~With Kai~
I was just working out in the gym at the house while Masami was at the PC, but I was given a call from Hunter about something and I had to be there.
Since it was a couple minutes of a walk, I thought I might walk over there, just to work on my cardio for a little bit.
When I got there, Hunter and Masami were smiling and waiting before I saw Vince McMahon?! What was he doing here?
Vince: You remember me, young man?
Me: Yes sir.
Vince: I'm glad you do. Now, before we get into what it's important, I want to say welcome back and what Adam had done 3 months ago, I do not condone it.
Me: Thank you, sir.
Vince: You're very welcome. Also, if you have our app on your phone, there's something you might want to look at.
Me: Nani?
Hunter: Check it out, Kai.
I pulled out my phone, went to the app, and this was the first thing that I saw, along with the caption:
(A/N: This is Kai's faceclaim for this story and I'm super glad I didn't put it on the book cover for this story!)
"Ren Hosako To Receive 2020 Warrior Award at WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony"
When I saw that title, I froze.
Me: Is this real?
Vince: It is, young man. Go ahead, check out the article.
As Vince smiled, I tapped the screen, and it read,
"NXT Superstar Ren Hosako has been named the recipient of the 2020 Warrior Award. Named after WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior, The Warrior Award is presented to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior. The news was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times and tokyosports.com.
The Warrior Award presentation will be part of the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, streaming Thursday, April 2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and on WWE Network everywhere else.
The twin brother of WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane, Ren Hosako was considered one of the best wrestlers in the entire world, but it wasn't easy for him. Diagnosed with the autism spectrum at a young age, Hosako embraced it and said in his book, 'Broken Winged Angel: The Ren Hosako Story', 'All my life, I've been bullied due to my disability. Whenever I watch pro wrestling, I see myself battling those bullies and winning.'
Winning was always the answer to Ren, not just in the ring, but also in life.
Ren would take part in autism awareness charities and would be a spokesperson for children who are on the spectrum, making him one of the most charitable individuals in all of Japan. His sister, Kairi Sane, would speak on the matter, 'No matter how busy he was or how much time he doesn't have, he would always make the time to talk to kids' parents and spend time with them. I always admired him for being so kind and caring for these kids.'
Io Shirai, his girlfriend, would also speak on Ren, 'He's one of those people who would take his shirt off his back for anyone. And if you don't believe me, screw you, he would really do it. Ren is that charitable and I always loved him for being who he is, kind, sweet, and adorable, ha ha.'
Motivated by the passion for giving back to his community, it is only fitting for Hosako's selflessness and dedication to be honored with the 2020 Warrior Award as part of the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony."
I was choking up from looking at this and I didn't think I would have this kind of honor.
I did not think that the company would do something like this to me. Being a recipient for the Warrior Award is a huge honor, and I can't express how emotional I'm getting.
Vince: You're a role model for those kids as they look up to you. That's one of the biggest traits of what a performer should be, exactly what we are looking for in our Superstars. And your work ethic as an autistic person is very inspiring. Congratulations, young man.
He stuck out his hand and I had to shake it, trying not to cry.
To hear those words come from Vince was a big enough reason for me to feel emotion. When Masami read it, she started tearing up and smiling.
Me: 私は戦士賞の受賞者ですか？ (I'm a recipient for the Warrior Award?)
Masami: あなたは、カイです。子どもたちのために尽くしてきたあなたには、当然の報いがあります。 (You are, Kai. You deserve it after everything you've done for those kids.)
Me: とても圧倒されました。 (I'm so overwhelmed.)
Masami had to hug me as I had to let the tears flow. I didn't think I'd get this emotional over this huge honor from the company.
Kaori then walked in and was confused by what was happening.
Kaori: どうしたの？カイはなぜ涙を流しているのですか？ (What's going on? Why is Kai in tears?)
Me: これを見たほうがいいかもしれないよ、香織。 (You might want to see this, Kaori.)
I gave her my phone to see the news article, and when Kaori saw it, she broke down in tears with us as we had to do a group hug, just to take in that I receiving the Warrior Award at the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Soon after, we had to go home and celebrate the news, but it must have reached to Suzuki and the others because the company put out a tweet about it.
@WWE
"Congratulations to @RenH1987 on being the 2020 Warrior Award recipient!"
@suzuki_D_minoru
"この男の子が大好きです！彼はそれに値するよ！"
Translation: I love this boy! He deserves it!
@lance_hoyt
"Wow! So well deserved! Congratulations Ren!"
@taichi0319
"これはすごいですね！あなたにはその価値がある、レン！"
Translation: This is awesome! You deserve it, Ren!
@takam777
"あれが私の兄弟です！おめでとう！"
Translation: That's my brother! Congratulations!
Seeing my friends and father figure congratulate me on this was just so awesome to see.
I mean, this is who I am: charitable and very grateful for everything that I have gotten and accomplished in my life and career, but me being the 2020 Warrior Award recipient took the cake.
Although this was nice and all, I had to get ready for next Wednesday, where I was going to meet up Strong inside that ring, so I can challenge Adam for the NXT Championship.
(A/N: Sorry that this was short, I had to make sure that I get this out of the way so I can refocus my attention to his matches with each member of the Undisputed Era.
Anyway, let me know if you guys enjoyed it!)