Ryu Hiroshi vs. Valley Doll III - Smells Like Teen Spirit

[BlackAkuma]

Yes, Valerie was definitely feeling this so far, and she was glad that Ryu was her first opponent in LAW. A lot of wrestlers seemed keen to start things off wild, going for unorthodox offense off the bat, beginning with crazy strikes, trying to overwhelm you. While she didn’t discount that pace - it wasn’t too far from the way her mothers had made their bones - Valerie had always been partial to the slower start, knowing it would pay dividends in the long run.

With Ryu she had the chance to show that style, with someone who was perfectly capable of keeping up with her. The sort of meat she could sink her teeth into.

Ryu’s experience shined through as he backed her up, sandwiching her into the corner and bringing the referee into things. Accustomed to following directions, Valerie released the hold when told to, and gave Ryu the chance to move away…but that didn’t mean she was done with him.

The moment he stepped forward and created some space, Valerie went into action, leaping forward trying to catch his head with her arm, hoping to bring him down into a side headlock before he could get too far.

[Teenwrestler]

So far the young rookie had impressed the veteran. She had good in-ring sense and her technique was impressive. The Dragon also noted that she seemed to have a decent amount of composure and nerves, keeping a level head while going up against him in her debut. Sure, it was a dark wrestling match but even so he had to give her credit even though it remained to be seen if she would have the same nerves if wrestling in the main event in front of a live crowd.

Having backed her up in the corner while she had him in a waistlock, Valerie would release him right away and he would quickly move out of the corner and turn around to face her. She was quite eager to continue, as well as was fast on her feet. The moment Ryu would face her, she would leap forward and catch his head in her arm for a side headlock. "Nrgh" a soft grunt escape his lips, one that he wanted to suppress but it was a testament to who strong her grip was.

However, he would quickly respond by wrapping his arms around her waist from the side and look to lift her up off her feet while falling backwards to try and slam her down on her hips for a backdrop slam. If that worked, he would quickly scamper on top of her in a cross body pin to secure the first pinfall attempt for the match.

[BlackAkuma]

Valerie didn’t know who set this match up for her, but whoever booked it, she would have to give them thanks. While it was still young in the crib, so far, she couldn't have asked for a better opponent to face and a better stage to face him on.

Having it be a dark match was great to take the pressure off, but more than that, Ryu was, so far, proving to be her sort of wrestler. No nonsense, all substance, little flash, all skill, the kind of wrestler who fought with his brain more than his muscles. Most might have panicked when she came around to grip them with the headlock, and she was expecting to get some mileage out of it, but no - this man knew what to do, with minimum delay.

It all happened fast, so fast that she was taken wholly off guard, as Valerie found herself lifted up and thrown back. Ryu made the most of the opportunit he created going for a quick pin. Smart man.

”1…!”

Didn’t mean it would work, though. Valerie arched her back and threw him off before the referee could even raise his hand again. Once he was off, she did a kip up to her feet, trying to beat him back up, spun about, then threw herself at his side, going into a roll and grabbing his legs as she went. She tumbled to her back, pulled him over, and put his shoulders on the mat with a schoolboy roll up, giving him a taste of his own medicine.

”1…!”

[Teenwrestler]

Their style appeared to compliment each other and this was no doubt going to be a test for Valerie but it was also a test for the veteran wrestler who wanted to see if he could still keep up against the younger generation of wrestling stars. The headlock was firm and uncomfortable but Ryu did not last too long in it, countering the submission effortlessly by picking Valerie up and dumping her down onto her back with a standard back drop slam. The Dragon did not waste any time either, quickly throwing himself across her body for a pinfall attempt. He knew this was not going to be enough but this was more about gaining the mental advantage of having secured the first pinfall attempt of the match.

As expected, the young blonde barely powered out of the pinfall right after the count of one. Showing her speed and tenacity, she would do an impressive kip up to beat him getting up to their feet before going into a roll and grabbing his legs to fold him up in a schoolboy roll up pin. His shoulders were pinned to the mat and he gritted his teeth but in reality he was quite impressed. However, just like with Valerie, it did not mean her tactic was going to work.

Thrusting his legs upwards, he managed to kick out and get his shoulders up off the mat before rolling away and getting back up on his feet. He panted for a few seconds, showing perhaps his stamina isn't the best. "Hah....Hah...you, me, the middle, now" he said raising his arms up in a grappler's stance as he approached her towards the middle of the ring.

[BlackAkuma]

Ryu kicked out. Of course he kicked out. Frankly, Valerie would’ve been thoroughly disappointed if that had worked and won her the match. While she didn’t care too much about fame and this was a dark match, she wasn’t going to get anywhere with quick wins in terms of improving her craft. Iron sharpens iron.

So it was a good thing that, at least as of the moment, Ryu’s iron was suitably tough and sturdy. He was starting to wither, something she would be pressing, but for the moment he was keeping up well enough. She rolled to her feet and nodded along with him, keen on resetting.

Valerie moved over to the center of the ring and dropped back down into her ready stance once more, having a better understanding of the way to approach things, now. Ryu could definitely handle him up to, matching and even exceeding her strength. But she felt his ground game was a little lacking, that he worked better on his feet. While he was good and had the weight advantage, she was no lightweight herself and speed was on her side. If she could get him down, confound him, outmaneuver him, control his center of gravity….

Yes. Yes, this could work well.

She made the first move this time, going up top and looking like she would engage with another grapple. Instead, she ducked down at the last instant, reached out, and went for his leg, wrapping her arm around the thing and pushing forward to bring him to the mat with a single-leg takedown.

