Post by Ezra Gideon on Jun 26, 2023 17:45:27 GMT -5
The Leger
“Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets. “ - Henry Kissinger
No Remorse.
No confusion.
No walking it back.
No apologies.
No surrender.
Unapologetic Violence.
This is the way.
I did what I did for my own reasons, only a man who isn’t committed to what they did and going forward offers explanations, apologies or excuses, they’re all the same. The bottom line was Bam and I captured the WGWF Duos Titles in our first-ever tag team match. We beat the hell out of “The Show Stealerz” who don’t seem to ever be on the same page anymore. Austin Ramsey, I told you to not get distracted. You disrespected us as a team by letting your focus shift. Don’t worry though, Bam and I will bring legitimacy back to these titles and this division. Bam and I will move forward and defend these titles against whoever steps up. Just know this, if you step up, you’ll be put down like a rabid dog. You’ll feel it all, while we won’t feel a thing, and it doesn’t matter who you are. Your names and reputations don’t mean a damn thing to us, other than the fact you’ll see them in the record books on the losers side of the leger.
Whether you admire what I did or hate me for it, it simply doesn’t matter to me. I am who I’ve always been. What I have always been is a catalyst, I represent a different way of doing things. Bam and I created a paradigm shift in the tag division, even before we had our first match as a team. Everyone but the Ramsey’s could see what was coming. No foresight or forward thinking is something that has always plagued you both. The next time Austin wants to blame someone for his woes all he has to do is look in the mirror. It really is that simple, your choices brought us to this place we find ourselves in now. Once we meet in a match, I’ll have a lot more to say about this. So, for now, Austin, fuck off.
No confusion.
No walking it back.
No apologies.
No surrender.
Unapologetic Violence.
This is the way.
I did what I did for my own reasons, only a man who isn’t committed to what they did and going forward offers explanations, apologies or excuses, they’re all the same. The bottom line was Bam and I captured the WGWF Duos Titles in our first-ever tag team match. We beat the hell out of “The Show Stealerz” who don’t seem to ever be on the same page anymore. Austin Ramsey, I told you to not get distracted. You disrespected us as a team by letting your focus shift. Don’t worry though, Bam and I will bring legitimacy back to these titles and this division. Bam and I will move forward and defend these titles against whoever steps up. Just know this, if you step up, you’ll be put down like a rabid dog. You’ll feel it all, while we won’t feel a thing, and it doesn’t matter who you are. Your names and reputations don’t mean a damn thing to us, other than the fact you’ll see them in the record books on the losers side of the leger.
Whether you admire what I did or hate me for it, it simply doesn’t matter to me. I am who I’ve always been. What I have always been is a catalyst, I represent a different way of doing things. Bam and I created a paradigm shift in the tag division, even before we had our first match as a team. Everyone but the Ramsey’s could see what was coming. No foresight or forward thinking is something that has always plagued you both. The next time Austin wants to blame someone for his woes all he has to do is look in the mirror. It really is that simple, your choices brought us to this place we find ourselves in now. Once we meet in a match, I’ll have a lot more to say about this. So, for now, Austin, fuck off.
[off-camera]
I fired my Dodge Laramie up and that hemi produced such a lovely sound as I engaged the clutch and shifted into first gear. I had gotten a call from Kat that she needed to share very important news with me. “Hugs would be needed,” was all she would say about it over the phone. So up the mountain I went, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. She was in a great mood lately and I knew there were things that she had not revealed to everyone. I knew it when we were in Scotland that she was holding something back. I pulled into her driveway a short time later where I was greeted by her dogs with tails wagging so hard that their back ends were moving. I knelt down and gave them treats from my pocket as was our ritual over the past few years. I could hear Kat from the door.
Kat Jones: Quit spoiling them, Mac!
I chuckled as I gave each of them scratches behind the ears and smiled up at her.
Mac Bane: Not spoiling them, just showing them a little love.
She frowned at me from the doorway, and I stood up and made my way up onto the deck. She opened the door for me to step inside and I gave her an immediate hug and a peck on the cheek, hoisting her off the ground. I set her down gently and she slapped me on the arm.
Mac Bane: What?
I said it as I rubbed my arm, not that it hurt but to give her a sense of accomplishment. The same thing I did when she would slap me in the back of the head. I always oversold my sisters.
Mac Bane: So, good news, yeah?
She was absolutely beaming with pride and nodding her head in a vigorous way. She quickly took out her phone and put it on speaker. Then she handed me a printout. I scanned it and allowed a slow whistle to escape me.
Mac Bane: this can’t be true…
I heard a voice come over her speaker, a voice that I recognized as being her doctor.
