AV 18 Rising Star Champion address

Preceded by: AV 18 GASTER vs. Silver Ace
Followed by: AV 18 Hentai Championship - Natasha Loclear (c) vs Ashley Evans

While Yuki Onna might have won the Rookie Tournament and became the inaugural champion of Rising Star, she still had no real direction to bring for her title reign. The Rising Star title was a brand new title, something that was recently added for the titles available to be taken. She believed that she held some kind of responsibility over this title, and being its first champion, Yuki had outlined several ideas on where to bring this. As a champion, she was required to defend it against other 'rookies', but she wasn't booked for any match during Avalanche.

Instead of fighting to defend her newly-acquired title, Yuki decided to make her address during the PPV, which should take a few minutes. It was an intermission between matches, and it was something that the current Rising Star champion would like to capitalize on. Rather than putting on her wrestling outfit, she put on something a bit more formal, but she still wore a pair of wrestling boots and kneepads just in case if something unexpected happen.

Soon, her music was played, and she stepped out to the ramp, getting herself a pop from the crowd who was delighted by the appearance of the first ever Rising Star champion. Draping her title belt over her shoulder, she walked down the ramp, heading over to the ring where she would make her address. If one looked closely at the title belt, her snowflake emblem was pinned on it, but her name was nowhere to be found, and the nameplate was left empty.


Approaching the ring, Yuki took a microphone before she climbed up the apron, slipping under the ropes to enter the ring. She would wait for a while for the cheers to die down, taking her time while standing in the middle of the ring before she brought the microphone to her lips and began to speak.

"Greetings, everyone," Yuki started, and her lips curled up into a small smile. "I hope everyone's having a good time here. It's my first time here in Australia, so please don't mind my English..." she said, which drew some chuckles from the large crowd.

She would let a few seconds to pass before she continued. "So, as you all know, I won this," Yuki held onto the title belt and lifted it up, showing it to those who attended the show. "A title for newcomers, a badge of honor for the best among the rookies, the Rising Star..." she said as she looked at the belt. "No matter in what way you look at it, this thing is reserved for those who are starting off from the bottom. Those who are often overlooked. Those whose names carry no weight."

She lowered the belt. "Simply put, this title has little value. There's no prestige behind it. If compared to other titles, Rising Star doesn't hold much weight in it. People may even dismiss it as a title for newbies, for those with less experience..." Her tone sounds rather somber as she kept holding the title by its strap. "And that's how the rookies are often treated. Forgettable. Served as a fodder for those who are at the top. Humiliated due to the lack of experience. I know how it felt, believe me... I experienced it firsthand..."

Yuki tightened her grip on the strap, remembering her two bad losses that she experienced at the hands of Gwendolyn DuPont Bettencourt and Manami Kuroda. She still remembered how painful the experience was that it almost caused her to stop wrestling altogether. But she persevered, training herself hard in order to overcome her weaknesses and becoming much better than before. And her effort had brought her here, as the champion of a new title.

"But, it doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to be let down by all those setbacks, and the solution here is in my hand." She raised the title. "It may have little value, but in my hand, I'll bring value into it and make it as precious as diamonds. As the first Rising Star champion, I wish to call out for those who are struggling, for those who are without experience, that your chance for greatness is here. We will no longer be forgettable, we will no longer be overlooked, because from now on..."

She draped the belt over her shoulder.


Yuki honestly believed that she sounded rather cheesy, but against her expectation, the crowd was eating it all up, cheering for her after listening to what she's saying. She couldn't help but feel a little sheepish. The crowd started chanting 'Rising Star' over and over before changing to 'Yuki Onna'. Smiling, Yuki let out a sigh of relief, knowing that a bright future was waiting ahead of her.

"Well, also with big regret, I have to say that I'm not defending this title today."

The crowd booed, though the boos were lacking heat.

Chuckling good-naturedly, Yuki took a few seconds to mull over what she had just said before she decided to bring up her next point.

"Also, I have another important announcement to be made..." Yuki said. This time, she had a bright expression on her face as she could barely wait to unveil this important matter. "Since last year, I have been calling myself Yuki Onna. It's the name of a youkai from Japanese folklore. I have to admit that I didn't think much of it when I named myself that when I signed up in AFW, but after more than a year, I just realized something..."

After a pause, she continued, "And that realization brought me to a decision to let Yuki Onna retire. There will be no longer Yuki Onna. Snow Woman, it is simple and uninspiring. Starting today, I will call myself with the name given to me... from now on, I will be known as YUKINA."

And at that exact moment, her music was played as the big screen displayed her name, Yuki Onna, in both Japanese and Romaji before the words scattered into snowflakes. Then, taking their place were six letters, which formed into a word written in capital letters.


And with that, her announcement was over, and the newly christened YUKINA would make her exit, carrying her title over her shoulder. The crowd chanted her new name, and YUKINA smiled in satisfaction, knowing that she had opened a new path for herself. Something big was waiting ahead of her, and she could barely wait for it.