Post by Ezra Gideon on Dec 15, 2023 19:17:11 GMT -5
Hard Choices
[On-Camera]
El Paso, Texas, “The Briar Patch” Bar
Sitting in a corner booth away from the bar, there were a few locals in the place but mostly a dead crowd. I thumbed the camera on my phone to begin recording. The smell of cilantro, lemon and lime filled my nose. Some of my favorite smells, and I’d be ordering food after I was done with this.
Mac: El Paso, a great town, full of people that by the time that our Pay Per View, “First Dance”, happens will hate my guts. I won’t shed a tear to be honest.
I smile at the camera.
Mac: I came here to take care of some business, what that business was? Well, that and everything else will become super obvious at Brawl.
I shake my head and sigh in disgust.
Mac: The other thing that will become super obvious at that show is how ill equipped the famous Mrs. Ramsey is to deal with me inside of that ring. I’m not going to just beat her, I’m going to embarrass her in front of her family.
I smirk forms as another glass of scotch arrives, I wait until the bartender moves away.
Mac: Toddy, last time I took it easy on you but after our interaction on social media? Nah, I’m going to show you the brutal honest truth.
Fade
The Oblivion Ranch, Las Vegas, NV
Mac: You’re not focused, Daniel.
I said it in a matter-of-fact way. I had allowed him to shoot me to the far side ropes just to see what he had in mind. When I rebounded off, his head was already down. I was a little disappointed as I kicked him in the chest and when he raised up I laced a chop across his chest, which echoed throughout the training center set up in mine and Amber’s home. The impact staggered him back and he leaned up against the ropes. He was rubbing his chest when the redness began to rise. I had not pulled the move to soften it, and I had done that on purpose so that I would have his full attention.
Mac: Breather.
I said and exited the ring, I didn’t sit down but kept walking around the ring. I was frustrated because I knew the source of the problem. His adoptive mother and I had a match coming up in the next brawl. He was torn in his loyalty because of it. I knew it, he knew it but I was going to make him say it. He was still glaring at me when he came out of the ring, he was pissed but not as pissed as I was.
Daniel Ramsy: What the hell was that for?
I smirked at him, and shook my head.
Mac: You’re not paying attention to anything I’ve tried to teach you today. If you had been, then you wouldn’t have had to absorb that chop.
Daniel Ramsy: I made one mistake in that ring.
He began to explain, but it sounded like the excuse train was about to roll into the station.
Mac: Save it, you made at least two mistakes. First and foremost you ducked your head too soon. That telegraphing has got to stop. The second mistake you made was even before you stepped into this ring. Mistakes are how people get hurt or worse in this business, Daniel. Having your head in the game at all times matters.
He interjected, obviously not sure of what I was referring to.
Daniel Ramsy: What did you mean before I entered the ring?
I stopped in mid rant, he honestly didn’t know.
Mac: Your loyalty is being tested right now. It’s being split between far too many people, Daniel. You have to understand, Daniel, that people think I’m an asshole, and they’re right. I’ve never denied it or tried to deflect it away. I’m not the one that picked that fight on social media, was I?
He stared at me for a moment, he had that deer in the headlights look about him.
Mac: I’ll make it easy for you Daniel, your mother attacked me on social media. I defended myself and only that. I could have shredded her in the exchange but because I’m training you, I didn’t do that. I respect the relationship you have with your parents. They hate me because of the things I’ve done and the things that they think I’ll do.
Daniel Ramsy: What things that they think you’ll do?
Mac: Your mother and father believe that I agreed to train you, only to spite them and that I’ll do anything I can to hurt your relationship with them.
keep the subtle things subtle and drive that wedge, I thought to myself.
He looked at me with a very earnest expression.
Daniel Ramsy: You wouldn’t?
I shrugged and walked away from him.
Mac: I don’t have to, they do a good enough job of that for themselves. Come back to training, after you figure it out. In the meantime I have to get ready to destroy your mother.
I could hear him following after me and so I stepped to the side and waited.
Daniel Ramsy: How can you expect me to choose between mom and you?
I barked a laugh.
Mac: Ha! I don’t but she does.
He looked more confused than ever and so I decided to explain it to him in the easiest way possible.
