Mao (wrestler)


Mao Inoue, better known mononymously as Mao, is a Japanese professional wrestler. As of 2015, he is signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is one-half of the current KO-D Tag Team Champions with Kanon. He is a former three-time DDT Universal Champion and the winner of the 2024 King of DDT tournament.
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Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2015–present)

Mao made his professional wrestling debut as Mao Inoue at DDT Pro-Wrestling's Ryōgoku Peter Pan 2015 event from August 23, 2015, where he teamed up with Mizuki Watase and Kota Umeda, losing to Ryota Nakatsu and Smile Squash in a six-man tag team match. He is known for tenures with other promotions such as Pro Wrestling Noah, participating in the NOAH Summer Navigation 2017 ~ 11th Global Junior Heavyweight Tag League ~ multiple-night event where he teamed up with his New Wrestling Aidoru stablemate Shunma Katsumata. They faced other infamous wrestlers such as Ratel's which they defeated on July 15, and Phil Atlas and Seiya Morohashi whom they lost to on July 16. A couple of months later, on the second night of The Great Voyage 2017 In Yokohama event from October 1, 2017, Mao and Katsumata challenged Hayata and Yo-Hey again, third time for the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship but unsuccessfully. Mao worked for Evolve, teaming up with Konosuke Takeshita to unsuccessfully challenge The Unwanted for the Evolve Tag Team Championship at EVOLVE 125 on April 4, 2019. On April 18, 2019, he made an appearance for Oriental Wrestling Entertainment on the first night of OWE First Time Japan event, where he teamed up with Kazuki Hirata and Yuki Ueno to defeat Michael Nakazawa, Tang Huaqi and Yang Hao. At the Revolution Pro Wrestling's Live At The Cockpit 47 show, Mao teamed up with Mike Bailey as Moonlight Express to defeat Deadly Sins for the SWE Tag Team Championship.
On April 5, 2025, it was announced that Mao will participate in New Japan Pro Wrestling's 2025 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

DDT Pro-Wrestling (2015–present)

Mao worked almost his entire career for DDT, where he is a former KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion alongside Makoto Oishi and Shunma Katsumata as NωA, title which they won at Judgement 2017: DDT 20th Anniversary on March 20 after defeating Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki and Mizuki Watase. On July 22, 2018, at Summer Vacation, Mao teamed up with Mike Bailey to defeat Damnation.

Championships and accomplishments