Pro Wrestling EXILE: One Last Chance At Stardom (C-Verse)

[Aura]

Rookie wrestler Nene Ebina impresses in tryout match

Rising star Ebina reportedly set for a major push

Ebina's absence rumored to be the result of behavioral issues

Nene Ebina released after confrontation with head booker

When Nene Ebina looked back on her career, she could sum it up with a small few headlines. Granted, she knew that there were a lot more, mostly having to do with the trouble that she got into rather than anything to do with her talent. When she retired, it didn't even receive a mention from most wrestling newsletters due to how far she had fallen out of the public eye by that point.

The part that stung was that she knew much of it was her fault. Part of it was being young and not knowing how to deal with the spotlight. However, her natural temper and stubbornness didn't do anything to smooth her problems over. She managed to earn a long list of enemies, with very few friends to balance it out. Between locker room arguments and clashes with the brass, she found herself struggling to find any indie bookings in her last active years due to her reputation.

Even more painful was her knowledge that wrestling was on the rise. She could turn on the TV or read a magazine for any number of examples. Romi Yamato gave an interview on a morning show after one of her Triangle Title victories to much acclaim. Tadakuni Toshusai had a hilarious guest appearance on a popular variety show. Why, just that week, Kazushige Matsuki finished a run on a new fitness-based reality show where he advanced to the final round as a highly popular competitor.

That could have been her. It should have been her.

At this point, she couldn't step back into the ring. She was still plenty tough, but age and ring rust would keep her from performing. However, that didn't change the fact that she knew she should have been more than a footnote in the industry, destined to keep working at a small gym until she retired in obscurity. She had the potential to do more than that, and it ate away at her every time she thought about it.

So she wasn't going to think anymore. She was going to do something about it.

Cobbling together some of her savings, she put out flyers and advertisements looking for wrestling talent in search of a payday. If she missed her chance as a wrestler, then she was going to make it as a promoter. She wasn't going to be some washout whose career vanished without a whisper. Nene Ebina was going to be remembered.

[Aura]

This is a dynasty following a company starting from scratch on Rock Hard difficulty, with the minimum amount of popularity and money to work with. In addition, this playthrough will have an extra rule in effect.

Due to Nene Ebina's poor reputation, Pro Wrestling EXILE cannot hire anyone who has a contract with another company.

If a wrestler starts working for another company after joining EXILE, it's okay, but aside from that, the roster will consist entirely of workers whose primary source of exposure is EXILE. I'm interested in seeing how this will affect the game, as well as my potential pool of signees.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Aura

[Aura]

On Ebina's desk, there is a selection of photographs of wrestlers, each accompanied by names and notes.

 

Beetle Kimura

Solid skills, nice mask

Chikafusa Tadeshi

Terrible, but cheap and available

Haruhiro Tsumemasa

Lazy, unmotivated, uninspiring

Kyuichi Matsumoto

Nice powerbombs

Masafumi Torii

Has potential, but bad attitude

Oda Yakuta

Just a big guy, basically

Ryobe Uno

Could be a hidden gem

Stealth Z

Thinks he's the best, might be true here

Wataru Kikumoto

Needs more seasoning

Yuki Horigoshi

Hard worker, seems dependable

[MidKnightDreary]

Intrigued!

[Aura]

"What?"

"... No, no, it's fine. I'll work around it. Talk to you later."

Nene hung up the phone and placed it on her desk, shortly followed by her elbows as her head fell into her hands. Horigoshi and Kikumoto wouldn't be able to make the first show. Horigoshi had transportation issues that kept him from making it to the venue, and Kikumoto had an urgent family issue come up all of a sudden that required his attention. Ebina wasn't a monster, so she couldn't hold either of these events against them.

That didn't mean she couldn't still be angry, though.

Kikumoto was a young lion, and he was going to be in the undercard for a while. She could work around him not being able to make a show easily. Horigoshi, on the other hand, was supposed to be in the main event. She needed his skills and experience to make sure that the first EXILE Championship match actually looked decent. Now that he couldn't make it, she needed to scramble to shuffle the card and find a new contender out of the eight wrestlers that she had available.

This may not have been so bad had their first show not been taking place that very night.

Nene's first response was the grab the stress ball on her desk, squeeze it so tightly that it bulged through the gaps between her fingers, then throw it at the wall where it impacted with a loud and mighty thwack. After that, she sat down and looked at the planned card, crossing out matches and rearranging them until she got what could conceivably pass for a reasonably solid opening night.

[Aura]

Challenges Of Pride

Ryobe Uno vs. Chikafusa Tadeshi

Haruhiro Tsunemasa vs. Stealth Z

Masafumi Torii vs. Oda Yakuta

EXILE Championship Match

Beetle Kimura vs. Kyuichi Matsumoto

[KyTeran]

Challenges Of Pride

Ryobe Uno vs. Chikafusa Tadeshi

Haruhiro Tsunemasa vs. Stealth Z

Masafumi Torii vs. Oda Yakuta

EXILE Championship Match

Beetle Kimura vs. Kyuichi Matsumoto

[Aura]

At the entrance to the tiny Muroran Hall, a poster promoting the debut show of Pro Wrestling EXILE was placed on the wall. Despite the promises of hard-hitting puro action, the amount of fans in attendance was small. In some ways, Ebina could understand. They had only announced the company a few weeks prior, and there weren't any big names on the roster to draw people in. That's even without mentioning her own controversies in the past. So while the small crowd wasn't surprising, it was a blow to the ego to see how few people seemed to be interested in the promotion's big debut.

