Post by CJ Phoenix on Apr 14, 2021 14:10:28 GMT -5
"Who?"
A single word. A simple question written on a wall in blood. CJ Phoenix sits in front of said wall with his legs crossed.
Who will be the one to dethrone Spencer Adams? There's no one more fitting than CJ Phoenix. Heh heh heh. Sounds crazy, right? There's no way someone like me could pull that off. Not some loser that could never win a title here. Not in his first one-on-one title match since his return. Certainly not the man who's just been dead weight and cannon fodder for The Following. Absolutely not the utter failure that can't win when it counts. Ooh, wait. My favorite. Not the "never will be". I laughed pretty hard when you called me that, Spence. Never will be what? Bitter like you are? It's obvious you don't think much about me, but your bitterness may be rooted deeper than I thought. You complained about me being away for months at a time while you were working your ass off between the ropes. How condescending of you to assume that I was just lounging around. I took the time to enjoy life with my wife and invest in my ever-expanding future, but you wouldn't know about anything that doesn't stroke your ego, Mr. AW. One would think that if you felt so furious about my absence, that you'd be happy about my presence. I've been on the grind between the ropes for the same company as you for the last five and a half months. You should be happy that I'm putting in the work in the ring while still putting in work outside of it, but NOOOOOOOO. All you've done is criticize...criticize...CRITICIZE!
He sighs and shakes his head.
It's a shame, really. You used to be such a likeable person, Spencer. What happened? Have you forgotten where you came from? Have you realized what you've become? Just a short time ago, you were the challenger being looked down at by a champion corrupted by his own ego. Look at you now. A champion whose ego has grown out of control. One who has no idea that his reign is about to go up in flames. You pride yourself on that work ethic of yours. Always reminding everyone that you're the franchise, the face of the company, the man who has done it all, and so many other nicknames and phrases that you constantly spit out. It's pretty funny actually. All I had to do was look behind the curtain that those words formed, and your despair was right there. I used to think that you only kept saying all of that stuff as either a way to motivate yourself or to try and brag over others, but there's a deeper meaning behind it.
CJ links his hands together and places his chin on top of them.
It's not me, the others on the roster, or even the fans that you're talking to when you say those things. You're saying it to yourself. It's the only way you can pretend that you truly believe it. You keep telling yourself that you're happy, but you're miserable, Spencer. You see it....and so do I. You're the kid who brags about being the line leader, only to be heartbroken when nobody cares. It doesn't matter how hard you've trained. Nor does it matter how many times you go out there and compete. That workhorse mentality isn't fueled by your desire to be the best like you want us to believe. That mindset came from frustration and self-hatred. It's true that you've accomplished a lot. You've overcome gruesome assaults and matches that could've ended your career, or even your life. There have been many mountains that you've climbed and many titles that you've won. Despite this, when you stare into the mirror and see your true self, there's doubt. When you should be proud of what you've achieved and happy about what you've accomplished, you're uncertain. You're still wondering if you're good enough. Hurts being that unsure of yourself, doesn't it? There's soooooo much despair in knowing that every success you have is ultimately meaningless.
An ominous smile creeps across his face.
"Never will be." That's what you called me. How could someone like me ever hope to win the Hardcore Title, or accomplish anything, if that's all I am? Well, it just so happens that the soon-to-be former champion is also a "never will be". It's the truth that you don't want to admit to, Spence. You've been a lot of things in your career, Sir Antidote, but the one thing that you never will be is truly happy with yourself, and that is a feeling of great despair. No matter how much you pat yourself on the back throughout the day, you still cry yourself to sleep at night. The craving of a challenge that you claim to have is only to try and fill the broken glass of emptiness you feel inside. Someone should put you out of your misery and bring that ego of yours back down to Earth. Someone...like me. We were workhorses together back in WCF. A couple of guys striving to become the best. Not only the best on the roster, but also the best versions of ourselves. I used to be like you. Disheartened despite the countless things I could be happy to boast about. It always felt like I had to go above and beyond just to get a sense of self-worth. Fortunately, I fought my way out of that dismal mindset. Now I find myself here against someone haunted by the same issue. I didn't plan on saving you from yourself, but if that's what it takes for me to rip that Hardcore Title away from you and force you to face your own despair, then I'll be your hero, your villain, and most importantly, your demise.