Mac: Your adoptive mother is one of the most popular stars in our industry. Your dad is not too far behind her in that aspect. When you quit paying attention to what they say and focus on what they are doing, I think then you’ll understand.
He seemed to be listening, so I took it a step further.
Mac: Why do you suppose she picked a fight with me on twitter?
He shrugged his shoulders in indifference.
Mac: She wanted nothing more than to try and trap me into saying something that would anger you and force you to make the decision to go home. For the longest time, I kept my opinion to myself, back when your dad and I were friends. She’s been manipulating him for the longest time and you to a lesser extent.
He looked as though I had shot him in the gut and left him to die, but I pressed on.
Mac: She has to control everything and everyone in her life, Daniel. There was a time when I reached out to Austin, he was my friend, but your mom insisted that she was the only one he could trust and soon I was back on the outside looking in. That was what prompted me to turn on them both.
I smiled at the young man as what I said finally registered with him.
Daniel Ramsy: I don’t think I can simply abandon them…
I held up a hand to forestall the rest of the statement.
Mac: That was never a part of our deal to train together. I’m not asking you to do anything at all. As far as mine and your mothers match, stay away from that, don’t insert yourself in between her and I. It will only end badly, if you do.
I left Daniel standing there to consider his options, he had 2 and possibly 3 paths he could choose from. He could choose to abandon my training and go home to his adoptive parents. He could choose to abandon them to continue his training without distractions. The third and possibly the most predictable path was I could see him turning on me to help his mom. That would be entirely too predictable. If he chose to do that, I would make sure he lived to regret it.
Fade
”The Larder” Cafe on the RiverWalk - San Antonio
buying things seems to be my thing these daysI thought to myself as I had left the meeting with the owner of The Larder. I had just purchased the business and the building from him. I liked the location of the place and I could convert it into something more useful. The city wouldn’t like it but I had better lawyers than they did so who cares what they felt about it.
“God this city sucks”, I said as I sat down.
My comment drew some curious looks from the nearby tables and the waiter shot an eyebrow up. I waved him off as the camera came on line. The owner stopped by my table and we shook hands and he left the establishment. I smiled in return watching him leave.
Mac: Todderick Ramsy.
I shook my head in amusement and chuckled softly.
Mac: Like Cholo, you were invited to a gun fight, and like him you showed up with a plastic butterknife. No wonder you two are such great friends.
I cocked my head slightly to the right and smiled.
Mac: Speaking of friends, how’s that friendship with Mont working out for you and your family? After he declared you and yours as safe, what did he do? That’s right, they attacked Grado and Sam. Grado’s only a cousin though, right? You and Austin didn’t lift a finger in response to that. Your idea of family and mine must differ a great deal. I’ve put people in the hospital for far less than that. You’re a very complex creature Toddy, very complex indeed. Except for when it comes to your children. You're very straight forward on that right? You picked a fight with me on twitter, for no other reason than you thought you could expose me to your “son” and to what end?
I straightened my head back up and frowned.
Mac: Was it your so-called “maternal Instinct”that caused you to take that path? Did you think I would take your bait? Well that fell as flat as your chest girl. I embarrassed you and all I did was defend myself. Most people are under the impression that I would force him to choose between the two of us.
I sat back in the chair and sighed.
Mac: That’s not the case at all. I agreed to train and mentor him because obviously he’s not getting that at home when he looks across the dinner table. If I were him, I too would have looked elsewhere for a role model, mentor and friend to help me along. He made the right decision.
I leaned back forward, my facial expression no longer stoic. I feel my eyes harden as I begin to speak again.
Mac: Like me, he knows that you would have failed him yet again. Take your husbands title match against Cholo, he hoped that his dad would beat Cholo. He wanted so badly that he even accompanied him to ringside. Another classic Ramsy fuck up. You see, I was never the one that would cause him to make the hard choices, Toddy. It was always going to be you, with you it’s all about control. You’re a user Toddy, you’ve always been that. You manipulate your family to get what you want, regardless of how they feel. You’ve convinced Austin that he’s too fucking stupid to make his own decisions. Imagine my surprise when he stepped out on his own and captured a singles title. I guess he’s not as much of a cuck as I thought. Or maybe he is, and you simply allowed it to happen to shut him up.