Unfortunately, the only thing that could be done about it was to put on a good enough show to make it clear that they deserved to be taken seriously. The screens in the hall displayed logos that Ebina had paid some graphic artists straight out of university to produce, and road agent Tasuku Shinozuka came out to announce the participants for the first match. The time to plan was over, and now all of that work needed to come to fruition.

CHALLENGES OF PRIDE

 vs. 

Ryobe Uno vs. Chikafusa Tadeshi

The first match of the night featured a pair of faces that were likely not well-known to anyone in attendance. Ryobe Uno's entire career thus far had been confined to small independents, and Tadeshi virtually never appeared in anything other than squash matches. Uno's fairly nondescript attire and entrance didn't help him stand out much either, while Tadeshi's punk hair and outfit showed at least some character.

Once the match started, Uno spent the majority of the match on offense. His intelligent use of strikes helped him to set up a solid array of holds and throws, sending Tadeshi scrambling to the ropes frequently to avoid a submission. While Tadeshi did have his fair share of offense, none of it looked convincing in the slightest. His strikes were weak and sloppy-looking, and even though Uno had far less experience, he looked like a pro in comparison. On the bright side, Tadeshi sold Uno's offense like absolute death, and seemed terrified every time any submission got slapped on, nicely putting the younger man over. Even though Tadeshi was the clear underdog, he managed to mix in a few dirty shots and disrespectful taunts to turn the fans towards Uno's side.

Once Tadeshi seemed to have some legitimate momentum, he bounced off the ropes to set up a charging attack, only to get caught by an elbow to the face in the middle of the ring. He sold by falling like a tree, and Uno descended upon the fallen punk and locked him into a Scorpion Deathlock. Tadeshi flailed around in the hold for a few moments before tapping, declaring Uno the victor. Rating: 28

 

 vs. 

Haruhiro Tsunemasa vs. Stealth Z

A slow, droning guitar theme plays as Tsunemasa walks out to the ring. He looks like he just woke up, and seemed to be annoyed about having to come out to the ring at all. He had agreed to play up his slacker reputation for his in-ring character, and he was doing a decent job. Stealth Z's entrance shifted gears so quickly it was almost jarring. The masked wrestler leapt from backstage, struck a pose, then charged to the ring like he was on a mission. All the while, the screens showed a logo that looked like it might as well have come from an anime opening sequence. Fitting, considering his character's origins.

Stealth Z's in-ring style was fast-paced and dynamic, seeming to not want to stand still any longer than a few moments at a time. This contrasted greatly with Tsunemasa, who just looked bored. While Stealth Z started with a volley of attacks on his slower opponent, Tsunemasa absorbed the first few before ducking a big clothesline and dropping Sleath Z with a side slam. From there, the dynamic of the match was established. Stealth Z would try to overwhelm Tsunemasa with his speed, and the slacker would counter the masked man with several impactful moves of his own. His strategy seemed to be to let Stealth Z tire himself out going for his flashy attacks.

The match was more even than one would have probably expected at first glance, with Tsunemasa managing to land a few sneaky near-pinfalls. Even with all of the tricks that he seemed to have up his sleeve, when Stealth Z rebounded off the ropes and hit him with a flying Super Z Fist, he wasn't fast enough to avoid the 3. Rating: 38

 

 vs. 

Masafumi Torii vs. Oda Yakuta

The wildest man in the company took on the biggest man in the company in what looked to be a mismatch at first. While Torii looked tough, Oda was over a head taller than him, and more muscular to boot. However, the two men proved to be an even match for each other as they took part in what would be the wildest match of the night so far.

Torii dove in without fear, immediately lighting up the larger man with chops, punches, and kicks thrown in rapid succession. However, Yakuta's strength proved to be a great equalizer in the match, as he demonstrated by walking out of a corner that Torii forced him into and slamming him into the ground. His ability to throw Torii around the ring gave him several opportunities to show off in front of the crowd. Even though he had visible bruises on his chest from how hard he was getting chopped, that only helped him look like one of the toughest guys to step into the ring so far.

At about nine and a half minutes into the match, Torii rebounded off the turnbuckle after a hard toss from Yakuta, and was lifted for the YakBomb. However, he refused to go out easily, and managed to squirm his way out of position and grab Yakuta into a headlock. The big man lost his balance, and Torii turned what would have been a devastating powerbomb into an equally-painful elevated DDT. Yakuta went down hard, and Torii picked up the victory with a sadistic smile on his face. Rating: 41

 

 vs. 

EXILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Beetle Kimura vs. Kyuichi Matsumoto

Beetle Kimura was a brightly-colored veteran of the Japanese indy scene, with a long history of thrilling audiences with his skillful moves. His opponent, Kyuichi Matsumoto, had a smaller body of work, but left a mark on the final days of Warrior Engine XXV before it closed. Now the two men met in the ring to determine the first EXILE champion. Referee Kakuzo Fujimoto holds up the belt before handing it to Shinozuka for safekeeping, and the bell signals for the match to begin.

