起死回生

起死回生

The camera fades from black to what appears to be the inside of a quaint, scarcely decorated apartment room. Cardboard boxes are littered around the room, with very little actual furniture. A small coffee table and a couple of chairs have been placed in the living room area but what is most important is that pointing towards the night sky through a large window is a telescope. Even more interestingly, it is being used. A man with brownish-dyed hair is staring into it, gazing at the midnight sky, lit only by the reflection of the moon and a smattering of stars. A faint chuckle leaves the man’s mouth before he turns to face the camera, talking to it as though he is in the company of a friend.

There is a wise old saying here in the West, a saying that a good friend of mine taught me. She told me “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will still land among the stars.” When I was still struggling to understand and speak English, that was the first phrase I learned the meaning of. It is such a beautiful message. She said that it means that if you have a goal that you’re aiming for, even if you don’t achieve it, you’ll still be somewhere better than where you were when you started. You can still achieve other great things while trying to reach that first goal, even if your first attempt does not succeed. It is a message of hope and it has taught me to accept that although my first years training to hopefully become one of the greats of this sport have not always gone my way that there is always a silver lining. I just had to be willing to look for it. My time in Japan was troubled. Very, very troubled. As a Young Lion I was ridiculed and forced to deal with incredible struggle. I was disrespected. Treated like dirt… but that has made me tougher than I ever could have imagined. More importantly, it made me realise that the treatment young Japanese talent received breaking into this industry was not something I wished to continue the cycle of.

The young man reluctantly pulls himself away from the telescope and crouches down to meet the camera.

My name is Hideo Shimada and graduating from Young Lion has been my greatest accomplishment to date. It proved that all of the hardship that I went through had been for something after all. Wanting to leave the toxicity behind, I made my way to Grand Japan Pro Wrestling. It is there where I found myself and found my footing, but the modicum of success I accomplished is still nothing compared to what I know I am capable of. There is still so little to my name, so very few competitors in this sport that truly respect me… but now it is time that I change that. I told Grand Japan Pro Wrestling that I was looking to take an excursion to APEX Wrestling here in the West but, truth be told, I have no intentions of returning to my home country without making good on the promise that I made to myself as a young trainee in the dojo: The name Hideo Shimada will be respected.

But respect must be earned.

A man such as Harvey Kennedy, an individual who has spent little more than a couple of months on the APEX stage, has done just that. Victories over the likes of Aren Mstislav and Christopher Sabertooth have cemented him as perhaps the greatest of all the young signings that have been made here in APEX. The feats he has already accomplished in what short time he has spent here is nothing short of admirable. It is men like Harvey Kennedy and C that I hope to see my name next to when my time comes but for now I must prove myself worthy. Lorman, Mississippi, is my first opportunity to do so and it is clear that the challenge awaiting me is not going to be easy. Thankfully, I’d have it no other way. If it isn’t obvious already, I didn’t come here for a vacation. I’m here to fight. It is what I was made for. I was born for this and I have trained for it. On harsh Winters and blazing hot Summers, standing toe-to-toe with the fiercest of warriors is all I have ever dreamed of.

A smirk forms in the corner of Hideo’s mouth as he recounts his training, before slowly fading to a solemn expression as his eyes turn to the lens of the camera once more.

Do not let these starry-eyed, stargazing eyes deceive you. They are as focused as they have ever been. They are focused on the future with a laser-like precision because I know what it can hold should I follow the path I was destined for. Coming here to the United States — to APEX Wrestling — is my new beginning. Just as I felt my career reaching the brink of death in Japan, today Hideo Shimada is resurrected. The Stardust Sensation is officially here in APEX and I promise to soar like a shooting star…

But first I must get through you, Harvey. It is as I said, you have proven you have greatness inside of you with your success here in APEX. You might be the very best of the next generation that APEX is hoping to build. But there is one thing that I have yet to address, Harvey: You are not infallible. You are not incapable of making mistakes, of facing defeat, and that tells me all that I need to know. It tells me that if I work hard enough and fight like I know that I can, I can and will best you. We are both out to prove ourselves but what makes us different is the reason why. If I were to put myself in your shoes for a moment I would look at my pinfall victories over The Monarch and The Truth Seer and see this match as… perhaps not a step down, but if you were to lose to a fresh face stepping into this company then maybe your wins were not as telling of your potential as you once thought. Whether or not that is true remains to be seen — and I certainly do not believe it personally — but I empathise greatly with how such a turn of events could affect one’s pride. I would not blame you for seeing this match against someone like me as a step down…

Hideo wags his finger, a light chuckle escaping him.

A step down for one man, however, is a step up for another. You must understand that I see you as a great example of what I hope to accomplish here in APEX. I want to be the man who is defeating former world champions and future hall of famers and beating you is the first step to showing that I can do that because if I can beat the man who is doing so then who’s to say that I can’t do it as well? I would hope no one and, if not, I will silence the doubters who deny me if it is the last thing I do.  So I hope to earn your respect come Sunday, Harvey Kennedy, for you have mine… but I promise the one thing that you do not have is my number.

This Sunday I will shoot for the moon… and to land among the stars that have graced the stage APEX Wrestling would be the greatest of honours.

Shimada gives a nod as he considers how his words may become a reality, before lifting it up.

Nichiyōbi ni aimashō, Harvey.

Hideo smiles and turns back around to return to his telescope. Just as he leans in, he faces the camera one final time and gives a single nod. The screen fades to black.