Tam Nakano: Dreams can come true.

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Utami
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Tam Nakano: Dreams can come true.

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Ford Field, Detroit, MI
10/31/2022


A year and a half has passed since the darkest moment of Tam Nakano’s career. Almost exactly 18 months ago her Cinderella run as EBWF Women’s Champion came to an abrupt end at the hands of Raquel Diaz. Even all that time later, even now as she’s reached her singular goal of earning another shot at that beautiful championship, Tam can’t shake the memory of Wrestlemania XX. A Straight Fireball from Becky Lynch, a Gory Bomb from Raquel Diaz and three seconds later the dream was over. With the eyes of the world upon her Tam had been completely and utterly defeated.

She’s spent every single moment since then working to improve on the shortcomings which turned her greatest victory into her most painful defeat in just two months. Training doubly hard, pushing herself to the point of exhaustion against some of the best wrestlers in the world in the toughest conditions of her career, all just so that one day she might be ready to return here. Two months ago she did just that and made a bold proclamation to the world. Tam Naknano was back in EBWF for one reason - to reclaim the EBWF Women’s Championship and prove to the world that she was better than ever. With each win she recorded against the best talent in the world, Tam reminded herself the road to the top was likely to be long and arduous.

At some point her mind flipped the switch and she realized how far she’d already come. In front of the world Tam called her shot and the champion accepted! And now she’s here, tonight, with just a short time to go before she steps into the ring to challenge for the EBWF Women’s Championship once again. It’s surreal how fast all of this has happened really. Her dream is right in front of her, ready for her to seize at last! All she has to do is overcome what’s shaping up to be the greatest challenge of her entire career. One of the best wrestlers in the entire world will be waiting in that ring for her tonight.

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. is unquestionably at a different level than anyone Tam’s faced in EBWF. Britt Baker is an incredibly smart wrestler who knows how to single out her opponent’s weak points with surgical precision. She studies her opponents closely to find even the minutest hints of shortcomings and exploits them at exactly the right moment to turn the tide of a match. You have to be that focused and detail oriented to simultaneously fight the best wrestlers in the world and complete a degree in dentistry. As Tam stands in the hall backstage at Ford Field, she feels her anxieties mounting as she realizes that one misstep can well mean the end of her night against the reigning EBWF Women’s Champion. Their first interaction before Gateway to Glory had been pleasant, but as the time for their contest drew near they’d gotten into a heated exchange of blows. With Britt’s displeasure roused, Tam knows full well that the champion will come after her from the opening bell with extra aggression. That’s made worse when she realizes all it will take is one curb stomp or one lockjaw to turn her Twilight Dream into a Twilight Nightmare.

The pristine white hood of her entrance gown flops down between her shoulders as Tam looks toward the heavens for guidance. Or perhaps just to clear her mind. However the artificial lighting of the corridor is just a bit too bright and forces her to squint to avoid being suddenly blinded. This moment reminds her of that failure all those months ago, and her fears that tonight may end the same way. After every Herculean effort she’s made to get herself back into a position to challenge for this championship, someone with the expertise and skill of Britt Baker could quite possibly leave Tam staring at the lights again. Pain and anguish fill her thoughts as she imagines the view from the mat, staring up at Britt holding that most beautiful of championships. What’s worse than seeing that in the hands of someone else is the feeling of complete failure and hopelessness that accompanies it. In losing this match Tam would be hurled off the mountain after reaching the summit at last. Cast down from the heavens in a manner that would hurt more than anything she’s experienced in her life. Truly a nightmare.

As those thoughts circle and grow louder and louder, Tam closes her eyes entirely. That blindingly bright light is too much a reminder of everything she lost in a heartbeat in this same ring. While the horrific sting of her own anxiety seeps throughout her body, Tam’s right hand brushes against something soft. It’s a pleasant feeling, one that gives her spiraling mind something to focus on instead of all the self-inflicted worry. Okay Tam, she thinks in a moment of clarity, just focus on that soft, pleasant feeling. One by one, slowly but surely, those anxious thoughts are silenced. All of them are hypothetical and merely exist within her mind; none of them has come to pass. More than that she’s been putting in the hardest work of her life in order to ensure they don’t.

