Post by ajknight on Feb 8, 2019 23:12:22 GMT -5
We are treated to the roar of a jet engine as the shot opens on AJ Knight wearing a “Blitz Pacifica” shirt, on the flight to Seoul. The look on his face is strange… almost indescribable, a mixture of tranquility, introspection, and frustration. Soon a bit of a chuckle emerges from him
“I can safely say this is not how I’d thought I would start 2019, flying to wrestle in Korea of all places. Guess that’s life in this sport, and now I have a chance to make history here, and become the first ever Royal Road Champion.
And I’d like to make some jokes, talk a little bit of shit, tell the world I’m the best and that no one else stands a chance against the Ace.
But I can’t, not now. Because I have no right to call myself that now.”
AJ shrugs.
“See it was last June, everything went to shit for me. The whole entire world was coming down on me and I was a man on an island, and frankly? I cracked under the pressure. One month later I’m a former World Champion. I go to Japan trying to find myself again, and it’s only now close to 8 months later I realized the problem, it wasn’t a lack of training, or skill, the truth was in front of my face. I bought into my own hype…
I stopped being hungry.”
AJ smiled bitterly, his disappointment in himself apparent
“Now I’m a 24 year-old has been on his way to Korea, standing in a field of 16, and for the first time in a long time I know I’m not the favorite to win this thing. I’ve got no illusions about that, with the J1 Summit Winner Tokyo Zombie, in the runnin, guys like James Edwards who can knock you out with one good shot, and David Troy the pound for pound best in the world right now.
For the first time in years I’m a true underdog…
… God I’ve missed this!”
A new sense of fire fills AJ!
“ Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve needed to prove myself? Since I’ve shown the world just who AJ Knight is? Too damn long! I’d forgotten what it feels like, to have the world wondering, the feeling of not being sure. To come into the fight already counted out!
You’d think it’d be discouraging, and hard to swallow, to know that no one thinks you can do it….”
AJ shrugs
“But the fact of the matter is I’ve never been unbeatable. I realized that a bit too late. But I’m nothing like Julian Cutlass, as much as I idolized him. I’m the one who beats the unbeatable, who makes his name, by doing the things the world thinks he can’t! Doing the impossible, beating the unbeatable! Getting knocked down and pulling himself right back up! That is who AJ Knight is, that’s the man I forgot I was after a little taste of glory. After a short time on top of the mountain, I got soft, and a total stranger took the place of the real AJ Knight.“
His usual determined smirk comes back alive for the first time in over half a year!
“So in this tournament, you can pick whoever you want. I’m not going to take it as an insult if it’s not me. I’ll take it as a challenge, to prove you wrong. To show you exactly what I’m made of, to remind the world, and myself of why AJ Knight was setting the world on fire in 2018. To show exactly what made me great, and what will bring me back to greatness in the coming year! What will take me to the end of the Royal Road!”
“See in this tournament you can throw whatever the hell you want at me, because I will keep coming forward, and when the tournament comes to a close, I will hold that title high over my head, and you will know, I will know and the world will know: AJ Knight. Is. Back!”
And on this promise, this declaration of intent, we fade out in anticipation of the true return of AJ Knight.
“I can safely say this is not how I’d thought I would start 2019, flying to wrestle in Korea of all places. Guess that’s life in this sport, and now I have a chance to make history here, and become the first ever Royal Road Champion.
And I’d like to make some jokes, talk a little bit of shit, tell the world I’m the best and that no one else stands a chance against the Ace.
But I can’t, not now. Because I have no right to call myself that now.”
AJ shrugs.
“See it was last June, everything went to shit for me. The whole entire world was coming down on me and I was a man on an island, and frankly? I cracked under the pressure. One month later I’m a former World Champion. I go to Japan trying to find myself again, and it’s only now close to 8 months later I realized the problem, it wasn’t a lack of training, or skill, the truth was in front of my face. I bought into my own hype…
I stopped being hungry.”
AJ smiled bitterly, his disappointment in himself apparent
“Now I’m a 24 year-old has been on his way to Korea, standing in a field of 16, and for the first time in a long time I know I’m not the favorite to win this thing. I’ve got no illusions about that, with the J1 Summit Winner Tokyo Zombie, in the runnin, guys like James Edwards who can knock you out with one good shot, and David Troy the pound for pound best in the world right now.
For the first time in years I’m a true underdog…
… God I’ve missed this!”
A new sense of fire fills AJ!
“ Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve needed to prove myself? Since I’ve shown the world just who AJ Knight is? Too damn long! I’d forgotten what it feels like, to have the world wondering, the feeling of not being sure. To come into the fight already counted out!
You’d think it’d be discouraging, and hard to swallow, to know that no one thinks you can do it….”
AJ shrugs
“But the fact of the matter is I’ve never been unbeatable. I realized that a bit too late. But I’m nothing like Julian Cutlass, as much as I idolized him. I’m the one who beats the unbeatable, who makes his name, by doing the things the world thinks he can’t! Doing the impossible, beating the unbeatable! Getting knocked down and pulling himself right back up! That is who AJ Knight is, that’s the man I forgot I was after a little taste of glory. After a short time on top of the mountain, I got soft, and a total stranger took the place of the real AJ Knight.“
His usual determined smirk comes back alive for the first time in over half a year!
“So in this tournament, you can pick whoever you want. I’m not going to take it as an insult if it’s not me. I’ll take it as a challenge, to prove you wrong. To show you exactly what I’m made of, to remind the world, and myself of why AJ Knight was setting the world on fire in 2018. To show exactly what made me great, and what will bring me back to greatness in the coming year! What will take me to the end of the Royal Road!”
“See in this tournament you can throw whatever the hell you want at me, because I will keep coming forward, and when the tournament comes to a close, I will hold that title high over my head, and you will know, I will know and the world will know: AJ Knight. Is. Back!”
And on this promise, this declaration of intent, we fade out in anticipation of the true return of AJ Knight.