Eiji Matsumoto interviews Darina Daybreak

[FreestylePoet]

There we go. Darina knew that face. Jaw hanging and brows raising. Marching to the beat of her own drum always got read as disrespect, and that face was the result. It was the face that people made when she refused to toe the line. When she didn't jump at the chance to sign with UFC, or when she decided to join LAW instead. Darina wouldn't laugh it off tonight. She didn't need Eiji on her side per se, but she also couldn't let him cast her as the petulant child here... at least any more than he already did.

"I'm not gonna lie, Eiji. You make it worthwhile. You and every other media member that doubts me." The crowd started to laugh at what they thought was a veiled barb. "No, no, I'm serious! I have so much respect for Eiji and for the media in general. Sometimes they're dipshits. Sometimes they give real analysis. Sometimes they just spout off whatever clickbait comes to mind. Really, Eiji is one of the more honest ones in the business. But whatever you think of him or any of them, they start a conversation."

She turned back to Eiji. "And that's all I wanna do. Start a conversation. Like the old playground classic. If you throw a pack of wolves into the cheetahs' jungle, who comes out on top? Who gets to eat?" It was clear in this analogy who Darina thought was the alpha in said pack of wolves. "Who's to say? Other than the zoologists and ecologists, but pro wrestling doesn't have that kind of expert. It's the same kind of question here, though. For decades, people thought there was only one way to fight as a heavyweight in professional wrestling. Only one way to get the people on their side. Big meaty women slapping meat. That worked, and it still works! You've got so many badasses I can't wait to fight. But when that gets flipped on its head... some people feel threatened." She shared a knowing look with Eiji, only a hint of smugness bleeding through. "But most people? Most fans? They're curious. They're excited."

"I'm here to deliver on that excitement, people!" Darina swept her hand across the stadium. "When I win, I make people get refunds for their seats because they only use the very edge. When I lose, the shield I go out on becomes front-page news. If I'm bringin' that, and I'm bringin' the next generation of Emm-Emm-Ay crossing into Ell-Ay-Doublya..." She straightened up after delivering that last little bit in a childish staccato. "If I'm a fan of either sport, I wanna see where that goes. Don't you?"

She pointed a bang-bang finger at the entrance ramp. "I wanna see where it goes with them. The ones you said are taking offense right now. Because they make this worthwhile too, and you've got so many of them for me to pick from. Dozens of women who could throw me around like a ragdoll or beat me into a pulp. Even a few I'd thank for the pleasure." She winked at the camera. Did Eiji hate hentai wrestling as much as he hated MMA? Maybe something to poke on later.

"It's like I said a hundred times last time out: Maybe it works. Maybe, when you build your pound-for-pound rankings or set your betting markets, I'd be the underdog. Maybe I'd even agree with you from an outside point of view." That was an unexpected piece of honesty coming from Darina. She was boastful and proud, and even before a match began, her unshakable faith in herself was easy to see. "But the second I step into that ring? I'm picking myself against anyone you throw at me. I'm picking how I put girls to sleep, I'm picking how I get the people jumping, and I'm picking what I do." She let those last few words hang in the air for a few seconds. Let the gears turn in the people's heads. Let herself smile devilishly. Then she continued. "Because I'm the best at what I do." Darina slowly put her off-hand up and curled it into a fist. The crowd was ready to follow along, one more time. "And what I do is--"

NICE! AS! HEEEELLLLLL!

[CaptainL]

"Hmmph..." With Darina's comment about the press making things worthwhile, Eiji looked off, reaching up to adjust his glasses mainly as a means of giving him a convenient excuse to not be looking in her direction. He blushed a little as he heard the laughter - but he only blushed harder when Darina called him one of the most honest journalists in the business. At that, he paused, blinking a few times. The more he thought about it...the more he realized that she was entirely correct. He spoke his mind, and he didn't care to let the constraints of politeness or good taste hold his tongue - that was something he took pride in. If Darina respected him for that - which was more than could be said about a lot of the people he dealt with - he couldn't hold that against her.

