Taking a Step towards Stardom: Yuri Matsumoto vs Chika Igarashi

[Faeron]

STANDARD MATCH
Win via Pinfall, Submission, Count Out or DQ

Spoiler

Tonight was going to be a bumpy night for Yuri as she made her way to the ring, set to face a veteran in the form of Chika Igarashi in what was gonna be a tough match for her. Yuri was strangely in a bundle of nerves heading into the match, despite the smile she was wearing while doing her usual pandering to the capacity crowd in the LAW arena. Yuri had taken on wrestlers around her own skill level, but had not shared a ring with a multi-year vet like Chika who had built a reputation for being a killer striker and having a mean streak to boot. Flexing in the middle of the ring, Yuri turned to face the stage as she waited for her opponent to come out. If Yuri was going to make a name for herself and be considered a formidable contender for the Lightweight Title, she was going to have to prove that she can hang with the best of the best.

[Vc0m]

Chika psyched herself up for the match that 13 had arranged. While a veteran, her new manager believed that she needed to face against fresher, newer wrestlers. Her logic was a win-win scenario - newer wrestlers go into the ring with older opponents, pit their energy against their foes' experience, and, win or lose, both sides come away with either experience, or lessons in how each other could be better.

In a way, for 13, these sorts of matches worked to try and prop up newer, fresher talent, while also letting veterans keep their eye on what the upcoming competition was going to be like.

As Chika asked 13 to face someone of a similar style, she was quite interested in Yuri's background. While a newer wrestler to the mainstream scene, the woman was already well travelled and had some experience to her name, having been handpicked by popular wrestlers Afrika Akan and La Tigressa for training.

In addition...Chika couldn't help but admit that the younger woman was incredibly adorable in her looks, both her attire and hair over her eyes helping with that.

For the first time in her career, Chika walked in to her theme with her manager, 13 smiling in the distance as the armored Raven Knight proudly walked on the entrance ramp.

She walked to the ring with little mind to the crowd for now, while 13 greeted the fans, excited to finally manage her client to the ring. Soon enough, Chika would enter the ring, taking off her Raven armor, holding it with one hand and lifting it into the air with intense look on her face...before passing it over to 13, who had some difficulty taking it to a corner between the barricades.

With Chika ready for the match, she did a bit of stretching before she stepped to the middle of the ring, extending her arm to her younger rival in a show of sportsmanship:

"<Good luck...>", she told Yuri.

[Faeron]

Yuri watched as Chika made her entrance, feeling the goosebumps on her arms start to rise at how cool her opponent's arrival was and slightly wished she had a cooler gimmick. The outfit made Chika bigger than she actually was, making her feel strange that Yuri had the weight advantage for once as the two met in the center of the ring. Hearing the veteran wish her luck, Yuri nodded.

"<You too>" Yuri shook Chika's hand and then backed off as the referee signaled for the match to start. Slapping her biceps as a means to pump herself up, Yuri rolled her shoulders before lunging towards Chika with the intent of starting with a lock up.

[Vc0m]

As Chika smiled towards the Joshi, the bell would soon ring as she rolled her head, the match officially beginning!

She would engage with Yuri in a lock up. Despite the woman being slightly smaller, she had a bit more weight behind her...and it was likely in the muscles department. As Chika tried to move Yuri backwards, she only felt her strength enacted on her, Yuri in full control of the lock up!

As such, Chika tried to regain a quick control of the early moments of the match, trying to force her arms out of the lock up and launching them towards Yuri's head, trying to snag her rival into a headlock!

[Faeron]

Yuri grunted as Chika transitioned into the headlock, pawing at the arms before her hand moved to the small of Chika's back. Yuri managed to pushed Chika towards the corner and if the vet rebounded, Yuri would deliver a shoulder check to put Chika down.

[Vc0m]

Yuri would be quick in her actions, managing to shove Chika off of her before the hold was fully locked in, getting the Raven Knight into a corner.

Chika approached Yuri on impulse...only for her rival to ram her shoulder into her chest, knocking her off her feet! Not content with accepting defeat even in something so simple as the advantage in the early goings of the match, Chika would quickly try to sweep her leg under Yuri's to trip her to the floor!

[Faeron]

Yuri established that she had the strength advantage in the early going of the match right as Chika swept her legs from underneath her. In an impressive display of quick thinking, Yuri caught herself and recovered with a kip-up that made the fans cheer followed up by a standing drop kick to Chika's face.

[Vc0m]

As Yuri was tripped to the mat, Chika would quickly rise back up to her feet...

...with Yuri managing to do the same within the blink of an eye.

"<What...?!>"

Before she collect herself, Yuri would already be in mid-air, knocking Chika down to the mat with a strong dropkick to her face!

"Ah!", she cried out, rubbing her sore face as she tried to get back up to her feet...

[Faeron]

The crowd was cheering loudly for Yuri as she displayed an impressive amount of agility in the early goings as she had the veteran reeling. Yuri was quick to pulled Chika into a facelock and looked to deliver a snap suplex, followed by a pin attempt.

[Vc0m]

Before she could even sit up, Yuri would lift Chika into a facelock with a swift motion...and not stopping that motion, she would swiftly lift her for milliseconds into the air, and nail her onto her back, before transitioning into a pin!

"ONE! NO!"

The moment the first count was hit, Chika jerked her body upwards to separate her shoulders from the ground. Even if Yuri got the match currently on her side, that didn't mean she was giving up the fight yet!