get the belt," citing her father as an influence on her being willing to take risks. "It's a gamble." (Roughly translated using DeepL.) Itoh also added that luck has been on her side in the past on her trips to America, persisting past flight delays and managing to avoid any fraudulent purchases when her credit card was stolen.

Itoh and Miyu Yamashita challenge for Max The Impaler and Heidi Howitzer's TJPW Princess Tag Team Titles at Grand Princess '23, which streams live on Wrestle Universe on Friday night/Saturday morning at 2:00 a.m. ET.