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Maki Itoh was fired as an idol for being "ugly", so she borrowed $8000 for plastic surgery that nobody noticed. She is now on the cusp of being an international star in the world of wrestling by being an anti-idol, and it's fantastic to see. https://twitter.com/maki_itoh/status/1236992486226014208
Idols are contractually obligated to uphold an "image", and so much of what an idol can do or say is under control of their management. As as wrestler, Maki Itoh subverts the industry that rejected her by embracing the fact that she can now do & say whatever she wants. IT'S GREAT
Outside of the WWE, wrestling is an open-ended artform in which performers have to put together their own character, costume, music, etc. There are few limits, and it allows Maki to retain what she loved about being an idol (live performance) as she incorporates it into wrestling
More Maki-posting in this thread: https://twitter.com/KaelanRamos/status/1358913499678842881
Right now, Maki Itoh is a popular fixture in Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling; however, as she wrote here two years ago, she has been working to make her way to the US as a part of AEW, the second-largest wrestling promotion in the world. She will have her first chance this Monday.
During #ChocoPro post-stream last night, AEW Women's Champion Hikaru Shida discussed how participants were decided for the AEW Tournament this Monday. Most were industry recommendations - Maki Itoh was chosen due to overwhelming fan support. By pure will, her dream is coming true
Itoh's last match before the tourney today: a good example of Maki's ability to tell a story in the ring. Crab hands & robe are a reference to Gran Naniwa, who she is a fan of, & she was excited to work w/Naniwa's contemporary, Super Delfin.
Full match:
Full match:
