Entry #20
Bursts of flames shot out of the stage at the same time the high beat music played.
Moments later, a young, Japanese woman appeared out of the curtain and stepped toward the front of the stage. The heat from the fireworks and flames radiated off of her body. Thousands of fans got their cameras and smartphones out to take a picture of the twentieth entrant. The arena was filled with flashing lights.
The young woman could feel a tear cascading down her face. She took a step forward as the stage gave off one more blast of fireworks and flames. Again, the red and white pyro gave her the Japanese wrestler's curvaceous and gorgeous 34-26-33 figure.
The entire audience was going berserk. The decibel levels in the arena has gone off the chart. It was no secret that this woman was a crowd favorite. Also, she's probably everyone's pick to win the Ryona Rumble.
It was no secret that this nineteen year old woman was built for wrestling. She had a lean muscular body. This young woman was about five foot, seven inches tall. A lot of people from the audience wanted to touch her fair and creamy skin. Bright hazel eyes showed excitement and happiness. Her facial expression pretty much told the crowd exactly what she was feeling. Not only she was pumped up for this kind of competition, but she was also thrilled to be performing in front of all of these people.
The twentieth entrant had collar-length, dark brown hair that's layered distinctively and had tapered edges. Another prominent feature was that the long bangs of her hair and is parted on the far left. She also has a small mole just above her left breast. Many believed that her breasts had the perfect size. It wasn't too big, yet not too small either. Needless to say that a good number of the male audience yearned to squeeze those mounds of hers.
Her in-ring attire could be described as sporting and sexy at the same time, showing just enough skin to get the crowd excited while not making her look like a promiscuous slut. Its colors were mainly bright crimson red color, with blackish trimmings. She wore a matching bright red and black sports bra to shows off her cleavage. It's tied in front with a white lace. The words "Zero", which is written in white, can be seen over the black section on the cup of her right breast. This young woman also wore a pair of bright red short-shorts to show off her powerful, long and sexy legs. The top button of her shorts were undone to expose the hem of what appears to be a black bikini-style undergarment with the word "Zero" inscribed on top. She had red and black traditional wrestling gloves that barely reached her wrists. The twentieth entrant wore matching colored wrestling boots that didn't even reach her knees. Finally, a narrow red and black sash around her neck draped down along her back.
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OH... MY... GOD! COULD IT BE? YES, IT IS!"
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It's Reiko Hinomoto, entering at #20!"
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Whoa! This is going to be huge, Al! See why I like the Ryona Rumble? We're bound to get someone very special to enter the competition! In this case, we got the Zero Fighter, Reiko Hinomoto! She's one of my favorite wrestlers of all time!"
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Not just yours, but a lot wrestling fans as well! Reiko is known to be very energetic and enthusiastic both in and out of the ring. In every match, she always give 110% effort, no matter who's her opponent! But that's not all! She is also a kind and thoughtful young woman, showing respect to her fellow competitors! She highly values honor, respect and loyalty! A one-of-a-kind wrestler who has accomplished so much!"
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And coming into the match as the twentieth entrant! Talk about having a huge advantage! With her drive to succeed and in-ring skills, she could very well be the winner of the Ryona Rumble!"
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The lovely Reiko Hinomoto has fought and defeated many different opponents, Ray! She has wrestled with the powerful Dixie Clements! She fought her lost, older sister, who at the time was the masked terror named Evil Rose! And above all that, she even defeated the sadistic Anesthesia and her vile creation, Lady X Substance!"
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That's right, Al! The Zero Fighter has fought them all, and she has defeated them all!"
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It doesn't matter how many opponents there are in the ring, or who her opponents are! The bottom line is Reiko Hinomoto is very competitive! Her goal is to follow in her mother's footsteps and become the greatest wrestler in the world, worthy of the family name! Her indomitable spirit that cannot be broken! Reiko has fought against some of the best in the world and has defeated them all! She has endure all kinds of punishment, torture and abuse just to keep on fighting!"
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Absolutely! And you can bet, ladies and gentlemen, that Reiko Hinomoto will last a long time in this match up!"
