Maki Itoh Discusses Her Future, Why She Hasn't Thought About A Long US Tour
Maki Itoh has been taking the world by storm. After a career as a Japanese pop idol, she went viral in 2017 when she was dismissed from the group LinQ and started focusing more on wrestling. But even after her success in the ring has brought her to top American indie promotions and AEW, the "Cutest In The World" doesn't have plans for an extended stay in the United States.
In an interview with Fightful, Itoh shared that the key to her success outside of Japan is to create an "artificial scarcity" so that it's more special whenever she does pop up in the squared circle. According to a translator, she said that "if she appears too often, the magic of Maki Itoh is gone."
Though some people such as Kazuchika Okada or Konosuke Takeshita will take excursions to foreign countries that last extended periods of time, the fan-favorite Joshi star prefers one or two-week tours that take her to AEW for a few TV spots, as well as Prestige Wrestling, GCW, and plenty of other places so that "the American audience [can] truly appreciate her."
Maki Itoh has retirement on her mind
In terms of the future, it sounds like the star of Tokyo Joshi Pro and DDT Pro would like to be around for a good time, rather than a long time. When asked where she sees herself in five years, she responded, "probably retired." However, this estimated timetable assumes that two things will happen for her by then. First, she wants to reach "peak Maki Itoh." Then, she wants to settle down and start a family.
While she didn't elaborate on what exactly she means by "peak Maki Itoh," the translator said "until that time, she wants to do whatever she can accomplish whatever she can. [But] at the end of the day, when she reaches peak Maki Itoh, she's gonna get married and she's gonna retire."
After apologizing to her many fans around the world, they did say that she currently does not have a "partner or boyfriend right now," so it doesn't seem like retirement is coming any time soon. While fans would obviously want her to be happy, they still clamor for her entertaining entrance, unique in-ring style, and her profanity-laced promos. Here's hoping that wrestling fans are lucky enough to enjoy Maki Itoh for many years to come.