Joseph Bruce, widely known as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse, has detailed his lifelong pursuit of professional wrestling, a journey that began in childhood, led to appearances in major wrestling federations, and culminated in the founding of his own promotion, Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW).

Bruce, 54, stated that his passion for wrestling predates his teenage years. He described it as a singular ambition, pursuing it with the same intensity he later applied to his music career with Insane Clown Posse. "I've been a wrestling fan my entire life. I had it set as a goal in my life that I would be a wrestler," Bruce told Fox News Digital. "And if anything, I was learning in school didn't pertain to being a wrestler, I didn't listen."

While hip-hop eventually began to overshadow his wrestling aspirations in his late teens, Bruce noted that the dream resurfaced when the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) contacted Insane Clown Posse to create music for a tag team called The Oddities. This interaction led to an unexpected opportunity for Bruce and his partner, Shaggy 2 Dope, to perform in the WWF.

"So, when we were 26 and we had our first gold album, the WWF at the time called us and said, ‘Hey man, we want you guys to make the ring music for this team we have called the Oddities,’" Bruce recounted. "And we were like, ‘Do you guys know that we wrestle? We were actually wrestling on the independent scene."

This connection resulted in Bruce and Shaggy 2 Dope debuting at SummerSlam in Madison Square Garden. Following their experiences in the WWF and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), they decided to establish their own wrestling promotion.

Bruce recalled the early days of JCW, including their first show in Detroit, where fans were unaware of the duo's wrestling background, knowing them primarily as musicians. The event, advertised as a steel cage match between Insane Clown Posse and the "Chicken Boys" as part of "Strangle Mania Live," reportedly sold out.

"We put the flyer out and said, ‘It's going to be Violent J and Shaggy Too Dope, Insane Clown Posse, versus the Chicken Boys,’ these two redneck guys with rebel flags, in a steel cage," Bruce said. "Man, that venue sold out. People were like, ‘What are we gonna see? Are they actually gonna wrestle?’ Because they only knew us as musicians."

JCW has since grown, featuring a weekly YouTube show called "Lunacy" and its flagship event, Bloodymania, held annually at the Gathering of the Juggalos. This year marks the 19th iteration of Bloodymania, scheduled for August 20 and 21 at Mother Nature’s Riverfront Retreat in Macks Creek, Missouri. Bruce described Bloodymania as JCW's equivalent to WrestleMania.

"Man, the best our promotion can do. JCW, Juggalo Championship Wrestling," Bruce stated. "We're on every Thursday. night at 7 o’clock Eastern on YouTube. We provide something for everybody. I guarantee you who you are, no matter where you're from in life or who you are in life, you're going to find something you like about JCW. That's a fact."

He added, "And Bloody Mania takes place from The Gathering. It's Bloody Mania 19. It's our 19th time having Bloody Mania. And it's like our WrestleMania obviously. It's like our big deal. Happens at The Gathering of the Juggalos, which is our big fan festival every year."