A huge smile appeared on the nineteen year old woman's face. She clenched her fist tight and closed her eyes, praying to her mom to give her strength.
Once she felt that she was ready, Reiko opened her eyes and pointed to the sky. A final burst of red and white flames and pyro exploded behind her to get the crowd going.
Finally, she sprinted down the entrance walkway and vaulted over the top rope.
The moment Reiko entered the ring, all of the other competitors had stopped what they were doing so they could get a good look at the newest entrant.
The only exception was Nina Williams and Beth Phoenix, who were getting ready to do another double team move on Sakura.
Still, it was safe to say that everyone was in shock.
Never had they heard such an ovation for this one woman.
They had a feeling that this Japanese competitor is about to turn this whole match around.
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Oh ho! Look at the faces! Hitomi and Cammy are surprised! Gail Kim and Ayumi Kurihara are stunned! Even the mother-daughter pair of Jaycee and Michelle Chang are at a loss of words!"
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This is just the beginning, Ray! We're about to see what this truly amazing athlete can do!"
The first one to welcome Reiko Hinomoto was the fourteenth entrant. Jaycee dashed toward the Japanese young woman, ready to unleash her first attack.
But the Zero Fighter beat the luchadora to it, knocking the masked wrestler down with a clothesline.
Michelle tried to intervene.
However, she was also brought down with an elbow strike to the head by the Japanese wrestler.
Reiko then turned her attention to the seventeenth entrant, who had her hands out like she wanted no part of this contest.
But the Zero Fighter answered with a kick to the blonde's gut.
Reiko then followed with an uppercut to her chin.
Reiko finished off by stomping on Anne-Marie a couple of times.
The Zero Fighter then bounced off the ropes and dashed toward a charging Ayumi Kurihara.
The twentieth entrant reacted first, sidestepped and delivered a powerful superkick to her opponent's jaw.
Kurihara fell on the canvas and rubbed her mouth to feel for any missing teeth.
As Ayumi rolled out of the way, Reiko unleashed another superkick to the fifteenth entrant.
Hitomi fell backwards and bounced off the turnbuckle, landing hard on her face.
The Zero Fighter pointed toward the sky, showing respect to the one who gave her the courage and strength to wrestle.
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Reiko Hinomoto's on a role, ladies and gentlemen! She's attacking everyone in her path! Many have stepped up to the challenge, and all have fallen!"
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As you can see, Reiko's pointing to the heavens, paying tribute to her late, great mother! Of course back then, before her tragic accident, Kamikaze Rose was one of the best wrestlers the world has ever seen! You can see shades of Kamikaze Rose all in the way Reiko Hinomoto wrestles! Whether it's her athleticism or her passion in the ring, it's like we're all seeing her mother in action right now!"
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Kamikaze Rose will never be forgotten! Not while her daughter is having a performance like this!"
Again, Reiko went back to work on another one of her opponents. This time, she barraged Gail Kim with kicks to the gut and elbow shots to the temple.
The Zero Fighter kept on attacking the TNA Knockout until she was backed into the ropes.
The crimson clad wrestler then went for an Irish Whip on the eleventh entrant.
But Gail Kim reversed it and sent Reiko to the other side of the ring.
However, the Japanese wrestler was ready to counter.
She ricocheted off of the ropes, wrapped her arms around the Korean wrestler's head and falls on her back, driving Gail Kim's neck to the ground in a vicious neckbreaker.
Reiko's throw did quite a bit of damage to Gail Kim.
The Zero Fighter sprang back to her feet and went after a groggy Cammy White.
First, she kicked the Delta Red soldier in the gut.
Reiko then picked up the opponent and place Cammy over her shoulder so that her opponent's head was dangling over her back by the waist.
Hinomoto then held the British woman in place by holding her leg with one arm, while applying a headlock with her other arm.
The Japanese young woman then dropped to a seated position, driving the head and upper back of her opponent into the ground.
While Reiko Hinomoto was finishing the throw on Cammy, Nina Williams and Beth Phoenix were already set to perform another move on the seventeen year old idol.
