No Reflection
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:27 am
Matt Striker had been given the task of performing the first interview with Cody Rhodes following his graphic incident with Kane. Rumors had been swirling for the past week. Some persisted that Rhodes' face had been horribly disfigured by burns. Others claimed that after reconstructive surgery, the second generation wrestler looked unrecognizable. After a series of losses and set backs, Cody's grasp on sanity seemed to be precarious at best. He seemed to fall deeper and deeper into a pit he couldn't crawl out of with every disappointment. Striker slowly approached the former champion in the backstage area of the Key Arena. Cody stood off in a corner, surrounded by a few packing crates. He was clad in a black colored leather jacket with a hood pulled tightly over his head. His back was turned to the camera as the interviewer cautiously inched a bit closer.
| Matt Striker | ..Cody..ah..we're all to see you back after..uh..what happened..
Striker was mindful to choose his words carefully. Rhodes didn't respond as his shoulders and posture began to slump.
| Matt Striker | You're scheduled to face Dolph Ziggler in the first round of the King Of The Ring tournament. Do you feel you're prepared?
Rhodes slowly turned to face the interviewer. His head was lowered and his hood effectively cast a shadow over his features. He drugs his fingers along the cowl to make sure it kept his face hidden.
| Cody Rhodes | I am not prepared.
Even his voice sounded different. An odd inflection, almost a quiver.
Cody Rhodes | I tried to salvage my career. I tried to entertain. ..But these people..they just want pain. I was laughed at and treated like..garbage. It's all come out to be such a horrible mess.
Matt Striker: You said you're not prepared..do you mean..mentally? Physically? Both?
| Cody Rhodes | I'm fully prepared. Physically. But you don't care about that. Do you? You want to see what my face looks like. You want to see how grotesque I've become. No one wanted an interview with Cody Rhodes last month. It's only until I get horribly disfigured do you vultures suddenly come circling around me. You want to be scared. You want something to laugh at. Something to make you feel better about your pathetic lives.
Rhodes clasps his hands against the sides of his head.
| Cody Rhodes | I have suffered a traumatic event. But here I am. Forced to compete. Thrown into a slot to fill this tournament. I'm not ready to be seen. Not by these stupid, cackling fans. Not by you. Not by the blood thirsty individuals that employ me. The same people that allowed Kane to destroy my face without even handing out something as meager as a suspension.
Cody begins to breath heavily. He's almost at a panicked state.
| Cody Rhodes | My life..is dead.
He pauses to sigh remorsefully.
| Cody Rhodes | I can't go for a stroll through the park. I can't go out and get breakfast. Because people are staring at me. And whispering. And mocking me. I have suffered and been punished for the better part of a year. But it's time for me to sever these ugly extremities. I will no longer be this company's punching bag. I will make everyone feel and look as horrifying as I am. All of these gorgeous..vain..shallow.."superstars"..are going to wish they would have helped me when they had the chance. I was looking for a hand to help pull me out of the hell that I was in. But now I'm going to drag everyone down with me. And that begins with Dolph Ziggler.
This very different version of Cody Rhodes turns his back again and gives his hood another sharp tug.
| Cody Rhodes | And I will make it very fast. Because the thought..of an arena..full of eyeballs..staring at me..
His hands begin to tremble.
| Cody Rhodes | Get the camera off of me now. Stop looking at me. GET THE CAMERA OFF OF ME.
Both Striker and the camera man begin to back away. Cody could still be heard whispering to himself while slowly shaking his head lowered head back and forth.
| Matt Striker | ..Cody..ah..we're all to see you back after..uh..what happened..
Striker was mindful to choose his words carefully. Rhodes didn't respond as his shoulders and posture began to slump.
| Matt Striker | You're scheduled to face Dolph Ziggler in the first round of the King Of The Ring tournament. Do you feel you're prepared?
Rhodes slowly turned to face the interviewer. His head was lowered and his hood effectively cast a shadow over his features. He drugs his fingers along the cowl to make sure it kept his face hidden.
| Cody Rhodes | I am not prepared.
Even his voice sounded different. An odd inflection, almost a quiver.
Cody Rhodes | I tried to salvage my career. I tried to entertain. ..But these people..they just want pain. I was laughed at and treated like..garbage. It's all come out to be such a horrible mess.
Matt Striker: You said you're not prepared..do you mean..mentally? Physically? Both?
| Cody Rhodes | I'm fully prepared. Physically. But you don't care about that. Do you? You want to see what my face looks like. You want to see how grotesque I've become. No one wanted an interview with Cody Rhodes last month. It's only until I get horribly disfigured do you vultures suddenly come circling around me. You want to be scared. You want something to laugh at. Something to make you feel better about your pathetic lives.
Rhodes clasps his hands against the sides of his head.
| Cody Rhodes | I have suffered a traumatic event. But here I am. Forced to compete. Thrown into a slot to fill this tournament. I'm not ready to be seen. Not by these stupid, cackling fans. Not by you. Not by the blood thirsty individuals that employ me. The same people that allowed Kane to destroy my face without even handing out something as meager as a suspension.
Cody begins to breath heavily. He's almost at a panicked state.
| Cody Rhodes | My life..is dead.
He pauses to sigh remorsefully.
| Cody Rhodes | I can't go for a stroll through the park. I can't go out and get breakfast. Because people are staring at me. And whispering. And mocking me. I have suffered and been punished for the better part of a year. But it's time for me to sever these ugly extremities. I will no longer be this company's punching bag. I will make everyone feel and look as horrifying as I am. All of these gorgeous..vain..shallow.."superstars"..are going to wish they would have helped me when they had the chance. I was looking for a hand to help pull me out of the hell that I was in. But now I'm going to drag everyone down with me. And that begins with Dolph Ziggler.
This very different version of Cody Rhodes turns his back again and gives his hood another sharp tug.
| Cody Rhodes | And I will make it very fast. Because the thought..of an arena..full of eyeballs..staring at me..
His hands begin to tremble.
| Cody Rhodes | Get the camera off of me now. Stop looking at me. GET THE CAMERA OFF OF ME.
Both Striker and the camera man begin to back away. Cody could still be heard whispering to himself while slowly shaking his head lowered head back and forth.