Mari Saito



=Introduction= Mari Saito (born Mariko Kaori Saito, January 24, 1987, in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently contracted with the World's Greatest Wrestling Federation in the Diva's division. =Early Life= She is the third of six children born to Jiro and Hana Saito. She has an older brother Kenzo, older sister Kaori, younger sister Emiko and younger brother Taro. Her family situation is rare in Japan, as it is uncommon to have such a large family. Jiro is a successful sensei of many forms of martial arts, while her mother is a stay-at-home wife. From a young age, Mari showed an interest in martial arts, so her father enrolled her in his classes. She excelled at judo, though she was adept at many different forms, such as karate, jiu-jitsu, and tae kwon do. Competing with her love of judo was her equally strong love of music and dance. Alongside her martial arts lessons, she also took dance, voice and even piano lessons. Her father was understanding of her dual hobbies, and eventually took to teaching her in private sessions to accomodate her musical training. At the age of 12, Mari was discovered by a talent scout while on her way to school. After speaking with her parents, the scout offered her a place with a prestigious Japanese modeling agency, which she agreed to. She garnered much success in different ad campaigns for various products, including clothing, cosmetics, businesses and food. She took a year off when she was 14 to study martial arts over in Seoul, Korea. She competed in a few demonstrations, and won a couple of medals in competitions. At the age of 15, she made her musical debut on a popular Japanese talk show, where she revealed that she had been working on her first album for a year or so. It hit the Oricon charts and climbed steadily, eventually making it to number one. She gained a massive following after that, becoming one of Japan's best-loved celebrities. =The Move To America= In 2004, Mari announced, via her online blog, that she planned to attend university in the United States. She had been accepted on scholarship to the Arts program at New York University, where she planned to study dance and music. She made the move and settled into her new life as a university student, while still keeping in regular touch with her online fanbase in Japan through her website blogs. While at NYU, she befriended a young girl named Max Revell, who was a business student and shared the same dormitory. The girls bonded quickly, and it was Max who introduced Mari to the world of professional wrestling. Max's older half-brother Brennan Sullivan was a professional wrestler, and Max had grown up loving the sport as well. She took Mari to see a few independent shows around New York, and the young Japanese girl quickly became enamored with the sport.

Changing Paths
Max used some of her contacts to help Mari score a few tryouts with different independent federations, despite Mari having no wrestling experience. However, the promoters liked her martial arts background and exotic looks, so she was picked up by a couple of different promotions in New York City. They provided her with wrestling training, and soon she became one of the most well-known indy wrestlers in New York. It wouldn't be long before professional federations began calling, and Mari took her first contract with All-Star Wrestling. With Max signed on as her manager, Mari made her professional debut on December 5, 2007. She would go on to win her first two matches, until the company unexpectedly closed its doors. Undeterred, Mari used her own personal contacts to look into other federations.

The Asylum & First Taste Of Gold
She soon heard about a place known for its somewhat unorthodox methods, called [appropriately enough] "The Asylum". She contacted them with her resume, and they quickly hired her to their roster. She debuted in the company in early 2008, and began rapidly climbing the ranks, eventually becoming the Asylum Vixen's Champion.

CWF & More Gold
During her time with The Asylum, Mari was also contracted with CWF. =Personal Life= Mari's hobbies include shopping, dancing, and photography. She is close to her family, and visits them as often as possible. It has been reported that she is in the process of moving to Oceanside, California from her New York apartment that she had been calling home for the past three years since her arrival to the United States. The reason behind the move seems to have something to do with her newfound relationship with fellow WGEF Superstar Phoenix Winterborn, who she's been seeing romantically for the past month. This past year, she adopted a homeless beagle puppy, who she named Sakura and who travels with her nearly everywhere she goes. =Moveset= Mari incorporates a variety of martial arts moves into her mostly high-flyer's moveset.

Basic Moves

 * Russian Legsweep
 * Drop Toehold
 * Tani Otoshi [judo throw]
 * Curved Knee Strike
 * Bulldog
 * Clothesline
 * Standing Dropkick
 * Fujiwara Armbar
 * Monkey Flip
 * Butterfly Kick
 * Crossbody
 * Baseball Slide
 * Legdrop
 * Kani Basami [Flying Scissors judo throw]
 * Enzuigiri

Submission Moves

 * Yamabuki [Stretch Plum]
 * Guillotine Choke

Trademark Moves

 * Kaze Hikaru [360 Crescent Kick, dropping down into the splits and driving a fist into the opponent's chest]
 * Mawashi Geri [Roundhouse Kick - setup move]
 * Open palm strike to the chest [setup move]

Finishing Moves

 * Hanagumori [Impaler DDT]
 * Uzume Rising [Cradle Driver]

=Entrance Music=
 * "Lose Your Mind" by BoA feat. Yutaka Furukawa
 * "Girl In The Mirror" by BoA [current]

=Accomplishments & Achievements= =Trivia/Facts=
 * The Asylum Vixxen's Champion
 * CWF Women's Champion
 * Undefeated in her first two professional matches [ASW]
 * Mari speaks many languages, including her native Japanese, English, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Russian, Italian, Spanish and French.
 * She has been approached to star in movies on more than one occasion. While she has always turned them down, it has been reported that she is considering a few offers.
 * She still retains some of her Japanese accent when she speaks English, as well as her Kansai accent when speaking Japanese. [Kansai is a dialect eminating from the Kansai region in Japan, where Mari was born and raised]
 * While she has stayed single through most of her professional career, she revealed that she has been dating fellow WGEF Superstar Phoenix Winterborn for the past month.
 * She enjoys designing her own ring attire with her older sister Keiko, who is a rising star in the fashion world. Keiko has designed and made many of Mari's ring outfits, as well as her street clothes and outfits for photo shoots.
 * She is an avid amateur photographer, who keeps her pictures in a personal scrapbook.