The Glamazon started off by placing the groggy Hagiwara over her shoulders in a fireman's carry position.
Meanwhile, the Irish woman bounced off the ropes to gain a bit of momentum.
The eighteenth entrant then jumped up and grabbed a hold of Sakura's neck.
As Nina Williams somersaulted forward, Beth Phoenix fell backwards.
The Samoan Drop/Corkscrew Neckbreaker combination left the Sakura Hagiwara completely motionless.
After completing their assault on the youngest entrant, the blonde bombshells shifted their attention to the second youngest entrant, Reiko Hinomoto.
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It's on now, folks! Beth Phoenix and Nina Williams just took out Sakura Hagiwara! And now, they got their sights on the freshest entrant!"
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Just look at the Glamazon smiling at her opponent like the cocky WWE Diva she is! As for Nina Williams, she gazed at the Zero Fighter with those cold eyes of hers. All Reiko is to her is another competitor that must be eliminated! I gotta say, Al! You saw the damage they did to Sakura! I don't think Reiko has any idea what she's getting herself into!"
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But don't count the Zero Fighter out just yet, partner! Reiko has took on all kinds of opponents and has endured even the harshest of punishments! I'm sure that she'll be just fine holding her own!"
Beth Phoenix began the attack by going for a high angled clothesline. Thankfully, Reiko was quick on her feet and was able to react quickly.
Not only the Japanese wrestler was able to duck underneath the Glamazon's initial strike, but she also was already on the attack. Nina Williams never saw it coming.
Reiko hit the eighteenth entrant with an elbow strike to the chest.
The Zero Fighter turned around and gave Beth Phoenix another elbow to the head.
The fans were on their feet, cheering for Reiko to keep the momentum going.
The Japanese wrestler would deliver a flurry of punches, elbows, knees and kicks to both of her opponents.
Nina Williams and Beth Phoenix stumbled on their feet after taking so many shots to the head and body.
However, Reiko was relentless with her strikes.
With an almost infinite amount of energy and a competitive spirit to match, the Zero Fighter showed no mercy and no signs of stopping.
After giving the eighteenth entrant another elbow to the head, Reiko lifted Nina up off of her feet.
She then planted her hard with a scoop slam.
The Irish woman laid still on the canvas, trying to recover from all of her opponent's strikes.
Meanwhile, Reiko Hinomoto turned around and faced the groggy Glamazon.
Wanting to show her athleticism to her adoring fans, the Japanese wrestler made sure she was in perfect position, standing in between Beth Phoenix and a supine Nina Williams.
Reiko then jumped and kicked the former WWE Diva with both of her feet.
As the Glamazon fell to the ground, the Zero Fighter executed a backflip in midair.
The Japanese wrestler landed on the Irish woman's chest with a beautiful moonsault.
Again, Reiko Hinomoto pointed to the sky.
The audience cheered their hearts out, showing their appreciation for the young Japanese woman. It's seems obvious that a good number of people wanted to see this successful wrestler win the entire competition. They want her to come out on top. Even though there are ten more entrants left to make their appearance, the crowd was confident that Reiko was going to win.
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Listen to this place! Everybody is going nuts! They're all rooting for Reiko Hinomoto! And by the way she took out most of the competitors in the ring, it's safe to say that she has the advantage in the Ryona Rumble match!"
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Well, she is the freshest entrant! You can clearly see the benefits of drawing that late numbers! Most of the women have already been worn out! Meanwhile, Reiko is full on energy and, so far, has shown no signs of stopping!"
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If you ask me, I believe Reiko Hinomoto could win this match, even if she drew #1 or #2! She is very resilient! Reiko can take a beating or so, and still come back at you swinging!"
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This could play to her strengths the later we get into this match!"
The Zero Fighter scanned the entire ring to see what who else she can fight.
A majority of the competitors were either on their backs or on all fours.
Most of them are still trying to recover from the Zero Fighter's assault.
Reiko then shifted her attention towards a certain part of the ring.
