Tam Nakano: Fight for your dreams

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Utami
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Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2022 8:12 pm

Tam Nakano: Fight for your dreams

Post by Utami »

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A hotel in Anaheim, CA
8/5/2022


Another city, another pristine beige room with unremarkable furnishings. This one at least has a splash of color here and there. Of course most of the items in it are blandly toned - the dresser, moderately comfortable bed, outdated curtains and admittedly adorable mini fridge are all uninspiring. Yet the framed picture of a lavender field hanging on the wall adjacent to the bed is nice. It makes Tam feel a bit more at home.

That feeling of coasting along as a supporting player isn't gone, not totally. She has those moments of doubt every day. A concern that the world will only ever see Tam Nakano as the cookie cutter cute girl among countless comparably cute girls. Monday, however, felt different. Even a couple days removed, she can still hear the roar of the Warfare crowd. A deafening eruption of joy at her return and victory over Natalya. After so many months away, their vocal support is a shock of color in what's been a pristine-yet-unremarkable year. Despite all her misgivings about coming back, Tam is falling in love with wrestling in EBWF all over again.

This coalesces with the strong sense of looming danger she's had since the morning after her return. Because after overcoming Natalya, Tam Nakano is back in the big time already. Next Monday the Twilight Dream will head to the ring to face an absolute killer. A woman whose penchant for ruthless violence has been a gruesome highlight of EBWF programming for weeks. Allysin Kay, the Queen of the Ring and she who just broke Becky Lynch's neck, is waiting for her in Anaheim. Tam closes her eyes and tries to clear her mind.

Her imagination takes over, at first with nothing but sounds. First there's the unnerving pounding of metal on metal, a sledgehammer hitting a steel chair with a violent rhythm. It's so loud it's as if the sound is coming from very close by. Slowly another sound starts to mix in, at first an undefinable static. This rolls in like a tide, gaining momentum with each repetition until its volume rivals that of the hammer. With each repetition the static forms into an increasingly clear phrase chanted by the combined voices of thousands: 'LET'S GO TAM!'. These two things take turns sounding off as their respective volumes increase exponentially. LET'S GO TAM! clang! LET'S GO TAM! clang! LET'S GO TAM! Clang!

It gets to be too intense and Tam shakes herself from the mental exercise. The long and the short of it is that this Monday’s Warfare might be the biggest challenge of her career. Only toppling her biggest rival to finally win singles gold back home or ending Trish Stratus’ 10 month reign as EBWF champion at the Royal Rumble can truly compare. There’s something about the AK47 which neither Giulia nor even Trish can match. A love of causing grievous bodily harm to women she looks down on. Despite the intensity with which the fans have embraced Tam’s return, she knows it could very well be her neck smashed by a sledge hammer if she’s not careful. Does she regret signing on for this match? No. Not by a long shot. This is the kind of challenge which she knows will prove whether she really has improved enough to return to the championship picture. There’s no way that Tam Nakano is going to back down, even from an insidious monster like Allysin Kay.

She shakes her head to clear these thoughts from her mind, but yet they remain. So instead she gets to her feet and starts pacing back and forth to work off the pent up anxiety they’ve created. It helps a bit, but her mind’s eye still focuses right on the smug killer’s face of Allysin Kay. A lot of thoughts linger on, but suddenly Tam’s confidence is shorn up as the mental image changes. Once again Tam closes her eyes to fully focus on it. It’s a grassy battlefield littered with the bodies of all the women who’ve failed to stop the vicious Queen of the Ring’s rise. The Queen of the Ring stands there clutching a bloodied hammer in one hand, no one else left to defy her. Suddenly there’s a flash of pure white light and one last hero steps up to challenge Allysin Kay; her holy white robes with purple and gold trappings float on the air as she spins a spear overhead. When this paladin-like woman slams the butt of her spear into the ground, the earth below them shakes. The imagined Allysin frowns, and her opponent looks up, smiling confidently. Tam Nakano is that woman.

A moment later Tam’s eyes shoot open again, but the confident smile is on her lips still. After taking a deep breath, she looks into the golden bead eyes of her plush panda companion.

Tam Nakano: “P-Chan.. I'm going to strike down the Queen of the Ring.”

****

EBWF Online Exclusive
Anaheim, CA
8/8/2022


We can still hear the strains of Hail to the King from within the arena as the video begins. It’s clear the EBWF crew is streaming just after a certain Australian’s explosive words for her opponent. Our unknown camera operator, though, pulls the viewer’s attention away from the gorilla position and over to a corridor off to their left. After passing over a mass of assorted cables and a few tables festooned with electronic equipment and tools, their destination is clearly in sight. A knot of people are gathered around someone just down the corridor, and the camera moves closer to them as their words become audible. The faces of Alex Shelley, Debbie and Dean Malenko, and Jim Ross are immediately recognizable. So too is that of the Twilight Dream, Tam Nakano who is the center of attention for the gathered legends.

Dean Malenko: “Anyway, it’s great to have you back.”

Debbie Malenko: “Wonderful to see you again.”

As the Malenkos leave we see a second Japanese woman who’s unfamiliar to the EBWF universe and stands near Tam. Tam for her part just smiles and accepts the words of appreciation. Alex Shelley just nods to Tam and pats her on the shoulder before departing. Finally, Jim Ross extends his hand and speaks.

