Maki Itoh talks Orange Cassidy, GCW, Grand Princess, more!

Ahead of TJPW's Grand Princess '23, Fightful's Scott Edwards had the chance to interview "The Cutest in the World," Maki Itoh. Among the topics they discussed was her upcoming match at Grand Princess as she teams with Miyu Yamashita, the time she has spent in GCW and her newfound friendship with Nick Gage, the importance of social media in her career, wanting to wrestle Orange Cassidy, and if she'd consider doing a three-month extended tour in the United States like Miyu Yamashita is doing.

When talking about her match this Saturday with Miyu Yamashita, Itoh noted how happy she was to help Yamashita win her first tournament in TJPW. Still, they want to finish the story by becoming the tag team champions. Itoh explained later in the interview that one of her main goals remains to defeat Miyu Yamashita, someone she's come so close to beating in her career but still has not been able to.

As many fans have seen, Itoh has started to work a lot of dates in GCW. "The Cutest in the World" explained that the reason she loves being a part of their shows is that she loves the vibe that it has and she feels it's a bigger challenge to connect with their fans than say the fans of TJPW. Scott made sure to ask about her new friend Nick Gage, saying that she not only hopes to team with him in the future but believes she can defeat him for the GCW World Championship somewhere down the line as well. She added that she wants to run GCW if she gets the chance for the title somewhere down the line.

There's no question that social media has become a major part of why many fans around the world have become such big supporters of Maki Itoh. When asked about the importance of that to her career, Itoh made the point that to her it's like a full-time job and without it, there would be no Maki Itoh that we see today.

For anyone wondering about a potential match with Orange Cassidy that Itoh has said she wants on more than one occasion, she made it perfectly clear that it's still the number one match she wants. Whether it's in AEW or elsewhere, she made it apparent that remains her dream match.

We've seen Maki Itoh make plenty of trips to the United States, especially over the past year. She has taken part in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, multiple GCW shows, and of course Prestige Wrestling events. When approached about the possibility of taking an extended tour much like Miyu Yamashita will be, Itoh said she never really had thought about it until being asked. She then went on to say she prefers the one-week, two-week trips because, in her eyes, that's the best way to keep the magic of Maki Itoh alive for fans around the world. Too much Itoh and she feels it may be gone.

Make sure to hear the full interview on Fightful's YouTube channel as Scott also asks Maki Itoh about the new English word she's learned, potentially making new music, getting to perform on SKE48's anniversary show, where she sees herself in five years, and so much more!