Debut & Early Career
Masami Odate was born on May 8, 1990, in Kanagawa, Japan. She made her professional wrestling debut in March 2007 alongside her older sister; the two of them went by the ring names Io and Mio Shirai. Io was just 16 years old at the time and was still attending high school, in addition to working part-time. She and her sister wrestled across various independent promotions in Japan, including Pro Wrestling Wave, JWP, and Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling.
In June 2010, Io and Mio Shirai formed a stable called Triple Tails alongside fellow freelance wrestler, Kana (now known as Asuka). The trio competed in several independent promotions in addition to producing their own events. Triple Tails stayed together until July 2011, when they announced that Io was leaving the trio to pursue a singles career.
Io’s Career In Mexico
A quick glance at Io’s in-ring style will show you that she takes great inspiration from the high-flying stunts of lucha libre. It comes as no surprise, then, that Io spent a lot of time training in Mexico. Her first trip to Mexico came in 2010 when she trained at a local wrestling school.
In October 2010, Io was brought into AAA and given the ring name Oyuki. She wrestled with a cat-like mask. When her tenure with AAA came to a close, Io wrestled for various independent promotions without her mask. However, her work in Mexico was brought to an abrupt halt when she was framed for drug smuggling by fellow wrestler, Takuya Sugi.
World Wonder Ring Stardom
Io made her debut for Stardom on August 14, 2011. A few months later, she formed her own stable called Planet alongside Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, and Nastumi Showzuki. On April 29, 2013, Shirai defeated Alpha Female to win the World of Stardom Championship. She went on to hold the title for 468 days, establishing herself as one of the greatest wrestlers to ever grace a Stardom ring.
Io’s reputation continued to grow as she made a name for herself; from 2015 to 2017, Io was crowned female wrestler of the year by Tokyo Sports, becoming the first woman to achieve such an accomplishment. She collected numerous accolades in Stardom, becoming one of the most decorated athletes in the company's history. It was only a matter of time until Io was scouted by the largest wrestling promotion in the world.
Io Comes To NXT
In May 2018, Io Shirai announced that she would be departing from Stardom. It was announced in July that Io would partake in the second Mae Young Classic tournament, and she made her debut in her first-round match against Xia Brookside. Io advanced to the tournament finals at WWE Evolution on October 28, 2018, where she was defeated by Toni Storm.
Io made her NXT debut on November 17, 2018, by coming to the rescue of Kairi Sane alongside Dakota Kai. She worked as a babyface for the next several months until she turned heel by attacking Candice LeRae. In 2019, Io Shirai partook in the inaugural women’s WarGames match alongside Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, and Kay Lee Raw against Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, and Dakota Kai.
On June 7, 2020, at TakeOver: In Your House, Io defeated Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley to become NXT Women’s Champion. This marked her first title win in her WWE career.
Damage CTRL
At SummerSlam 2022, Io made her main roster debut and aligned herself with Bayley and Dakota Kai as the new heel faction, Damage CTRL. Shirai was also given a new ring name with her promotion, “Iyo Sky.” Damage CTRL found success rather quickly; Sky and Kai became Women’s Tag Team Champions that September.
At Money in the Bank 2023, Iyo won the namesake ladder match. She was able to cash in her contract on Bianca Belair at SummerSlam 2023 and become WWE Women’s Champion.
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