One of the wrestlers was trying to use the ropes to get back to a vertical base.
The look on Sakura Hagiwara's face told the twentieth entrant that she was extremely exhausted.
She's been in this match for almost forty minutes.
Reiko can only imagine how much pain she has endured all this time. It was truly remarkable and quite admirable, definitely enough to earn her respect.
When Sakura got back to her feet, the first thing she noticed was Reiko Hinomoto standing in front of her.
She reacted on instincts and shielded her face. The teenage idol had a feeling that this woman was going to assault her, just like the other entrants had.
But after several moments of waiting, Hagiwara opened her eyes and discovered that Reiko had no intention of attacking her.
Instead, the Zero Fighter had her hand out. Reiko smiled and nodded at the seventeen year old girl.
Sakura gazed at Hinomoto's hand before glancing back at the nineteen year old wrestler. Could it be that she's not going to hit her or do some kind of wrestling throw to her? She had been attacked, slammed and abused so many times, it was hard for her to trust the Zero Fighter. Her head still ached and her entire body was sore all over.
However, Reiko waited patiently for Hagiwara's reply. Inside, she knew that this young woman has been through so much. Even though she could easily eliminate her, there was no honor in that. Hinomoto would rather earn her victory than take things the easy way. Just to reassure the teenage idol, she gave her a quick nod.
Realizing that she has nothing to lose, Sakura grabbed Reiko's hand and responded with the same smile.
That gesture earned one of the loudest cheers in the arena.
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It looks like we got some kind of an alliance here, Ray! The newest entrant, Reiko Hinomoto, has decided to team up with the first entrant, Sakura Hagiwara! This is incredible! I can't believe it! Even the crowd's excited about this!"
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And so am I, Al! Thank goodness for Sakura too! She has taken so much punishment and abuse ever since the Ryona Rumble match has started! Now that she has someone to team up with, Sakura can catch her breath, recover, and try to get back in this match at the same time!"
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Hagiwara has never teamed up with Hinomoto before! What kinds of things do you expect from these two athletes?"
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As you said before, both of these young women are some of the best athletes the world has ever seen! They are very similar in terms of speed, strength, high-flying abilities, intensity and tenacity! You know something, partner? I bet we're bound to witness some of very interesting double team moves that we have never seen before!"
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And what could be going inside the minds of Sakura and Reiko as this match goes on?"
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I believe these two phenomenal, young ladies will stick together for as long as they can, hopefully ending up as the last two women standing! Then, they can actually compete and see which one of them is the strongest! But for now, they just need to concentrate on surviving the next ten entrants!"
It turns out that Reiko Hinomoto and Sakura Hagiwara made one hell of a team. They were in sync with each other from the get go.
The two of them knocked the Glamazon back to the canvas with a double dropkick to her chest.
Once when both Japanese wrestlers made it back to their feet, they also delivered a double dropkick to Michelle Chang.
The first and twentieth and delivered a double standing dropkick to the chest of Hitomi as well.
Sakura and Reiko got back to a standing position and exchanged high fives in the middle of the ring.
But from their peripheral vision, Gail Kim had already returned to a vertical base.
They saw the TNA Knockout coming at them, going for a double clothesline. But the Japanese tag team ducked underneath the Korean wrestler's arm and retaliated with a double superkick to Gail Kim's jaw, knocking her unconscious.
The next competitor they targeted was Nina Williams. First, the Zero Fighter helped the Irish woman to her feet.
Reiko then stood side-to-side and slightly behind with her opponent, facing in the opposite direction.
The nineteen year old reached wrapped one arm around Nina's chest, seemingly looking like she's going for a Rock Bottom.
However, she had another idea. Reiko nodded toward the teenage idol. When Sakura received the signal, she jumped and nailed an enzuigiri to the back of Nina's head.
But upon impact, the Zero Fighter fell backwards, completing the Reverse STO/Jumping enzuigiri combination.
Sakura helped her partner back to her feet.
The two then Japanese women made their way toward Ayumi Kurihara, who was on her hands and knees.
