Post by Zasshu II on Dec 1, 2023 0:21:03 GMT
”Have you ever looked across the ring from you and think your opponent was absolutely made for you?”
{ Zasshu sort of half shrugs. }
”That was sort of a rhetorical question. Obviously most of the people watching this little vignette have never looked across the ring at an opponent. Most probably won’t even look out their passenger window at someone they just cut off during rush hour.”
“YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!”
“I’m speaking more to my peers in the back. The ladies and gents who came before me. Sometimes as a professional wrestler you just see someone and can’t help but imagine what that match up is going to be like. Whether it’s a clash of styles or you see a mirror image, it really just gets the adrenaline pumping.”
{ It seems like she raises an eyebrow under her mask. }
”That’s how I felt when I saw I was booked to face Charlotte Shimizu.”
{ She nods her head slightly with another shrug. }
”I know, I know. But Zasshu you’re still coming off that huge win over The Murder and not to mention you split the difference against Dawn Warren, how could some ‘nobody’ named Charlotte get your adrenaline pumping??”
“I’ll answer the question I know all of social media is asking.”
“Or at least the six people who @’ed me and asked the question after I X’ed, or is it still Tweeted? Either way, after I posted the statement.”
“Charlotte Shimizu is right up my alley. She gets my coffee roasting. She gets my engine running. She makes me feel like I felt when Jennifer and I locked eyes from across the room at senior prom but both of us were there with somebody else and now we’ll never know.”
“But we’re going to know.”
{ She shows a wry smile. }
”Oh we are going to know. Charlotte, for the uninitiated, is an incredible athlete. She spent years over in Japan putting in the real work. For those of you in the back who have only toured around the United States wrestling for stale ham sandwiches before making it to IWF? Imagine wrestling your ass off night after night and the only recompense you get is five minutes in the ring with a veteran who absolutely beats the brakes off you.”
“That’s wrestling in Japan.”
“The young lions don’t get paid. They don’t get fed. They don’t get anything even resembling respect. They exist so the stars of the company can get a good warm up in before their actual opponent later in the night.”
“But the thing is? Those five minutes are worth more than the $50 or less some of our American counter parts earn after driving across three states to wrestle three minutes in front of two dozen people. The lessons you learn in just a handful of minutes with the absolute legends of Japanese wrestling?”
“That’s worth more than gold.”
“That is what Charlotte Shimizu is coming into IWF with. Yeah, Char, I know who you are. I did my homework. I watched your matches. You’re incredible. You’re more than incredible. You’re amazing. You don’t just use the ropes, you manipulate them. You make them work for you as you fly across the ring like the United States government's most secret of aerial crafts.”
“Not defying gravity but using it as a weapon.”
“And yes, the U.S. government has anti grav tech, I will die on that hill.”
{ Zasshu lets out a small laugh. }
”What I’m getting at is you’re exactly the kind of opponent I dream of facing. I know, everyone wants to face Eternity or Rowan or Tara or Shelly or even Brooklyn, I suppose. Everyone wants to step into the ring with a known commodity and pick up the career defining win but me? I kinda just want to get in there with someone I know is going to give me a great match. Someone I know is going to push me in ways I’m not used to.”
“Besides, I already beat Rowan and it didn’t feel as special as I was hoping.”
“But I see that in you, Charlotte. I see someone whose style both contrasts and compliments my own. Yes, I’m well versed in Lucha Libre but that isn’t the same as specializing in it. You specialize in aerial offense. I’m a touch old school. I like to lock hands and grapple and keep things on the mat. I can go to the ropes when I need to but it isn’t on the same level as you. That contrast in styles is what makes me really excited.”
{ Zasshu tilts her head a little like maybe she shouldn’t have said that. }
”I know. I’m giving you a lot of credit and that isn’t the style around IWF. I’m supposed to stand here and tell you how much you suck and how much better I am than you. I’m supposed to make fun of your name or your skill level or treat you like everything you did over in Japan doesn’t matter because here in IWF when you beat a nobody you beat somebody?”
“I don’t think that’s how the phrase works.”
“I’m of the belief that everybody in this company is somebody. Everyone here got here for a reason. The IWF doesn’t have slouches. They don’t hire losers. No one is here just collecting a check and picking up loss after loss. Everyone here is fully capable of being a World Champion and I don’t see anyone who fits that description better than you, Charlotte.”
“You have the training. You have the skills. You have the acumen to go to the next level and become one of THE names in IWF. I fully believe that. People who sleep on you are either downright stupid or just not paying attention. You are without a shadow of a doubt someone who could carry the women’s division into the next ten years like Eternity or Rowan carried it for the last.”
“I believe that.”
“And I believe that when we step into the ring we are going to give the fans their money's worth. They may not have bought their tickets to see us. They may not have even looked at our merch when they were at the booth. They may not have even realized we were on the card but by match's end?”
“Everyone in Portland is going to be talking about us.”