That being said, he certainly picked up on the smugness on her face when she went on about people being feeling threatened by the changing tides of the wrestling world. And it made him bite at the inside of his cheek, his fingers tightening around the pen in his hand as he reminded himself not to act out about it. Though, with Darina going on about how she was the best at what she did, and building herself up with one colorful analogy after another - none of which did much to convince him she would make good on her promises to be more of a combatant than a showwoman - that was going to be hard. And when he heard the cheers of the fans ring out afterward, it made him grumble a little under his breath. Of course these people would fall completely under her spell.

"Well..." he muttered, "maybe it would be best if I lead with an example here. A woman who's going to be on this very same card tonight - Lauren Fredricks of Irish Oldschool. There's a woman who makes no excuses for using an old-school - some might say outdated - fighting style. Pure power, lots of slams and suplexes, none of the flippy stuff that's just there to look cool for the cameras. She's worked hard to make that style a viable one in this day and age, and I respect her for it. She's got a long history in this company; she was there before I was, even. And despite her long history in the business, she still has to fight against the perception that she's a jobber who can't keep up with the times, and who gets outcompeted by the younger generation. This despite the fact she's out there competing for a title tonight - against a couple of idols." He audibly grumbled at that statement. "I, personally, say that the bad rap is underserved, and that if she's stuck around the big shows this long, it's a point to her credit, no matter what style she uses. If Ms. Fredricks is listening to this interview right now, I can't imagine she appreciates some of the things you're saying. What, then, might you say to her?"

[FreestylePoet]

Darina did a lot of talking, but she wasn't so bad at listening, either. She listened intently as Eiji lamented how wrestling fans looked at people like Lauren Fredericks, who had put in a lot of work to stay at the top flight of her sport but went unappreciated anyway simply because she wasn't a superstar. She thought for a moment about how best to respond -- because Eiji was right. It was bullshit how people treated wrestlers like Lauren. Eventually, she nodded. "Well," she started slowly, "I'd point out that there are former MMA fighters in LAW who went the same day. Sierra Oasis, I mentioned her. Her record isn't anything to write home about, either, and like Lauren, people gave her the jobber label way too easily. Maybe, in a literal sense, that's true but... it's fucked up." She closed her fist with a slight growl.

It didn't take too long for her to calm down. "To your point, though, wrestlers like that deserve our respect precisely because they keep coming out here and competing. Do you know why they do that?" She waited for a moment. "Sure, it's because they have real love and passion for the sport, but what allows them to do that? What in their head keeps them coming back, even when they keep going down?"

"Let's put it like this: You've covered other sports, right? It's like, uh, let's say baseball. Sometimes, the best way to beat the runner to the bag..." Darina took a few steps forward then reached down with her left hand, miming a shortstop fielding a ground ball. Then she let her momentum carry her though a full spin, plucked the ball from her glove, and threw to an imaginary home plate. "...Also happens to be the flashiest. Same with soccer." She jogged back to Eiji, legs sweeping in wide circles like a winger's stepover. It wasn't pretty -- she didn't have the talent to play any of those other sports -- but hopefully she got her point across.

When she reached Eiji's side, she leaned into the reporter's mic to gain full use of both arms. "And in fighting? There's a big difference between this and this," she said, thrusting one elbow forward then spinning around for a back elbow. "My style's pretty, and people like it. But would I really have the body count I have -- all around the world, and even through a few bouts here -- if it didn't have something to it?"

Darina shrugged. "Maybe I'm a little louder about it than most, but that's all for fun and love of the game, too. What I got goin' on in here?" She tapped her temple. "It's the same as everyone else. Every single fighter in LAW -- when they step in that ring, they think, no, they know in their heart of hearts that whatever they've been working on in the gym is gonna see them through. That it's better than what the other person's got. Same style, different style, doesn't matter." She stopped for a moment to think about what she just said. "Well, maybe not the masochists or the dozen-loss jobbers. But that's how you compete. One girl's gotta be wrong at the end of the day, but you have to have faith that you're gonna win. Lauren thinks that way. Sierra thinks that way. But so do Alizeh and Ichika and both Astrids. I'm the same, when it gets down to it. That's just what it means to compete. Loud or quiet, believe in what you do."

There was a lesson for the kids back home.

