[The post-show press conference is quiet as everyone anxiously waits – from the journalists in attendance to fans watching the stream at home on this Saturday night. Someone finally emerges from the back and takes the stage - “The Black Rose” Hanako Takeuchi. She's keeping it all black in her relaxed fit sweater, leather skirt, and opaque tights. Those heels make the 5'11” Osaka native look even taller. Her titles are missing. She left her Union Battleground Battalion, Iron Japan Shoot Crown, and RCW Artemis Championship belts in the back. Instead, she's brought out an unopened bottle of Jameson and a shot glass that she sets aside on the table before taking a seat. It's hard to tell exactly how she feels with this stoic expression. After her first Union GP loss, she's put herself in the open without her title belts on display. Just her, a bottle of Irish whiskey, and a shot glass that she isn't too quick to go for. It's like she's forgotten about it just after putting it down. Takeuchi raises the microphone before prompting the journalists.] TAKEUCHI: Go on. BLOODY ELBOW: Hanako, you were very hot coming into tonight. You couldn't get it done in the Lightweight Championship match but you refused to tap out. The referee had to stop the match. How do you feel? TAKEUCHI: Before we get into that, I want to congratulate the boss man Daniel Fisk for bringing the Union GP Cruiserweight Championship home to Real Killas. I also want to congratulate Lauren Moore for winning her fight earlier in the night. Let's start on that note. As for my fight? I took it to the bitter end. That's what I always do and I definitely wasn't tapping after that headbutt the ref missed very early in the match. Was it accidental like it normally is? Was it intentional? I don't care because it doesn't matter. JPK still got away with it at the end of the day. No foul was called. That is indisputable. It was one moment among many, so I'm not going to use it as an excuse for losing. Sure, the flow and mood would've changed had it been caught, but there was still a lot of time left for vigilante justice. I'm more than good enough to get on and make that happen. But it didn't happen tonight. It's infuriating because remember how I said many promoters book me and fans come out expecting to see a once-in-a-lifetime striker? How there's always that pressure when I step through the curtain to give them what they paid for? I didn't give them that knockout tonight and it sucks. High-In-Demand Hanako-san didn't give them the high-in-demand performance. I'm not sad for myself. Like I've said, we don't lose at Real Killas. We learn. But among all the hoopla over tonight's show, I can't help but think about those obvious blemishes. And I'm not just talk about the ref missing JPK's headbutt. That Grey/McIntyre unanimous decision was more disgraceful. I was about to write off Slaughterhouse Fight Nights for telling fans straight up that “the shows are expensive and will kill your wallets but you'll pay for it anyway.” I had my doubts about Idiocracy: The MMA Promotion. Give James Shark some Rogaine and an American flag-inspired wardrobe and he could be President Camacho. But one of their selling points is their judging and it's quite a time to have that out there after what happened to Kenzi. She got fucking robbed out there by the judges. Were they on drugs? Let's see what the SFN judges can do. It's about time a promotion decided to actually do something about this problem in our sport instead of awkwardly smiling and shrugging embarrassingly with their dicks in their asses. We'll have to wait and see if SFN actually delivers here, but they're being progressive. Besides, President Camacho was pretty damn charismatic anyway. SFN could be on to something if they don't run out of French Fries and burrito coverings. This isn't about pitting the two places against each other. I'm just pointing out how SFN's timing is interesting considering what we saw with the judges tonight. It's a lot to think about in regards to the sport as a whole because things are changing very, very quickly. [Takeuchi looks off to the side, laughing.] Dante Reed will try to get the Atlantic City mob to kneecap me after this, right? I'm slamming his judges and refs and putting over another company that hasn't even had their first show. [There bit of laughter comes and goes before Takeuchi continues.] Can't wait to get buried on commentary the next time I do UGP! Anyway, yeah. We don't lose at Real Killas. We learn. I learned some shit, but it's frustrating not to land that definitive blow and make it right after that headbutt. I would bet on myself to nail it any other night. Again, it didn't happen tonight. MMA MANIA: What did you learn in that fight? TAKEUCHI: I could be a little quicker. I'm talking agility. Running wise, I can beat anybody in a race. You see how I can whip around a wrestling ring. But octagon agility is something that needs to be worked on. That one thing can put me over the top. These short little fuckers have been pesky in that area. They're like flies and I have a good swatter, but I need to move a little quicker. So I can kill these fucking vanilla midgets. Gonna Jackknife their asses. MMA JUNKIE: Do you think that maybe you stoked the fires a little bit too much when talking about the family connections JPK and Lux Forte have and that it backfired this time? How do you feel about them saying you got things wrong? TAKEUCHI: Did I really get it wrong? I got JPK to be more interesting on the mic than he's ever shown in Union GP. I got him to be more than Teenage Wrestler MMA Guy. Even then, he proved me right. There's always a spin. There's always agony boners and Misery Olympics. But at least he came out of the presser