Post by CJ Phoenix on Jan 2, 2022 8:10:47 GMT -5
State of Despairica Address
My fellow Despairicans, before I address my foe directly, I shall address you all for the last time this year. 2021 has been a year of realization for me. I started off cold and distant from everyone. Myself included. I was selfish, and my recklessness had blinded me from seeing just how much I can change this world. Fortunately, that has changed. I've grown beyond the perceptions that used to weigh me down. So too has Action Wrestling. We have persevered through a chaotic year, and with a new year on the horizon, it's time for ascension. Not just for me, but for all of us. I'm taking the US Title, and Action Wrestling, to heights that no arena on this planet can contain. It's a part of the promise I made after winning this belt. A promise that I will continue to carry into and throughout the new year the same way I'm carrying my title into 2022. Of course, in order for me to continue making good on my word, I must successfully defend my title on the first Clash of the year. My opposition is a prime example of what Action Wrestling DOESN'T need moving forward. A selfish moron with a counterproductive motive. Someone who's constantly pleading to be acknowledged without being worth admiring. Action Wrestling gains nothing from those who give nothing. That's why it's important that I emerge victorious. I refuse to stumble out of the gates and let an entire division get reduced to a den of disappointment by a bland cretin not even worth calling vanilla. So fear not, Despairicans. Action Wrestling and the US Title are both safe in the hands of your Luminary. I shall make this gold more valuable than platinum with every match I'm in. As a result, AW will continue to go U-P into and beyond the S-K-I-E-S. May you all enjoy the turn of the year as much as I'll enjoy turning my opponent into more of a mess on the outside than he is on the inside. The year will have changed the next time I address you all, but the United States Champion will still be yours truly. See you on the third!
December 28th, 2021
Sunset over the sands of Vegas. Every time he goes to Sin City, CJ Phoenix takes some time out to enjoy the glorious views outside of the Vegas Strip. He decides to stop and watch the sunset here before he makes his trek to the City of Angels. Oh what irony it is to travel between those two places. Standing next to him is the Ultimate Maid, Kirumi Tojo.
Kirumi: You look displeased. May I ask what's bothering you?
CJ sighs. He takes the US Title off of his shoulder and holds it in his hands.
Phoenix: I've been wondering. What have I accomplished this year?
Kirumi: Two title wins. Eighteen match victories. Top 10 in Havoc. Twelfth in the top 100. You had quite the breakout year.
Phoenix: Yeah, but that's the issue. This feels more like a character development arc. I have plenty of things to be happy about and achievements many will likely never accomplish, but there were things I missed out on because I wasn't where I needed to be at the time. When I look at this title, I can't stop thinking about how close I was to this being the World Title. Twice I've let the opportunity of taking the fast track to the World Title slip through my fingertips. I thought about how different things would have been had I won Havoc or the All-In briefcase. I thought I would've been happier if I did....but I'm not sure anymore.
Kirumi: How come? Is that not what you wanted?
Phoenix: It's what I wanted, but it's not what I needed. I needed the failures and the despair of barely missing the mark. That despair is what's pushed me to keep fighting to improve. Had I won Havoc and swiped the World Title at Evolution, it would've been good, but only in the short term.
Kirumi: Interesting. It's not the title itself that you're after. It's the sustainability of being at the top.
Phoenix: Right. Being World Champion at the end of Evolution would've been a hell of a feel-good story in the lore of Action Wrestling, but what would've happened afterwards? "CJ Phoenix shocks the world by slaying the Philidor dragon. However, he does nothing with it and fades out of the World Title scene just as quickly as he entered it."
Kirumi: I don't think it would've been that bad. You have far more talent and potential than you're giving yourself credit for.
Phoenix: Maybe, but I didn't stop holding myself back with my own self-doubt until after Uprising. I wouldn't have needed to push myself so hard if I had already reached what I thought was my destination. Sure I'm good enough to win any title on any given night, but that applies to anyone under the law of parity.
The Luminary of Despair raises his head towards the darkening skies.
