- Source: Saito Brothers
The Saito Brothers are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Japanese American twin brothers Jun Saito (斉藤ジュン, Saitō Jun) and Rei Saito (斉藤レイ, Saitō Rei). They were born on December 19, 1986, in Kakuda, Miyagi, Japan to an American father and Japanese mother. They are signed with the Japanese professional wrestling promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling, where they were aligned with the Voodoo Murders stable, before they expanded the Saito Brothers from a tag team into a stable and added new members such as "Mr.Saito" Naruki Doi and Senor Saito. They are also known for their work with various promotions of the Japanese independent scene.
Sumo career
In September 2009, after having prowess in the United States as American football players, the Saito brothers joined the Dewanoumi stable to compete in sumo. They were given the shikona (ring name) of Fujinoumi Jun (藤の海 順) and Fujinohana Rei (藤の花 礼). Jun achieved his highest rank of makushita 47 in July 2013 and retired in May 2017; Rei achieved his highest rank of sandanme 16 in July 2012 and retired in September 2017.
Professional wrestling career
= All Japan Pro Wrestling (2021–present)
=Trained by the All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) dojo from December 2020 through to June 2021, the Saito Brothers made their professional wrestling debut on the first night of the Dynamite Series on June 9, where they fell short to Ryuki Honda and Takao Omori in a tag team match. On the first night of the 2022 Raising An Army Memorial Series from October 2, they joined the Voodoo Murders stable after teaming up with Yoshihiro Tajiri to defeat Hokuto Omori, Izanagi, Shuji Ishikawa and Takao Omori in eight-man tag team action. They soon began chasing after tag team titles promoted by AJPW. At ManiaX In Korakuen Hall on September 19, 2022, they unsuccessfully challenged Gungnir Of Anarchy (Ryuki Honda and Shotaro Ashino) for the AJPW World Tag Team Championship.
They competed in one of the promotion's signature events, the Real World Tag League, making their first appearance at the 2021 edition, where they placed themselves in the A block in which they failed to score any points after competing against the teams of Suwama and Shotaro Ashino, Abdullah Kobayashi and Drew Parker, and Jake Lee and Hokuto Omori. At the 2022 edition, they scored a total of six points in a single block after going against the teams of Kento Miyahara and Takuya Nomura, Shuji Ishikawa and Cyrus, Jake Lee and Yuma Aoyagi, Suwama and Kono, Kuma Arashi and Koji Doi, Yuji Nagata and Yuma Anzai, and Shotaro Ashino and Ryuki Honda. Another event in which they competed was the Champion Carnival. At the 2023 edition, they competed in separate blocks. Jun clashed into the A block with T-Hawk, Kento Miyahara, Ryuki Honda, Yuma Aoyagi, Satoshi Kojima, Cyrus and Yoshitatsu, scoring a total of six points, whilst Rei clashed into the B block against Shotaro Ashino, Shuji Ishikawa, Suwama, Manabu Soya, Hokuto Omori, Yuma Anzai, and Hokuto Omori, coming out the runner up with eight points.
In October 2023, they competed in their first-ever hometown event in Kakuda, Miyagi, where they defeated Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi to win the World Tag Team Championship for the first time. They went on to successfully defend the titles four times.
In December 2023, though they narrowly missed winning the Best Tag Team Award presented by Tokyo Sports by just one vote, they were honored with the Newcomer Award(2023). The award review highlighted their achievements, including capturing the World Tag Team Championship, as well as their contributions outside the ring, such as their appearances on Miyagi Television's TAXI Meshi Returns. In this program, they visit local restaurants recommended by taxi drivers, showcasing unique dishes from Miyagi Prefecture.
On February 9, 2024, Rei suffered a dislocated right shoulder, forcing the team to vacate the championship.
After his two-month absence, they regained the World Tag Team Championship on March 30, 2024, by defeating Hideki Suzuki and Suwama.
= Japanese independent scene (2022–present)
=The Saito Brothers regularly appear on the Japanese independent scene. At Infinity: New Year, an event promoted by Active Advance Pro Wrestling on January 9, 2023, they picked up a victory over Kotaro Yoshino and Taishi Takizawa. At Gleat's Ver. EX "Face-Off" Access 2 TDCH, on June 7, 2023, they defeated Bulk Orchestra (Check Shimatani and Hayato Tamura) to win the G-Infinity Championship, the first tag championships of their career.
= Overseas excursion (2022)
=Jun and Rei underwent a six-month foreign excursion in the first half of 2022, with most of their work spreading towards several promotions from the American scene and European scene. The first event they competed in was the January 21, 2022, episode of Fusion, promoted by Major League Wrestling, where they defeated Budd Heavy and Gnarls Garvin. At Banjaxed 3, an event promoted by Over the Top Wrestling on June 26, 2022, they fell short to The Kings of the North (Bonesaw and Damien Corvin).
Championships and accomplishments
All Japan Pro Wrestling
World Tag Team Championship (2 times, current)
Gleat
G-Infinity Championship (1 time)
Immortal Championship Wrestling
ICW Dippin Donuts 24/7 Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Ranked Jun No. 156 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2024
Ranked Rei No. 225 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2024
Ranked Jun and Rei No. 69 of the top 100 tag teams in the PWI Tag Team 100 of 2023
Tokyo Sports
Newcomer Award (2023)
References
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Children of the Sea (film)
- Solo Leveling
- Chris Evans
- Your Lie in April
- Lycoris Recoil
- Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai
- Dash & Lily
- Harem (genre)
- Hayao Miyazaki
- 20th Century Boys
- Saito Brothers
- Saitō Hajime
- Saitō Dōsan
- Akihiko Saito
- List of All Japan Pro Wrestling personnel
- Takao Saito
- Masa Saito
- World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)
- G-Infinity Championship
- Asuka Saitō
