The Tokyo Dome Standard

 

[It's a stadium that Emmanuelle was familiar with for sure. The Rose Bowl held a special place in her heart from the time she was a little girl until well into adulthood. As a child, she sat near the upper parts of the massive bowl stadium, attending games with her father. As a student, she sat in the student section during UCLA home games, an athlete trying to make sure her fellow athletes had as much crowd support as possible. As a young graduate, her life changed forever when she came not for a UCLA football game but a wrestling show. This very venue helped set into motion the events that made her a professional wrestler. Now, the water polo star who was once one of the loudest students in the student section sits in a skybox with a few close friends and a camera crew documenting her career and daily life. Her usual trendy clothes have been replaced with a simple pair of jeans, sneakers, and a sky blue shirt with the golden UCLA initials emblazoned on the front.]

 

"What made you come here before traveling to Japan for your title match? Wanted to take in a taste of home before setting off for what could be two long weeks away?"

Emmy glanced over at the cameraman with a grin. Her interest in the game was obvious, but there was something else in her eyes. "I came here as a reminder, really. Not of home, but of why I broke into the buisness anyway. I've been in here more times than I can remember. Concerts, soccer matches, UCLA football games, whatever. But the one time I was here for a wrestling match changed my life. It made me realize what I was missing, what I wanted to do with my time. There are a lot of things I don't like about wrestling and honestly I don't know how long I plan on doing it. But being here reminds me of why I fell in love with it in the first place: the energy. Big venues like this, like Estadio Azteca. Like the Tokyo Dome. There's something about being in this atmosphere that's addicting to me...and pro wrestling was the venue that got me that high, that energy. I've been an athlete all my life. Winning big isn't a goal, it's the expectation. But there's nothing like professional wrestling. Once I saw my future mentor wrestle here, my mind was set." 

 

The scene has changed from the Rose Bowl, to a small private jet that Emmy uses mainly for her overseas travel needs. There are several large seating areas within the plane, enough to accomodate about six people if they are sleeping during the flight. She is traveling only with a close friend who is already sleeping, their face blurred for privacy concerns. Emmy is flipping through a book as she ponders her career and success. "There were three things that I had to do to get myself in this position: I had to change my diet. I had to change my mentality. I had to be willing to listen to people who want to help me. I wasn't exactly chubby when I started training to wrestle, but I was outta shape. Even during my time at UCLA, I was a bit stubborn when it came to criticism. I always would do what was best for the team, but sometimes that didn't match up with my coaches. There were some times when I wanted to quit but I stuck it out. The mentality change helped with those two kinds of issues. I decided if I wanted to make money, I needed to make sure I was prepared physically and mentally for the buisness. Part of that preparation included keeping my mouth shut when people like Michael Bishop and Carlos Rosso and Stephanie Matsuda would give me their opinions. It wasn't always what I WANTED to hear, but I NEEDED to hear it."  Emmy grins as she lightly taps the Warrior Rising Championship, which is draped over her gym bag. "Seems like it has paid off, no?"




 

 

"People seem to think that this title is at the bottom of the barrel. That it's a stepping stone to other things, that it's a way for them to step into the spotlight. I want to make this THE title. Already, there's evidence of this working. The eight person match that I won to retain this title, the tournament held to find me a contender that ended with two contenders...and now THIS, where I'm forced to defend the title twice if I'm going to leave the Tokyo Dome with it around my waist. I don't mind the situation, don't get me wrong, but let's state the obvious: I'm at an incredible disadvantage either way. In my first match against Tara, I have to find a way to put her away quickly so I don't get hurt or give Petey anything he can use for an opening. But this is what I signed up for, this is what I wanted. No other title in this company has such a unique situation and no other champion is under the strain that I'm under. And I thrive off that shit."

 


 

The scene has shifted poolside of a Tokyo hotel. Some of Emmy's closest friends had decided to throw her a surprise party and the group had essentially taken over the top floor and the resort-like pool and bar along with it. "I don't have a problem with her honestly. She's open about her intentions and what she plans to use the Warrior Rising Championship for. She's been respectful of me for the most part. There is one thing and one thing alone that really pisses me off about her: she thinks that she knows why I'm in wrestling. Yes, I'm here to make money. No, I don't plan on doing this shit forever. But she seems to think that I have this air about me that I'm too good for wrestling, that I'm just using this as a pit stop. I'm here because I want to be, I've been working my ass off to make this title mean something. I don't give a fuck about where people have trained, where they have wrestled, who they worked with before. I've beaten some of the biggest names in the sport to get where I am today and I do not mind adding another to the list." Emmy takes a sip of the drink that had been provided to her. There is a bit of anger in her eyes that the interviewer hadn't seen before. "I've been in the Seibu Dome. I've been in the biggest stadiums in Russia, Mexico, the United States. I've never been in the Tokyo Dome. Even though I'm an American who is also of Italian descent, the Dome means something to me. I can't stress what it would mean for me on a personal level to come here and win twice in two weeks in front of massive crowds." 

 


 

In the same hotel, Emmy is wailing away on a heavy bag, landing knee and elbow strikes with vicious force. The bag rocks with the force of her strikes, the usually prim and well dressed Emmy dripping with sweat as she gets herself fully prepared and focused. "Petey's not a bad guy by any means. He's got a gift of gab and he can flow better than me. But I'm tired. So very tired of him and Big Drip Productions. I'm tired of seeing them in my way. As decent as they all are from Scott Oasis on down the list, as much as I like all of them, I need better, stronger opposition to get where I want to go. I can't fault him or anyone else for him being in this position because he earned it with his performance in the tournament. But what I can and what I will do is make sure that he does not bring the title back to them. With all due respect, this title was a joke on their watch. With me, it's grown to having not one but TWO title matches during the biggest show of the calendar here. I want to make this title even more prestigious and if I have to put him down to get to that point after I've beaten Tara, so be it. He'll at least have a hefty payday." 



A while later, the camera pans over the massive suite that Emmy's friends have taken over. Most of them are sleeping soundly while others are silently on their phones, watching TikTok videos and texting. Emmy, on the other hand, is wide awake and sitting cross-legged on her bed, carefully studying her opponents on a tablet. Any weakness, any flaws that she can find she makes note of on a small notepad nearby. "The wrestling aspect of this isn't that hard. But on a stage like this, I'm not leaving anything to chance. As soon as I found out I would have to go through both of these people to keep my title, I've been studying. People are expecting loud, angry Emmy to talk about how she's going to whoop ass and all that. My philosophy for Night of Honor is simple: Speak Softly and Walk out of the Tokyo Dome with the strap, two records and two massive paydays in the bag. These two are not pushovers, not by any means, but they will be shown to not be on my level. If nothing else in my relatively short career, I've proven that no matter what the odds, I find a way to get the job done. This will be no different. When Night of Honor is done, so will any doubt about who the most reliable wrestler in this company is. When it's Game Time, they call me in. They'll learn...."



Emmy continues to study as the video fades to black.