The prestige of being the first champion seemed to energize both men, as they went after each other without hesitation. Both men tested each other's technical ability, exchanging grapples as they each struggled for dominance. Beetle's mask hid a look of pure determination as he employed flying legscissors and aerial attacks early to make Matsumoto expect a high-flying assault, only to catch him off guard with vicious submission attempts. Matsumoto used his own grappling skills to fight his way out, giving him a chance to act every bit the brawler he looked like.

Once the struggle made it past the ten-minute mark, there were several peaks where it appeared that it could have been over. Matsumoto spikes Kimura hard into the mat, but only gets a two-count. Kimura blasts a charging Matsumoto with a roundhouse kick, another two-count. Matsumoto catches Kimura midair with a powerbomb, but again fails to pick up the pin. Kimura locks in a vicious-looking Triangle Hold, and Matsumoto manages to inch his way to the ropes to survive. As Matsumoto laid on the ground, recovering from such a long choke, a tired Kimura ascended the turnbuckle, ready to dive one more time to bring the big man down.

As Kimura makes it to the top turnbuckle, he stands up and turns around, being greeted with a punch to the gut from Matsumoto, who had managed to get to his feet. Rather than tossing the dazed Kimura from the ropes like many likely expected, he instead climbed up himself, grabbing Kimura in the process. Despite his own exhaustion, he manages to lift Kimura in a powerbomb position, and plummets from the rope. Shinozuka cries out the name of the dreaded Matsumoto Murder Bomb as Beetle Kimura's body clatters against the mat. At that point, Fujimoto counting the pin was only a formality. The match was over.

Fujimoto presents the belt to Matsumoto, who hoists it proudly above his head with a stern yet confident look. He has just shown everyone on the roster what's waiting for them if they try to take his title. Rating: 47

Total Rating: 44

Edited February 23, 2023 by Aura

[Aura]

It was the beginning of February, and the buzz surrounding Pro Wrestling EXILE's debut had come and gone. On the night of the show, Nene Ebina had been feeling the rush of seeing her creation come to life. Her handpicked wrestlers did battle in front of a live crowd, and it actually seemed to well. Nobody got hurt, there were no obvious botches, and the show ended on the biggest spot of the night. It felt like the beginning of something big.

Then she went over the financial reports from the end of the month.

With everything taken into account, EXILE had lost just under $400. To have failed to make any profit after the work she put in to put the show together felt like a slap in the face. She had missed something, that had to be the case. She couldn't believe that she had done something that could get her put in the red so quickly.

Shuffling through her contracts, she came to one big clue as to what might have gone wrong. Tasuku Shinozuka was getting paid more than twice as much as anyone else on the roster for his twin duties as road agent and ring announcer. Since he wasn't one of the wrestlers, and she needed a referee, he seemed like the most obvious cut to make. She kind of hated the idea of bringing him in for one show just to fire him afterwards, but she needed to do something to stem the bleeding before she ran out of money to work with. For the time being, she would just have to handle the road agent work herself, and they weren't big enough to need an announcer yet in the first place.

She hoped that wouldn't leave any bad blood with Shinozuka, but it wasn't like she wasn't used to having enemies in the business already.

With the deed done, she got up and headed to the gym. She needed to take out some stress, and there were some punching bags that hadn't taken nearly enough of a pounding yet today. Once she got her head clear, she could start planning out the next event.

[sonny912]

On 2/9/2023 at 12:55 PM, Aura said:

On Ebina's desk, there is a selection of photographs of wrestlers, each accompanied by names and notes.

 

Beetle Kimura

Solid skills, nice mask

Chikafusa Tadeshi

Terrible, but cheap and available

Haruhiro Tsumemasa

Lazy, unmotivated, uninspiring

Kyuichi Matsumoto

Nice powerbombs

Masafumi Torii

Has potential, but bad attitude

Oda Yakuta

Just a big guy, basically

Ryobe Uno

Could be a hidden gem

Stealth Z

Thinks he's the best, might be true here

Wataru Kikumoto

Needs more seasoning

Yuki Horigoshi

Hard worker, seems dependable

Beetle Kimura? That's a fuckin spiderman mask!

[Aura]

It was one week before Golden Power, and Ebina gathered the whole roster at the presently-empty Muroran Hall for a meeting. She had a few things that she needed to lay out for everyone, and she wasn't sure how things would play out. The roster sat in a row of chairs before her, including referee Fujimoto. The absence of Tasuku Shinozuka was glaring, but Ebina knew that she was going to have to explain it to them sooner or later, so she might as well rip off all of the band-aids at once.

"All right, so a few things I need to explain leading up to our next show." She opened, pacing slowly in front of the roster while keeping her eyes fixed on them. "After seeing last month's finances, we've got to make some adjustments if this company's going to last any longer than a couple of months." She states, before placing a hand on the empty chair next to the intensely watching Ryobe Uno. "As I'm sure you noticed, Shinozuka isn't here today. That's because I had to let him go in order to save money."

There was some stirring from the group, with the exuberant Torii being the first to speak openly. "Hold on, how are we supposed to run a show without a road agent? You find someone cheaper?"