A single word. A simple question written on a wall in blood. CJ Phoenix sits in front of said wall with his legs crossed.
Who will be the one to dethrone Spencer Adams? There's no one more fitting than CJ Phoenix. Heh heh heh. Sounds crazy, right? There's no way someone like me could pull that off. Not some loser that could never win a title here. Not in his first one-on-one title match since his return. Certainly not the man who's just been dead weight and cannon fodder for The Following. Absolutely not the utter failure that can't win when it counts. Ooh, wait. My favorite. Not the "never will be". I laughed pretty hard when you called me that, Spence. Never will be what? Bitter like you are? It's obvious you don't think much about me, but your bitterness may be rooted deeper than I thought. You complained about me being away for months at a time while you were working your ass off between the ropes. How condescending of you to assume that I was just lounging around. I took the time to enjoy life with my wife and invest in my ever-expanding future, but you wouldn't know about anything that doesn't stroke your ego, Mr. AW. One would think that if you felt so furious about my absence, that you'd be happy about my presence. I've been on the grind between the ropes for the same company as you for the last five and a half months. You should be happy that I'm putting in the work in the ring while still putting in work outside of it, but NOOOOOOOO. All you've done is criticize...criticize...CRITICIZE!
He sighs and shakes his head.
It's a shame, really. You used to be such a likeable person, Spencer. What happened? Have you forgotten where you came from? Have you realized what you've become? Just a short time ago, you were the challenger being looked down at by a champion corrupted by his own ego. Look at you now. A champion whose ego has grown out of control. One who has no idea that his reign is about to go up in flames. You pride yourself on that work ethic of yours. Always reminding everyone that you're the franchise, the face of the company, the man who has done it all, and so many other nicknames and phrases that you constantly spit out. It's pretty funny actually. All I had to do was look behind the curtain that those words formed, and your despair was right there. I used to think that you only kept saying all of that stuff as either a way to motivate yourself or to try and brag over others, but there's a deeper meaning behind it.
CJ links his hands together and places his chin on top of them.
It's not me, the others on the roster, or even the fans that you're talking to when you say those things. You're saying it to yourself. It's the only way you can pretend that you truly believe it. You keep telling yourself that you're happy, but you're miserable, Spencer. You see it....and so do I. You're the kid who brags about being the line leader, only to be heartbroken when nobody cares. It doesn't matter how hard you've trained. Nor does it matter how many times you go out there and compete. That workhorse mentality isn't fueled by your desire to be the best like you want us to believe. That mindset came from frustration and self-hatred. It's true that you've accomplished a lot. You've overcome gruesome assaults and matches that could've ended your career, or even your life. There have been many mountains that you've climbed and many titles that you've won. Despite this, when you stare into the mirror and see your true self, there's doubt. When you should be proud of what you've achieved and happy about what you've accomplished, you're uncertain. You're still wondering if you're good enough. Hurts being that unsure of yourself, doesn't it? There's soooooo much despair in knowing that every success you have is ultimately meaningless.
An ominous smile creeps across his face.
"Never will be." That's what you called me. How could someone like me ever hope to win the Hardcore Title, or accomplish anything, if that's all I am? Well, it just so happens that the soon-to-be former champion is also a "never will be". It's the truth that you don't want to admit to, Spence. You've been a lot of things in your career, Sir Antidote, but the one thing that you never will be is truly happy with yourself, and that is a feeling of great despair. No matter how much you pat yourself on the back throughout the day, you still cry yourself to sleep at night. The craving of a challenge that you claim to have is only to try and fill the broken glass of emptiness you feel inside. Someone should put you out of your misery and bring that ego of yours back down to Earth. Someone...like me. We were workhorses together back in WCF. A couple of guys striving to become the best. Not only the best on the roster, but also the best versions of ourselves. I used to be like you. Disheartened despite the countless things I could be happy to boast about. It always felt like I had to go above and beyond just to get a sense of self-worth. Fortunately, I fought my way out of that dismal mindset. Now I find myself here against someone haunted by the same issue. I didn't plan on saving you from yourself, but if that's what it takes for me to rip that Hardcore Title away from you and force you to face your own despair, then I'll be your hero, your villain, and most importantly, your demise.