Doc: Mr. Bane, it is one hundred percent true. Kat can compete again. What you’re looking at is her medical release from Doctor’s care.
I was stunned to say the least, how long had she been sitting on this? Why sit on it at all? Nevertheless, I was happy and my face revealed that as I couldn’t stop grinning.
Mac Bane: Bless you doc.
That was all I could say as she hugged me, more forceful than normal, causing me to laugh again. I returned the hug and we laughed and cried a bit at the good news.
Mac Bane: That is the best news I’ve had in a while, not gonna lie. I’m assuming you told the rest of the family already.
There was a pause there.
Mac Bane: Tell Cyrus first, for the love of everything holy and unholy. He’s gonna be inconsolable if you don’t. I’ll just pretend like I don’t know and it’ll be a surprise for him.
She started laughing at that because we both know that Cy gets pissy if he’s not the first to know about things.
Kat Jones: Yes I made sure, we don’t want him moping around like a wounded puppy.
Mac Bane: No, it was bad enough with the whole ribs thing.
She cringed as I said it and shook her head.
Kat Jones: even though you shared information with him, his is still not as good as yours.
I shrugged and smiled.
Mac Bane: It’ll take time to perfect, but he’ll get there I’m sure.
The sterility of the recording studio makes me happy, no outside noise penetrates these walls. It embraces me like a lover, so quiet, most people get wigged out by the feeling it gives, but I find nothing but comfort here. A place where I can be comfortable and share my inner thoughts. Things I can share without interruption, to just let the hate flow out of me, and at the same time, it feeds my soul. With my actions from the last show, I knew there was a lot to unpack and I had a lot to say about it, but not for this audience. Instead, I would focus on the men and the task ahead of me.
After winning the Duos Championships, I get Mike Mason and Spencer Adams. Doesn’t seem like much of a reward, now does it? Win a title and then….
Mediocrity…. How sad is that?
I shake my head in disgust.
Mike Mason, I just can’t even right now.
New title for this guy,
The King of Mid,
the scion of mediocre,
MC Snake Killah.
The grand master of overcompensation.
You talking about your anaconda is funny as hell, the closest you’ll ever get to that is the one that bit you. So, you killed Lexi’s babies and made boots out of them, that’s terrible form my man. The best you could come up with was a pair of boots. I was not impressed with the outcome to say the least and now you find yourself in a match that you can’t possibly win against a woman who can go there and make you wish you were somewhere far away. That’s really neither here nor there though is it? You're going to be testing your metal against Spencer Adams and myself. It’s quite the change of pace for you, isn’t it? We could even call it a contrast, isn’t that right Spence?
The walking, talking master of contrast. I have no doubt that he will talk on and on about being on a winning team at War Games and the steps they took to secure that victory. The man even has a following, an entourage of masked people who follow him to the ring. He’s quickly turned into the flavor of the month in WGWF hasn’t he? He feels liberated, and so he should. I’m sure that he was hoping to go to a company where the competition wasn't so…competitive. A place where he could establish dominance over the roster. In contrast, he went from the frying pan, straight into the fire. Unlike Mason, you’re not overcompensating for anything. I know you well and I know the ability you possess. The problem for both of you is me. Even knowing how good you both are? I’m better, and I always have been. My track record says all I need to say about that. Unlike either of you, my name carries weight outside of this company. Everyone want a shot at me and the two of you?
I pause and allow a sound to play.
*Crickets*
They want to be in the ring with the best, that’s why your phones don’t ring and mine is constantly ringing. I make other guys who think they are someone to fear, sweat, just by being in the same room with them. Page knows that, it’s the reason I’m on the CCPE payroll. One of the many reasons I was recruited to begin with. When this company first launched he had two men in mind to build it around and to lead the way. I am one of the two, while our current world champion is the other. How long he remains champion is yet to be seen. I know this, it’ll be over my dead body before it sees either one of you in that position.
[Off-camera]
I stepped back from the camera and ended the recording. Tying my long hair back in a pony, I turned around to see my lovely wife, Amber. She was one of the most decorated champions of our time, and more important than that, she is my everything and everyone knows that. So, when she had something to say, I always made sure I listened closely, not just because she was my wife but because she’s also my best friend. She’s very observant and knows almost immediately when I’m headed down the wrong path.
Amber: I’m glad to see you are course-correcting.
That caught me by surprise, to be honest and not much could these days.
Mac: Say what?
She gave me a coy little smile.
Amber: I’ve waited for a long time to see you reach the point that you were tired of the ungrateful pulling at your cape.
My sense of sarcasm couldn’t resist so I looked over my left and right shoulders, as if looking for a cape. The action caused her to smirk, but she continued.