[Teenwrestler]

There was no way that the Dragon was going to be slain with just that, he still had a lot more to give and a lot more to take. However, the crowd would sense just a hint of exhaustion and no doubt the same would have been sensed by his opponent. The two agreed to meet back to the middle of the ring, resetting and going again. Both wrestlers faced each other, hands out and knees bent while circling each other. Ryu waited for her to make the first move and make the first move she did.

The blonde would dart in towards him, as if to go for another grapple. However, something was not right, if she was unsuccessful in the first grapple there was no reason for her to try again unless this was a bait. Ryu remained on his guard and was ready to lock up should she go for it but as he suspected, she went low instead.

Ryu would back up with some surprising speed before quickly going low himself after Valley, looking to wrap his arms around her head and face to push her face first into the ring mat for a grounded front facelock, with his upper body pressing down on her upper back to keep her pinned while he tightened his grip of the facelock.

"Hah...who taught you to wrestle?" he was interested to know.

[BlackAkuma]

On most guys, this would’ve worked. In Valerie’s experience, many of her male opponents were in a hurry to dominate her, always wanting to prove - whether they meant to or not - that they were big, strong boys, and that no woman could get the better of them. That made them predictable, that gave her openings she could exploit, so she was all too happy to feed into the perception and give them some bait. They almost always went high.

Almost. As it turned out, Ryu wasn’t in the ‘most guys’ category, a fact she figured out when he went low and nabbed her before she could scoop him up, pushing her down and dropping his weight on top of her. Good move.

And he had a question for her, too. One she would eagerly answer.

”The same person…” She planted one foot on the canvas, pushing up. ”...who taught me…” Another one, now. ”...this!”

Valerie exploded upwards, lifting Ryu up and bringing him over, as she attempted to hit him with a Northern Lights Suplex. She made sure to bridge after the impact, hoping to keep him down for a pin attempt, even if she doubted it would get past a one-count.

[Teenwrestler]

Respect was something that was not easy to come by in the pro wrestling business or wrestling as a sport. However, as the two wrestlers separated by a generation, continued their intense grappling competition the respect for Valley grew more and more in Ryu's mind. Nepotism was certainly a stigma that Valley the third had to overcome, to prove to her doubters that she was not here just because of her name but she was her own wrestler and was also capable of carrying that legacy forward. Though her style was her own, she would became her own version of Valley Doll.

It was that very respect that he had for her, is what made him more cautious. She was not just a rookie wrestler that he would think he could out-wrestle just by virtue of having more experience than her or that he was a male. No, Ryu knew that he had to bring his A game if he were to defeat her in this wrestling match. When she came in down low, he would counter the attempt in expert fashion and use his grappling acumen to bring her down face first to the mat while being trapped in a front facelock.

His curiosity was not satisfied though as the blonde did not gave a straight answer, instead she would rise up on one foot before suddenly thrusting herself upwards to wrap her arms around Ryu's waist, pulling him up and over her, driving him down onto his back while maintain the bridge for a Northern Lights Suplex followed up with a bridge pin.

"UGH!" he grunted, now trapped in a pin which he managed to escape by kicking his legs up and bringing his shoulder up off the mat just after the count of "ONE". He would roll over to shift onto his front, getting up on all fours before rising up to a knee. Ryu could be seen panting, a hint of exhaustion, a hint of weakness that his stamina and endurance wasn't the best. Beads of sweat tricking down his forehead and chest as he slowly got back up to his feet.

"Hah.....Hah...." he panted, raising his arms up in a defensive posture.

[BlackAkuma]

The bridge? Perfect.

Making sure to arch the neck? Got it.

Standing on tiptoes, giving the move that extra bit of leverage? Oh, naturally.

Valerie hit all the checkmarks when she landed the Northern Lights, always happy to bust out one of her favorite suplexes. Her mother always favored a German Suplex, and make no mistake, Valerie could nail that one well, too. But for her money, nothing compared to a well-executed NLS, and she’d put many hours - maybe even days, all told - into improving her own.

The results speak for themselves. It wasn’t enough to win the match, but all she wanted to do now was put some fear in Ryu’s heart. ‘Planting the seeds’, as her mothers liked to call it. She rolled off and to the side, then popped up to her knee, just in time to see the fruits of her labor: Ryu, breathing hard, taking his time to get back up.

Valerie, however, was just hitting her stride, and she fully intended to make the most of that discrepancy.

With the feeling-out portion of the match concluded, Valerie decided it was past time to up the ante, and the aggression along with. Instead of giving Ryu room to breathe, she lunged forward, leaped up, and shot her legs straight out towards his chest, looking to nail him with a simple and clean dropkick.

[Teenwrestler]

It was now abundantly clear that his opponent would have no trouble performing advanced slam techniques, should she feel the need to do so. It was honestly quite impressive that someone her age would possess that much talent. However, considering her background in amateur wrestling and being the daughter of two legendary wrestler perhaps it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise. Regardless, history and legacy could only get so far and Ryu wanted to see who she was her own self and so far she was proving to be the next big superstar.

Ryu was no slouch himself, despite the Northern lights suplex and the subsequent bridge pin, he would manage to kick out at the count of one and would get back up to his feet soon after. It was clear the match was taking its toll on him though, his bronze frame glistening in sweat and chest heaving up and down due to the panting. He was still ready though, his arms were raised up in a defensive position and when the blonde came lunging forward and leapt up with her legs straight out towards him, he would bring his arms up in a X block in front of his chest to take the blow to his forearms rather his chest.

"Nrgh" he still grunted, staggering back a bit but remained standing. With Valley almost certainly trying to get back up to her feet, post drop kick attempt, Ryu would close in and wrap his arm around the back of her neck and attempt to go down on his back while dragging Valley on top of him. If that worked, he would then attempt to wrap his legs around her waist for a guillotine choke and body scissor submission.