The Love Of The Game

Tokyo, Japan
2014

I am so screwed.

Twenty year old Lachlan O’Connell stared wide-eyed around him, having just got off the plane from London to Tokyo. The airport terminal was a sea of people going in every direction, speaking a language that Lachlan had absolutely no clue how to communicate in. He shifted his duffel bag on his shoulder as he nervously looked around, relieved to see that the signage had some English on it. He carefully made his way to baggage claim, weaving through the crowds and smiling apologetically whenever he bumped into someone.

Thankfully, his small suitcase made it out in relatively good time and he took that as a sign that things were looking up. He was about to make his way out of the terminal when he noticed a very tall white man standing near the exit holding a sign. He towered over most of the people around him, and he seemed to be searching the crowds. As Lachlan drew closer, he was able to read the sign he was holding and was surprised to see his own name written across it in thick black lettering. He reasoned this must be the person that the dojo had sent over to help guide him through his new placement in the Japanese wrestling scene.

Lachlan stepped up to the taller man and held out his hand with a friendly smile. “Hey, I’m Lachlan. Thanks for picking me up.”

The man returned the smile and took Lachlan’s hand in a handshake. Up close, Lachlan could see that he had thick dark hair much like his own, and his eyes were an intriguing shade of green. There was also a faint dusting of freckles across his nose. “Hey, nice to meet ya, Lach. Name’s Eddy,” he said, with a distinct Welsh accent. “Good to see you made it out of baggage claim in one piece, and with your luggage to boot.”

“I’m sorry?” Lachlan asked, raising one eyebrow.

Eddy laughed. “When I got here two months ago, my luggage unfortunately did not follow. Had to ring my mum to send me more stuff, since Japanese clothing sizes don’t exactly work with tall ones like me.”

Lachlan let out an involuntary chuckle, before trying to disguise it as a cough. “Uh, sorry to hear that. Must have been a nightmare.”

“Nah, it wasn’t too bad. Had a few spare bits in my carry-on, and Mum expressed the rest of it.” He gestured to the door of the terminal. “Well, shall we get the show on the road? Still got a bit of a drive to the dojo, and you’re probably well tired after that flight. Your room’s all set up and ready to go. You’ll be rooming with me and two other lads.”

“Sounds good, lead the way.”

A few hours later…

Lachlan’s eyes slowly opened, and he panicked momentarily at the sight of the strange room surrounding him. But he quickly remembered that he was now in Japan, just about to embark on a one-year journey in the Japanese wrestling scene. He grinned to himself as he got out of the bed and headed out to the common area of the dormitory he was sharing with the other students of the dojo. He spotted Eddy sitting at the table and gave the Welshman a wave, which Eddy returned as Lach took a seat at the table across from him.

“Good sleep?” Eddy asked as he took a sip from the mug in front of him.

“Not bad. Bit of a heart attack when I woke up and forgot where I was,” Lachlan laughed.

Eddy cracked a wry grin. “Yeah, bit jarring waking up for the first time in a whole new country. Took me a while to get used to it.”

The two men sat and chatted for a bit about their respective backgrounds in wrestling so far, what had brought them to Japan, and their lives in their home countries. Before long, the common area started filling up with the rest of the students, and Eddy nodded to Lach. “Alright, ready for your first day of training?”

The smile that filled Lachlan’s face was eager. “Absolutely.”

—------------

Orlando, Florida
Present Day

The Florida night air was thick with humidity as Lachlan Kane sat out in the backyard of his home. But instead of sitting near the pool as he usually did, or up on the patio, this time he was seated on top of the high wooden fence that surrounded their yard. His gaze was trained upwards, the inky blue sky speckled with stars reflected in his blue eyes. It was relatively quiet, the only sounds in the air were that of crickets and the occasional distant hoot of an owl. He kept his eyes on the heavens as he began to speak, his Irish brogue low and melodic.