"Yes, I did." Ebina said, focusing her stern gaze on the bald-headed brawler. "Until out financial situation improves, I will be taking care of all road agent duties myself. And speaking of our booking, that brings me to the next announcement. As you know, not everyone was able to wrestle at Challenges Of Pride due to some unforeseen circumstances." She sighed lightly, knowing that the next announcement probably wouldn't be a popular one. "And well, for similar reasons to Shinozuka's departure, I won't be able to get everyone on the next show either.

"What?" Torii said again, but he wasn't the only one openly perturbed by the announcement. Yuki Horigoshi raised his hand to offer a complaint of his own.

"Are you saying I might miss our first two shows in a row? What's the point of me being on the roster if I don't see any work?"

Ebina raises a hand in an attempt to calm the wrestlers, who seem quite perturbed at the idea of missing a payday. "Calm down, calm down. The schedule's already written up, and I only have to bench a couple of people for the night. Basically, it's the same as last week, only this time the cuts aren't a last-minute change."

"There are only ten people on the roster." Complains Stealth Z, taking a confrontational approach. "Is there really not a way for you to fit ten people in one night of wrestling?"

"Hey, relax..." Chikafusa Tadeshi reaches out to try to ease things over with the masked man. "I'm sure there's gotta be a plan or something."

"There is a plan." Ebina points to Tadeshi, directing her response to him. "I'm calling some people up and getting to work on making some merchandise for us. It's a risk, since we'll have to take a hit to get things started, but hopefully selling some merch can help recoup a few of our losses. Plus, if you've got your own stuff, you can put it up for sale as well."

Her attention then drifts back to the still-irate Stealth Z. "And to reiterate, I'm not doing this to screw anyone out of a payday. I'm doing this so that you can all keep having jobs, understood?"

All but the most defiant of the group either nodded or showed some other small form of agreement, which was good enough for her.

"All right. Let's hit the gym and get training. I'll post the card on the wall once we get there."

[Aura]

GOLDEN POWER

Wataru Kikumoto vs. Oda Yakuta

Masafumi Torii vs. Ryobe Uno

Beetle Kimura vs. Stealth Z

EXILE Championship

Kyuichi Matsumoto (C) vs. Yuki Horigoshi

[Aura]

Pro Wrestling EXILE makes its second trip to Muroran Hall, once again advertising the card right next to the entrance. The poster features the faces of Kyuichi Matsumoto and Yuki Horigoshi, promoting their main event match. However, with neither man being particularly well-known in the area, the effectiveness of the advertisement is questionable. Seeing as this event appears to have a similar turnout as Challenges Of Pride, one could argue that the promotion did little to help at all.

Regardless of the turnout, the show still had to go on, so the competitors for the first match emerged from the curtain to start the show.

GOLDEN POWER

 

 vs. 

Wataru Kikumoto vs. Oda Yakuta

Newcomer Wataru Kikumoto looked stern and determined to prove himself to the audience who would be getting their first look at his talents tonight. However, standing in the way of a victorious debut was Oda Yakuta, who was looking to avenge his surprise loss to Torii at the inaugural show, and could use the rookie to pad his resume with the company.

Kikumoto's wrestling style was simple yet competent, utilizing a lot of amateur wrestling techniques to show off his solid fundamentals. However, his inexperience showed not only in the lack of character shown in his in-ring style, but in the way he didn't seem to have a lot of Plan Bs in his arsenal. For as solid as his skills were, there was also the fact that Yakuta was significantly larger and stronger than him. He could simply force his way out of the smaller man's holds and exert control over the pace of the match. He refused to be kept down, either blasting the younger wrestler with punches to force him to break submission attempts, or simply slamming him to the mat whenever he could get leverage.

Kikumoto made a valiant effort, but he never truly managed to gain the upper hand over his experienced opponent. He was hoisted into the air and planted with the YakBomb that Torii had narrowly managed to evade a month prior, bringing his debut match to an unfortunate end for him. Rating: 36

 

 vs. 

Masafumi Torii vs. Ryobe Uno

Two young wrestlers who had won their initial matches now faced off against each other. Torii had barely managed to win his match, while Uno looked strong throughout his. At the same time, Torii fought the seasoned brawler Yakuta, while the victories that Uno's previous opponent Tadeshi had achieved could likely be counted on one hand. The only way to truly test how these fiery young talents matched up against each other was to put them in the ring together and see what happened.

Torii went after Uno with bloodlust in his eye, seeking to establish himself as the top prospect in the company. His style may not have been graceful, but he laid a savage enough beating on Uno in the corner that referee Fujimoto had to get involved, with Torii stepping away after a count of 4. Wounded, but not defeated, Uno responded to Torii's next assault by turning an errant haymaker into an armbar, leaving the bald brawler scrambling for escape barely reaching the rope with his foot to get out of it. Torii tried to shake off the pain in his arm, and proceeded to spent most of the match beating Uno with his uninjured arm at every circumstance.

Every time Uno managed to outmaneuver Torii, that only seemed to anger the hothead more. A series of kicks and stomps against the ropes led Fujimoto to separate the two again, with Torii getting a verbal reprimand. He took a running start at Uno, who seemed to be wearily leaning against the turnbuckle, and threw a dropkick. However, he had been suckered, as Uno grabbed his legs in midair, letting his upper body fall to the ground before dragging him towards the center of the ring and locking in the Scorpion Deathlock. Torii had nowhere to run as he found himself on the other end of a last-minute surprise victory. Rating: 34

 

 vs. 

