AJ#29 : ULTRATITLE Tournament: Round One
@AugustJoyce
New aim, get to Sweet Sixteen in the #ULTRATITLE Tournament to face @KHardHero!
Yea, maybe it’s a little presumptuous to make such statements before the tournament even begins. Especially given the form August Joyce has shown coming into the opening round match with Joe the Plumber. But the self proclaimed “Peoples Choice” has never been short of confidence. Or has he?
The Frog & Firkin Pub
Vancouver, Canada
Monday 16[SUP]th[/SUP] April 2012
“What the hell was I thinking?”
August Joyce is sat on a bar stool, tapping his fingers on a beer mat on the bar in front of him as he impatiently waits for his drink to be served. He shakes his head and mimes smashing it on the bar before turning to his side, expecting to get some friendly reassurance.
“’Ey, yous need to cheer the hell up.”
The scouse accent of August’s long time friend Dave Spikey doesn’t deliver the message that August was hoping for.
“Gee, thanks for the support, eh?” August says as he looks over to his friend.
“Support?” Spike looks surprised. “’ows about you support yourself before yous look for me to be your frickin’ cheerleader? Stop mopin’ about in ‘ere and get your act together, like!”
August frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talkin’ about how yous keep puttin’ yourself down. You dwell on the negatives, ignore the positives. Yous know damn well that enterin’ the ULTRATITLE is the best thing yous have ever done but yous keep sayin’ that you’re gonna get your arse handed to ya.”
Joyce lets out a sigh and nods at his friend. “I know what you’re trying to say, Spike. But it’s not easy to look past this losing streak, you know? It’s been months now. Months of disappointment and underachieving. And now comes the ULTRATITLE. 128 wrestlers all vying to prove themselves as the best in the game. How am I supposed to pick myself up for that?”
“How the **** do you NOT pick yourself up for that!” Spike is getting a little frustrated with his friend. “It’s the opportunity of a frickin’ lifetime, pal. The chance to get your name out there for the world to see. The chance to turn your life upside down and to truly become the choice of the people.” He pats his friend on the back. “Now yous get your arse to the gym tomorrow mornin’ at seven sharp. Me ‘n Ben gonna give you a good work out and get your head back in this, like.”
Spike walks away leaving August still waiting for his drink. He looks up, sees the time and decides not to wait here feeling sorry for himself any more. He gets up, turns and heads for the exit… just as his drink arrives at the bar.
The Beresford Apartments
Vancouver, Canada
Monday 30[SUP]th[/SUP] April 2012
It’s a crisp morning in Vancouver and August Joyce steps out of a cab outside his apartment building. He is greeted by Charles, the doorman, before another figure appears and steps in front of him.
“August, a quick word?”
The man is carrying a microphone and there’s a cameraman stood behind him, filming August over his shoulder. August raises an eyebrow for a moment and was considering brushing the man off but at the last moment he changed his mind.
“This about the ULTRATITLE?” August asks. “Because if it is, then yes you can have a quick word.”
The man smiles. “How are you feeling about entering the tournament?”
Truth be told he wasn’t going to ask about the tournament, he was here to ask about August’s forthcoming match in Peach State Wrestling. But as an aspiring journalist he knows a golden opportunity when he sees it.
August doesn’t answer straight away, taking time to contemplate his response carefully. “I’m feeling good.” He briefly considers leaving that as the entirety of his answer. “It’s not been the greatest of years for me so far, anyone who knows me won’t need me to expand on that. But the ULTRATITLE offers me a new chance, the prospect to turn things around. Plus it’s a great opportunity to meet new people, make new connections and learn a few new things in the process. The ULTRATITLE could turn out to be the single greatest adventure of my life.”
“So you’re feeling confident going into your opening match?”
“Yes, I am.” August nods. “The past couple of weeks my outlook has changed, thanks to some great friends and some great training sessions. I’m feeling a hell of a lot more confident about myself and about my chances in this tournament.”
“Think you could go all the way?” The reporter asks.
August exhales through his sealed lips. “I don’t know, I’m not looking that far ahead. One match at a time, eh?”
“And what of that next match? What do you make of your opponent in the first round?” The journalist, having not expected to discuss this tournament, has no clue who August’s opponent is.
“Joe the Plumber.” August says, stroking his chin briefly before turning to look directly into the camera. “Joe, I have absolutely no idea about what sort of person or what sort of wrestler you are. I mean, yes, I’ve read the bio on the ULTRATITLE website but how much of a true picture does that really give you? What can I gleam from those few words written about you?”
August pauses momentarily. Looking around as if thinking about Joe’s biography.
“Well, for starters, there’s that name. Joe the Plumber. A name of someone completely deprived of an imagination.” Joyce smiles into the camera. “While you may not consider imagination to be a vital element of a good wrestler let me put this question to you; where would the ULTRATITLE tournament itself be if it weren’t for a man with the imagination to conceive such an idea? And it was imagination that led to me coming up with my finishing move, The Choice. A move that could go in any number of directions; all ultimately leading to your elimination.”
The reporter steps in with another question. “So you’re feeling pretty confident about this then?”
“Listen…” August begins. “This match is about what I do. Sun Tzu - The Art of War - never underestimate your opposition. I’ve got to expect the unexpected from Joe. I may not know him and I may not be impressed by his biography but I cannot afford to dismiss him as a threat. All I can do is control the controllable; I’ll take care of all the things that are in my power and go into this match as the best I can be. Everything else should take care of itself.”
With that August smiles and nods at the reporter, turns away and walks into the apartment building as the screen fades.