I paused there to allow what I’ve said to sink in for the audience at home and here in the cafe. A crowd was starting to gather as more and more people recognized who I was and what I was doing.
Mac: As for Daniel, you were the one that dragged him into our little fight. You are the one that will ultimately force him to make the hard decisions. Just as you did with Austin when we were all still friends. For months people have wondered what would cause me to turn my back on my friends.
The crowd behind me got deathly quiet, waiting for me to speak.
Mac: When you forced Austin to choose between trusting me or only listening to you? Of course he was gonna choose you, happy wife, happy life right? Every time you look in the mirror Toddy, you’ll see the reason I dropped you on your head to win those tag belts. Just like at DPI this past year, I dropped you on your head again to continue to pay you back for slandering my good name. That’s the difference, I never say anything negative about you or Austin when he and I are training or just talking about life in general. I kept my word to my family that I would be a good teacher to Daniel and as Amber would say, “be nice.”
I could hear the murmuring running through the crowd, both positive and negative. There would always be that small number of people who would support me, especially in my home state where I was an icon.
Mac: The last time we were in the ring together, I didn’t even use a finisher, Toddy, it was a power bomb that your basic toddler could kick out of. I won’t go easy on you this time, Mrs. Ramsy.
I shake my head no to reaffirm the fact that I’m out for blood, especially hers. The manager of the little cafe walked up during my promo and cleared his throat.
Manager: I’m trying to run a business here, I don’t know who you are or why all these people are so swept up in what you have to say.
I held up my hand to cut him off. I hold up a piece of paper that the previous owner had dropped off to me. He turned the most beautiful shade of pale when he realized I was the new owner.
Mac: I’m your boss now, so why don’t you toodle your narrow ass back to your podium and pretend like you know what you’re doing.
I watched the man leave in a huff and I laughed. I could hear some in the crowd chuckling as well.
Mac: Hell, Toddy you and that guy could be related. Another pompous asshole. When this match was first announced, I laughed, not gonna lie, I laughed a lot. We’ll just add this match to a long list of failures by The Ramsy’s. You are a collective zero wins and 4 losses currently against me. Zero and five counting the tag match that we had months ago. The more you try to punch up, the more you fall down. Maybe you just enjoy being the underdog, or maybe it’s all you can be. You’re not even in my league, let alone on my level Toddy.
I run a thumb across my throat, my eyes dilate ever so slightly, the joy I feel of destroying another Ramsy.
Mac: You’re one of those people who never learns, you continue to fail. You’ve got guts, as you continue to try and punch out of your designated spot. The end result is always the same. Brutal failure. Despite that, you still get all the love and support of the fanbase. People are always flapping their gums about how great you are and how much they respect you. Seriously though, when was the last time you won a match that mattered? I know that I certainly don’t remember one. You’re just another wannabe who’s reaching for something that is not attainable. You lack the vision and talent to get it done.
I allow my hands to return to my side but my focus remains, the intensity grows as I look into the camera lens.
Mac: That being said, I’m going to make an example out of you. Not because I feel like I have to but because I want to. I need to provide your son with a lesson that will stick out in his memory for the remainder of our time together. No matter who you are, or who you think you are, if you’re standing across the ring from me you’re my enemy. Your son won’t like it but he needs to realize a few things. First and foremost, anyone who stands across the ring from you is trying to win a match, when they should be trying to win a fight. If he can’t adopt that kind of mentality then he will be just like you and Austin, a doormat for people to walk on. He also needs to understand what a match with value looks like. This match only has value to you, my path is already set. If by some weird twist of fate you should manage to beat me, then that’s a feather in your cap. For me, it doesn’t matter if I win or not. If I do, it’s just another win over you in a match that doesn’t matter. He needs to understand that you will get saddled with matches that just don’t make sense.
That knowing smirk returns to my face, causing the people around me to chuckle.
Mac: That doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with it. I’m going to show Daniel what a real wrestler looks like. I’m going to pick you apart. In the end it doesn’t matter if I tap you out or knock you out, the lesson will have been delivered and he’ll understand the importance of setting the tone and building momentum towards a big pay day event. It’ll make it easier to make those hard choices.
