~With Kai~
Well, it's my mentor's birthday today and the best part is that I have a match at an NXT live event, so why not do something special for Minoru?
He's my father figure and what better way to say happy birthday, then to dress up as him and move like him?
I have the gear I need and it's not my regular gear: track jacket, trunks, knee pads, and boots.
Instead, for one night only, I'm wearing only my trunks, boots, and a Suzuki-Gun towel over my head, which is what Minoru would always wear to the ring. I have his entrance all figured out and I can't mess this entrance up.
Masami even offered to record the whole entrance at ringside with the fans to send to Minoru after my match. I even have a special something on a towel that I had the designers the company has and it's so special that I want to show this to him and to the fans.
In the St. Petersburg Armory, I was in the babyface locker room as I got dressed in my trunks, boots, white wrist tape, and the towel on my head and the towel I specifically had the designers work on.
I was in the main event against Aleister Black, so I think this should be a good match.
After Black made his entrance, I asked the DJ to play the 2018 version of Kaze Ni Nare, and he did as I waited to come out.
I learned at NXT house shows, you have a certain type of freedom to express yourself, which I think is so awesome and I peeked a bit to see Masami taking pics with the fans while waiting for me.
When the song played after the wind sound effect, the crowd knew what was happening. They thought it was actually Minoru, but the titantron saved the whole thing because it showed my name as the lyrics blared into the whole place...
Speakers: Oshieteyo hito wa naze sagashitsuzukeruno?
Kagirinaku setsunai ashita no
Yume wo!
The electric guitar was just hyping everyone up as the fans started clapping along and I know that I would kill them if they didn't, just like Minoru when he makes his entrance in the States.
When the instrumental part of the song was done, I went out to a huge roar from the crowd as I saw Masami smiling and trying to hold back her laughter.
I decided to walk around the ring, showing off the towel, which is this...
...until I got to the side where Masami was recording the whole thing.
I went up on the apron, clapping and telling them to get ready to shout out the line that would be the most famous in this song.
I had to get this timing down because if I didn't, I'd surely disappoint the man who's the father I never had.
Speakers: Habataku tori no youni kagayaki no naka de...
I step through the middle rope at the most perfect moment...
Crowd/Masami: KAZE NI NARE!
Announcer: And his opponent from Yamaguchi, Japan, weighing at 229lbs, REN HOSAKO!
I took the towel off my head as the crowd kept cheering like crazy as they started chanting...
Crowd(chanting): THAT WAS AWESOME! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP* THAT WAS AWESOME! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*
I looked at Black who was so impressed that he knew that I had to win for Minoru tonight.
Ref: RING THE BELL!
The bell rang and the match had begun.
Black and I shook hands to start off the match as we locked up and he started to look for a headlock, but I managed to escape by hooking my legs around his head, he kicked out, and we went across from each other.
The crowd applauded as we walked around the ring, waiting for one of us to make the first move.
From what I know, Black's almost like a junior heavyweight, so I'm going to go for the shoot style Minoru's known for.
Seriously, after several hours of studying Minoru's style of wrestling, I had to make sure that I get his in-ring psychology and sadistic sense of humor timing correctly, or this birthday gift ain't a birthday gift at all.
We decided to do a test of strength, where we locked our hands together, until I twisted them to each other's waists.
After I tortured Black with that, I kicked his stomach, forearmed him, Irish Whipped him to the ropes and gave him a boot to his face, which is definitely something Minoru would do.
I covered Black, but he kicked out at 2. When he lifted his arm up to break the pin, I immediately grabbed it, folded his hand, bended his arm, and cranked it into an armlock that seriously put some pressure onto him.
Black was screaming in agony as I locked it in, and the sick part about me locking this hold in? I was smiling with evil, just like my mentor would whenever he had an locked in an Armbar on an opponent.
Black eventually put his feet in the bottom rope, which didn't upset me, but I made sure to stay on him as fast as I could.
~10 Minutes Later~
I made sure to keep this match as Suzuki-Like as possible because it's my mentor's birthday today.
Black reversed an ankle lock I had on him and he turned it into a heel hook, which I easily transitioned into a heel hook of my own.
I was twisting his leg a bit to make him feel the pain as kept the pressure on him.
Eventually, it wasn't working, so I made sure to transition that into an Indian Deathlock, a painful submission move for the leg.
The fans were chanting Black to tap as I kept him in that hold. He would get out of it by kicking me in the back of my head.
I staggered, but I gestured him to try again, and he did, but this time, with a forearm to my chest.