with some likability. In the case of Lux, I heard what she had to say about my comments. I mean, I saw the subtweeting days after the fight when it didn't matter anymore. Anything said by me after winning like I did – with that highlight reel Spinning Back Fist that they'll show forever – was just going to be an unnecessary burial. I'll admit to being harsh sometimes but it's not even fair at this point. At least JPK opened up and said shit to my face at the presser. You can't hate that. But you either get it or you don't. Like I said – did I really get it wrong? These pressers are so we can get to know each other better. It's so the fans get to know us. I clearly don't walk in the same circles as a lot of you and one or two sentences doesn't say who you are. Bring up “wrestling family” or “MMA family” or “boxing family” and you can't just leave it at that if you want the people to be on your side. That triggers strong emotions, especially in tough times like these when the wealth gap is bigger than ever and so many futures are in doubt. If you don't want to be on the other side of that then give it some extra thought. But you need to be real. The fans aren't stupid. They'll smell it on you if you're not real. So you have to figure out how to get real even if it hurts. When I'm out here selling fights and getting people hyped, I don't have time for shades of gray because that doesn't sell. I'll talk about what I see, what I like, and what I don't like. Then maybe someone opens up in response and we sell a damn fight. That's what these fans want – the humanity. So did I get it wrong? No. I had a job to sell something. You learn to hustle when you come up without any other choice. So that's what I do and that's how I give the people what they want to see as an entertainer. MMA FIGHTING: It sounds like you still don't have much respect for JPK right now, but your respect for him was put into question before the fight. Did that factor into how you approached this fight and is there any regrets? TAKEUCHI: What's going on in the world these days? Say anything less than 100% praise and do anything less than entirely kiss someone's ass and suddenly you're a “hater” or you don't respect them. Miss me with that bitch shit. In the Friday presser, I said he proved to have the skills to be in the final. Did I not? If I forgot to say it then there it is, but I'm sure I did. He had a Fight of the Night Performance at UGP 2 and that quick submission win at UGP 3 was pretty sweet. I didn't get the chance to say it before, but there you go. And he was good tonight, of course. Headbutt aside, that is. I'm sure to catch heat from his pals for bringing up the headbutt. “How dare you mention things that happened on a live program and can be proven! He is my friend and you are not! So you are wrong!” Oh, the impeccable logic of wrestlers and MMA fighters. COMBAT PRESS: You kept saying you'll give out a shot for the Iron Japan Shoot Crown Championship to anyone who beats you outside of IJPW. Would you still give JPK a shot? TAKEUCHI: I gave my word. What did I say before UGP 3? For most of my life, my word was all I had to give anyone. That's what most of us are like at RK. That's where we come from and it's why we say what we mean. So if he wants to go big and try to take it all, then we can have a Shoot Crown title bout. Live on the Battleground Network! Of course, I need to beat David Troy at Korakuen Hall on November 13th first and foremost. If I can't keep it and he still wants it then he can talk to Eric O'Flaherty. He can sign up for the Shooter's Ball in... whatever month it's in next year. I can't remember right now. COMBAT PRESS: What about the Union GP Lightweight Championship though? What about any rematch talks regarding that belt? You never tapped out. Surely you can make a case for a rematch and another chance at the Lightweight Championship if weight classes stay the same for a little while longer? TAKEUCHI: No. I don't think things should work that way. I don't like seeing divisions get held up. One should go to the back of the line and try again. I say that for any division in Union GP. For me? I didn't get it this time. It sucks but that's something I have to live with. It's someone else's turn now and it's up to me to get back on the right track in Union GP. If we're going to do this then we're going to do it right. If we're going to have a rematch in the near future, the best bet is in Iron Japan for the belt I have. If I still have it after fighting David Troy. But that's on JPK. I will say that the Shoot Crown division rules are looser than what one sees in Union GP, but the refs and judges are sharper. There's no breaks either. A title fight is one thirty minute round. FLO COMBAT: I checked the Iron Japan schedule on my phone because, as you know, Yamashi Promotions already released their entire 2019 schedule for all three promotions. The earliest 2019 Iron Japan show is, well, the Shooter's Ball that you mentioned. That's on April 6th. That's a ways away, isn't it? TAKEUCHI: Wow, I didn't think it was that far away. Thankfully, those promotions are all connected. So ideally I would want to do it at the Saitama Super Arena in December for DTW's Jingle Hell II. But I don't know. DTW is its own thing and Eric might not want the Shoot Crown title on this huge deathmatch show. Those fans might not want it either. It's jarring. I probably wouldn't get my Saitama Super Arena fight, but there's some flexibility over there. It could end up happening on an After Dark show. In that instance, we could do it any day. We could fight tomorrow night. But we'll see where it goes. Trips to Japan are quite a commitment. There's more to it than buying a plane ticket. If JPK doesn't