Post by ajknight on Oct 12, 2018 19:54:19 GMT -5
Knight sits on the canvas in the middle of the ring at the Fukuoka Athletic Plaza...
"I want to be angry, really I do."
AJ chuckles.
"You talk all about honor, wanting to challenge yourself, and you strong arm your way into a championship bout. I want to be mad about it, but I can't be. Because the fact is I would have done the same."
AJ shakes his head.
"If I were given the chance you have, if somebody wanted to me and they told me that I could have anything I wanted to make that match, you know damn well I would have demanded to put the title shot up for grabs."
He shrugs.
"And see I had a chance to turn it down, to say no when the contract was turned over to me. But I didn't, because I couldn't. Figuratively speaking of course. There was no repercussions for me either way, I could just have said no, moved on called Mandy and had my match against whoever wins between Troy and Billy...
But I didn't."
AJ smirks
"I guess you want to know why I didn't then. The answer's simple: because I need this. I need to beat Matt Pulver more than you could understand. He beat me and beat me bad last time. It was devastating, but as bad as it was, as frustrated as I was... I was oddly proud of Matt that night."
AJ shakes his head.
"Because see as much as I couldn't stand him at that point, as much as I had said that he was not ready for the title, when he beat me, it was a proud moment. Because after so many failures, and bleeding out just before the finish line, he'd finally done it. And sometimes all it takes is the right opponent. So the fact that I brought that out of him, that I finally helped him find that last inch he was missing, I was proud of him. He'd proven me wrong, and I couldn't wait to see what he'd become, and what he'd do with this newfound confidence, this chip on the shoulder...
Then he fought David Troy, and I wasn't even mad. Just disappointed."
AJ sits still staring into the mat
"I went away to train, and I wanted for Matt to prove me wrong, go on and be a great champion, so that our rematch would be unforgettable, a true clash of great champions. But you couldn't do it.
Even then though, without the belt you had something I needed. You did what no one else could and beat me at my own game. So Matt, that's why I threw out the challenge because whether you were ready for the championship or not you took it from me. You beat me for it.
And I want it back, but before then I needed to know..."
AJ gets angry
"I needed to know if I can beat you. So when you told me your terms, the only way to get you back in the ring, I didn't even hesitate Matt. Do you know why?
Because like I said, you showed in the end that you may not have been ready to be the champion, and yet you beat me anyway. So if I can't beat you?
Then I don't deserve to be champion, I don't deserve another shot at the belt. You presented me with a challenge I wasn't ready for. So I've reinvented myself, trained in ways I never had before, just for the chance to prove I still belong at the top."
AJ stands and leans over the ropes.
"I want you to bring everything Matt. Everything you got, everything you had last time, and more. Because I want no questions tomorrow night! I will know once and for all where I stand and I take my first steps back to the top of the World!"
Fade to Black....
"I want to be angry, really I do."
AJ chuckles.
"You talk all about honor, wanting to challenge yourself, and you strong arm your way into a championship bout. I want to be mad about it, but I can't be. Because the fact is I would have done the same."
AJ shakes his head.
"If I were given the chance you have, if somebody wanted to me and they told me that I could have anything I wanted to make that match, you know damn well I would have demanded to put the title shot up for grabs."
He shrugs.
"And see I had a chance to turn it down, to say no when the contract was turned over to me. But I didn't, because I couldn't. Figuratively speaking of course. There was no repercussions for me either way, I could just have said no, moved on called Mandy and had my match against whoever wins between Troy and Billy...
But I didn't."
AJ smirks
"I guess you want to know why I didn't then. The answer's simple: because I need this. I need to beat Matt Pulver more than you could understand. He beat me and beat me bad last time. It was devastating, but as bad as it was, as frustrated as I was... I was oddly proud of Matt that night."
AJ shakes his head.
"Because see as much as I couldn't stand him at that point, as much as I had said that he was not ready for the title, when he beat me, it was a proud moment. Because after so many failures, and bleeding out just before the finish line, he'd finally done it. And sometimes all it takes is the right opponent. So the fact that I brought that out of him, that I finally helped him find that last inch he was missing, I was proud of him. He'd proven me wrong, and I couldn't wait to see what he'd become, and what he'd do with this newfound confidence, this chip on the shoulder...
Then he fought David Troy, and I wasn't even mad. Just disappointed."
AJ sits still staring into the mat
"I went away to train, and I wanted for Matt to prove me wrong, go on and be a great champion, so that our rematch would be unforgettable, a true clash of great champions. But you couldn't do it.
Even then though, without the belt you had something I needed. You did what no one else could and beat me at my own game. So Matt, that's why I threw out the challenge because whether you were ready for the championship or not you took it from me. You beat me for it.
And I want it back, but before then I needed to know..."
AJ gets angry
"I needed to know if I can beat you. So when you told me your terms, the only way to get you back in the ring, I didn't even hesitate Matt. Do you know why?
Because like I said, you showed in the end that you may not have been ready to be the champion, and yet you beat me anyway. So if I can't beat you?
Then I don't deserve to be champion, I don't deserve another shot at the belt. You presented me with a challenge I wasn't ready for. So I've reinvented myself, trained in ways I never had before, just for the chance to prove I still belong at the top."
AJ stands and leans over the ropes.
"I want you to bring everything Matt. Everything you got, everything you had last time, and more. Because I want no questions tomorrow night! I will know once and for all where I stand and I take my first steps back to the top of the World!"
Fade to Black....