They helped the nineteenth entrant to a standing position and draped an arm over their shoulders.
Hagiwara and Hinomoto then lifted the thirty year old woman off of the ground and held her up high for several moments.
The first and twentieth entrant then fell backwards to complete the double suplex.
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Oh wow! What a throw by Sakura Hagiwara and Reiko Hinomoto! These two remarkable, young women make quite a team!"
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Absolutely, Al! Watching these two execute these double team moves is like poetry in motion! There is complete trust in one another! If these two were to team up in the future, they could be one of the most successful tag teams in wrestling history!"
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You said it, Ray! I cannot wait to see what other moves these amazing athletes have yet to show us!"
Reiko and Sakura exchanged high fives and gave each other another nod, wordlessly telling one another that it's time to show the crowd exactly what happens when put their finishing moves together.
The teenage idol first got Cammy White back to a vertical base.
After taking a step back to get some distance, Hagiwara performed a small backflip with her feet hitting the opponent's jaws one shortly after the other.
Her patent Sakura Special sent the Delta Red officer stumbling toward the Zero Fighter.
Reiko quickly grabbed Cammy's left arm, twisted it and hooked it across the British woman's back. The nineteen year old then turned her opponent around, whilst locking Cammy's right arm with her right hand.
Hinomoto then hoisted the twelfth entrant over her body and slammed her opponent on the unforgiving canvas.
The impact on the Sunrise Suplex left the blonde beauty motionless.
Reiko and Sakura regrouped with each other, ready to deliver their next double team move.
As the twentieth entrant sprang back to her feet and climbed one of the turnbuckles, Hagiwara helped Jaycee to her feet.
The seventeen year old idol stood behind the masked luchadora, hooked the right arm across the back and the left arm across her neck.
Remembering what her mentor, Misaki Toyoda had taught her, Sakura lifted her opponent over her body and transitioned to a bridging position.
She forcefully drove Jaycee's head and upper back on to the mat.
Still stunned from Sakura's throw, the masked wrestler rolled over on her back.
When Hagiwara quickly moved out of the way, Reiko leaped from the turnbuckle.
The Zero Fighter and executed two backflips in midair.
She landed across the fourteenth entrant's chest.
The crowd went berserk after witnessing the Misaki Special/Angel Dive combination.
Reiko and Sakura raised their arms toward the sky, showing the audience their appreciation.
While the two Japanese wrestlers waved to the crowd, there was one more competitor they had seemingly forgotten about. A hurt, but livid Anne-Marie had made it to feet. She had to end their run somehow. And the best way to do it was to eliminate either Hagiwara or Hinomoto. Since the seventeen year old girl was closer and had been in the matchup longer, the blonde deduced that the #1 entrant will be the easiest and first to go.
Anne-Marie charged toward Sakura's blindside. Thankfully, Reiko Hinomoto saw the seventeenth coming.
The Zero Fighter shoved Hagiwara aside so she could take on the blonde.
When Anne Marie was close enough, Reiko grabbed her opponent and hoisted her over the top rope.
The seventeenth entrant bounced off of the apron and landed hard on her back on the unforgiving floor.
The ache in her spine was bad.
But the fact that she was out of the competition is even worse.
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And there goes Anne-Marie! Hinomoto eliminated Anne-Marie, continuing her incredible run in the Ryona Rumble!"
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Man, Sakura sure dodged a bullet there! Anne-Marie had Hagiwara in her sights! But a quick save by Reiko not only saved her partner from elimination, but also resulted in eliminating Anne-Marie!"
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Sakura Hagiwara and Reiko Hinomoto! Strong when they're alone! Unstoppable when they're a team!"
After exchanging high fives once again, Reiko and Sakura dropped in their stance and faced the stage.
The titantron once again displayed the countdown for the twenty-first to make her appearance. Both teenage wrestlers smiled at each other. It doesn't matter who's entering the Ryona Rumble matchup at #21. As long as the two of them stick together and land a few more of those unique double team moves, no one can stop them.
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*BEEEEEEEEEEEP*
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