A Japanese wrestling fan went the extra mile for a chance to be in the ring with her wrestler idol and get pinned by him during a match.
Emori Shiomi, a 27-year-old super fan of Hiroshi Tanahashi, the longstanding ace of New Japan Professional Wrestling andcurrent IWGP Heavyweight Champion, appeared in an episode of “Anta no Yume wo Kanaetaro ka?” (“Can We Make Your Dreams Come True?”) last week.
The show grants “ordinary people’s” wishes and make them come true. Shiomi only wanted to battle her idol and be pinned down by him in a wrestling match, according to Grapee.
What caught the show’s attention wasn’t Shiomi’s wish, but her dedication in writing to the show 84 times just to get a chance to be in the same ring with Tanahashi.
Her wish finally came true last week when a TV crew showed up at her door. Shiomi got more than she bargained for when the show turned her room into a New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) dojo dorm room and trained with two other professional wrestlers: Shota Umino and Ren Narita.
After her brief training, the fated day came when she appeared in the ring with her own persona, “The Dark Bear,” and teamed up with Yuji Nagata to battle Satoshi Kojima and Tanahashi.
Shiomi entered the ring sitting on a throne carried by men while the music of Triple H’s entrance “The Game” played on. However, she immediately broke character shortly after Tanahashi removed his jacket.
She can be seen smiling as the pro wrestler performs submission on her and looked ecstatic when Tanahashi finally pinned her down as the referee counted to three.
Featured Image via Twitter / tanahashi1_100