Beetle Kimura vs. Stealth Z

Beetle Kimura was licking his wounds after losing his shot at the title, but Stealth Z saw an opportunity to push himself further up EXILE's ladder. The resident masked men of Pro Wrestling EXILE circled each other, their unseen expressions facing each other with steely determination.

The men clashed in an energetic exchange of moves. As two of the more lithe combatants in the company, their high-octane offense was a welcome change of pace compared to the brawls that had graced the card so far. Stealth Z really took the opportunity to go all out, showing off a lot of the signature flips and dives in his arsenal. That's not to say that Kimura was any less impressive of an opponent. While he may not have been as flashy as the masked samurai, he was able to show him up a few times, sometimes while both were exchanging big moves. The display seemed to be a hit with the crowd in attendance, who appeared to be quite invested if their reactions were anything to go by.

In what was an easy candidate for the spot of the night, Stealth Z leapt at the roped and bounded off for a Super Z Fist, only to get superkicked out of the air by Kimura, looking every bit like the superhero his mask portrayed him as. With the futuristic flyer dazed, Kimura was able to drag him up and hit the Ocean Crush, earning himself a victory after a hectic battle. Rating: 49

 

 vs. 

EXILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Kyuichi Matsumoto vs. Yuki Horigoshi

After his impressive showing at Challenges of Pride, it was clear that it was going to take an incredible opponent to dethrone Kyuichi Matsumoto. However, Yuki Horigoshi appeared to be up to the challenge. The two men met in the ring ready for battle, Horigoshi seeming unfazed even after a montage of Matsumoto's highlights from the last title match were played. His eyes seemed much more interested in the title belt that Fujimoto held prior to the bout.

The match hit the ground running as Matsumoto charged with a big boot, only to get ducked and dragged down with a dragon sleeper, nearly losing his title within the first few seconds of the match. Looking stunned, he quickly shifted gears to lay a more pedestrian beatdown, looking to wear down his opponent with his fists before trying anything big. Taking down Horigoshi was a task more difficult than one would expect, though. The man didn't seem to slow down at any point during the match. Whether it be exerting himself for minutes on end or taking a beating, he kept fighting at full strength. Matsumoto was learning firsthand that "100% Machine" was more than a nickname as Horigoshi absorbed everything that was thrown at him.

Horigoshi's refusal to tire out meant that theoretically, he could wait out Matsumoto and beat him once he tired out. In fact, his entire strategy seemed to be built around this. He kicked Matsumoto in the legs to slow him down, and caught him in several holds meant to make him expend energy trying to escape. Notably, it was only after several minutes had elapsed that Horigoshi began to get truly aggressive, drawing on his greater stamina to wear down the powerbomb-loving beast.

Even though Horigoshi had the stamina advantage, Matsumoto stayed in the fight through pure grit. As Horigoshi tried to lock in another sleeper, Matsumoto quickly propelled himself backwards, jamming his opponent between his own muscular back and the turnbuckles. With Horigoshi's grip broken, Matsumoto responded with a hard kick to the gut, making the Machine look weakened for the first time in the match. Capitalizing on this, Matsumoto grappled him and raised him in that telltale position before taking a few steps forward and smashing him into the mat with the Japanese Express. After a great struggle, the EXILE championship was retained. Rating: 45

 

Total Rating: 45

[Aura]

Nene exited a convenience store in her recently relocated home of Sapporo with a bag full of food. The sandwiches and bentos of this particular shop had become something of a guilty pleasure for her, and she had a few decent meals lined up after this latest trip. For now, she was enjoying a day off from the stresses of launching a wrestling promotion, and had plans for various ways she could let the day go by before setting the card for Fight For Respect the next day.

A notification on her phone interrupted her plans, and with her freshly-bought spoils dangling from her wrist, she checked to see who could be contacting her. She read the text on the screen, her expression unreadable.

 

Hey Boss. We need to talk, ASAP. You have a minute?

 

Ebina let the text lay in her phone as she made her trip home, and although the sandwich at the top of her shopping bag beckoned enticingly, she decided to take care of the more pressing matter first. She reopened the text message and called the sender to see what situation would warrant this interruption.

 

 

 

"Hey Boss, glad I got ahold of you." Stealth Z's voice came through the phone. 

"What is the purpose of this call?" Ebina asks as she finds a spot on her couch to sit. "Is it something vital?" She was expecting to hear that he wouldn't be able to make the show due to a family emergency, or perhaps a training injury that he didn't want to risk aggravating.

"Yeah, it's pretty vital." Z replies, drawing Ebina's interest further. "It's about my place on the card, you see."

A silence hung in the air for the next few moments, and Ebina's expectations for this conversation dropped dramatically. "Yes, I was planning to book you for the next show. Was that what you were concerned about?"

"Well, yes and no." Stealth Z responded, his voice carrying a wry form of confidence. "See, I was thinking I ought to be in the main event next month."

Oh, here we go. "The main event?" Ebina repeated, just to make sure that she had heard him correctly. "You want a title match next month?"

She was pretty sure that she could hear him nod through the phone. "Yeah. I mean, you heard the crowd at the last show, right? Me and Kimura had the match of the night. I mean, you're the boss. You can see that."

