Post by CJ Phoenix on Mar 17, 2021 13:44:51 GMT -5
There's a paper crane inside of a cage that sits on CJ Phoenix's bed. CJ is behind it in a meditative state. On top of the cage is a lit candle that is the sole light source in the room. CJ slowly applauds.
Congratulations, Soldado. You did it. You scored a win over me. I had went 13 straight matches without being pinned, something you'll never be able to achieve. Now you have a chance at establishing yourself as a true Cruiserweight Title contender. I can hear Victoria now, hyping you up and trying to rub our last encounter in my face before spewing more garbage about what the title means to you. She'll swear up and down that you'll win our submission match because you never gave up during the hardships you faced to even get here and this is your opportunity to get closer to what you desire most. All of this while being completely unaware that you walked right into my trap.
He stops clapping and links his fingers together.
Consider this. When I beat you two weeks ago, it just led to me facing you again. Why? Simple. Beating you had no value because YOU have no value. Had I won again in our brawl, I would just be beating a dead horse, and that's boring. That's why the best thing for me to do was to lose. Sometimes losing a battle here and there is necessary in order to win a war. That way, you can have a little false hope to hold on to and a belief that you truly belong with the division's elite. It's that hope that's valuable, and now that you have it, you finally have something worth me taking from you....
CJ grabs the cage and slowly lifts it up.
....and here's how I'm gonna take it. Tell me if this sounds familiar. "That title for us is internal validation, the pinnacle of what reclaiming our freedom has enabled us to achieve." Those were Victoria's words, were they not? I believe them, because they revealed a hidden truth. Internal validation. Let me ask you this, Soldado, if you need the title for validity, then what freedom have you truly reclaimed? Are you even free at all? No, you're not. You're bound by your insecurities. You long for attention because mommy and daddy never hugged you and little Vicky only supports you because misery loves company. That's why she said "for us" instead of "for him".
He points at the paper crane.
See this? It's you, and this cage that I built back in November represents your insecurities. It's funny because I actually made the cage so that I can put the Cruiserweight Title in it after I win it. I didn't expect it to come in handy in such a different circumstance, but I'm glad that it did. It actually shows the contrast between us quite well. Unlike you, I have true freedom. I don't need a title or praise or anything to validate me. I can say that the title means nothing to me because I'm confident in who I am both with and without it. Meanwhile, all you've done since you arrived is beg for attention. Week after week, you show how mentally weak and pathetic you are. You have no value because you don't even value yourself. If you did, you wouldn't be seeking it from other things or people the way you do. Me forcing you to tap out is the best thing that could happen to you because it'll force you to face the truth. It isn't your lack of talent or inconsistency that makes you unworthy of being a champion. It's your lack of self-acceptance that causes you to lose the war before you even step on the battlefield. You want to soar to new heights like a crane, but you can't due to the life sentence you're serving in your own mental prison. That's the despairing truth that you constantly run and hide from. Ultimately, to paraphrase a nostalgic song, despite all your rage....you'll always be a crane in a cage.
The scene fades as it zooms in on the cage.
Congratulations, Soldado. You did it. You scored a win over me. I had went 13 straight matches without being pinned, something you'll never be able to achieve. Now you have a chance at establishing yourself as a true Cruiserweight Title contender. I can hear Victoria now, hyping you up and trying to rub our last encounter in my face before spewing more garbage about what the title means to you. She'll swear up and down that you'll win our submission match because you never gave up during the hardships you faced to even get here and this is your opportunity to get closer to what you desire most. All of this while being completely unaware that you walked right into my trap.
He stops clapping and links his fingers together.
Consider this. When I beat you two weeks ago, it just led to me facing you again. Why? Simple. Beating you had no value because YOU have no value. Had I won again in our brawl, I would just be beating a dead horse, and that's boring. That's why the best thing for me to do was to lose. Sometimes losing a battle here and there is necessary in order to win a war. That way, you can have a little false hope to hold on to and a belief that you truly belong with the division's elite. It's that hope that's valuable, and now that you have it, you finally have something worth me taking from you....
CJ grabs the cage and slowly lifts it up.
....and here's how I'm gonna take it. Tell me if this sounds familiar. "That title for us is internal validation, the pinnacle of what reclaiming our freedom has enabled us to achieve." Those were Victoria's words, were they not? I believe them, because they revealed a hidden truth. Internal validation. Let me ask you this, Soldado, if you need the title for validity, then what freedom have you truly reclaimed? Are you even free at all? No, you're not. You're bound by your insecurities. You long for attention because mommy and daddy never hugged you and little Vicky only supports you because misery loves company. That's why she said "for us" instead of "for him".
He points at the paper crane.
See this? It's you, and this cage that I built back in November represents your insecurities. It's funny because I actually made the cage so that I can put the Cruiserweight Title in it after I win it. I didn't expect it to come in handy in such a different circumstance, but I'm glad that it did. It actually shows the contrast between us quite well. Unlike you, I have true freedom. I don't need a title or praise or anything to validate me. I can say that the title means nothing to me because I'm confident in who I am both with and without it. Meanwhile, all you've done since you arrived is beg for attention. Week after week, you show how mentally weak and pathetic you are. You have no value because you don't even value yourself. If you did, you wouldn't be seeking it from other things or people the way you do. Me forcing you to tap out is the best thing that could happen to you because it'll force you to face the truth. It isn't your lack of talent or inconsistency that makes you unworthy of being a champion. It's your lack of self-acceptance that causes you to lose the war before you even step on the battlefield. You want to soar to new heights like a crane, but you can't due to the life sentence you're serving in your own mental prison. That's the despairing truth that you constantly run and hide from. Ultimately, to paraphrase a nostalgic song, despite all your rage....you'll always be a crane in a cage.
The scene fades as it zooms in on the cage.