Tokyo Gurentai
In March 2008, Sato began training for a career in professional wrestling under Pancrase founder Minoru Suzuki. He made his debut for the Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) promotion on May 24, 2008, defeating Shuji Ishikawa in the main event of a "Hard Hit" event, DDT's project, which combines elements of mixed martial arts and professional wrestling to create a more realistic looking, but still worked, style of professional wrestling. As a professional wrestler, Sato continued wearing his maid dresses and occasionally even wrestled in them. During the next months, Sato made appearances for Osaka Pro Wrestling and Minoru Suzuki-promoted independent events, before he began working regularly for DDT the following August, defeating Michael Nakazawa in his return match, contested under "Hard Hit" rules. Afterwards, Sato and Nakazawa formed a regular partnership with each other. On February 22, 2009, Sato defeated Tanomusaku Toba and Yasu Urano in a three-way match to earn his first shot at DDT's top title, the KO-D Openweight Championship. Sato received his title opportunity on March 15, but was unable to dethrone the defending champion, Sanshiro Takagi. After also failing to capture the DDT Extreme Division Championship on September 27, Sato formed the Belt Hunter×Hunter stable with Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii, Masa Takanashi and Tigers Mask, which led to him winning his first professional wrestling title, when he, Dino and Takanashi defeated the Italian Four Horsemen (Antonio Honda, Francesco Togo and Piza Michinoku) for the UWA World Trios Championship on November 29. At the following event on December 6, Sato and Takanashi unsuccessfully challenged Kudo and Yasu Urano for the KO-D Tag Team Championship. On January 24, 2010, Sato, Dino and Takanashi lost the UWA World Trios Championship to Tokyo Gurentai (Fujita, Mazada and Nosawa Rongai). Sato would regain the title from Tokyo Gurentai on June 13, this time teaming with Keisuke Ishii and Yoshihiko, a blow up doll. However, his second reign with the title ended just a month later, when the team was defeated by The Great Kojika, Mr. #6 and Riho in a three-way match, which also included the team of Antonio Honda, Kudo and Yasu Urano and was also contested for the DDT Jiyugaoka Six-Person Tag Team and DDT Nihonkai Six-Man Tag Team Championships. During the late summer of 2010, Sato took part in All Japan Pro Wrestling's (AJPW) Junior League and Pro Wrestling Zero1's Tenka-Ichi Junior Tournament, failing to reach the finals in both of them.