“It’s a classic match up. High flying speed versus grounded offense. But then you know a thing or two about strong style and I know a thing or two about bouncing off the ropes. We are like true opposites in the ring. Where one excels the other dabbles. You’ll be flying at me from every direction and I’ll be trying to take your legs out from under you.”
“Who will get lucky first?”
“Because that’s all it is sometimes. You can train for hours on end but sometimes? Sometimes in a match it’s all about who gets lucky. Sometimes it’s all about who makes the first simple mistake. Sometimes it’s just a flip of a coin and that’s all she wrote. I look at you, your skillset, what you’ve done overseas and I know that I may just have to get lucky to beat you.”
{ Zasshu puts her hands on her hips. }
”And I’m totally okay with luck. Sometimes luck is all you can hope for. I didn’t step into the ring with Rowan expecting to beat her because I’m just that gosh darn good. I got lucky. She had an off night. And I’m absolutely positive if we ran that match back 99 more times she’d probably pick up the victory 96 of them.”
“I like to leave room for error. Plus or minus 3.”
“And luck is what I see as the difference maker with you, Charlotte. I’ve watched the so called tapes when in reality I just looked you up on youtube. I’ve sat and studied every available match. I’ve scouted the weaknesses, the go to moves, anything that I can try to take advantage of when we step into the ring together and my one take away from all that homework?”
“I need to get lucky.”
“Because you don’t have any real weaknesses and the things people point out as weaknesses are really just strengths. You’re proud of your heritage and you never, ever shift out of overdrive. I don’t see that as weakness, I see that as a competitor who is more than willing to go the extra mile to pick up the victory. You’ll lay it all on the line with absolutely no regrets.”
{ Zasshu smiles coyly. }
”Just like me.”
{ Another shrug. }
”So hell yeah I’m looking forward to this! While the rest of the roster is looking for their fairy tale moment when that glass slipper finally fits and now they are the face of the company? I’m just looking for someone who can push me as hard as I push them. I’m looking for the Dawn Warren’s, I’m looking for the HIJOU’s, I’m looking for the Charlotte Shimizu’s. I’m looking to face the best tomorrow has to offer because I hope to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.”
“No offense to yesterday's heroes but you kind of bore me.”
“The creepy face paint, the poor lighting, the poetry, the total lack of desire to actually step in the ring and prove yourself against the future? Yeah, sorry, I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to be a part of your indy horror movie bullshit but Charlotte? Her Japanese inspired offense? Her strong style ability? Now that is something I’d happily ask for seconds of. Maybe even thirds.”
“I don’t know about you, Charlotte but I’m tired of the larger than life horse shit the IWF has been promoting for the last ten years. It’s time this wrestling company spotlighted some damn good wrestling. It’s time people like us took the spotlight away from people like them. So let’s show them what world traveled professional wrestling looks like. Let’s show them you don’t need to be a circus clown to entertain. Let’s show them what this sport is all about.”
“Goodnight and goodluck.”
{The one now known as Zasshu finds herself where she often finds herself, in the gym. We move from shot to shot as she transitions between strength training and cardio. It’s important for her to keep her strength up without becoming the incredible Hulk. Stamina is sometimes an overlooked aspect of professional wrestling, which is why she caps off all her workouts with compound exercises.
Burpees with hammer curls.
Lunges with a shoulder press.
Or good old fashioned jogging with ankle weights.
She knew via her master, all the strength and speed in the world means nothing against someone who can endure the clock and last to the final moments of the match to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. And she knew she may just need that ability when it comes to stepping into the ring with her next opponent.
As she neared the end of her workout with some simple yoga, stretching out her tired muscles to keep the lactic acid from building up and causing cramps, she saw her phone light up. She quickly scooped it up, knowing it was her master. }
Zasshu: Master.
Akihiro Nakamura: This is your final test.
Zasshu: What do you mean?
{ She stammered, worried. }
Akihiro Nakamura: I have nothing left to teach you after this match.
Zasshu: I can’t do this without you.
{ She felt desperate. He had been by her side literally and metaphorically since she began this journey. }
Akihiro Nakamura: You can. You will. I believe in you. We will speak again after the match. Goodluck.
Burpees with hammer curls.
Lunges with a shoulder press.
Or good old fashioned jogging with ankle weights.
She knew via her master, all the strength and speed in the world means nothing against someone who can endure the clock and last to the final moments of the match to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. And she knew she may just need that ability when it comes to stepping into the ring with her next opponent.
As she neared the end of her workout with some simple yoga, stretching out her tired muscles to keep the lactic acid from building up and causing cramps, she saw her phone light up. She quickly scooped it up, knowing it was her master. }
Zasshu: Master.
Akihiro Nakamura: This is your final test.
Zasshu: What do you mean?
{ She stammered, worried. }
Akihiro Nakamura: I have nothing left to teach you after this match.
Zasshu: I can’t do this without you.
{ She felt desperate. He had been by her side literally and metaphorically since she began this journey. }
Akihiro Nakamura: You can. You will. I believe in you. We will speak again after the match. Goodluck.
Well howdy there pardner.