Jim Ross:
“I can speak for everyone here when I say we’re very happy to see you in an EBWF ring again. Go knock ‘em dead tonight.”

Tam shakes his hand and smiles back.

Tam Nakano:
“I’m just getting started, Ross-san. I want to inspire everyone to keep Twilight Dreaming.”

He smiles back, the handshake ends and he departs to attend to the next order of business. In full ring gear and entrance robe, Tam stands there thoughtfully as she watches JR go. Then she turns her head to the side to look at her countrywoman, who by contrast is wearing a navy blue blazer over jeans and a white top. Their eyes lock intensely for a moment, hinting that they’re quite familiar with each other. This moment only lasts for a moment before Tam speaks again.

Tam Nakano: “Hoshiki-san, if I’m honest you’re the last person I expected to see here tonight. Are you -”

She leaves the rest unspoken, but it’s clear she’s implying that the woman might be involved in more than just backstage work. Arisa Hoshiki shakes her head rapidly and holds her hands up defensively.

Arisa Hoshiki:
“No, no, no, no, no! I’m just here to help bring EBWF to the Japanese speaking world. It’s not.. It’s not quite what I thought I’d be doing with my life, but it’s good work! And I get to be close to what I love.”

She smiles sadly and Tam pauses for a moment before responding.

Tam Nakano:
"Well I know we haven’t always gotten along, but it’s good to see you again Hosiki-san. We should grab coffee or something soon, maybe talk about something that isn’t business!”

Arisa bites her lip a little, nervously pondering something as Tam cocks her head to the side. After a long awkward moment of silence, Tam finally pokes Arisa in the shoulder.

Tam Nakano:
“What? Did I say something wrong?”

Arisa sighs and finally speaks her mind.

Arisa Hoshiki:
“You’re fighting someone incredibly dangerous tonight, Nakano-san. I don’t know how she didn’t get suspended for what she did but.. are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

Tam Nakano
: “Honestly, I’m not sure how this match is going to go. Allysin Kay isn’t like anyone I’ve ever stepped into a ring with before.”

Arisa Hoshiki: “You’re not scared though?”

Tam shakes her head and a look of uncertainty crosses her expression

Tam Nakano:
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t even a tiny bit scared. She’s one of the best wrestlers and absolutely the most dangerous person in all of EBWF. You’d be crazy not to have second thoughts about fighting her. One swing of a hammer and she could end my career! But tonight I have a purpose that gives me the strength to fight through that fear.”

Tam takes a moment to herself while Arisa watches her expectantly. Finally Tam nods as if confirming something to herself.

Tam Nakano: “Because you know what, Hoshiki-san? For as much as Allysin has become a ruthless monster, I’ve changed too. I’m not the same woman who briefly made some magic at the Royal Rumble last year and then failed when it mattered most. I’m not sure who the Queen of the Ring is expecting to meet in that ring tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if she expects to stand across the ring from the Tam Nakano who went out staring up at the lights. But ever since then I’ve been working harder than I ever have to get stronger. And tonight she’s going to find out that fighting me now is an entirely different equation.”

Tam’s confidence grows along with the smile on her lips, even while Arisa’s concern is palpable.

Tam Nakano:
“I understand that she’s struck fear into the hearts of everyone in EBWF. I understand that she’s dominated the battlefield and scattered broken bodies all over it. But just like she’s different from anyone I’ve faced, I’m different than anyone she’s faced. And my purpose is to show her and the world that I am better, stronger, tougher and more determined than I’ve ever been. My goal is to climb back up the mountain, fight through all the challenges along the way and reclaim the gold that I held for such a short time. She is the next challenge on the winding path to the summit, and even though she’s a monster I’m not backing down one centimeter.

Arisa raises a concerned eyebrow.

Arisa Hosiki:
“Even if that means you have a really good chance of getting badly injured?”

Tam nods, her smile not fading at all.

Tam Nakano: “Even then. She can bring every ounce of violence in her body, but she can’t change the truth about her. Of course she’s dangerous, but she’s become a monster with the help of chairs and hammers. A real athlete doesn’t need those to face an opponent. And when that bell rings she’s going to find out she’s up against someone who meets opponents face to face. Someone who has the courage to stand up to the Queen instead of attacking from behind like a coward as she does.

Tam grips the spear she uses in her entrance tightly as the intensity in her voice increases.

Tam Nakano:
“That’s the kind of courage it’s going to take for me to achieve my dreams here, and it’s what’s going to keep me fighting against her. No matter how hard she hits me, no matter what nasty tools she finds to try and cripple me, I will keep fighting her! Even if I have to tear her down one leg at a time, I won’t stop until the Queen of the Ring has been struck down in front of the world! If Allysin Kay wants to stop me she has to be willing to meet me face to face, woman to woman, without help. She’ll have to stop my heart if she wants to stop Tam Nakano tonight. And as much as she’s going to try, that’s not something that even the AK47 can do.”

Tam gives Arisa a pat on the shoulder.

Tam Nakano: “This is the biggest challenge I’ve had in my life. But I’m fighting for all of my dreams, and that makes me the most dangerous person she’s ever fought. Tonight, the Twilight Dream is going to show the Baddest B*censored*ch in the Building who the best in the building really is.”