"Yes, I am your boss." She confirmed what he had just said. "And I'd like to know why you think you've earned a main event slot." She waited to hear his response, certain that she was about to get an earful.

"Not gonna lie, I'm probably the best option you've got." Stealth Z stated as though he were reading a fact out of a textbook. "I've got more moves than anyone else on the roster, and I've got the most style. I can hype up the crowd more than anyone else you've got, guaranteed."

"So you're promising me a good match?" Ebina asks.

"I could have a good match with anyone." Stealth Z boasts. "Just put me in, and I'll give you another amazing show, guaranteed."

Humming in thought for a few moments, Ebina makes up her mind. "All right, I'm convinced. Next month you have a match with Chikafusa Tadeshi."

"Yeah, that's-" Stealth Z stops once he realizes what Ebina just said. "Wait, did you say Tadeshi?"

"That's right. Ebina confirms. "I think it sounds like a great idea."

"No wait, you don't get it." Z starts to protest. "Tadeshi is the single worst wrestler we have. It's not even close."

"I know." Ebina replies nonchalantly. "And you just said that you could have a good match with anyone. That includes Tadeshi."

"But a match with Tadeshi isn't a main event match." Z says, clearly trying to get her to change her mind. "You see what I'm saying?"

"Oh, I know what you're saying." Ebina says, letting the tone of authority creep back into her voice. "And that's why I want you to back it up. So at Fight For Respect, I want you to face Tadeshi, and show me that you can elevate a match the way you say you can. You do that, then we can talk about a title match." She lays out her terms as plainly as she can.

Stealth Z still wants to argue, but there's not a clear path to victory outside of accepting the terms. "All right, you got a deal." He says begrudgingly.

"Very well. I'll see you in training." Ebina replies before hanging up on him and placing her phone to the side. At least now she had one match for the next show planned out. The rest could get figured out tomorrow. For now she would appreciate a rare moment of peace, hopefully without any further interruptions.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Aura

[siah463]

Been enjoying reading this, hoping to see these band of misfits thrive.

[MidKnightDreary]

The egos, even on the smallest shows and rosters. I'm painfully familiar

[Aura]

12 hours ago, siah463 said:

Been enjoying reading this, hoping to see these band of misfits thrive.

Thank you! I've been trying to hire an interesting mix of characters to keep the diary exciting, so I hope they deliver!

3 hours ago, MidKnightDreary said:

The egos, even on the smallest shows and rosters. I'm painfully familiar

Oh yes. Stealth Z's ego is pretty surprising considering how low his starting popularity is.

 

Oh no.

Nene Ebina looked over the plans for the next show repeatedly, and she discovered a serious problem. They had rented out Muroran Hall for a longer show than normal. At first, she thought it was no big deal, since she could just use everyone on the card and make a little less progress towards recouping her losses. So she did that.

The show still wasn't long enough.

Next step was to see if any local workers would be available tonight. Even if worst came to worst, she could just put two locals in the ring against each other to eat up time.

There was only one worker available, and they were a pretty big risk. If this went wrong, then it wouldn't be a good look for EXILE. However, the only other option was to make two of the workers on the card wrestle a second match instead of one. She weighed the risks involved, and decided to make a call.

This show was definitely going to be something.

 

FIGHT FOR RESPECT

Masafumi Torii vs. Wataru Kikumoto

Haruhiro Tsunemasa vs. Oda Yakuta

Stealth Z vs. Chikafusa Tadeshi

Beetle Kimura vs. Yuki Horigoshi

Wataru Kimumoto vs. ???

EXILE Championship

Kyuichi Matsumoto vs. Ryobe Uno

[KyTeran]

FIGHT FOR RESPECT

Masafumi Torii vs. Wataru Kikumoto

Haruhiro Tsunemasa vs. Oda Yakuta

Stealth Z vs. Chikafusa Tadeshi

Beetle Kimura vs. Yuki Horigoshi

Wataru Kimumoto vs. ???

EXILE Championship

Kyuichi Matsumoto vs. Ryobe Uno

[Aura]

FIGHT FOR RESPECT

 

 vs. 

Masafumi Torii vs. Wataru Kikumoto

Kikumoto's amateur wrestling-styled approach to matches did not serve him well against the berserker style of Torii. The brawler took every opportunity he could to keep beating on Kikumoto, pummeling him with chops, slaps, and forearms. In what seemed to be a growing pattern, Referee Fujimoto had to get involved when Torii was relentlessly stomping Kikumoto in the corner, building a fair amount of sympathy for the young lion who couldn't seem to catch a break.

Once Fujimoto forced Torii to step away though, Kikumoto seemed to catch a second wind. The aggressive assault that Torii opened the match with didn't only leave Kikumoto beaten down, it exhausted a lot of Torii's own energy as well. Thanks to this lucky break, Kikumoto is able to show some of his own toughness, managing to hold his own against the more vicious, seasoned competitor.

One frustrated clothesline attempt led to Kikumoto tripping Torii with a drop toe hold and climbing over to lock in an STF. Torii managed to escape quickly, but the idea of coming so close to losing to a young lion had him startled. He runs forward and slams his knee into Kikumoto's face before the younger man could get up, then followed up by holding a dragon sleeper until Kikumoto was forced to tap, dropping him to the mat once victory was assured. Rating: 35

 

 vs. 