[CaptainL]

As Darina gave her explanation, Eiji lowered his glasses down the bridge of his nose, raising an eyebrow intently. That...was honestly a more nuanced take than he had come to expect out of Darina. This whole time, he had been ready to dismiss her as a showman first and a fighter second, too obsessed with keeping up her own image and playing to the crowd to make the most of her in-ring skills. In fact, when he brought up Lauren Fredricks, he was ready to hear her dismiss her as washed-up, over the hill, and unable to keep up with the times, as so many had done so before.

But...Darina didn't do that. If anything, it was her respect for Lauren and her determination that shone through, regardless of her record. Rather, because of her record. Sure, Lauren didn't have the most impressive win-loss ratio to her name...but in Darina's book, the fact that she was going out there and putting herself in the ring anyway was a testament to her strength, and her willingness to keep going in spite of the odds. In fact, she noted that despite the fact her no-frills, back-to-basics style was nothing like her own, she still recognized the work Lauren had put into it and felt there was something valid in all styles; it was the people behind those styles who mattered. Even if she was still her usual bombastic self in getting that message across...there was something at the heart of it that felt genuine; that spoke to him. Eiji needed to take a moment to ponder what he was hearing here. This was the same Darina Daybreak, right?

"That's...well-said, actually." There was no hint of sarcasm or dishonesty in his voice - Eiji had come to understand Darina a little better through this interview, and he was starting to actually develop repect for her. "In fact, I think this brings us to an interesting point, Ms. Daybreak. Would you say that's your advice to any wanna-be wrestlers out there? To have faith in their skills and to develop their style to be the best it can be? What else would you advise any of today's hopefuls - who I'm sure are watching us right now?"

[FreestylePoet]

People always told Darina she didn't have a way with words. Which, fair. All she did was speak her mind -- or, more accurately, speak her heart. But she could be clever, too. Persuasive. After all, she'd managed to find common ground with Eiji Matsumoto, hadn't she?

"It's a good piece of advice, for sure. Always have faith in what you do. Believe you've got the best in the world somewhere deep in you. Then go unlock it. Not as simple as it sounds, but it's crucial. As for your other question..." Darina's gaze flickered to the lights above as she thought. Not the spotlights. The ones above the catwalks and girders. Little pendant lights on the roof of the stadium. From down here, they looked almost like stars.

Did Darina have more to say? She always did. But sometimes she needed to choose her words carefully. Slowly, she nodded at each earthen star in turn, etching the pinlight constellation in her memory. Then she looked to Eiji with a thin-lipped, sidelong smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I do have something else for 'em. No more jokes, either. This one's for real." Back to the cameras. To the people who made this all possible. Doubters and haters. Supporters and fans. Every single one of them paved the way for Darina Daybreak to come to LAW. "My advice to you... Other than to always buy into what you got? It's to march to the beat of your own drum. Prove the haters wrong or cut them out of your life. Do what you know you rock at or explore things you don't know shit about. Walk the walk or talk the talk or do both or neither. It's your choice. And that makes all the difference. Don't just believe in what you do, though like I said, that's important. It's about believing in what you are. Believing in yourself. Everything else comes from there."

She looked back at the shorter man besides her. "Even the jokes. As much as you might hate 'em." The crowd laughed at the sweet and heartwarming display. "Got anything else for me, Eiji?"

[CaptainL]

Yes, Darina was...eccentric. She was nothing if not outspoken, and she was outspoken in ways that Eiji had mixed feelings about. But no one could deny that she didn't speak from the heart - and the passion she had for everything she did and everything she believed in was coming through in every word out of her mouth. Even if Eiji couldn't agree to everything she did, he did have to give her some credit where it was due; she didn't half-ass anything. And when she issued her advice to any would-be wrestlers out there, it was that philosophy that came through loud and clear. At first, when he heard Darina begin to speak, Eiji's mouth fell open. He was ready to chime in with an objection; he was all but convinced that something out of Darina's mouth was going to rub him the wrong way. But he never said anything. And it was, perhaps, all the more surprising for him when that objection never came.