want to or can't do it then that's that. But the offer is out there. When I extend my hand, it's for a handshake. I don't beg. I'm not chasing anyone around. Champs don't need to do that. I'm just offering what I said I'd offer this whole time. But like I said, if he doesn't want to make those commitments then that's that. There are many others in line wanting their shot. One of them is already coming for my head on November 13th at Korakuen Hall. Me and the Lion's Road World Heavyweight Champion. Live on the Battleground Network! BLOODY ELBOW: How do you feel about the Union GP commentary and show graphics calling the K-Squad Punks the “K-Punk Squad?” TAKEUCHI: Did they really do that? [Takeuchi laughs.] They had a huge banner that said “K-SQUAD PUNKS.” [Takeuchi puts her hands up and stops herself for a moment.] Okay, I should preface with solidarity for the guys in the truck and even the commentators. They work long hours that you all don't see. They put up with bullshit most of us never hear about. Putting a show together is one of the most thankless jobs in this industry. The show itself is just the tip of the iceberg. Nobody sees the giant mass of ice under water that is the work to put it on. I had to book both nights of Masatake's [Kawamata] Spring Break Rager with help from Eric. You can get nearly everything right and still get bitched at for the one thing that went wrong regardless of how small it was. But the K-Squad Punks are only the greatest and most clever fans in all of wrestling and MMA. Maybe I take it personally because I grew up with a lot of them in the Kansai punk scene, but did you see the banners they made? For me and 44? And the Springsteen reference for Atlantic City? Who else does that? They'll smash urinals in the arena bathrooms but they're great people who are well-loved by wrestlers across a dozen companies all over the world. Rose City Wrestling loves them enough to have raised money when Dai Fujinami's nuclear beer fart torched a barroom in North Central Osaka. They're the Merry Band of Yobs! THE K-SQUAD PUNKS! And it's not “K” after Kawamata like people used to think. This isn't a Backslide Genius cult. I've been Masatake's girlfriend for nearly fifteen years and even I shudder at the thought of the “K” standing for Kawamata. I actually don't know what it's for. It could be Kamagasaki or it could be for the Kansai region as a whole. I think they leave it open for both. But it's K-SQUAD PUNKS! They travel from Kansai to Tokyo for DTW and Iron Japan. They traveled to Cancun and Tijuana. Now Atlantic City. They beat up Dogs of War and Demon Brigade fans across Iron Japan, KAMIKAZE Pro Evolution, and Maximum Japan. They're undefeated in street fights and they're the most hardcore and loudest fans around. And they'll drink anyone under the table. K-SQUAD PUNKS! MMA FIGHTING: What's next for you after this night other than Union GP and Iron Japan? TAKEUCHI: I have a belt to defend in Rose City. I'm in Sakura Shoujo Stampede. There's a hot Big Apple Wrestling main event. Then there's the new season of Union Battleground around the corner. Masatake and I must defend the Battalion Championship. We just wanted to fight The Outliers and they just happened to have gold when our time came to fight. We ended up with those belts after three killer matches in the greatest tag team trilogy of all-time. Now we're going to ride this title reign as far as we can go and see what happens in Union Battleground. MMA JUNKIE: What about SFN? You brought them up earlier and seem to like what they're doing for the most part. Would you fight there? TAKEUCHI: I'm interested. You all know I'm very busy and there's many places booking me right now. But yeah, I'm interested in flying the RK flag over there. MMA JUNKIE: They have three divisions: boxing, kickboxing, and MMA. Your skill set allows you to be in any of those. Would you want to return to boxing if you fought in SFN? Would you stick with MMA? You have a Muay Thai background, so what about kickboxing? TAKEUCHI: Muay Thai fighters tend to perform well under different rules too. It wouldn't be too hard to do kickboxing. It was much harder for me going from Muay Thai to boxing than anything because of the change in footwork. I did great though. I mean, I knocked out a guy twice my size and won an openweight boxing championship. I don't know though. I could do any of those three divisions. I believe they'll let people fight in all three but I don't know what that would mean. Would stretching myself out hurt my aspirations for more gold? But if you put a gun to my head in this moment and tell me to pick one, I'll say kickboxing. [Takeuchi does a silly smile and shrugs.] Yep. Kickboxing, baby. It's more fun than the other options. I love trading bombs with both my hands and feet. Nothing but strikes and that's what I do better than anyone on this planet. Anyway... [Takeuchi reaches for the Jameson bottle and shot glass. She cracks the cap as she talks.] This has been a nice chat. We're all going out to enjoy Atlantic City tonight – me, RK, Masatake, the KSP. We will celebrate honcho's hometown heroics and hopefully he shows off that new belt. We'll celebrate Lauren's win. We'll celebrate... me not tapping out, I guess. [Takeuchi fills the shot glass.] As the patrons say to one another every night before bar close where I used to work in Kamagasaki... [Takeuchi rises out of her chair and holds up the glass.] Here's to you and here's to me, and may we never disagree, but if we do then here's to me and to hell with you! [There's laughter as Takeuchi downs the shot and sets it down on the table. She then waves with a cheeky smirk before departing as we fade out.]
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