I then gave him a chop, which sounded like a rifle going off!
We traded blows as we were getting exhausted in this match. When we hit out forearms in each other's faces, we collapsed into the mat, leaving the fans berserk and applauding for this match, as they chanted...
Crowd(chanting): FIGHT FOREVER! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP* FIGHT FOREVER! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*
Black and I managed to get back up on our feet as we clotheslined each other, but we didn't get knocked down. Black tried to clothesline me, but I was able to stay on my feet. He tried again, but he wasn't successful because I was perfectly balanced on my feet.
He then went to try one more time, but that costed him as he bumped the ropes and I did the same. He looked to clothesline me, but I ducked, went behind him, and locked in the Sleeper.
The crowd was exhausted at this point, but the end of this match was near as I wasn't going to do the Fujiwara this time.
Instead, when Black faded, I put his head between my legs, hyped up the crowd, pointed at Masami, who was still recording she whole match not to mention, lifted Black up for a Piledriver position, but I hooked my arms around his right leg, and shouted...
Me: 誕生日、未成年者！ (Happy birthday, Minoru!)
I gave Black the Gotch Style Piledriver, my mentor's main finishing move. I covered him...
Crowd: ONE! TWO! THREE!
The bell rang as I got off of Black and celebrated my victory.
Announcer: Here is your winner, REN HOSAKO!
My arm was raised as I raised up the towel and showed it off once again, getting a huge reaction.
I went out of the ring, went to Masami, who was just smiling about the whole thing and the song was just about to get to the line.
I went back into the apron, showing off the towel one more time, as Masami went into selfie mode, and we yelled, altogether at the line...
All of Us: KAZE NI NARE!
Kaze Ni Nare is right as we went through the back and went to Hunter, who was just smiling about the whole thing.
Hunter: That was freaking awesome out there!
Me: Arigato Hunter.
Hunter: You're gonna send it to him, aren't you?
Me: Why not? He my father figure.
Hunter: And I love it. If you want, he can come by to Orlando anytime he wants. You let him know though.
Me: Oh I will. In meantime, we plan out how it will go.
Hunter: I respect that. For now, you two get on out of here and celebrate his birthday.
Me: Arigato Hunter!
He nodded, shook my hand, and Masami, Kaori, and I left for a restaurant, where we had appetizers, celebrating Minoru's birthday, but I have another tribute in mind.
I posted this on Instagram, just before we went out, and I think this is the best one possible:
@RenH1988
"私はこの男を私の父と彼の誕生日は祝う価値があると思います。 ミノムと私はいつもその父親と息子の絆を持っていて、私の障害が私に到達するたびに彼はいつも私の角にいました。 彼はいつも私が何も必要かどうかを尋ねた。 彼は私が今まで持っていた最も愛らしい主要なメンターであり、彼は私たちが血液に関連していなくても、私のお父さんと呼ぶことを誇りに思っている人です。 今夜は彼の誕生日を祝うように、私は彼がタグの試合のために彼を連れて行くことを計画していれば、彼は私が決して持っていなかった父だから彼の旅を支払うでしょう、そしてそれは私のために私のために行われたことすべての後にすることができます。 私はあなた、メンター、そして幸せな誕生日が大好きです。"
Translation: I consider this man my father and his birthday is worth celebrating. Minoru and I always had that father and son bond and he was always in my corner whenever my disability would get to me. He always asked if I ever needed anything. He's just the most loveliest mentor I've ever had and he's someone that I'm proud to call my dad, even if we're not blood related. Tonight, as we celebrate his birthday, I want him to know that if I ever plan on bringing him in for a tag match, his travels will be paid on my expense because he's the father I've never had and it's the least I can do after everything he's done for me. I love you, mentor, and happy birthday.
When I posted it, it had gotten so much love that when Masami sent me the video of me doing Minoru's entrance, I posted it with the picture.
Before I could even take a bite out of a nacho chip, Minoru replied with...
@suzuki_D_minoru
"これは私の一日になりました。 ありがとうございます君は！ ❤️❤️❤️ @RenH1989"
Translation: This made my day. Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️
It warmed me up too much that I showed Masami and Kaori, they just loved the response that we had gotten from him.
Soon enough, the appetizers made us sleepy, so after I paid the bill, we drove back to the hotel, and we all slept in the same hotel room, mostly because we were too tired to say goodnight and go out separate ways.
All in all, tonight was perfect, and what better way than to say happy birthday to my mentor and father figure, Minoru Suzuki?