Amber: For far too long you’ve been out there trying to help the little guy, always the guy who was there for every underdog around. You helped Matt Knox and he…
I put my hands up to cut that train of thought off.
Mac: It’s funny that you mention him, not too long ago, he told me that I had been lending my strength to those who don’t deserve it.
She stared at me for a moment and then the hard stare softened.
Amber: Maybe for the first time in his life, he’s not wrong.
Taking her hand in mine, I swore an oath.
Mac: And I promise, he’ll never know you said that.
The coy smile was back and she chuckled a little.
Amber: He better not and if he does, I’ll deny it to my dying breath.
I pulled her in for a hug, and as she often does, she melted into me. Sometimes it was so much so that it felt as if we were one. The part of my life that no one gets to see and few even know about. Matt Knox was someone I’d gladly kill if she wanted me to. She knew that and so did he, she doesn’t acknowledge his wrongdoings and I would remain vigilant but if he had more to pay, I would gladly do that. She pulled away, although, to the naked eye, you almost couldn’t see it.
Amber: You’re going hard at everyone right now. I fucking love it! Fucking kill them all.
I looked into that beautiful face and those intense blue-green eyes and knew what she wanted. She had been clamoring for this change for a long time. She knew what it meant, more, than any casual wrestling fan or hardened roster member.
Mac: Every last person that’s not on my side will burn. It started with the Ramseys, and it won’t end until I’m satisfied.
We shared a look of understanding. She knew as well as I did, that I’m never satisfied.
After the conversation with Amber, I went back to the studio to finish the promo. Everything was as I had left it. I pressed the recording button on my way to the microphone. The remote for the camera and microphone had been left on the podium where I would normally “preach” to the masses. I smirked at the whole preaching aspect because I was no preacher, just a turn of phrase that sounded funny inside my own head.
In our world, there are sports entertainers, Wrestlers and Fighters. Mike Mason is a sports entertainer, he has no real mat skills to speak of but he looks good on camera. The problem is those types of people don’t last long in this business. Either they burn out, they fade away or they get lucky and find themselves in Holly Wood. Spencer Adams is far different, he’s a wrestler and a good one. The problem with you, is you don’t seem to know that you’re in over your head in a match with someone like me. Don’t feel bad, Mike, I’m not a wrestler either, I’m a fighter.
I smirk at the camera and my backhanded compliments. I don’t care what they think of them, it amuses me.
I’m the only man in this match that is a fighter. Every move I execute, every punch I throw, they are all done with deliberate purpose. Just like everything I’ve ever done in this business, it’s crafted for maximum impact. Just as everything I do in the ring is delivered as a way to win a fight. My life outside of the ring is the same. Outside the ring, I’ve maximized my exposure to the world, through working with CCPE and other business partners. If my wife and I decided to walk away from this business tomorrow, no one in our family would have to work for generations. My deal with Dodge was a huge deal, worthy of someone of my stature. Our garage in Vegas is bigger than any Buccee’s in existence today. If you don’t know what that is, you really should get out more. Our garage produces more revenue than our two ranches combined. The stocks I own from when Oracle was a fledgling company? That’s just gravy now. I’ve made the most of every opportunity that’s come my way. This triple threat will be no different.
Every
Match
Counts
If you think for one moment that Flash isn’t watching this match with great interest, you’re not very good at this game. If you think that I won’t treat this match as if it were a title match, you’ve lost your damn mind and should quit wrestling. Spencer, if you think your little entourage will make a difference for you, don’t do it, son. I’ve got my own people keeping an eye on this match. My people are closer than you might imagine, and simply as deadly as they come. Why that’s important is because we all know that triple threat matches are no dq matches. I’ll be bringing my sweet sixteen with me to the ring, just in case you get any funny ideas.
I hold up my sledgehammer, revealing the scorched barbed wire wrapped around its head. I smile as I lick the head of the hammer.
It’s just gonna be a good time for the Buffalo crowd, boys. They love me there because they know, when I show up, I show out. They also know that tables get shattered when I’m around, it speaks to their soul on so many levels.
I can feel my eyes begin to darken as I continue toward the finish. My eyes narrow and my jaw is set.
Spencer thinks he’s in my head because of that last match we were in together. You’d better hope not, you wouldn’t last five seconds in there. Mason, you’re nothing more than a prop for WGWF. A sideshow to put young girls in the seats. You’ve got no relevance since you quit sucking the teet of Sonya Benson. You should have stayed with your sugar momma and just did what she told you to do. If a miracle should somehow shine on you and you win this match, only then will you have any relevance whatsoever in this company or in this business.
I lower the hammer back down, glaring at the camera.
Just remember boys, I’m no saint but I ain't the Devil either….
Or am I…
Scene fades