Fade.
The Foreword
[On-Camera]
El Paso, Texas, “The Briar Patch” Bar
Sitting in a corner booth away from the bar, there were a few locals in the place but mostly a dead crowd. I thumbed the camera on my phone to begin recording. The smell of cilantro, lemon and lime filled my nose. Some of my favorite smells, and I’d be ordering food after I was done with this.
Mac: El Paso, a great town, full of people that by the time that our Pay Per View, “First Dance”, happens will hate my guts. I won’t shed a tear to be honest.
I smile at the camera.
Mac: I came here to take care of some business, what that business was? Well, that and everything else will become super obvious at Brawl.
I shake my head and sigh in disgust.
Mac: The other thing that will become super obvious at that show is how ill equipped the famous Mrs. Ramsey is to deal with me inside of that ring. I’m not going to just beat her, I’m going to embarrass her in front of her family.
I smirk forms as another glass of scotch arrives, I wait until the bartender moves away.
Mac: Toddy, last time I took it easy on you but after our interaction on social media? Nah, I’m going to show you the brutal honest truth.
Fade
Educating Daniel Ramsey continued…
The Oblivion Ranch, Las Vegas, NV
Mac: You’re not focused, Daniel.
I said it in a matter-of-fact way. I had allowed him to shoot me to the far side ropes just to see what he had in mind. When I rebounded off, his head was already down. I was a little disappointed as I kicked him in the chest and when he raised up I laced a chop across his chest, which echoed throughout the training center set up in mine and Amber’s home. The impact staggered him back and he leaned up against the ropes. He was rubbing his chest when the redness began to rise. I had not pulled the move to soften it, and I had done that on purpose so that I would have his full attention.
Mac: Breather.
I said and exited the ring, I didn’t sit down but kept walking around the ring. I was frustrated because I knew the source of the problem. His adoptive mother and I had a match coming up in the next brawl. He was torn in his loyalty because of it. I knew it, he knew it but I was going to make him say it. He was still glaring at me when he came out of the ring, he was pissed but not as pissed as I was.
Daniel Ramsy: What the hell was that for?
I smirked at him, and shook my head.
Mac: You’re not paying attention to anything I’ve tried to teach you today. If you had been, then you wouldn’t have had to absorb that chop.
Daniel Ramsy: I made one mistake in that ring.
He began to explain, but it sounded like the excuse train was about to roll into the station.
Mac: Save it, you made at least two mistakes. First and foremost you ducked your head too soon. That telegraphing has got to stop. The second mistake you made was even before you stepped into this ring. Mistakes are how people get hurt or worse in this business, Daniel. Having your head in the game at all times matters.
He interjected, obviously not sure of what I was referring to.
Daniel Ramsy: What did you mean before I entered the ring?
I stopped in mid rant, he honestly didn’t know.
Mac: Your loyalty is being tested right now. It’s being split between far too many people, Daniel. You have to understand, Daniel, that people think I’m an asshole, and they’re right. I’ve never denied it or tried to deflect it away. I’m not the one that picked that fight on social media, was I?
He stared at me for a moment, he had that deer in the headlights look about him.
Mac: I’ll make it easy for you Daniel, your mother attacked me on social media. I defended myself and only that. I could have shredded her in the exchange but because I’m training you, I didn’t do that. I respect the relationship you have with your parents. They hate me because of the things I’ve done and the things that they think I’ll do.
Daniel Ramsy: What things that they think you’ll do?
Mac: Your mother and father believe that I agreed to train you, only to spite them and that I’ll do anything I can to hurt your relationship with them.
keep the subtle things subtle and drive that wedge, I thought to myself.
He looked at me with a very earnest expression.
Daniel Ramsy: You wouldn’t?
I shrugged and walked away from him.
Mac: I don’t have to, they do a good enough job of that for themselves. Come back to training, after you figure it out. In the meantime I have to get ready to destroy your mother.
I could hear him following after me and so I stepped to the side and waited.
Daniel Ramsy: How can you expect me to choose between mom and you?
I barked a laugh.
Mac: Ha! I don’t but she does.
He looked more confused than ever and so I decided to explain it to him in the easiest way possible.
