~With Kai~
Now that I had turned heel, I thought this was the best time to have a new look. I thought about this for a while and how unique would I look if I dressed like Suzuki?
Now, that statement is controversial but what I really mean is how Minoru looked like back when Pancrase was starting to take off while in training with the legendary Karl Gotch.
Suzuki is a man who commands respect, both in and out of the ring because Gotch was a pioneer and one of the last legends of Catch Style Wrestling, which is something that I excelled in, so as a way to honor the start of his career, why not look the same, but ditch the jacket for a towel instead?
Here's what I mean:
That's Suzuki as King of Pancrase World Champion and this is how he would dress: trunks, kneepads, kickpads, running shoes, and he would wear white wrist tape, which was optional for him but in this picture, he didn't wear any.
Anyway, the point is I thought if I can dress like that, the fans would love to hate me even more since I took out their favorite Matt Riddle.
The idea of dressing that way as a heel is simple: respect the old, but give it a more modern twist.
This might sound that it's not something that would be used in the modern era of wrestling, according to trolls and people like Jim Cornette, but I just know that it will work because this is how I want to bring the old school style of Japanese wrestling to NXT.
I actually talked with Minoru about having this new look and he actually liked what I had in mind. Here's the text exchange between him and I...
Minoru: それで、あなたは今あなたがかかとを回ったと言うよ、あなたはそれを新しい外観をしたいですか？ (So you say that now you turned heel, you want to have a new look to it?)
Me: それは正しい、そしてハンターは、私のレスリングのスタイルは日本のレスリングの昔の想像であると言っています。 それは決して意味がありません、小さな？ (That's right, and Hunter is saying that my style of wrestling is a reminiscence of the old days of Japanese wrestling, so he wants to push me with that. Does that make sense in any way, Minoru?)
Minoru: 実際にします。 私は本当にその考えが好きです。 私はこのようなものを知っていないのは、NXTで許可されるでしょう。 (It actually does. I really like the idea. I never knew something like this would be allowed in NXT.)
Me: どちらも。 だから、私がパンクラスのあなたの日から服を着ても大丈夫ですか？ (Me neither. So, is it okay if I dress like from your days in Pancrase?)
Minoru: もちろん！ あなたが私のようなヒールであることは今あなたに本当にフィットします。 その遺産を生かし続けて私を誇りにしてください。 私はあなたがハンターを持っている会議の中にどのように行くかを見たいです。 (Of course! It really fits you now that you're a heel like I am. Keep that legacy alive and make me proud. I want to see how it goes in that meeting you have with Hunter.)
Me: 私は間違いなくそうです。 (I definitely will.)
So yeah, I have Minoru's blessing, which is so fucking awesome and I really can't wait to debut that look, but instead of an all black ring gear, I'm gonna add some color.
Why not red and black?
It would work because I'm now a heel and I want to be looking like an evil wrestler who can back up his words, unlike the heels in wrestling where they threaten other wrestlers and when the babyface attack they run away.
So what I'm gonna be doing is take bits and pieces of my mentor and add them to my character, and one of those bits and pieces is having no remorse for anything said or done in and out of the ring.
Minoru is ruthless inside the ring, and many Young Lions run away with their tails between their legs, and that's what I wanna bring to NXT now that I'm a heel.
For my hairstyle, I didn't want to do the same as before now that I'm a bad guy, so my next bet was to get a really, really short buzzcut, and here's what happened as I went to the barber the other day, right before we arrived for NXT...
I'm not gonna dye my hair red and black because I just think my gear would show the difference altogether.
Masami and I arrived at Full Sail, and we got to our locker room, waiting for Hunter.
When he walked in, he was smiling at what he was seeing.
Hunter: Love the new look, Kai.
Me: Arigato, Hunter.
Hunter: Now, with you as a heel, I've been thinking about this: Kai is going to take on the "Finest" Kona Reeves. He's our resident jobber in NXT so do whatever you want to send a message.
Me: I plan to.
I took out my new gear and when I showed it to Hunter, he seemed intrigued by what I had in mind...
Hunter: So this is your new gear, huh Kai?
Me: Hai, with me being heel, it work so well.
Hunter: And I like it. You get prepared, I'll get you when we're ready for you.
Me: Okay. See you then.
Hunter: Same here, but before I go, I want you to listen to this song that I chose for you. Give it a listen, and see how it works.
He left a tape with my name on it and I have to say, when I first listened to it, I thought it wasn't bad, but after some time, I knew that it fits my new heel persona.
When my match was up, I put the towel around my shoulders looked to beat Kona's ass and break his fucking arm.
You know, that should be a chant of mine. It should be, "You're gonna get your arm ripped off, doo dah, doo dah! You're gonna get your arm ripped off, doo dah, doo dah!"
I mean, I'm a heel now so this should work for me since the American wrestling audience is much different from the Japanese audience, where they only applaud and stay silent, partially out of respect for the performers.
(A/N: I even heard that although Covid is still around, the Japanese audience are back at NJPW shows, but they're wearing a mask and keeping quiet due to Covid restrictions still in play.
I recommend you wear a mask and not talk as much when at a Japanese wrestling show because it can risk an infection. I know this thanks to reading an interview from Hiroshi Tanahashi from a PWI magazine as it gave some information about what's going on at the moment and how Japan is playing it safe.)
