Post by doc on Mar 22, 2010 7:19:59 GMT -6
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost;
That is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them."
-- Henry David Thoreau.
That is where they should be.
Now put the foundations under them."
-- Henry David Thoreau.
And now I put the ladder under them.
This match is perfect. Perfect both for me, and for weeding out those unwilling to build their foundations.
In the wrestling world, almost everyone has built their castles in the sky. The problem is, the majority of people either have no idea how to reach them, or they try booking a non-existent flight in to space, waiting for the shortcut which will never come.
Six men. Six men with opportunity to build their own foundations. Six men with the scaffolding handed to them on a silver platter.
All they have to do is build.
But how many of the six are willing? How many of the six men are really willing to put their bodies through a match like this, only to become the number one contender for the Xtreme Title?
I know I am.
But others don't see it that way. "Xtreme Title? Nah, that's an avoidable distraction. We're en-route to grander, more glamorous castles."
If you don't have a bridge, you're going to fall in the moat.
I've seen it all before. There are plenty of superstars in the back who would jump around like a giddy kid after too much sherbet if they were handed a World Title shot.
And that's what they're waiting for. They're waiting for that opportunity to be handed to them. Or maybe even a National Title shot. "Sure, the National Title's cool, all I have to do is win that, then I can leapfrog everyone else and build my path to the top." The National Title also comes with prestige, power, possibilities.
But the Xtreme Title? There's no glamor there. There's no groupies chasing you around after a show. There's no 7-figure paychecks sitting in your mailbox.
It's a path of bloodshed. A path so gritty that most would avoid it at all costs. But not me. Winning this match at Sovereign is everything to me. Going on to win the Xtreme Title...
It's perfect.
This is my opportunity to begin creating my legacy in nCw. Most of the people in this company don't appreciate the hard-work and desire that must come along with being a champion. They only care about the groupies. They only care about the 7-figure paychecks. Look at the list of previous Xtreme Champions. Most of them have lost the belt without registering a single successful defense.
It's a disgrace.
They soon realized just how gritty the path of being Xtreme Champion was. Their mind floated back to their castles in the sky, and the images they held as a child of being a champion. Somehow, the pieces to the puzzle didn't fit.
Because they didn't know how to build the jigsaw.
But I know. I've built it, and I will build it again. I'm not prepared to sit back and watch titles switch hands like a game of 'pass the parcel'. Not any more. Sovereign will be the first step on my ladder, it will be my foundation. Then all I have to do is climb.
Venom has climbed the ladder before. He sat on top of it for what seemed like an eternity - a long time ago. Are his castles still in the sky, or did they crash back down to earth? Does he still have it in him to sacrifice time that could be spent with his family to ensure that he puts his foot back on the ladder? Just for a shot at the Xtreme Title?
AJ switches ladders every time they start to tip over. He changes his name, his nicknames, his image... all in hope that it will invigorate his thighs to keep climbing through the burn. And he is willing to climb, of that, I'm sure. But is he willing to climb only for this position? Will his ego allow him to look in the mirror and see but an Xtreme Champion, when just last week he defeated perhaps the two best wrestlers in the company, including the world champion himself?
Joe Everyman has traveled further up his ladder in nCw than people might think. But he has already held the Xtreme Title - over two years ago. Wont he see this is a backward step in his career? Does a man who was unable to defend the belt, even once, really fancy another stroll down that gritty path? Does Joe Everyman really have the desire to win anything any more?
What about Freakke and Severe Payne? Out of my five opponents, perhaps they have the most to prove in a match like this. But even if they have the will to climb the ladder, there's no guarantee that their feet will carry them. Do they have the heart to get back up if someone rams a set of ladders into their sternum and breaks a rib or two? Do they have the ability to beat men like Venom and AJ? Just over one week ago I beat Severe Payne, but I noticed him predict that we would cross paths again. He was right. He also claimed that we were on the same level. Can he prove it this time?
There are doubts about all of my opponents for Sovereign, and questions which can only be answered once the bell rings. All I know is what I am capable of. What I am willing to do.
Because I will come in to this match all guns blazing. I do have the drive to take the Xtreme Title and show everyone in nCw what it takes to be a real champion. I am willing to build my foundations, to climb my ladder.
And at Sovereign, I will take my first step upon it. But mine wont stop at the castles in the air. Mine wont stop. Period.
The sky might be the limit.
But my ladder, has No Limits.