Mac: Your adoptive mother is one of the most popular stars in our industry. Your dad is not too far behind her in that aspect. When you quit paying attention to what they say and focus on what they are doing, I think then you’ll understand.
He seemed to be listening, so I took it a step further.
Mac: Why do you suppose she picked a fight with me on twitter?
He shrugged his shoulders in indifference.
Mac: She wanted nothing more than to try and trap me into saying something that would anger you and force you to make the decision to go home. For the longest time, I kept my opinion to myself, back when your dad and I were friends. She’s been manipulating him for the longest time and you to a lesser extent.
He looked as though I had shot him in the gut and left him to die, but I pressed on.
Mac: She has to control everything and everyone in her life, Daniel. There was a time when I reached out to Austin, he was my friend, but your mom insisted that she was the only one he could trust and soon I was back on the outside looking in. That was what prompted me to turn on them both.
I smiled at the young man as what I said finally registered with him.
Daniel Ramsy: I don’t think I can simply abandon them…
I held up a hand to forestall the rest of the statement.
Mac: That was never a part of our deal to train together. I’m not asking you to do anything at all. As far as mine and your mothers match, stay away from that, don’t insert yourself in between her and I. It will only end badly, if you do.
I left Daniel standing there to consider his options, he had 2 and possibly 3 paths he could choose from. He could choose to abandon my training and go home to his adoptive parents. He could choose to abandon them to continue his training without distractions. The third and possibly the most predictable path was I could see him turning on me to help his mom. That would be entirely too predictable. If he chose to do that, I would make sure he lived to regret it.
Fade
Hard Choices
”The Larder” Cafe on the RiverWalk - San Antonio
buying things seems to be my thing these daysI thought to myself as I had left the meeting with the owner of The Larder. I had just purchased the business and the building from him. I liked the location of the place and I could convert it into something more useful. The city wouldn’t like it but I had better lawyers than they did so who cares what they felt about it.
“God this city sucks”, I said as I sat down.
My comment drew some curious looks from the nearby tables and the waiter shot an eyebrow up. I waved him off as the camera came on line. The owner stopped by my table and we shook hands and he left the establishment. I smiled in return watching him leave.
Mac: Todderick Ramsy.
I shook my head in amusement and chuckled softly.
Mac: Like Cholo, you were invited to a gun fight, and like him you showed up with a plastic butterknife. No wonder you two are such great friends.
I cocked my head slightly to the right and smiled.
Mac: Speaking of friends, how’s that friendship with Mont working out for you and your family? After he declared you and yours as safe, what did he do? That’s right, they attacked Grado and Sam. Grado’s only a cousin though, right? You and Austin didn’t lift a finger in response to that. Your idea of family and mine must differ a great deal. I’ve put people in the hospital for far less than that. You’re a very complex creature Toddy, very complex indeed. Except for when it comes to your children. You're very straight forward on that right? You picked a fight with me on twitter, for no other reason than you thought you could expose me to your “son” and to what end?
I straightened my head back up and frowned.
Mac: Was it your so-called “maternal Instinct”that caused you to take that path? Did you think I would take your bait? Well that fell as flat as your chest girl. I embarrassed you and all I did was defend myself. Most people are under the impression that I would force him to choose between the two of us.
I sat back in the chair and sighed.
Mac: That’s not the case at all. I agreed to train and mentor him because obviously he’s not getting that at home when he looks across the dinner table. If I were him, I too would have looked elsewhere for a role model, mentor and friend to help me along. He made the right decision.
I leaned back forward, my facial expression no longer stoic. I feel my eyes harden as I begin to speak again.
Mac: Like me, he knows that you would have failed him yet again. Take your husbands title match against Cholo, he hoped that his dad would beat Cholo. He wanted so badly that he even accompanied him to ringside. Another classic Ramsy fuck up. You see, I was never the one that would cause him to make the hard choices, Toddy. It was always going to be you, with you it’s all about control. You’re a user Toddy, you’ve always been that. You manipulate your family to get what you want, regardless of how they feel. You’ve convinced Austin that he’s too fucking stupid to make his own decisions. Imagine my surprise when he stepped out on his own and captured a singles title. I guess he’s not as much of a cuck as I thought. Or maybe he is, and you simply allowed it to happen to shut him up.