“Well, I can’t say that my first venture back to PWE went the way I wanted it to go, but I’m not exactly disappointed with it. Those multi-person matches can go any which way, and that one certainly was chaotic to say the least. But, I managed to hang on until the final two, so I’ll take it. And now that the first-show jitters are out of the way, it’s time to knuckle down and start getting serious. Anyone who’s been paying attention in the last little while knows full well that I’ve made my intentions clear about getting back my Victory championship, and that goal hasn’t changed in the slightest. I’m absolutely ready to step up and prove to Ophelia, Charlie, anyone and everyone that I deserve my rematch. I may have gotten sidetracked with other things, but that championship has always occupied a place in my mind. And sooner or later…I will be the Victory Champion once again.”

His gaze lowered from the skies to the camera lens, a fierce intensity burning in their depths. “But, first things first. Got another multi-person match lined up for me, but thankfully it’s only a triple threat. Not to say that I’m taking it lightly or anything, but only having to keep eyes on two people is a touch more manageable than six. Then again, the two people I’m going up against aren’t exactly slouches in the ring. But at the same time, they haven’t exactly done anything to set them apart from the crowd, either.”

“First up, we got the newcomer who apparently already has a giant chip on his shoulder, Jurgen Kaiser.” Lachlan shook his head with a sardonic grin. “You know, I’ve heard a lot of people say my brother Mal is a bitter cynic, but after seeing you speak your piece before the last show I think he’s got a challenger to his crown. I mean, I get it…we all can’t come into a company all chipper and cheery, playing the ‘good guy’ hoping to win everyone over, but to be that jaded straight out of the gate? Usually you don’t get that way until you’re a bitter old vet long past his glory days, complaining about ‘how it used to be’. But you’re just jumping headlong into it, aren’t you? It’s a bold strategy, I’ll hand it to you. But it’s not going to work against me. You talk about the ‘poison’ in this industry, how so many of us are so toxic, but the only one infecting it is you with your shit attitude.”

“And then, we have Chelsea Skye. A young woman with quite an…active life outside of wrestling. Which I believe was probably a contributing factor in your failure to capture the Victory championship. I mean, think about it. If you’re busy with your band rehearsals or your…ahem, ‘film’ shoots, when do you have the time to properly research your opponent? When do you train? When do you actively promote the company that you are a part of? From an outside perspective, it just seems as though you’re using wrestling as a means to jumpstart your other careers. And hey, I’m not saying that having some side gigs is a bad thing, but when they take up more time than you dedicate to your in-ring career…maybe it’s time to reconsider. Maybe it’s time to prioritize just what you want to do with your career. I’ll even give you a helping hand. Because when you go 0-2 after Monday night, maybe it’ll help you realize that you are just not meant for this industry.”

He leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on his knees as his eyes narrowed and an uncharacteristic scowl crossed his face. “I’ve been in this business for a decade now. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life. Ever since I was a wee one, I’ve imagined myself living the kind of life I have now. I didn’t even entertain the idea of going to university, because deep down in my heart, I knew that wrestling was the only career I ever wanted. The opportunities I’ve had, the places I’ve traveled, all the people I’ve met…I’m living my dream right now. So, when I see people like Jurgen come in and crap all over it while simultaneously acting like King Shit, or someone like Chelsea who treats it as just another hobby to add to a list…well, I’m slightly offended by that. As someone who has gone through every hell imaginable to finally make a name for myself here in the States, the fact that there are people like you in my company…” He shook his head slightly. “It’s disappointing, to say the least. But I plan on showing both of you the error of your ways come Monday night. While you both have the most basic, superficial reasons for getting into this business, I’m in it for the love of the game. I do this because I love it, and I love my family. I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into this industry, and I’m now at a point where I can provide for my family. I can give them all the things they deserve. That is my motivation, and it’s all I need to walk into that ring on Monday night and beat you both from pillar to post.”

He nimbly leapt down from atop the fence, landing on the grass and straightening up to full height. His eyes were still laser focused on the camera as he held up one hand, thumb and index finger extended to point down the lens before he walked out of the frame as the camera panned up to a shot of the full moon hanging low in the sky before slowly blurring out and eventually fading out to black.