Believe in yourself. Follow the beat of your own drum. That was the core of Darina's message...and Eiji could imagine no better exemplar of that message than Darina herself. She knew she was a big talker, and that her image of herself could come across as a bit inflated...but she didn't care. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind. And, even if their opinions often flew contrary to one another, Eiji wasn't either. He had certainly been outspoken about his opinions on the wrestling business and the direction it was heading, and he had quite a reputation for it. But it was all because that was what he believed in, and what he was passionate about. No matter what anyone else thought, he stuck to his guns. There was nothing he could say in retaliation, he realized, that wouldn't make himself a hypocrite. And in the face of that, he decided it was better to remain silent.

He did still grumble at the laughter, though - but he still cleared his throat and held his back a little straighter. "Just one more thing I'd like to ask before we get on with things, Ms. Daybreak. And it's a question I think is hanging on all our minds right now. If you could face off against anyone in LAW for your next match - who would it be?"

A few "oooohs" filled the air, then. Darina's electrifying personality had most certainly made her some new fans tonight - and now, those fans were more eager than ever to see what they might have to look forward to.

[FreestylePoet]

For once, Darina didn't have anything more to say. No witty remarks or crowd pleasers. And, it seemed, Eiji was the same way. There wasn't another curveball question coming down the pipe. Just a simple one, actually. Eiji and the world wanted to know: Who was next on Darina Daybreak's hit list? After all, most of the people on there didn't stay standing for long. How long would that last?

Darina scratched her chin. This might have been her most important answer yet. As much as Eiji wanted to pin her down with a question she couldn't answer, setting her sights was an even bigger fish to fry. With the right shot across the bow, Darina could get on the radar of some very important people backstage. "So many choices..."

There was one obvious place to start. "Well, it's like ya said. There's a bunch of world-class martial artists here in LAW. Everyone who grows up with a pair of fight shorts on wants to take on their idols someday. Wouldn't mind some of those we talked about earlier. New and old." Zira, Kate, Jian, and all the rest were natural opponents, after all.

"There's also a buncha girls around here who deserve a Starmaker to the face. I can think of one in particular EVERYONE hates back in the locker room." She actually couldn't. Darina didn't pay attention to locker room gossip like that. But the promise of comeuppance was enough to get anyone excited.

Her next idea drew an excited grin; Darina was breaking character just thinking about this next bout. "I coooooould pick that other badass blonde. Heard there's one that every up-and-coming heavyweight wants to go through these days." By the sounds of it, everyone in this packed-to-the-gills arena liked that idea too.

"That is a good point, actually." Darina hadn't gone through as many heavyweights as she'd wished. "Maybe I should focus on my own weight class. But that's still a quarter of the roster. It's hard to pick who I should put to bed next."

"I dunno. Who do you all think?" The packed PPV crowd shouted every name on the roster out to her open arms. Heavyweights, middleweights, lightweights. Men, women. Even some folks who weren't signed to LAW just yet. She turned back to Eiji with a sheepish grin. There really wasn't one single answer jumping to the forefront of her mind. As much fun as she was having with the audience, this might be the first actual stumper the guy had given her.

Then a little idea popped into her head. The gears started turning, earning a mischievous grin from Darina Daybreak. "Actually. There's one person I really wanna hear from. See, I do feel like we reached a little understanding, a little something-something just now." She swiped a finger back and forth between them. "But we'll probably never see eye to eye. So there must be someone you think can bash my pretty little face in for the comeuppance you think I deserve. A test, to see if I can back up everything I'm saying. Or maybe just some hottie you wanna see me go au naturale with." Darina shrugged. "I don't judge."

"Either way, lemme kick that question back to ya, Eiji: Who do YOU wanna see me face? Doesn't have to be for my next match like ya asked, but just... some day. I could use an Eiji Matsumoto Challenge on my plate."

[CaptainL]

Now, this was interesting. Eiji had left it in Darina's court to name her next opponent...and Darina, despite all her bluster and bravado, didn't actually have a name in mind. She had spent this whole time building herself up, shaping up her image as the confident, fearless would-be champion ready to take on all comers...but she didn't have a name in mind. If Eiji had posed this question at the start of the interview, he would have seen this as proof that Darina really was all talk - that she only knew she wanted to look good, but had no clue how to do it. But he had come to realize that there was more to Darina than that. He'd come to realize there was something in this woman worth respecting, after all - her commitment to the craft, and her refusal to bow down to anyone's expectations, whether or not Eiji necessarily approved of how she did so. He wasn't going to read her so negatively any more. No, he was willing to hear her out this time.

