August Joyce is sat on the edge of a wrestling ring in an empty gym. He looks hot, beads of sweat on his forehead indicating he’s been through some training here tonight as he sits on the ring apron in his wrestling gear, leaning back against the ropes as he looks into the camera in front of him.
“Pat Gordon Jnr followed his father’s footsteps into this business and is looking to emulate his successes and build on them, push himself further than his old man did. That’s an admirable trait. So you’re probably wondering what it is about all of this second generation bullcrap that I don’t like?”
“Well you could say I have daddy issues.”
“When I was eight years old I came home from school, opened the door to our apartment building and was greeted by the sight of my mother and father in a bloody mess in the hallway. Turns out my father was a VERY jealous man and brutally murdered my mom before killing himself. Not one thought about me in all of this. Not once did he contemplate what that would do to me, as an eight year old, discovering their bodies and having to deal with the aftermath.”
Joyce looks away for a moment, trying to shake the memory.
“My father was a great business man, incredibly social and a keen hockey player. But you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t want to emulate his most notorious incident. In fact I’ve probably chosen the path that’s most opposite to his; whether that was deliberate or subconscious I’m not entirely sure.”
He looks over his shoulder at the wrestling ring as he begins to speak again.
“My father hated wrestling and would never let me watch it when I was a kid. I remember discovering it when I was in foster care and ended up watching as much as possible, reading as many magazines as possible, playing the video games and even playing that roleplaying game by email that was popular back in the day. Man, I always sucked at that game.”
August smiles.
“When I was eighteen I went to Japan purely to watch wrestling, taking in shows at Kōrakuen Hall, Budokan and Tokyo Dome. It was like a dream come true for me. And to be able to say now that I have appeared at the Tokyo Dome is something I will be forever proud of.”
“I’ve ended up becoming a person my father would have hated. And that’s the best thing I could ever have done, in my opinion. Because a man like my father wouldn’t stand a chance in this ring against someone like Pat Gordon Jnr. But, do you know what? I do!”
Joyce rubs his hands together as he thinks about his second round match.
“So while you following your father was your life path, getting away from my father was mine. Nothing personal, Pat, but I’d love to show you that being your own man can get you a long way in this world… even in this great job of ours. And if it means beating your ass to prove it to you then I’m sorry; but there’s no way in hell I’m letting you advance to round three!”