Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2015 17:10:58 GMT -5
As I walked into the dojo where I first trained, the smell took me right back to my very first day here. I was just 18 years old, the year was 2003, and in this very room, I wrestled my first ever match. I sat down on the chair in the corner, and looked around at the place where Masahiko Ishimura was made into a man. The ropes that burned your back every time you hit them, the sweaty, bloody canvas, ripped turnbuckle pads. The whole room just felt like home to me. As I stood and admired, my cell phone went off.
"Hello?"
"Ishimura?"
"Yes?"
"This is Toshiaki Tozawa, president of JPF."
"Hello sir."
"Yes, I'm calling you to tell you that I need to see you later today. Myself and the board of directors will be waiting for you in room C2 of the head office. Ok?"
"Absolutely sir, I will be there."
"Very good."
Mr. Tozawa was a man of very few words, but commanded respect wherever he went. After all, he was the first ever JPF World Heavyweight Champion.
3:15 PM
I walked through the doors of the head office, and a receptionist immediately recognised me and pointed me in the direction of room C2. I knocked on the door, and I heard Mr. Tozawa's grizzled voice say "come in".
I walked through the doors and was greeted with the sight of every single member of the board of directors and Mr. Tozawa sat at a table, with Mr. Tozawa at the end.
Ah, Ishimura, have a seat."
"The reason I asked you to come here today is because we have a very unique opportunity for you. We received a phone call this morning from the WFWF's head office over in the United States, are you familiar with them?"
"Yes, sir. Absolutely."
"Good, good, because they contacted us and they asked us if a member of the JPF roster, specifically yourself, would like to wrestle for them as part of a work relationship between our two companies. The way it works is we send one of our wrestlers, you, and they send us one of theirs. In your place while you are wrestling in the United States will be Axel Thornstowe. So, we are asking you, would you like to accept this offer and go to America? I need an answer."
"Well, sir, I don't mean to be rude but that's a very big question, I mean, my family is over here, my house is over here, basically my entire life is over here. I would have to give it some long thought before I can reach a decision for you."
"Do not worry about your family. I have already arranged housing for you, your wife and your son in America."
"Well.. ok. I will do it."
"Great. You board the plane on Friday at 5:30 AM."
"Ok."
Friday (6:30 AM)
Sat down on the plane with my wife and my son asleep, I had some time to think to myself, and pondered over the decision I had made. I have now left my own country to go to a strange one and live there. It's not very fair on my wife, or my son. My son has to start at a new school where everyone else is foreign. My wife has left all of her friends. As bad as I feel, I know my wife will still support me.
Friday (4:55 PM)
I arrived through the doors of the WFWF Headquarters, where I was invited to take a seat by a receptionist. I was taken on a tour of the headquarters, but not for long, as I had to leave to make an appearance at a press conference.
Friday (8:30 PM)
I stood in the other room, listening and waiting to be prompted to make my entrance with my translator.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today, the WFWF is proud to present to you its newest acquisition. He is a former multi-time JPF Junior Heavyweight Champion, Openweight Champion, and Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, ladies and gentlemen, Masahiko Ishimura!"
As I walked through the door to loud cheers from the small crowd of fans and reporters, I was truly humbled at the ovation I received. I took a seat at the desk, next to the man who would be in my place in JPF whilst I was here, Axel Thornstowe. The crowd began to ask me questions.
"Mr. Ishimura, what are your thoughts on being hand picked to come over here and wrestle for the WFWF?"
My translator gave me the question in Japanese.
"Watashi wa te WFWF shokuin ni yotte eraba reta koto o hijō ni megumare to kenkyo ni kanjimasu. Watashi wa kotchi no kyōgō o tanoshiminicrapeimasu."
"Mr. Ishimura feels very blessed and humbled to have been hand selected by WFWF officials, and he looks forward to competing over here."
"Mr. Thornstowe, what are your thoughts headed into your first ever tour of Japan?"
"Well, it's definitely a very exciting opportunity that I'm happy to be a part of. I've been a fan of Japanese wrestling since I was a kid and it's almost surreal to finally say that I'm going to be wrestling there for the biggest company in all of Japan."
