Gato Blanco vs. Kozue Kaburagi - She's Lost Control

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Pinfall, Submission, or KO


If there was one thing that was consistent about the AFW, it was that entrance themes were never consistent. Wrestlers changed them up all the time, seemingly at a whim, and it was often no surprise when a familiar face came out to an unfamiliar theme.

That was the case today. Sort of. When a tune using the Flashman theme from Mega Man started up, there were a few in the crowd who guessed who it might belong to, and they turned out to be completely right - Kozue Kaburagi emerged from the curtains a moment later, with her hands held high, swaying to the music.

”Hey yo, Kyoto!” Kozue screamed at the top of her lung, barely carrying over the cheers. ”I’m back!”

Yup, it had been a little while since Kozue last graced an AFW ring. After an hellacious battle for the world title - which she lost - a hellacious match against Sandra Gold - which she also lost - the New Jersey Ninja decided to take a month off, recoup, regroup, properly align her chakra and get some good vibes going. It had all worked out, and she was ready to get back into the mix, start climbing up the ladder once more. And from the sound of the fans, they were looking forward to watching her try.

”I wrote a verse for you and all of y'all who doubt me
Run it back like "Oh snap~! He talkin 'bout me"
I build it up 'til the amps is leakin’
Leave 'em shook like Kramer at a Panther meeting
Whoa!"

Kozue hopped onto the apron, grabbed the top rope, and yanked her way in with a big leap, touching down hard enough to shake the ring. Her feet had scarcely been on the mat for a second before she jumped up on the turnbuckle with arms wide, taking in the crowd’s adulation and loving every second.

”Oh, yeah, they like me over here.” Kozue rubbed her chin and looked behind her, staring at the other side of the ring. ”But…”

Kozue hopped off, dashing to the other side of the ring, then jumped on the opposite turnbuckle, getting another wave of cheers as her music started to fade. ”Love it, love it! Ha!”

She jumped straight up, turned around in mid-air, and landed flat on her feet - not good for her bones, but it looked good. With her adrenaline now properly pumping, she stared off towards the entrance, waiting for opponent to arrived. If all she heard about him was true, this would be a fun matchup...

The crowd was beginning to settle down, as the opening notes of Gato Blanco's music hit the loudspeakers.  The tune was still new for the crowd, but there were those beginning to get accustomed to it.  When the masked man burst onto the entrance ramp, accompanied by his lovely valet Holly, they were met with an impressive cheer from the crowd.

Blanco took a moment on the platform, skanking himself down to the entrance ramp.  Dressed in his red and black trunks, his black boots and white pads- as well as his signature mask- the luchador was fast becoming a regular sight in Tension arenas.  The pop from the crowd wasn't as heavy as the one for longtime fan-favorite Kozue, of course, but it was nice.  Following close behind, in her form-hugging red cocktail dress and black bolero jacket, was Holly.  Smiling, waving to fans, even pulling Blanco over to the barricade for a quick pic with a few enthusiastic fangirls- the pair of them were trying to settle in, in AFW.

As he got up to ringside, Blanco took a second to scale the steps, and skank backward, to the corner turnbuckle.  It was strange to him, going back to being a small fish in a big pond.  A big, highly competitive pond, no less, with more than its fair share of sharks.  But said pond had been good to him, and as he mounted the turnbuckle and dismounted it back into the ring, he reminded himself that he needed to repay that kindness, in the ring.  Holly, meanwhile, had some of her own concerns.  This was Blanco's first intergender singles match in AFW.  And while she knew that was a regular thing, here, and not something he was totally unused to, did they have to find him such a fit little opponent?  Still, she tried to keep the smiles and crowd cheers rolling.  Blanco could handle himself just fine, right?  Right.

Entering the ring, shaking out his muscles to keep loose and limber, Blanco approached the center.  He gave a respectful nod to the ref, then to his opponent.  "Looking forward to this," he said, extending a hand.  "You're kind of a big deal here, right?  Not that I have to tell you, of course- this should be a pretty good match.  Hope I don't let you down, there!"