Phoenix: What good is winning something if it feels like a fluke in hindsight? For shallow people, it's perfect because they'll take whatever they can get and never shut up about it because it's the only way they can hope to stay relevant. That's why I can't make the World Title, or any title, my endgame. Every title is a landmark of my progress, and I must push every reign beyond its limitations. Just like how hope and despair constantly make each other stronger, I must do the same with every match I'm in. I'll draw out the limits of everyone I face so that I can keep pushing up and above them all.
Kirumi looks up at the skies as the last rays of sunlight vanish beyond the horizon.
Kirumi: So you want to be the best that Action Wrestling has to offer.
Phoenix: No. I want to be the reason that Action Wrestling offers the best.
You don't deserve acknowledgement, Roman. You deserve a straitjacket and a cushioned room with no windows for how delusional you are. What's even worth acknowledging about you anyway? Nothing. You don't stand out at all, and if you were truly worth acknowledging, then you wouldn't have to beg for that recognition every time you waste everyone's time with your presence. It's honestly a miracle that the fans don't demand refunds. They'd rather get pegged by missiles than sit through one of your promos. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm the one you're facing, the fans wouldn't even be invested in this match. They're only gonna watch it because they can't wait to see me pulverize you en route to defending my title. After that, it's back to dark matches and pre-shows for the walking piss break, Roman Gunn.
When I became US Champion, I promised to take Despairica to new heights, so there's no way in hell I'll let my title fall into the hands of someone who sinks the quality of whatever he's involved in. What do you even bring to the table besides whining and being a less threatening version of other people anyway? That punch of yours? Wade Moor did it better, and even Vanessa would be more threatening than you with it. Your spear's the equivalent of throwing a toothpick compared to my javelin. You had a winning streak in 2021? Bacchus did it better. Wanna be a movie star like Kidsgrove? You don't have the talent or the discipline. Attacking people after matches? I've stomped Team Extreme for a month straight for that...twice. Paint cans have more charisma than you. The commentators have to get paid extra to make you sound threatening. Your merch doesn't sell....hold on. I think I can help you with that. How about you start selling bags for people to vomit into whenever they see you wrestle? You can even tack on some ear plugs or noise canceling headphones as a bonus. I bet they'd be out of stock faster than the PS5 on release. Then, you'd FINALLY have something worth acknowledging. Instead, you choose to boast about being the future and being a cornerstone here. I wish you'd say that was a joke because I haven't laughed that hard in years. Try calling yourself a cornerstone when you elevate three different divisions across two shows as well as the shows themselves in a twelve month span. Meanwhile, all you've elevated is how often people change the channel.
All you had to do was ask for a hug, Roman. That's it. You couldn't though because you're too insecure to admit your blatantly obvious abandonment issues. Chances are you've been so deprived of attention that you don't even know what it's like to be acknowledged. A light bulb that constantly flashes to be noticed, only for the room to be as empty as your head is. I can't even be mad at you for attacking me at Turmoil because you're not worth my frustration. That's just how you grovel for attention. Roman, you're a dirty, sad, lost puppy, chasing after anyone you come across and whimpering to them in hopes that they feel bad enough to give you a treat. Well my treat for you will be putting you out of your misery by snapping your neck and turning the City of Angels into the Gateway to Hell.
Kirumi: Interesting. You want to be the light that draws in the strongest of challengers.
Phoenix: Right. I don't want to just stand at the top of the mountain. I want to raise that mountain and make everyone either strive to keep improving themselves or stay at the base of the mountain and make snow angels. I could hold this title for a thousand days. I could break every possible record with it. However, if I'm never truly challenged like I was at Turmoil, then I'm wasting my time and I'm wasting my reign.
Kirumi: What if you don't get a challenge like that again?
Phoenix: I've thought about that, and I don't think it'll be a problem as long as I hold myself to a high enough standard. This isn't like Hellscape where the goal was testing a theory as opposed to winning. In order to successfully retain my gold, I need to avoid two things. Complacency and overconfidence. If I put up a half-assed effort against Roman Gunn as a way of flexing the difference in our talents, I'd only be hindering myself. Not only would I be leaving myself open to making costly mistakes, but I'd also be disrespecting my own goals by holding back so much.
Kirumi: That's true. Plus, defending a title is much more difficult than pursuing it. When someone chases a belt, they tend to be much more motivated because they're actively in pursuit of it. They're chasing after something they don't have in order to obtain it. That drive isn't there when a person is defending a belt because they already have it. They've already crossed the finish line, so they often don't have the same determination as their opposition.
