A few years had passed since those terrible times, life had been hard but
Stephanie somehow managed to survive. She was lucky enough to come from a
wealthy family, so she didn't have to go back to work and could be home for
her son Joey, who was just beginning his first years of grade school. The
WWE had moved on yet again, the McMahon's still took no part. Kane, Matt
Hardy and Christian had gotten over the tragedy but it was still had for
them all, especially Chris's best friend and neighbor Christian. Everyday
he was off he'd come by and visit Jericho's widowed family, he saw Joey
grow and he came to be known as 'Uncle Christian'. It was comforting for
Christian to be there with her, he was so much like Chris is almost helped
to ease the pain within her. But it all would recall her mind back to what
she found on the phone message system that one day she came back from the
McMahon estate on the holidays, Christian's wife's voice saying, "You're
like family to us Steph, and I don't want you to forget that you have
friends like us." And she never did.
2015, 12 years later.
It was a Friday, just a normal day to a normal week in a normal month, but a not so normal year. Joey was a young pre-teen now, and Stephanie could see his father's arrogance and stubborn personality in full bloom within their child. Joey was half way through middle school and the first week of the second semester had just ended. Joey never knew his dad but he did know of him, he longed to carry out his father's legacy as a wrestler and fulfill his dream of completing his father's abandoned goals.
"Hi Joey, welcome home." Stephanie called from the kitchen sink, hearing the door close. Joey walked into the room with a slumped and sullen face. "How was school?"
Now the resemblance between Chris and Joey was uncanny, he was about 5' and 135, very stocky and tough, his face was the same as Chris's. His blond hair was a little scruffy, it was about shoulder length with parted bangs going down the side. If you'd gone into a time machine, you could've sworn this was a young teenage Chris.
"It was fine." Joey finally muttered in a slightly younger sounding Jericho voice.
"Oh?" Stephanie turned off the sink and dried her hands on the dishcloth. "Why wasn't it great."
"Here." Joey mumbled quietly and handed her a paper before sulking out of the room.
Stephanie opened the slip and realized it was a notice from school, Joey had gotten into a fight. Stephanie sighed, why was her son so headstrong, he had the tough guy attitude and the personality of a schoolyard bully. He'd gotten into scuffles before, but this one sounded bad, the school was actually considering suspension. Steph sighed and walked upstairs to Joey's room.
"Joey?" She opened the door and as soon as she did, Joey turned around on his bed and put on his headphones, blasting the music to Fozzy, it was the only way he could hear his dad's voice. "Joey!" She yanked off the headphones.
"Ah, mom!" He growled and turned off the loud stereo.
Stephanie folded her arms, "Would you mind explaining this."
Joey smirked and propped himself up on his elbows, "It was no big deal."
"No big deal? This fight is risking suspension, mister!"
"It's nothing mom, really." He sighed and turned his back to her. "You wouldn't understand anyway."
"Oh?" Stephanie sat down on his bed and spoke softer this time. "You might be surprised." Joey turned back to her and she smiled slightly. "Why don't you just tell me what happened?"
"Well there's this tough guy at school right, he's this new punk whose been picking on everyone smaller than him, and finally he got to beating on my friends. I took charge and tried to stand up to him with words, like you always say, but then he started to badmouth the WWE and wrestling, and finally he began taking shots at my dad. I couldn't take that, I couldn't let him talk about my father's honor like that. I dunno what came over me, but I just snapped and wailed on him. Before I knew what I was doing or what was going on, the school security guard had tackled me to the ground." Joey turned his head away. "I'm sorry mom, I really am. And now I could get suspended, I'm sorry I let you down."
"Oh Joey." Steph couldn't help but smile at how much of her husband was in her son. "It's ok honey, I understand." She hugged him and Joey smiled a little bit. "Tomorrow when I go to the conference at the school, I'll settle things out."
"Thanks mom."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
The next day.
Joey was on his break when Stephanie went to the office for the scheduled appointment. Joey had a lot of friends, they had similar interests such as being wrestling fans, but nobody ever treated him differently because he was the son of a past superstar. At this time in the WWE, Kane had retired, Matt Hardy left because of an injury, and Christian was a big superstar on Raw, actually in the run for the title picture.
"Wow, I can't believe your uncle could be the next world champ." One kid would say.
"That makes you, like, famous!" Another would add.
"Can you get me an autograph?" Yea, that one came a lot.
"Chris Jericho sucked, and so does his son." That bully from the other day was the first one to ever say anything like that, and he suffered for it. His friends looked at him differently now that he'd beaten up the most notorious bully in the bay area.
"He deserved it." Joey would say, arrogantly flexing to much attention and awe. His ego swelled at this, his dad's personality thriving within him. "Just goes to show you how tough I am." Joey would become tougher as the years would go on.
By high school, Joey was playing sports left and right. He was big on basketball, a great player in baseball, enjoyed soccer from time to time, but something that the high school didn't have was a wrestling team. During the summer, he and some of his friends decided to form a garage band. They became pretty well known locally for their hardcore rock and punk style. Stephanie could see how much Joey was like Chris, but he was never exposed to the world of wrestling. Finally, by the time Joey graduated from high school, the moment of truth came.
