Sarah Michelle Gellar vs Misaki Ito
Revenge had been a long time coming. The first...and until now, only...match between Sarah and Misaki had been back in 1997, when both were green rookies. Gellar was making her first visit to Japan and was an overnight sensation, claiming victories over a string of Japanese opponents, including Ito, in what was the first defeat of the rookie
puroresu star. Sarah of course has since gone on to become one of the true living legends of the HWA, while Misaki, if not quite as accomplished in her homeland, is still regarded as one of the top heels in all of Asia.
For more than twenty years, Ito had been anxious to get a rematch with the
gaijin and avenge her loss. And tonight, at long last, before a capacity crowd at the Osaka Arena, she has her chance.
But it had not proven as easy as she perhaps had hoped. It was a brutal match, with the two grapplers battling to a virtual standstill throughout much of it. For the last few minutes however, Gellar had launched a late offensive, and was in command of the fight.
But Misaki had well earned her reputation as a rulebreaker. The first opportunity she had, she reached into her boot and extracted a small plastic bag, deftly emptying the contents into her hand, all out of sight of the referee. A moment later, she threw those contents into the face of her rival, and a powdery white cloud enveloped the startled Sarah's face; the finely ground salt blinded the blonde, and just like that her offensive came crashing to a halt as she staggered about, groping blindly for the safety of the ropes.
But there would be no safety for the American, as Ito unleashed a maelstrom of devastation upon her, as a deafening chorus of boos cascaded down upon her from the thousands-strong crowd of spectators. But she couldn't care less about what the idiot fans thought...all that matters is victory. And now at last, she has it in her grasp. Lifting her battered opponent up across her shoulders for a Backbreaker Rack, she gives a cruel half-smile as she hears the wails of pain from Gellar; it's a spectacular sight, as their lithe sweat-drenched bodies glisten under the stadium lights. The blonde writhes in pure anguish, her spine bent agonizingly, until finally she starts to shriek,
"I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP!"...and then, she employs those Japanese words she had learned, but hoped she'd never have to use:
"TEISHUTSU SURU!!!" And with her submission comes the end of the match...but not the end of Misaki's vengeance.
Instead of releasing her now beaten foe, Ito instead executes a savage 'Burning Hammer' Inverted Death Valley Driver, throwing herself to her left and spiking the crown of Sarah's skull into the mat with a Piledriver. Her body gone instantly limp, the blonde puddles to the canvas, unconscious.
As the referee raises her arm in victory and the booing washes ever-louder over her, Misaki smirks as she watches her vanquished rival carried out of the ring on a stretcher, utterly defeated.
.jpg)