Haruhiro Tsunemasa vs. Oda Yakuta

The slacker Tsunemasa ambles down to the ring along with the lazy guitar riff of his intro, and his demeanor gives the impression that he didn't have a match at the last show because he didn't feel like it. Although he was much smaller than his opponent, he didn't seem to be concerned. The match started with both men staring each other down, neither wanting to make the first move. Tsunemasa knew he could get outmuscled easily, and Yakuta likely remembered Tsunemasa's defensive wrestling style. Despite that, Yakuta did run in for the first move, as proved his earlier reluctance wise by throwing a lazily-ducked clothesline before getting kicked in the back of the knee.

Tsunemasa continued to perform his offense without looking like he was trying very hard, ironically keeping the hardworking Yakuta at bay with his counter maneuvers. Yakuta tried to keep a level head, but it was clear that his opponent's attitude was starting to get to him. It was when Tsunemasa gave him an uncaring slap to the head that Yakuta finally reached his limit, spinning around and throwing a heavy elbow that connected with the unprepared Tsunemasa, sending him to the ground.

Before Tsunemasa could continue his usual games, Yakuta hoisted him from the ground and turned to face the center of the ring before dropping him with the YakBomb, not wanting to drag the match out any further. Rating: 33

 

 vs. 

Stealth Z vs. Chikafusa Tadeshi

As expected, Stealth Z kicked off the match with his usual showy display of athletics. Tadeshi didn't have anything in his arsenal that could compare... which could be said about him in comparison to most wrestlers, sadly. Tadeshi barely had the chance to do anything more than his usual taunting routine before he took his first smack to the face, setting the stage for what else could be expected from the match.

Tadeshi bounced around the ring for everything that Stealth Z did. Spinning kick? Fell straight to the ground. Standing armbar? Flailed around comically before being tossed to the side. Running knee when rebounding off the ropes? Spun halfway around with a dazed expression, hung in place for a moment, then dropped to the ground. Every big move looked like the most devastating strike ever thrown in the ring. On the flip side, Tadeshi achieved virtually no offense of his own.

The predictable ending came when Stealth Z threw Tadeshi into the ropes, then leapt and sprung off the opposite ropes to catch him with a Super Z Fist when he came running back. Rating: 41

 

 vs. 

Beetle Kimura vs. Yuki Horigoshi

Two of the most experienced competitors in EXILE stepped into the ring against each other, exchanging a solemn glare of respect before the opening lockup. Both men had met on the indies before, and they knew each other's work well. There was no feeling-out process as both men fought for the upper hand right from the beginning. Kimura seemed to have more moves in his arsenal, but the main thing that kept him from taking control was Horigoshi's seemingly infinite supply of tenacity.

Kimura tried to transition quickly into his most impressive maneuvers every time Horigoshi was downed, knowing that he only had a short amount of time before his opponent was back up to full speed. Unfortunately, this only worked about half the time, as Horigoshi was too tough to stay down for long. As a result, Kimura wasn't able to take to the skies as much as he would normally like to, instead having to stay on the ground and keep the pressure on in order to avoid losing the pace of the match.

Losing the ability to control the flow of the match proved to be Kimura's downfall, and he just didn't have the same level of stamina that Horigoshi did. Once he started to slow down just a bit, he was leveled by a Yuki Rush Lariat. In the aftermath, Kimura looked at the ground in disbelief, having been handed two defeats in three matches despite his impressive indy resume. Rating: 41

 

 

Referee Kakuzo Fujimoto calls out Wataru Kikumoto, who returns to the ring. He reveals that the promoter has an extra match prepared for the young lion, if he feels ready to wrestle a second match after his defeat at the hands of Torii earlier. Kikumoto, despite still feeling the effects of his last match, accepts, stating that after having an hour to rest, he's ready to step back into the ring. Fujimoto accepts this answer and calls out his opponent, making their Pro Wrestling EXILE debut...

 

 vs. 

Wataru Kikumoto vs. Kaori Takenouchi

The "Battle Warrior" Kaori Takenouchi emerges from the back and enters the ring, setting up the first intergender match in Pro Wrestling EXILE's short history Kikumoto seems caught off-guard at first, but seeing Takenouchi in her war paint makes it clear that she's here for a fight. The two of them lock up, and Takenouchi is able to take initiative first, breaking Kikumoto's grip with a couple of headbutts. Dazed, the young man realizes just what he stepped into upon taking a second match.

For a relative rookie who had already fought a match that night, Kikumoto fought admirably, able to hold off the heaviest parts of Takenouchi's offense and even look vaguely competitive at points. Even so, a few flashes of skill were not enough for him to be able to overcome his determined opponent. Even though Takenouchi was smaller, she was incredibly scrappy, and was able to hold off her opponent for virtually the entire match. In particular, she put her judo skill on display by flipping Kikumoto again and again.

Despite Kikumoto's best efforts, he was unable to pull out a victory, as Takenouchi surprised the crowd by planting him with a Sit-Out Powerbomb after whipping him into the ropes. Although she looked satisfied with her victory, the look in her eye said otherwise. She had defeated a young lion who had already been beaten that night, but where was her next competition? Rating: 38

 

 vs.

EXILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Kyuichi Matsumoto vs. Ryobe Uno

Compared to past challengers, Uno was a completely different type of opponent for Matsumoto. For one, Uno was slightly larger than him, although Matsumoto was easily the more built of the two. Second, Uno had much less experience, making the match seem like it was a one-sided affair destined to happen. If there was any idea that Matsumoto should take him lightly though, that should have ended when Uno actually managed to get the better of the muscular man at the opening bell.

Matsumoto was famed for his powerbombs, and Uno was fully aware of that. That was why his strategy for the match was to get Matsumoto tied up in as many wear-down holds at possible to tire him out, hopefully making him too exhausted to go for a powerbomb once the match's finale came. However, while that may have been an easy tactic to use against a big brute without much else to offer, Matsumoto had enough grappling skill to fight back against his wily rival. In addition, he also had the added advantage of his greater strength, forcing Uno to play smart about his attempts to wear him down it he didn't want to get thrown across the ring for his troubles.

Even though he was the clear underdog, Uno kept with his strategy of trying to wear down Matsumoto. Even his strikes seemed to be more focused in getting his muscular opponent weak rather than taking him out right away. To his credit, after so many kicks to the legs and arms, Matsumoto did slow significantly as the match went on. It seemed that the submission specialist's plan to bring down the powerbomb master was about to bear fruit. Taking his chance, he rushed the shambling Matsumoto and...

WHAM!

Matsumoto through a desperate elbow that caught Uno right in the face, sending him to the mat clutching his jaw. Exhaling heavily, the musclebound fighter dragged his opponent off of the mat and picked him up, the dazed Uno realizing in that moment that he had lost, and all he could do was prepare for the Japanese Express as Matsumoto's title remained in place. Rating: 39

 

Total Rating: 39

[Aura]

Fight For Respect EXILE's biggest show yet, completely by accident. She had made sure to ensure that every show going forward would only be one hour instead of two, to make sure that she wouldn't be sent scrambling in desperation again. Financial concerns were part of the reason as well, of course. Speaking of emergencies, she had made sure to thank Kaori Tekenouchi sincerely for being the only wrestler in the area who had been available that night. For helping save the night, Ebina extended an open offer to return for a legit run with the company if she desired.

She went over every aspect of the show, from ticket sales, to merch sales, to how much she paid for the venue and appearances. She had low hopes considering the scenario that she had accidentally booked for herself, but she hoped that she had managed to at least mitigate the damage as much as she could before she could re-tighten her budget-saving measures.

She checked the numbers, then ran through them all again to double-check, making sure that she hadn't somehow missed something or made a mistake in her calculations.

Somehow, despite having to book a double-length show and pay for extra wrestlers, Fight For Respect had earned money. For the first time, Pro Wrestling EXILE profited from an event.

Ebina closed her laptop and scooted her chair away, looking up at the ceiling as the fact sunk in. EXILE wasn't a money pit after all. People were coming to the shows and buying merch. Sponsors were paying to have their logos at the show. It felt ludicrous, especially since she had only been running for three months. The profit wasn't big, only a handful of dollars, but it was there. EXILE officially had a chance.

Ebina's originally-planned cost-cutting measures would still be in place for the next couple of shows, but she had a more optimistic outlook now. A few ideas that she had for the future might actually be able to get fast-tracked. Nothing major yet, but perhaps something to mix things up. Ebina made a note to start looking through some puro sites to see if anyone on the indies was standing out, or if any of the bigger companies had made any releases lately.

But that was a plan for tonight. For now, Ebina put on her jacket and headed out of her apartment. She felt like celebrating, and this called for takoyaki.

[Aura]

KyTeran: 6/10

 

So I have a couple of questions. First, should Takenouchi or another joshi become a part of the regular roster, or should her match with Kikumoto be a one-off? Also, I'm planning to bring in a new roster member for the next show, so feel free to guess who that may be!

[KyTeran]

16 hours ago, Aura said:

KyTeran: 6/10

 

So I have a couple of questions. First, should Takenouchi or another joshi become a part of the regular roster, or should her match with Kikumoto be a one-off? Also, I'm planning to bring in a new roster member for the next show, so feel free to guess who that may be!

Personally, I think that you could have some interesting matches by incorporating some joshi workers in your roster.  Could lead to some intriguing dynamics in the ring, plus there are some talented wrestlers in the joshi scene that could prove beneficial in the future.  As for your potential new roster member, I am going to guess Stunner Sayuki, since he seems like a decent worker with a little bit of popularity.  Looking forward to what you have in store for the future.

[Aura]

FIGHTING VORTEX

Beetle Kimura vs. Masafumi Torii

Yuki Horigoshi vs. Ryobe Uno

Wataru Kikumoto vs. ???

Oda Yakuta vs. Haruhiro Tsunemasa

EXILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Kyuichi Matsumoto vs. Stealth Z

[KyTeran]

Beetle Kimura vs. Masafumi Torii

Yuki Horigoshi vs. Ryobe Uno

Wataru Kikumoto vs. ???

Oda Yakuta vs. Haruhiro Tsunemasa

EXILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Kyuichi Matsumoto vs. Stealth Z

[Theheel]

Beetle Kimura vs. Masafumi Torii

Yuki Horigoshi vs. Ryobe Uno

Wataru Kikumoto vs. ???

Oda Yakuta vs. Haruhiro Tsunemasa

EXILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Kyuichi Matsumoto vs Stealth Z