Post by Yujiro Fujiwara on Sept 28, 2016 21:20:07 GMT -5
A man of Japanese descent sat on stool in the middle of a white room. All things considered, he was dressed pretty sharply, as he were about to attend some sort of grand function. His fitted Blue-Plaid Ralph Lauren hung tautly on his body. One of his Woodberry Cole Haan loafers rested on the stool’s bottom rung; the other was planted solidly on the floor. His clasped hands rested in his lap.
“Good evening,” he said as he lifted his head just a bit. His eyes directed themselves towards the camera’s lens. “My name is Manabu—” He quickly caught himself before he finished his statement. The slightly brought forth a chuckle. “Forgive me for my blunder. That was my name, in a former life.”
He nodded his head. “Allow me to give you all a proper introduction.” He paused for two seconds. “My birth name is Yujiro Fujiwara. I was originally born in Japan, however, I lived lived here in the U.S. for the majority of my life.”
Once again, he nodded his head. “You see, my grandfather was wrestler. So, naturally, my father grew up and became one two; you know, ‘walking in daddy’s footsteps’ and all that. The rub is this though—my father was a far better wrestler than my grandfather. My father was a shining star over in Japan, so much so that he exhausted all his stock there. Therefore, we moved to the U.S. when I was very young.
“Well, you can probably tell where the story is going. Grandfather was a wrestler, father was a wrestler...so what would young Yujiro eventually grow up to be?” A small smirk came to his face. “Did I hear you say a wrestler? Well, you’ve won the million dollar prize.”
Yujiro went silent for a few moments. He needed time to think about how he wanted relay his message.
“Redemption Wrestling may be a brand new promotion, but it is chalk full of established talent. Hell, if you really want to get fancy, you could say that the talent here is second to none—that wouldn’t be an inaccurate state. Therefore, the question that’s probably running through all your minds is, ‘how the hell do you fit into the grand scheme of things?’ Or, to put it more bluntly, ‘why the hell should I care about you?’ Either variation is valid.” He paused for a moment. “The simple fact of the matter is, you don’t have to care about me. You don’t have to like me, nor do you have to respect me. However, it would be foolish and unwise to count me out or underestimate me, just because you’ve never heard of me.”
Yujiro shook his head lightly. “Before, I mentioned something a about a past life. Back then, I went by the name of Manabu. Grandfather and father both dawned stage names, so, I did so as well.
“In that past life, I was the man. There’s no other way to put it. I was touring the country, I was mingling with all the women, and I was kicking ass. I walked into a promotion called UWA, and was the world champion within three matches.” He held up his right index-finger. “I’m not telling you this to brag and lift myself up. I’m telling you this, because it was the reality that I lived.”
He returned his hand to his lap. “In short, I was riding on Cloud Nine. However, every good thing comes to an end. Promotions close down. Opportunities run dry. Passion wanes…
“However, after a while, that passion was rekindled.” Yujiro nodded his head. “For the past couple of years, I’ve been training up and coming wrestlers in L.A. It’s been fulfilling...for the most part.” He paused for a second. “It felt good giving back…
“But it also hurt. It hurt, because I had to watch these kids graduate and then go out and conquer the wrestling world while I couldn’t. Or, at least I thought I couldn't.”
Once again, he nodded his head. “Then one day, my boss, Flex Johnson, had a sit down with me. After about thirty minutes, he asked me something, a very simple question—‘why can’t you do both?’”
At the mention of that quote, Yujiro let out a small laugh. “After that conversation, I set my heart and eyes on finding a place to wrestle; and then, I ran across Redemption. And the rest, as they say, is pretty much history.”
He ran his fingers through his hair as he thought about what he wanted to say.
“However, that’s enough talk about the past; let’s speak about the present.” He smiled. “On the very first episode of ShowDown, I will be making my Redemption debut.” A small chuckle escapes him. “To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t have been agitated or upset I were placed in some sort of dark match. It would have been understandable.
“Nevertheless, the powers that me have granted with an opportunity that I can’t possibly pass up.
“Myself and five other competitors shall be placed in an over-the-top-rope battle royal. This is not mere introductory, throw-away match. You see, the winner of this match will be Redemption's very first Genesis Champion.” He stops for a moment. “It’s...it’s an honor to even have been placed in this match. I’m not going to give you the line-by-line breakdown of everyone’s accomplishments. But I assure you, I know the caliber of people that I’m about to go up against.
“Winning will not be an easy feat, that much is true. However, the best things in life come as a result of hard work, right?”
He let out a small sigh as she adjusted his suit jacket.
“Look, I’m well aware of the implications of this match. I understand it’s importance. And, I understand what winning would mean. This promotion is filled with a bunch of talent, and me holding the Genesis Championship would thrust me into the ranks of the elite.
“I’m also well aware that people aren’t going to believe in me. People will likely trash my name. People are going to downplay me and my skills. Others? They will downright ignore me altogether…
“And that’s perfectly fine.
“I wouldn’t have signed up with Redemption if I wasn’t ready to prove myself all over again. I wouldn’t have signed up if I wasn’t ready to face adversity and criticism. And, I wouldn’t have joined if my heart wasn’t in it.”
He nodded. “You all don’t have to cheer for me. You all don’t have to praise me. And, you all aren’t required to believe in me…
“Training with the students at City of Angels has made my skills razor sharp. I trust in my own abilities. I believe in myself."
Silence persisted for a few moments. After a bit of time had passed, Yujiro got off of the stool and stood up straight.
“Make no mistake about, come ShowDown, my goal is to walk away the winner. However, regardless of what happens out there, I’ll will show everyone in Redemption just what I’m about.” The camera faded out as he finished his sentence.
Fin
