8 Interesting Facts About Io Shirai
8. She Began Her Wrestling Career With Her Sister
It's easy to see why many wrestlers spend their formative years as part of a tag-team (Chris Jericho/Lance Storm, Sting/Ultimate Warrior, Mick Foley/jobber of the week). It allows inexperienced talent valuable ring-time while halving their responsibility and, if the partnership takes off, grants each wrestler a valuable ally in the cut-throat world of pro wrestling.
Fortunately for Io Shirai, she had a ready-made partner to start her life as a pro wrestler with - her older sister, Mio.
Io and Mio Shirai began their pro wrestling careers in 2007 at the tender ages of 16 and 19 respectively, and would wrestle almost exclusively as a tag team for the remainder of the noughties, with Io herself not competing in her first singles match until 2009.
(As an aside, the elder Shirai sister would unfortunately be forced into premature retirement in 2015 with neck problems but, in an impressive commitment to kayfabe, still hasn't revealed her real name to the general public. Jim Cornette would be proud).