The Rising Star Has Arrived

[Zugaikotsu]

The vignette opens from a helicopter in silence. Slowly, “T.F.F.B” by GALNERYUS begins to play. The slow piano intro builds as the helicopter moves in from a wide shot of Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, in Tokyo, Japan, to a closeup shot of the roof. As the music kicks into full gear, the camera focuses in on a lone man standing on the roof. His bleach blonde hair is spiked up in a mohawk and is beard fades from black to equally bleach blonde. A grey, skull mask covers his face. He wears dark jeans and clean, white sneakers with a black leather jacket that’s open. He wears no shirt underneath. In his right hand is a black base baseball bat, slung over his shoulder. He turns towards the camera as the helicopter moves in closer. Seamlessly, the shot changes from the helicopter camera to one on the roof with him. The music fades to almost nothing but continues playing in the back. As the man turns towards the camera, his voice carries perfectly. The fact that they are on a building over eight-hundred feet tall and the wind is whipping all around them, the man speaks clearly.

“Extreme. Wrestling. Corporation. I am Zugaikotsu. I have been told that EWC is the number one wrestling company in the world for many years now. I have listened to the stories, legends, and myths about EWC. About the men and women that go down to that ring week after week and pour their hearts and souls out. For themselves, for the fans, for gold, for money and power or whatever else happens to be motivating them at that single moment in time. I have trained extensively at the DESTINY Japan dojo and caught the eye of EWC. They offered me a chance to become something more. A Rising Star in EWC as part of the Future Stars of Wrestling. I could have accepted a contract on BRAWL, but I’m at the very beginning of my career so I will start at the very beginning of EWC as well. I will test myself against the best the world has to offer and when the smoke has cleared I will truly see where I stand. I will see how I measure up and what my place in this world truly is. The Rising Star has landed in EWC and my goal is clear. I will do everything in my power to make it from FSW to the main event on the biggest shows, in the biggest arenas to battle the biggest stars that EWC can offer me. I will battle for the greatest championships with the most prestige.”

As the music continues to play softly, Zugaikotsu lowers the baseball bat and lets it hang behind him, still clutched tightly in his right hand. With his left hand, he removes the grey skull mask. He lets it drop casually beside him.

ZUGAIKOTSU
“I’m focused and ready, with a clear goal in mind. I have arrived on the grandest stage that the professional wrestling world has to offer. I am officially signed to FSW and with that out of the way I am ready to throw my hat into the ring, as they say. On July the third, at the Cow Palace in Daly, California I will make my debut. I cannot yet reveal who my first opponent will be, but I can assure everybody that I will be there and my journey to the top will begin. This will be the first step of many, but I will come prepared and bring everything that I can. For the fans, for myself and for everybody that has ever supported me. It will only be the beginning. I will see you all in California in just over two weeks.”

The music gets loud again, as the song breaks into a neck-breaking solo. The camera zooms out and pans away and again, seamlessly, it shifts from the camera on the ground to the camera in the helicopter overhead. Zugaikotsu lifts the bat and points it at the helicopter as it moves away from the tallest point in Tokyo. The camera shifts its focus to the rest of Tokyo below and the words “THE RISING STAR HAS ARRIVE” flash on the screen before fading to black.