The Road to 40 Day 291/365: “Full-Time Father”

Who would have thought that watching a wrestling show would give me a chance to reflect on life.

Like a lot of 90s boys, I was a wrestling fan when I was younger. A lot of them tuned out when they learned that it was fake or scripted, but I enjoyed it just the same as watching “scripted” TV shows and movies.

Eventually, I just really didn’t have the time for it. I missed a good chunk of the last wrestling era, but I’ve been reading about what’s going on. With Raw and Smackdown now on Netflix, I’ve been able to play them in the background while I do some chores at home.

For those who don’t know who’s in the picture, that guy is AJ Styles. He was one of the best wrestlers outside WWE in the 2000s, mostly showcasing his talents in TNA Wrestling and in Japan. So when he finally signed with WWE, there was plenty of hype around him.

He’s actually pretty talented and fun to watch. I daresay he’s a more complete Shawn Micheals. I can’t say I’m a real fan, because I’m not really as passionate about wrestling these days than I was when I was younger. However, I do appreciate his work.

Last year, John Cena had a retirement tour that culminated in a shocking tap-out to this guy named Gunther. After his monumental win, Gunther went into a feud with AJ Styles, carrying the momentum of his reputation as a “career killer.” He asked AJ to put his career on the line at their January 2026 Royal Rumble match.

AJ obliged.

With Cena getting a full year to say goodbye to fans, no one expected AJ to actually lose at the first major event of the year. But he did.

However, there was optimism that he wasn’t done just yet, because he never left his gloves in the ring. People hoped for one more run because he was still in incredible shape.

Heck, Ric Flair, even at 70 years old, was still doing shows. Sting, the wrestler, officially hung it up at age 64 with a high-profile match in AEW. Styles is “just” 48 years old, and could still pull off the phenomenal moves he was known for.

Today, there was a tribute to him on Raw. He explained that he didn’t leave his gloves in the middle of the ring back at the Royal Rumble because he wanted to leave it in his hometown, where Raw was taking place.

If that wasn’t enough to quash rumors of him still getting one more run, I think one of the things he said made me believe he’s done.

“I’ve literally done almost everything. Almost. I could tell you this – the one thing I haven’t done is be a full-time father. I’ve missed birthdays, I’ve missed anniversaries, I’ve missed games…you name it, I’ve missed it all. And that’s tough.”

AJ has traveled the world, gained incredible accolades through multiple promotions, and practically lived the boyhood dreams of people like me who grew up watching wrestling. Despite all these, he understood what he sacrificed to get it all.

In a way, I’m actually living a life he could only dream of. I’m incredibly happy where I am right now. If there’s anything that I regret, it’s that I can’t treat Che to the things she deserves because I don’t have the income for it. Instead, I try my best to support her in everything and not be a burden in any way.

I don’t have aspirations to be a corporate powerhouse or anything like that, because at the end of the day, no amount of money could buy the time I get to have with Vino in these formative years.

While I may not be working and I don’t get to spend time with friends as much as I did before, I have the luxury of spending a lot of time with Vino. I get to take him to friends’ birthdays, watch him practice football, take him to playdates, and explore the world when we’re on vacation.

I get to cook for him, eat with him, fix his hair when it’s a mess, play with him when he needs someone to play with, teach him things that I know that he’s curious about, and just talk to him about anything we want.

I think my biggest flex is that ever since Vino started school, I have been able to watch him walk until he’s comfortable with his environment. I wanted to be there whenever he looked back – to say goodbye, to say he needs me, or to tell me that he’s okay already. I never had to rush for anything that prevented me from doing this.

There are times that he doesn’t look back, and maybe, eventually, he’ll stop looking back. But I want to always be there for him when he does.

I’m thankful to have the life that I have. No life is ever complete, because there’s always something missing. I acknowledge that there are a lot of things and experiences that I’m not able to accomplish, but what I have right now is precisely the reason why I would be doing all those other things anyway.

People who knew me back then may have expected that I’d be doing great things now. Maybe 10-year-old me is thinking that 40-year-old me is already living in a huge house with at least four cars. Maybe 17-year-old me is thinking I’m doing what Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto is doing on a smaller scale at this point.

Yet here I am, happily contented with a quiet life overseas, supporting both my wife and my kid as a full-time father.

It may be anti-climactic, but hey, even one of the greatest wrestlers in the world knows he missed out on doing exactly what I’ve been doing these past eight years.