JPN
Future of Stardom Champion, Ranna Yagami, has acquired a new weapon. In preparation for her title defense against Emma Mashima at the Yokohama Arena on April 26th, she invited Tae Honma, who retired from active wrestling last October, to the Stardom dojo in Tokyo
It's typical of Yagami to summon his senior without explaining the reason, but it's also impressive that Honma responded to the call and came all the way to the dojo. Yagami immediately said, "I've inherited the Tae Lock, but I still can't quite master it... In order to defend this belt and make it even more exciting, and with the Yokohama Arena coming up, I'd really appreciate it if you could teach me the Tae Lock."
Last October, she inherited the Tae Lock, a modified wing-breaking hold that locks both the arms and legs simultaneously, from Honma, who retired from active competition. She had attempted this move before in the second round of the "Cinderella Tournament" at the Korakuen Hall event on March 8 (against Hanan), in the Yokohama event on March 15 where she successfully captured the Future Championship (against HANAKO), and in her first Future Championship defense match at the Shin-Kiba event on March 25 (against Sakura Aya). However, she was never able to complete the move, and each attempt ended in failure
Honma, whose voice was hoarse from having just finished a stage performance on the 19th, readily agreed, saying, "OK! I haven't been doing it properly. Since the champion has asked me, I'll be sure to teach him properly." And so, the special lesson began right in the ring
When Yagami demonstrated, it became clear that he hadn't properly locked his legs, which was allowing his opponent to escape to the ropes. Honma immediately gave him some advice on the key points, and Yagami, having grasped the technique, quickly succeeded in locking his opponent's entire body. Honma's screams of "Aargh, it hurts! It hurts!" echoed throughout the dojo
Honma said, "Now it's up to you to have the mindset of a champion. I hope you'll show the dignity of a champion and successfully defend your title. I'm counting on you." He then slapped Yagami on the back, saying, "Whoa!" as a way to ward off evil spirits, something he used during his active career
Furthermore, Honma advised, "The only thing left is the name. I was happy when you said to just keep it as 'Tae Rock,' but since it will become Ranna's original, it would be better to add something that reflects Ranna's personality." Yagami then named the technique "Tae ROCK." Having played drums in a metal band, the name of the technique is taken from a musical term. Therefore, she deliberately used an English spelling to incorporate the nuance of ROCK MUSIC
The Future Champion vowed, "I definitely want to defend my title with Tae ROCK," and exuded confidence in her ability to achieve a third consecutive victory