"You know, Joey." Stephanie said one afternoon in late June. Joey looked up from reading. He was about Chris's size, 5'9 and 225 from going to the gym all the time. His tawny hair was long in a short ponytail with loose stringy bangs around his head, a typical teenage Chris. Stephanie turned to her son, "It's about time in your life for you to figure out your future. What do you have planed?"
"Well, I could always get a job to pay for the car and."
"No, no, no." She smiled. "I don't mean the near future. I mean, are you going to want to go to college or, what do you want as far as a career goes?"
Joey looked up for a moment, biting his bottom lip as he though, "I dunno, I like entertainment, performing on stage or in music or sports, maybe I should think about heading to Hollywood."
"Don't you want to go to college?"
"Mm, nah." Joey opened his book and began reading again. "Don't worry mom, I'll go out and get some applications for some places tomorrow. We don't have to worry about a future occupation, I mean, that's so far off, we don't know what's gonna happen in the near future, so why worry."
"It's just a mother's responsibility." Stephanie sighed.
Joey looked up at her and smirked, your typical Jericho smirk, "I think I know what this is about mom." Stephanie turned back to her young son. "As far back as the McMahon family goes, every child has been in relation with the WWE corporate office. I've been to the headquarters, and the whole thing just doesn't look like it's all for me. I'm not the businessman type, and like I'd ever be scholarly enough to work there. I know you and uncle Shane and grandpa and great grandpa and so on, they all worked for the company, but I don't think that's for me." Joey turned away, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry mom."
"That's ok, if it's not what you want to do."
"I know it's kinda like a tradition, but."
"You don't' have to do it, if you don't want to."
"Really?" Joey wasn't convinced. "But mom, I."
"Joey, I can't tell you what to do. You're growing up now, soon you'll be on your own."
Joey sighed and looked away, he then looked back over at his sullen mother and sighed to himself. He didn't want to be some rich snooty suit who worked in an office 24-7-365. But then an idea hit him, something that would make both he and his mom happy.
The next week.
"Hey Joey, you got a letter in the mail." Steph called as she grabbed the bundles.
Joey ran downstairs and got it, "Alright, this is it!" He opened it feverishly.
"Did you apply for a job?"
"Even better." Joey opened the letter and read it, a grin appearing on his face. "Yahoo!"
"What is it, did you get the job?"
"Hey mom, remember on the weekend when I went out for a while?" Joey handed her the letter. She read it and froze, she looked up at her son in shock. "I went to the tryout camp and Uncle Christian helped me get an audition with the WWE. Looks like I made it, I can train to be a superstar in the Ohio Valley."
"Oh, Joey." Stephanie covered her mouth, trying not to cry. Joey's face beamed at his mother's response. "Oh I'm so happy." She hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you."
"I know mom, and I'm glad."
Stephanie couldn't believe it was true, Joey would be working with the WWE, and it didn't matter if he was a wrestler because he wasn't just a McMahon, he was a Jericho.
2015, 12 years later.
It was a Friday, just a normal day to a normal week in a normal month, but a not so normal year. Joey was a young pre-teen now, and Stephanie could see his father's arrogance and stubborn personality in full bloom within their child. Joey was half way through middle school and the first week of the second semester had just ended. Joey never knew his dad but he did know of him, he longed to carry out his father's legacy as a wrestler and fulfill his dream of completing his father's abandoned goals.
"Hi Joey, welcome home." Stephanie called from the kitchen sink, hearing the door close. Joey walked into the room with a slumped and sullen face. "How was school?"
Now the resemblance between Chris and Joey was uncanny, he was about 5' and 135, very stocky and tough, his face was the same as Chris's. His blond hair was a little scruffy, it was about shoulder length with parted bangs going down the side. If you'd gone into a time machine, you could've sworn this was a young teenage Chris.
"It was fine." Joey finally muttered in a slightly younger sounding Jericho voice.
"Oh?" Stephanie turned off the sink and dried her hands on the dishcloth. "Why wasn't it great."
"Here." Joey mumbled quietly and handed her a paper before sulking out of the room.
Stephanie opened the slip and realized it was a notice from school, Joey had gotten into a fight. Stephanie sighed, why was her son so headstrong, he had the tough guy attitude and the personality of a schoolyard bully. He'd gotten into scuffles before, but this one sounded bad, the school was actually considering suspension. Steph sighed and walked upstairs to Joey's room.
"Joey?" She opened the door and as soon as she did, Joey turned around on his bed and put on his headphones, blasting the music to Fozzy, it was the only way he could hear his dad's voice. "Joey!" She yanked off the headphones.
"Ah, mom!" He growled and turned off the loud stereo.
Stephanie folded her arms, "Would you mind explaining this."
Joey smirked and propped himself up on his elbows, "It was no big deal."
"No big deal? This fight is risking suspension, mister!"
"It's nothing mom, really." He sighed and turned his back to her. "You wouldn't understand anyway."
"Oh?" Stephanie sat down on his bed and spoke softer this time. "You might be surprised." Joey turned back to her and she smiled slightly. "Why don't you just tell me what happened?"