I paused there to allow what I’ve said to sink in for the audience at home and here in the cafe. A crowd was starting to gather as more and more people recognized who I was and what I was doing.
Mac: As for Daniel, you were the one that dragged him into our little fight. You are the one that will ultimately force him to make the hard decisions. Just as you did with Austin when we were all still friends. For months people have wondered what would cause me to turn my back on my friends.
The crowd behind me got deathly quiet, waiting for me to speak.
Mac: When you forced Austin to choose between trusting me or only listening to you? Of course he was gonna choose you, happy wife, happy life right? Every time you look in the mirror Toddy, you’ll see the reason I dropped you on your head to win those tag belts. Just like at DPI this past year, I dropped you on your head again to continue to pay you back for slandering my good name. That’s the difference, I never say anything negative about you or Austin when he and I are training or just talking about life in general. I kept my word to my family that I would be a good teacher to Daniel and as Amber would say, “be nice.”
I could hear the murmuring running through the crowd, both positive and negative. There would always be that small number of people who would support me, especially in my home state where I was an icon.
Mac: The last time we were in the ring together, I didn’t even use a finisher, Toddy, it was a power bomb that your basic toddler could kick out of. I won’t go easy on you this time, Mrs. Ramsy.
I shake my head no to reaffirm the fact that I’m out for blood, especially hers. The manager of the little cafe walked up during my promo and cleared his throat.
Manager: I’m trying to run a business here, I don’t know who you are or why all these people are so swept up in what you have to say.
I held up my hand to cut him off. I hold up a piece of paper that the previous owner had dropped off to me. He turned the most beautiful shade of pale when he realized I was the new owner.
Mac: I’m your boss now, so why don’t you toodle your narrow ass back to your podium and pretend like you know what you’re doing.
I watched the man leave in a huff and I laughed. I could hear some in the crowd chuckling as well.
Mac: Hell, Toddy you and that guy could be related. Another pompous asshole. When this match was first announced, I laughed, not gonna lie, I laughed a lot. We’ll just add this match to a long list of failures by The Ramsy’s. You are a collective zero wins and 4 losses currently against me. Zero and five counting the tag match that we had months ago. The more you try to punch up, the more you fall down. Maybe you just enjoy being the underdog, or maybe it’s all you can be. You’re not even in my league, let alone on my level Toddy.
I run a thumb across my throat, my eyes dilate ever so slightly, the joy I feel of destroying another Ramsy.
Mac: You’re one of those people who never learns, you continue to fail. You’ve got guts, as you continue to try and punch out of your designated spot. The end result is always the same. Brutal failure. Despite that, you still get all the love and support of the fanbase. People are always flapping their gums about how great you are and how much they respect you. Seriously though, when was the last time you won a match that mattered? I know that I certainly don’t remember one. You’re just another wannabe who’s reaching for something that is not attainable. You lack the vision and talent to get it done.
I allow my hands to return to my side but my focus remains, the intensity grows as I look into the camera lens.
Mac: That being said, I’m going to make an example out of you. Not because I feel like I have to but because I want to. I need to provide your son with a lesson that will stick out in his memory for the remainder of our time together. No matter who you are, or who you think you are, if you’re standing across the ring from me you’re my enemy. Your son won’t like it but he needs to realize a few things. First and foremost, anyone who stands across the ring from you is trying to win a match, when they should be trying to win a fight. If he can’t adopt that kind of mentality then he will be just like you and Austin, a doormat for people to walk on. He also needs to understand what a match with value looks like. This match only has value to you, my path is already set. If by some weird twist of fate you should manage to beat me, then that’s a feather in your cap. For me, it doesn’t matter if I win or not. If I do, it’s just another win over you in a match that doesn’t matter. He needs to understand that you will get saddled with matches that just don’t make sense.
That knowing smirk returns to my face, causing the people around me to chuckle.
Mac: That doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with it. I’m going to show Daniel what a real wrestler looks like. I’m going to pick you apart. In the end it doesn’t matter if I tap you out or knock you out, the lesson will have been delivered and he’ll understand the importance of setting the tone and building momentum towards a big pay day event. It’ll make it easier to make those hard choices.
Fade.