Tam grounds herself with these thoughts and simple breathing. Deep breath in, deep breath out. In and out. This isn’t Wrestlemania XX, it’s not a title defense against two dangerous women filled with ambition, and she’s not the same woman who was dethroned. It’s one on one in front of the world, true, but she’s so much more than she was back then. One more set of deep inhale and exhale later, Tam opens her eyes and oddly finds those lights aren’t blinding at all. Rather, they have a soft quality to them which aligns with a newfound sense of heavenly calm that replaces the earlier sting. Her right hand still clutches the soft item which has helped her regain her calm. Out of curiosity she tugs it from the bag over her shoulder to see just what it is that’s rescued her. When she sees the golden eyed panda staring back at her, mouth slightly agape in a goofy smile, Tam’s face lights up with joy.

Tam Nakano: “P-Chan! I shouldn’t be surprised that you came to my rescue.”

She makes the plushie nod.

P-Chan V2.0: “Of course, I’ll always be there for you Tam! How are you feeling now?”

Tam’s smile widens as the answer comes naturally.

Tam Nakano:
“I’m ready to make my dreams come true.”

—-------

We see that same hallway, pristine and well lit with nary a soul in sight. Just the overhead light fixtures illuminating the pathway in a soft and almost celestial light. Tranquil piano music plays briefly as the tiny shape of P-Chan V2.0 materializes in the center of the hallway. The camera zooms in on his face until it fills the screen and we clearly see the pleasant lighting glinting in his golden eyes. Slowly this reflected light begins to form into familiar shapes as Tam’s voice is heard providing narration.

Tam Nakano: “Everyone has dreams. A lot of us fight to make those dreams real, even when the weight of the world is in the opposing corner. I’ve been down this road before in this same ring, and I’ve made my dreams real here. It’s scary just how fast a dream can become a nightmare too. One day you’re on top of the world, then next you’re surrounded by shadows as you realize things have taken a turn for the worst. For me, that dream was shattered just as quickly as I realized it.”

Tinted in a similar gold to P-Chan V2.0’s eyes, we see clips from Tam’s first run in 2020-21 play in quick succession. Tam planting Alexa Bliss on a steel chair to become the number one contender at Christmas Eve of Destruction. Rolling up Trish Stratus as the fans counted 1-2-3 along with the ref, followed by Tam holding the belt over her head triumphantly. Then the first Japanese women’s champion in EBWF history being flattened with big moves from Becky Lynch and Raquel Diaz in rapid succession before simultaneously covering her. We hear Mauro Ranallo’s voice proclaim the end of Tam’s short reign.

Mauro Ranallo: "Becky and Raquel simultaneously pinned Tam Nakano!"

As the old audio fades out, the piano music becomes loudly dramatic. The shot zooms in on Tam’s pained face as she lies on the mat, utterly defeated. This image freezes and the music fades as Tam’s voice continues to narrate.

Tam Nakano:
“Britt, tonight I need to ask you something personal. Have you ever seen the very thing you put every last ounce of your being into be shattered before your eyes? Do you know how much it hurts to wake up every day feeling like a total failure because you just weren’t good enough to hold onto that dream made real? To replay the same scene in your mind over and over and over again, wondering precisely where you lost yourself? Maybe you have, I can’t read minds. But I can tell you without hesitation that that’s exactly where I was after losing the championship we’re going to fight for tonight.”

Tam’s anguished face fades and we see the plush panda’s face again. Soon a set of well manicured hands appear, clutching P-Chan V2.0 tightly. The nails are painted purple and white, a top coat of glitter sparkling in the light.

Tam Nakano:
“Trust me, I know all about you. That’s how I know there’s a lot to respect about Dr. Britt Baker, DMD. You’re not just one of the best wrestlers on the planet, you’re a thoroughly self-made success both in the ring and out. Not only did you debut in 2014, but you kept at your studies on the side. There’s no doubt that you have the best focus and attention to detail of any woman I’ve faced in any ring. All those years of hard work, dedication and confidence in yourself got you the opportunities of a lifetime in Jacksonville and then EBWF. I respect you even more because you didn’t just get complacent, you pushed yourself harder than ever to reach the greatest heights of your career.”

Golden tinted video of Britt Baker pulling back on the Lockjaw to make Alexa Bliss tap out at Fallout. The image again freezes as Britt holds the championship aloft.

Tam Nakano: “You have unquestionably been the face of EWBF women’s wrestling in 2022. Everyone who’s stepped up to you since you seized that beautiful championship in March has found out the hard way just how good you are. The way you study your opponents, wear them down over the course of a match and make them pay dearly for every mistake is second to none. I’ve seen what you can do and it’s scary. Even when you were fighting the most violent woman EBWF has ever seen, you kept your cool and took her down all the same. What that means for me is that this is the greatest challenge of my entire career. I know that when I step into the ring with a self-made success like you, I’ll have to dig deeper and fight past the point of exhaustion to have a chance. Which brings me to another question for you, Britt: do you really know who you’re stepping into the ring with tonight?”