Kona was already inside the ring as I put on the towel to cover my buzzed head because people loved my hair the way it is, but now I'm gonna insult them by showing that I had it all almost shaved it all off.
When my new entrance music played, the fans jumped out of fear due to the first thing that was sung...
"Rumbling" is a noun, meaning a noisy and dangerous fight, which is what my character is doing inside the ring. I thought this song would fit me so well that it would scare my opponents and the fans that it would mean that I'm ready to fight.
When I walked out, I was booed so heavily that I couldn't hold back a smile. It really brought me joy to know that I was getting hated by these people and I was finally a heel.
Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first, from Yamaguchi, Japan, weighing at 104 kilos, The Prodigy, REN HOSAKO!
Crowd: BOOOOOO!!!
For those that noticed a change in my introduction, 104 kilos is the same as 229lbs, my current weight.
I wanted to change that weight to make my character old school, which would sound stupid on paper, but I just think it would work so well that people will understand what this is.
Renallo: Ren Hosako has shown that he is no longer the most lovable competitor for the NXT Universe as from the look of things, he looks different and he's acting different.
Phoenix: Not to mention what he did to Matt Riddle back at Takeover: New York, that was just despicable to see. And for him to laugh after he hurt the new North American Chamipon, that was disgusting.
Nigel: But you gotta understand that Ren was at his breaking point, it made sense for him to lose it.
After I stepped into the ring, I went on the middle rope, waited for that yell, I grabbed onto my towel...
Speakers: BEWARE!!!
...and I took it off my head, shocking the fans that my hair was gone.
They basically felt insulted and that was how I wanted them to feel and I succeeded.
When I threw the towel away, I immediately attacked Kona as the bell rang and I was being remorseless with my attack.
I basically dominated this match by targeting Reeves' arm. I laid him on his stomach, spread out his arm, and stomped on it before moving my foot around to cause more pain.
He was groaning in pain until I grabbed his arm and trying to cause more pain. I then had an idea: you know that arm bar that Suzuki would do on his opponents? That's what I'm going to do now that I've been doing so much damage to Kona's arm. I'm still going to do the Fujiwara, but since I've been hurting Kona so much in this match, why not end it with that because it's a part of my repertoire now?
I put Reeves' arm up by my head, I bent his wrist...
Crowd: OHH!
...then his arm...
Crowd: OOOHH!
...locked my hand around his wrist, and started pulling it towards me, making him scream as he had no choice but to tap out.
The crowd just booed as my new music played, but I didn't care, I kept it locked in making Kona desperately tapping out and I twisted his arm, dislocating it in the process.
I stood up and smiled as I licked my bottom lip with evil while looking at Kona.
Announcer: Here is your winner, Ren Hosako!
My arm was raised as I was enjoying my quick victory, but I didn't feel satisfied with it.
So I went back onto Reeves' arm and started pulling it back until I went outside to grab a chair after some more pain.
Once I threw it in, I went back inside the ring, laid the chair on the mat, set Kona up for the Brainbuster, I dropped Reeves' head onto the chair, with the Brainbuster.
After I did that, I grabbed a mic, and yelled into it...
Me: ジョニーガルガノ！ (MATT RIDDLE!)
The crowd just kept booing as I smiled and yelled...
Me: あなたは私からスポーツマンシップを得ると考えるほど愚かでしたが、ネタバレ注意、それはすべてルーブでした!
Translation: You were that stupid as to think you'll get any sportsmanship from me, but, spoiler alert, that was all a rube!
I kept talking as the fans were booing me, letting me know that they didn't want me to talk, but I didn't care. I was talking whether they like it or not.
Me: 私はもうあなたを必要としません。 ファンはもういらない！ 私の主張を証明するために、私は私の邪魔をするすべての人を壊します！ たとえば、コナ・リーブスを無力化したところです。あなたが戻ってきたら、あなたの後を追うつもりです。
Translation: I don't need you anymore. I don't need the fans no more! To prove my point, I will break everyone who stands in my way! Case in point, I just incapacitated Kona Reeves, and now I'm gonna come after you when you get back!
I stood in the middle of the ring, smiling into the camera, with just plain evil.
Me: あなたは私と戦おうとしますが、よく考えた方がいいでしょう、
Translation: You try to fight me, you better think twice because I'm willing to show that I am now a different person,
Me: ...そして忘れてはいけないのは、ネズミの皆さんと比べて、保佐子蓮は...
Translation: ...and remember that, compared to all of you rats, Ren Hosako is...
Me: ICHIBAN!
I threw it down and I stared down into the camera lens with an evil smile as my new music played and I smiled and laughed in the middle of the ring, over Kona's groaning ass.
After that, I went out of the ring just and walked to the back, laughing evilly and all as I got to Hunter, who was smiling from ear to ear.
Hunter: I didn't know you could act like that as a heel! I loved it.
Me: Thanks Hunter.
Hunter: You're welcome. Now, next week, Matt will be in action and you will show up to lay him out. Think you can do it?
Me: Absolutely.
Although Kaori was not here because she was saying goodbye to her coworkers and I told her to not say goodbye to me becoming I was still upset about her leaving, which she understood completely.
I mean, if I told her to not see me, then she won't because she knows me so well, same with Masami.
After the show, Masami and I went home, where we planned out Masami's heel turn as well as my feud with Matt, and with him coming back next week from his kayfabe injury, this rivalry was coming to a head.