Kozue was sitting back on the turnbuckle when Gato entered, but still, she didn’t have any trouble spotting him from across the ring and up the ramp. The man had a unique look, at least as far as Tension wrestlers went - while there were a lot of guys with some weird ensembles going on, Gato was one of the few male Tension wrestlers that actually looked like a goddamn wrestler.

He had it all - the trunks, the boots, the pads, the mask. It was a classic sort of look, and Kozue could respect it and the man wearing it. He hadn’t been in the league long, but he’d turned a few heads with his charity match and style, not to mention the pedigree he brought from overseas. When Kozue had been studying to improve her own style and stop sucking, she’d come across quite a few of his matches, particularly when she was working on her high-flying manuevers.

So, in a way, she had a lot to owe Gato Blanco. She’d show her appreciation by bashing his face in. Such was the way of things.

Kozue started to slink across the ring, when Gato took her by surprise by talking to her and showing some respect. While she’d been in the AFW for a while and gotten some fans, she didn’t think an incoming talent would be all that aware of her. Turned out not to be the case.

”Me? A big deal?” She shook Gato's hand, then pulled back and tapped her chin. ”Weeeeeeeeeellllll…”

Kozue suddenly dashed to the side, threw her fists out to the audience, and got a sizeable pop on command, rousing them up a bit extra before the fight began. She quickly skipped back over and took her place in the middle, looking cool and nonchalant.

”Eh. A little bit. Could say. Kind of.” She hopped from toe to toe, then raised her hands in the air, wanting to start things off with a test of strength. Or appearing to want that, anyway. The growing smirk on her face could leave some doubts. ”You and me, let’s get going, tiger.”

Blanco nodded along, as Kozue hopped off of the turnbuckle and made her way toward him. She wasn't a large woman, but it was a little hard not to be intimidated by her presence. Confident and self-possessed, at least in the way she came across. It wasn't every day one got to walk into the ring with someone that just had a world title shot, after all. And regardless of how that had turned out, the young ninja was definitely someone to watch.

Blanco didn't even try to suppress a laugh, when Kozue demonstrated her ability to get the fans to pop for her on command. Shaking his head jovially, he even joined in. He looked out to ringside at Holly, who wasn't quite as impressed with the display. Arms folded over her chest, the British girl seemed to be sizing Blanco's opponent. Fit, confident and utterly adored by the fans, Holly couldn't help but be intimidated by Kozue.

Blanco gave her a grin and a nod. However this match panned out, hopefully Holly would learn something from watching this one. Returning his attention to Kozue, he grinned.

"Yeah, you know, they seem kinda into it," he nodded, faux-casually. "I mean, it's subtle, but it's there." He saw the offered test of strength, as they awaited the opening bell. The smirk on her face hinted at danger, but Blanco opted to go the respect route. When the opening bell sounded, Blanco reached out, interlocked fingers, and began to push forward to apply pressure, committing to the test of strength.

Okay. Pre-match euphoria waning. Serious Kozue settling in.

Gato wasn’t a powerhouse, but he was obviously stronger than her. Not that big of a statement, since just about all the guys in Tension were stronger than her, too. The difference here, though, was that none of those guys could keep up with her in the speed department, so she had an out. With Gato, not so much.

The key to getting around this, she figured, was being a tricky, tricky bitch.

She locked fingers with Gato and the differences were made plain, as she was getting steadily pushed back and overpowered, fading with every little bit of extra power he put in. At the rate they were going, she’d be on her knees soon…

...so, instead of letting herself be dominated, she switched things up. Kozue shot her leg up and kicked away one of Gato’s hands, breaking the hold there, and then ducked his other arm and tried to come out at his side, looking to transition into an arm wringer. Little sneaky, yes, but about what you’d expect from a ninja.

While he hadn't expected it, Gato Blanco was prepared for the lock-up. Bit by bit, he was gaining ground on the test of strength. He saw Kozue fading, and found his respect for the ninja girl growing as it happened. Bold choice, and she was sticking with it. Meanwhile, at ringside, Holly began a slow clap, trying to rally the crowd behind the two wrestlers as they establishing momentum. Any second now, something had to give.