That image of Britt fades as the screen turns purple. As the clips play that dramatic music is back, though lower in volume. Next we see more clips of Tam Nakano’s recent run of matches interspersed with ones of her training in the gym, covered in sweat. Dead lifting Natalya off the mat to hit the Twilight Dream is followed by Tam dead lifting a barbell with a great deal of weight on it. She slams forearm strikes and kicks into the padded hands of a trainer, then counters the Discuss from Detroit into her own finisher. Hitting Aalyah with the Violet Shoot is followed by her hanging from a suspension bar and pushing through to get yet another sit up in. Tam sprints on a treadmill while fighting through pain and exhaustion obvious on her face, then she hits the bicycle knee and Twilight Dream on Liv Morgan. She deftly avoids a clothesline to plant Aalyah with a cutter, then the scene returns to those fingers clutching P-Chan. The camera zooms out enough that we see Tam sitting on the floor in her full entrance regalia, hooded head looking down at the plushie in her hands.

Tam Nakano: “I’m not that simple girl who came here in 2020 with P-Chan and cutely blazed her path to glory. Despite a mountain of setbacks the last time I was in an EBWF ring, I couldn’t get this place out of my mind. I knew that I had to get back here someday and that I’d have to become the strongest I’ve ever been to make that happen. So every single day since I ended Wrestlemania XX staring at the lights, I’ve been pushing myself to get stronger. To master all the weaknesses and shortcomings that ended my last dream so that I'd be ready to reclaim what I lost. Every single day I shed sweat, tears and even blood in a dojo that made military boot camps look like kindergarten art time. All because I had a new dream to chase. Slowly that fire of passion was sparked again and with each match it grew in intensity. It’s powered me through the women’s division here too - Natalya, Allysin Cross, Aalyah Gutierrez and Liv Morgan stepped up to me and I put each and every one of them away. As good as you are, there’s no denying that the Tam you’re fighting tnoight is the best version of Tam the world’s ever seen. Every victory here has brought my dream closer to reality, closer to you.”

Another clip plays, this time in full color as we see Tam run in to fend off Arisa Hoshiki after the latter’s knee strike to Britt. Then we skip to another clip, this one of Britt and Tam in the ring after Tam’s second win over Aalyah. Britt shoves Tam, Tam shoves her back and they throw punches even as a sea of bodies separates them.

Tam Nakano:
“I know that you’re an exceptionally proud woman, and that’s why you pushed me away when I was just there to help you. Self-made women like us often have a hard time keeping our passions in check. If I had to guess, yours is fueling a single minded determination to put an end to my Twilight Dream in just a few short hours. You have all the tools to do exactly that too. But you know what? I’m proud too. I’m proud of all the work I put in, how much I’ve improved, how I’m able to keep fighting even when all the odds are stacked against me. I’m proud that ever since my darkest day, I’ve done all of that with a single goal in mind. My Twilight Dream is to realize that goal, and now I have the chance to grab it tight in both hands.”

Our view returns to Tam as she raises her head and looks into the camera. Despite the pleasantness of her smile, there’s an edge to her gaze and tone of voice which hasn’t been there in the past.

Tam Nakano: “So when the bell rings, I’ve got just one thing on my mind: I have to take back the EBWF Women’s Championship. No matter what happens to me, I’m not stopping until I’ve got one hand raised high and that beautiful belt in the other. Britt, you’re the best, most skilled and most dangerous woman I’ve ever fought. I know that even a minor mistake means that you’re going to make me pay with pain. You are extraordinary, but so am I. I will take everything you can dish out, every curb stomp and lockjaw you can throw at me, and I’ll keep digging toward the core of my being to find ways to break free. Every single thing you do to me, I’ll claw my way back up and return the favor twice over; this is the biggest fight of my life! My heart’s pounding just thinking about the battle we’re about to have! To remain champion you’re going to do what Allysin Kay couldn’t - you’re going to have to stop my heart. Even with all your skill and focus, that’s out of your power to do.”

Tam sets P-Chan V2.0 down, stands up and gazes confidently into the camera.

Tam Nakano:
“It’s been a very long road for me, but finally the moment of destiny has arrived. You’re the last obstacle to making all my dreams come true, Britt. My heart is stronger than any pain you can put me through, and it’s pounding in anticipation. Because tonight I’m not just celebrating EBWF’s birthday, I’m celebrating my Tammiversary. Tonight, after an eighteen month odyssey, my Twilight Dream is coming true.”