It’s a clear and bright day in Atlanta as August Joyce is stood outside the Georgia Aquarium with his friend and tag-team partner Tim Worthington who’s in town for a show this coming weekend. The two men have not been in the same state very often recently so they’ve taken the opportunity to catch up. And as the two men are talking they’re interrupted by the arrival of a young man with a camera, looking to get some thoughts regarding August’s recent form in Peach State Wrestling.
The man approaches August. “Mr Joyce, mind if we take a moment of your time to talk about Peach State? We’ve been trying to get hold of you for weeks now…”
“Want me to give you two a moment?” Tim says with a cheeky smile.
August shakes his head. “Nah, it’s ok. Go on then, kid, let’s do this.”
Joyce runs his hand though his hair, making sure it’s not too unkempt. The young man gives a signal to say that he’s recording and August just stands there for a moment, looking around at the people walking by as he gathers his thoughts.
“I’ve been silent for a long time after my last match, thinking about what to say to you all. I’ve avoided fan events, stayed off Twitter and I’ve not been answering my cell to almost everyone. But now, having thought things through and worked out what to say to you all, I’m going to put things straight.”
“Right after the match I was disappointed, with the result and with my own personal performance. But then I read the report on the PSW website and my disappointment turned to anger. Go read that show report again and count how many moves I got in. Seriously, pause this video, go to the website and read it.”
He stops for a moment, hoping that people actually do what he’s suggesting.
“See that? Snapmare; Chop block; Spinning toe hold; kick; jawbreaker; suplex. Six moves. Six! That was my ENTIRE offence at Aftermath.” He shakes his head and sighs. “I can’t help but feel that I let you down. You, the great fans of Peach State, deserve better from the man who calls himself ‘The People’s Choice’. I mean, seriously, who’d choose me at the moment?”
August looks to Tim next to him. “Tim and I both made our return to the ring in January.” He turns back to face the camera. “But it’s been far from a triumphant return. Between the two of us we’ve lost every match we’ve taken part in; in four different organisations. It doesn’t matter if it’s Peach State, the MWA, FRONTIER or Premier Wrestling, we’ve gone on the worst streak either of us have been on… EVER!”
Tim pats his friend on the shoulder as Joyce continues.
“I mean, I came to Peach State for a reason. It was a chance for me to rebuild my career, to get past a horrendous spell in the MWA and effectively start from the ground up. I trained in new styles, I learnt new moves. But what have I got to show for that? Not a whole lot.”
“But now here we are, both of us in the fine state of Georgia this weekend for two big shows. Both hoping to turn the tide. I head to Spring Fever for my chance at putting things right, at ending my streak. An over the top rope battle royal, again, for another chance at the PSW Tag-Team Championships. I told you last month that it would be an honour to become the first ever two-time PSW Tag Champ, so getting another shot is good news as far as I’m concerned. Having to go through three other people to get there is just the icing on the cake.”
August smiles and rubs his hands together at the thought of victory.
“What better way to get back on track than by eliminating three other Peach State stars? A win would propel me back up the rankings, eliminating ALL of my opponents would really make people sit up and take notice once again! And who do I have to toss out to get there? Adrian Hunter, my partner at Aftermath, my old friend Dixie Leigh and Johnny Royal.”
“Royal, I hear you’re a bit of a legend. The People’s Hero no less.”
“Nice name.” Worthington chips in, almost laughing until remembering his partners own ring name.
August shakes his head at Tim before turning back to the camera.
“Well, Johnny, it’ll be interesting to see what you bring to the table. I know all about Dixie and Adrian having been in the ring with them and against them, but you’re an unknown quantity to me. I know you’re from right here in Atlanta. Other than that I know very little. But I do know enough not to underestimate you. Hell, you can’t underestimate ANYONE in Peach State.”
He pauses for a moment as a smile crosses his face.
“Including me!”