Phoenix: Precisely. I need to make every match its own pursuit. That way, no matter if I'm chasing a title or defending one...
Kirumi: Or both.
Phoenix: ...or both, the drive isn't lost.
Kirumi: And that pursuit of yours....it's your quest to reach your full potential, correct?
Phoenix: Correct. It's something I can take into every match no matter who I'm facing. An objective independent of the run of the mill goals of success that most people go after when they sign a wrestling contract. A goal that goes beyond wrestling itself.
Kirumi: That's nice, but do be careful. Constantly pushing your limits and spreading yourself so thin is bound to take a toll on you. It's important that you find time to rest yourself physically and mentally.
Phoenix: You're right. That might be the most difficult part honestly. Finding that balance. Although...I think I just figured it out.
Kirumi: You figured out what you've accomplished this year?
Phoenix: Yeah. I've found the ultimate goal. One that I'll never get tired of.
The US Champion finally lets out a smile, prompting the Ultimate Maid to do the same.
Kirumi: That's quite the unique achievement. Congratulations.
CJ nods as his gaze returns to his title. He knows he has a lot of work ahead of him, and that's become part of his motivation.
Let's say I give you the benefit of the doubt and say there's some validity in your complaints. You've been here for months without taking a fall. It only makes sense that you'd want to take a shot at some gold. You feel like it would feed that ego of yours and force everyone to acknowledge you. After working your way up the ladder, you decided that you weren't progressing fast enough. So you went out of your way to jump a line for a title shot. Alright, sure. Happens all the time. However, you had a choice of who to go after. TV Title. CBS Title. Hardcore Title. Your own shadow wouldn't want to team with you, so the Tag Titles are out. Unfortunately for you, you chose to insult my Despairicans by coming after me. You're about to find out how big of a mistake you just made.
You didn't get a shot at my title as a reward for being bold and trying to make a statement. This is a punishment. For a while now, the higher ups in Action Wrestling haven't been holding you back. They've been protecting you because they know how fragile you are. You're the Box Ghost of AW except you're completely forgettable. A nuisance that pops up everywhere, but could only pose a slight there on your best night. I would've compared you to Ember McClain due to the obsessive desire for attention, but that would be an insult to her as she at least had skill worth remembering. Roman's only been allowed to run amok amongst the runts of the litter because Pasta knew that that's the only place he'd find success. He knew that if he ever took the guard rails off and let Roman loose, the guy would toss more gutter balls than he'd hit pins and expose how unprepared he is to swim with the sharks. Torture knew this as well, but he's less lenient. Roman's walking into his own demise, and Torture's not gonna stop him. He's gonna let him learn his place the hard way, and I respect that. What I don't respect is what happened at Turmoil. My Despairicans were treated to a show-stealing slugfest between myself and Claire Hawkins. Two people that you could ACTUALLY consider cornerstones and wrestlers you can build around. It was amazing, until you showed up and dragged the whole event down. That's a crime that shall not go unpunished. For your crimes against the fans and wrestling itself by derailing the white-hot momentum of Action Wrestling's final Pay-per-view of the calendar year, you have been sentenced to a public beating coupled with the despair of being backhanded by the cold hand of reality.
I know you're afraid, Roman. You proved it at AwardsClash. That night was your chance to earn my praise and the respect of all the Despairicans out there. All you had to do was face me like a man. That's it, but you didn't. You ran from me like the coward you are. What kind of challenger is too scared to face the champion they're challenging? After all of the trash talking and complaining about not being a champion and not getting marquee matches or opportunities, when he finally had a chance to step up to a REAL champion, Roman gunned it out of the ring with his tail between his legs. You don't have what it takes to be a champion because you don't have the guts to be a serious challenger. All bark, all bitch, but no bite. January 3rd's gonna be the worst day of your life. It's the night your pride gets obliterated to the point that even you wouldn't want to be acknowledged the next day. You're gonna be BEGGING Torture to never put you in the ring against me again. I'm not gonna acknowledge you, Roman....I'm gonna ANNIHILATE you!