The press continued to ask questions until the conference ended. I was requested to take a picture, where I shook hands with Axel Thornstowe, with him holding a JPF banner and myself holding a WFWF banner.
"Hello?"
"Ishimura?"
"Yes?"
"This is Toshiaki Tozawa, president of JPF."
"Hello sir."
"Yes, I'm calling you to tell you that I need to see you later today. Myself and the board of directors will be waiting for you in room C2 of the head office. Ok?"
"Absolutely sir, I will be there."
"Very good."
Mr. Tozawa was a man of very few words, but commanded respect wherever he went. After all, he was the first ever JPF World Heavyweight Champion.
3:15 PM
I walked through the doors of the head office, and a receptionist immediately recognised me and pointed me in the direction of room C2. I knocked on the door, and I heard Mr. Tozawa's grizzled voice say "come in".
I walked through the doors and was greeted with the sight of every single member of the board of directors and Mr. Tozawa sat at a table, with Mr. Tozawa at the end.
Ah, Ishimura, have a seat."
"The reason I asked you to come here today is because we have a very unique opportunity for you. We received a phone call this morning from the WFWF's head office over in the United States, are you familiar with them?"
"Yes, sir. Absolutely."
"Good, good, because they contacted us and they asked us if a member of the JPF roster, specifically yourself, would like to wrestle for them as part of a work relationship between our two companies. The way it works is we send one of our wrestlers, you, and they send us one of theirs. In your place while you are wrestling in the United States will be Axel Thornstowe. So, we are asking you, would you like to accept this offer and go to America? I need an answer."
"Well, sir, I don't mean to be rude but that's a very big question, I mean, my family is over here, my house is over here, basically my entire life is over here. I would have to give it some long thought before I can reach a decision for you."
"Do not worry about your family. I have already arranged housing for you, your wife and your son in America."
"Well.. ok. I will do it."
"Great. You board the plane on Friday at 5:30 AM."
"Ok."
Friday (6:30 AM)
Sat down on the plane with my wife and my son asleep, I had some time to think to myself, and pondered over the decision I had made. I have now left my own country to go to a strange one and live there. It's not very fair on my wife, or my son. My son has to start at a new school where everyone else is foreign. My wife has left all of her friends. As bad as I feel, I know my wife will still support me.
Friday (4:55 PM)
I arrived through the doors of the WFWF Headquarters, where I was invited to take a seat by a receptionist. I was taken on a tour of the headquarters, but not for long, as I had to leave to make an appearance at a press conference.
Friday (8:30 PM)
I stood in the other room, listening and waiting to be prompted to make my entrance with my translator.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today, the WFWF is proud to present to you its newest acquisition. He is a former multi-time JPF Junior Heavyweight Champion, Openweight Champion, and Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, ladies and gentlemen, Masahiko Ishimura!"
As I walked through the door to loud cheers from the small crowd of fans and reporters, I was truly humbled at the ovation I received. I took a seat at the desk, next to the man who would be in my place in JPF whilst I was here, Axel Thornstowe. The crowd began to ask me questions.
"Mr. Ishimura, what are your thoughts on being hand picked to come over here and wrestle for the WFWF?"
My translator gave me the question in Japanese.
"Watashi wa te WFWF shokuin ni yotte eraba reta koto o hijō ni megumare to kenkyo ni kanjimasu. Watashi wa kotchi no kyōgō o tanoshiminicrapeimasu."
"Mr. Ishimura feels very blessed and humbled to have been hand selected by WFWF officials, and he looks forward to competing over here."
"Mr. Thornstowe, what are your thoughts headed into your first ever tour of Japan?"
"Well, it's definitely a very exciting opportunity that I'm happy to be a part of. I've been a fan of Japanese wrestling since I was a kid and it's almost surreal to finally say that I'm going to be wrestling there for the biggest company in all of Japan."
The press continued to ask questions until the conference ended. I was requested to take a picture, where I shook hands with Axel Thornstowe, with him holding a JPF banner and myself holding a WFWF banner.