"OH!" Holly exclaimed, as it turned out that Blanco's grip was that something. Kozue's kick was totally unexpected, catching the luchador off-guard and trapping him right in the arm wringer. "Hn," Blanco grunted, taking his free hand and bracing against the shoulder of his trapped arm. Kozue had switched things up adeptly, and Blanco was kicking himself for not seeing it coming. Clever of the ninja girl, and Blanco was certain his respect for Kozue had been well-placed.

Carrying through on that momentum, Blanco rolled forward in a traditional lucha counter. He couldn't break out of Kozue's grip, but he could try to reverse the grip. Spring back up to his feet after the roll, Blanco tried to pull Kozue close, use her grip to trap the ninja in a side headlock.

”Gotcha.”

It was a little hard to get worked up over an arm wringer - perhaps the most basic moves in wrestling history - but Kozue somehow managed. Maybe it had a little to do with the fact that she pulled it off on a guy who had years upon years more experiene than she did. Little ego boost.

It didn’t last long, though, as that same experience let him counter it easy. She knew he could, she just didn’t expect it to happen so quick and so slick. She was taken off guard, and before she knew it, she was wrapped up tight in his side headlock.

Kozue initially panicked, but settled down a moment when it was clear that wouldn’t get her free. Gato was an expert, so getting out of this would require an expert counter. “Okay...let’s try…”

Kozue backed up, taking them both to the ropes. She bounced off as hard as she could manage and pushed against Gato’s back, trying to use the momentum to squeeze out of the hold and send him running forward. After that...well, one step at a time.

Gato pressed Kozue hard, up against his chest. It was a move to wear her down, a bit, to take control. In most matches, the next step would be to simply turn with it, flip her over, take Kozue down to the mat. But the ninja was far more clever than the average opponent.

Blanco went backward with Kozue, hitting the ropes with enough force to build tension, bowing them out. Then, it was easy enough for the ninja girl to pop her head right out of the lock, and shove him forward with an Irish whip!

Running forward, Blanco went clear across the ring, toward the opposite ropes. This early in the match, fortunately, it was a bit easier for the luchador to keep control of his body, and prevent himself from careening helplessly back into whatever the local favorite had planned for him, next. Ducking his head, the luchador went into a handspring just before the ropes. Upside-down, he bounced off the ropes and flipped backward. Landing in the center of the ring, Blanco spun on his heel. The move would bring him to a stop outside of Kozue's reach, even if it didn't allow him to try and take the offense to her. Instead, he'd be left trying to control the distance between them, to see what the clever Kaburagi would try to compensate for it.

Kozue would have liked to breathe a sigh of relief now that she’d escaped the deadly side headlock, but fortunately, she wasn’t a complete idiot. This was just a temporary reprieve. Gato Blanco would be pouncing on her in just a moment, unless she did a little pouncing of her own before he had the chance.

It looked like he was doing a handspring, a move that Kozue knew well and even used a few times. So she could make a reasonable guess as to where he’d be in a moment. Which meant that she could counter him. In theory.

It was worth a shot.

Kozue spun around jumped straight up, placing her feet down on the middle rope. She bounced off, flew backwards, spun around and shot her legs out, looking to hit Gato with a missile dropkick where she thought - thought - he’d be in a second. If her timing was off or if he was just too smart for her, she’d wind up landing flat on her fine ass.

Blanco came off the handspring in a snap. A move he'd done countless times in training and competition, it was useful, even if a bit rote. The real trick here, was to see how Kozue would react to it.

"Mister," Holly called from ringside,"look out!"

Just as Blanco turned to face the ninja girl, he saw her flying through the air with the missile dropkick. "Oooff!" he groaned, as her feet planted right into his chest, taking the luchador down to the mat!

Rolling on the ground, arms clasped over his pecs, Blanco tried to control his breathing. A shot like that could knock the wind right out of a fighter, and from what he'd just seen, he wasn't going to be able to be winded for a second, against an opponent as clever as Kozue. Still, he was going to need a minute, after that, focusing more on recovery than trying to re-mount an offense.