"Well there's this tough guy at school right, he's this new punk whose been picking on everyone smaller than him, and finally he got to beating on my friends. I took charge and tried to stand up to him with words, like you always say, but then he started to badmouth the WWE and wrestling, and finally he began taking shots at my dad. I couldn't take that, I couldn't let him talk about my father's honor like that. I dunno what came over me, but I just snapped and wailed on him. Before I knew what I was doing or what was going on, the school security guard had tackled me to the ground." Joey turned his head away. "I'm sorry mom, I really am. And now I could get suspended, I'm sorry I let you down."
"Oh Joey." Steph couldn't help but smile at how much of her husband was in her son. "It's ok honey, I understand." She hugged him and Joey smiled a little bit. "Tomorrow when I go to the conference at the school, I'll settle things out."
"Thanks mom."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
The next day.
Joey was on his break when Stephanie went to the office for the scheduled appointment. Joey had a lot of friends, they had similar interests such as being wrestling fans, but nobody ever treated him differently because he was the son of a past superstar. At this time in the WWE, Kane had retired, Matt Hardy left because of an injury, and Christian was a big superstar on Raw, actually in the run for the title picture.
"Wow, I can't believe your uncle could be the next world champ." One kid would say.
"That makes you, like, famous!" Another would add.
"Can you get me an autograph?" Yea, that one came a lot.
"Chris Jericho sucked, and so does his son." That bully from the other day was the first one to ever say anything like that, and he suffered for it. His friends looked at him differently now that he'd beaten up the most notorious bully in the bay area.
"He deserved it." Joey would say, arrogantly flexing to much attention and awe. His ego swelled at this, his dad's personality thriving within him. "Just goes to show you how tough I am." Joey would become tougher as the years would go on.
By high school, Joey was playing sports left and right. He was big on basketball, a great player in baseball, enjoyed soccer from time to time, but something that the high school didn't have was a wrestling team. During the summer, he and some of his friends decided to form a garage band. They became pretty well known locally for their hardcore rock and punk style. Stephanie could see how much Joey was like Chris, but he was never exposed to the world of wrestling. Finally, by the time Joey graduated from high school, the moment of truth came.
"You know, Joey." Stephanie said one afternoon in late June. Joey looked up from reading. He was about Chris's size, 5'9 and 225 from going to the gym all the time. His tawny hair was long in a short ponytail with loose stringy bangs around his head, a typical teenage Chris. Stephanie turned to her son, "It's about time in your life for you to figure out your future. What do you have planed?"
"Well, I could always get a job to pay for the car and."
"No, no, no." She smiled. "I don't mean the near future. I mean, are you going to want to go to college or, what do you want as far as a career goes?"
Joey looked up for a moment, biting his bottom lip as he though, "I dunno, I like entertainment, performing on stage or in music or sports, maybe I should think about heading to Hollywood."
"Don't you want to go to college?"
"Mm, nah." Joey opened his book and began reading again. "Don't worry mom, I'll go out and get some applications for some places tomorrow. We don't have to worry about a future occupation, I mean, that's so far off, we don't know what's gonna happen in the near future, so why worry."
"It's just a mother's responsibility." Stephanie sighed.
Joey looked up at her and smirked, your typical Jericho smirk, "I think I know what this is about mom." Stephanie turned back to her young son. "As far back as the McMahon family goes, every child has been in relation with the WWE corporate office. I've been to the headquarters, and the whole thing just doesn't look like it's all for me. I'm not the businessman type, and like I'd ever be scholarly enough to work there. I know you and uncle Shane and grandpa and great grandpa and so on, they all worked for the company, but I don't think that's for me." Joey turned away, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry mom."
"That's ok, if it's not what you want to do."
"I know it's kinda like a tradition, but."
"You don't' have to do it, if you don't want to."
"Really?" Joey wasn't convinced. "But mom, I."
"Joey, I can't tell you what to do. You're growing up now, soon you'll be on your own."
Joey sighed and looked away, he then looked back over at his sullen mother and sighed to himself. He didn't want to be some rich snooty suit who worked in an office 24-7-365. But then an idea hit him, something that would make both he and his mom happy.
The next week.
"Hey Joey, you got a letter in the mail." Steph called as she grabbed the bundles.
Joey ran downstairs and got it, "Alright, this is it!" He opened it feverishly.
"Did you apply for a job?"
"Even better." Joey opened the letter and read it, a grin appearing on his face. "Yahoo!"
"What is it, did you get the job?"
"Hey mom, remember on the weekend when I went out for a while?" Joey handed her the letter. She read it and froze, she looked up at her son in shock. "I went to the tryout camp and Uncle Christian helped me get an audition with the WWE. Looks like I made it, I can train to be a superstar in the Ohio Valley."
"Oh, Joey." Stephanie covered her mouth, trying not to cry. Joey's face beamed at his mother's response. "Oh I'm so happy." She hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you."
"I know mom, and I'm glad."
Stephanie couldn't believe it was true, Joey would be working with the WWE, and it didn't matter if he was a wrestler because he wasn't just a McMahon, he was a Jericho.