It also wasn't lost on him that Darina hadn't named names - and several of the descriptions she'd thrown out could well apply to several people in LAW. A few "oooohs" could be heard, and no doubt there were numerous social media platforms abuzz with speculation from the moment Darina had said the word. Eiji knew there were some people at LAW Magazine who would jump on the opportunity to build up hype around the mystery, and if he was the type to peddle in sensationalism and shock-jockery he no doubt would encourage that - but he didn't believe in all that. If it came down to it, he would stand for integrity and honesty against the pursuit of a quick buck every time. And he cleared his throat and stood a little straighter...only for Darina to throw out that quip about going au naturale.

At that, Eiji jumped back. His face went red, and even when he hadn't been drinking anything, he still spat a torrent into the air in sheer shock! A laugh came down from the stands, but he pushed his glasses back up his nose, grumbling a little. He had made his feeling on hentai wrestling very clear, and to him, such a comment was not funny. "Er, moving on from that..."

"...Darina Daybreak, if I was to name any opponent for your next match, let me throw out one name in particular...Astrid Ostberg!"

As soon as he said it, a few gasps could be heard, and plenty of cheers, too - the prospect of a match between the two heavyweights had quickly jumped to the top of more than a few peoples' lists of dream matches! "In my book, it's a no-brainer. You're both heavyweights. You both care an awful lot about what you do. You're out to try and reinvent the division, and she's a staunch traditionalist who's been carrying on things the way her grandfather did 'em - and still managed to secure a championship run. If I was to take your word for it, I'd also say you were both world-class talent. But, I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ms. Daybreak - you can talk yourself up all you want, but until you can prove it in the ring, I've got no reason to believe there's any more of a future for you than there is for a pig farmer in Tel Aviv. And if there's one woman who's going to put you to the test, and show you if anything you've talked about tonight is gonna hold water, that's gonna be Astrid Ostberg. You've shown me enough that I don't want to completely write you off here - but push has still got to come to shove. And I want to ask you right now, Darina - will you be ready?"

[FreestylePoet]

Astrid Ostberg.

188 pounds of grit and muscle, honed by the years rather than eroded. One of the toughest wrestlers on the planet, with a who's-who of LAW's most elite for a rap sheet. An icon of the company who'd taken it to new locales and greater heights. A living legend who lives up to the legend -- every damn day.

And... Darina's next opponent?

Eiji seemed to think it was worth a dare. By the sounds of it, the whole damn Tokyo Dome did, too. Darina looked across the crowd, taking the time to breathe this moment in. To dream with the rest of the world. Astrid Ostberg versus Darina Daybreak. She could feel the bruises on her skin, the aches in her muscles that such a bout would earn her. She could taste the iron in her mouth, too, and she could smell the ozone of a storm that only two titans could brew between them.

Most of all, she could hear the crack of her elbow on Astrid's unblemished chin. Replaying that scene over and over in her head caused Darina to smile. Finally, she raised her mic and locked her steely gaze back to the reporter. If she called herself a fighter, then there was only one answer she could give.

"Yes."

At once the crowd went back on their feet, just as raucous as they'd been for any match tonight. "Who knows what the future will bring for me or for her?" she yelled. "But I'm not gonna hide behind LAW's suits as an excuse. If they won't give her to me, then I'll beat their doors down until they do! Because belt or not, she's got a crown on her head -- and boooooyyy, I want it bad."

That got the people going even harder. But they didn't come here for promises and platitudes. They came here to see Darina Daybreak do what she did best -- shine bright. A little more show for their show couldn't hurt anyone. Except Eiji. But hey. He knew what to expect at this point. Darina threw her arms out wide and turned to the audience, that jovial smile back on the menu. "And when I'm done with her? LAW, she's gonna have a new belt: mine. On her ass!" One finger shot to a camera. "Hear that, Ostberg? A beatdown's comin' to your town, at a thousand miles an hour. And no higher power... is comin' to save ya. It's belt to ass, Astrid, and it's happening soon."

With that, Darina's part in their interview ended, and Eiji gave the closing remarks for this segment to a cascade of "BELT TO ASS! BELT TO ASS!" raining upon him.

[FreestylePoet]

Complete!