Today he was on his way to Orlando. He had paid for a few extra days in advance of those the company had already reserved at the hotel for Art of War. It had been a while since he had been back home for a stretch and he wanted to get away from HQ and the Academy so he could focus without distractions. When he arrived, he quickly realized that there was just as much to distract him there as it was back in Los Angeles. The moment he landed and removed airplane mode from his phone the message started pinging like a Vegas slot machine. He remained in his seat while the other passengers took their sweat time grabbing their carry-ons from the overhead. It always annoyed him how long it took people to grab a single bag and get the hell about their business. He used these few minutes to check messages.
“Welcome Home Duffus…get your ass to Hogan’s Hangout tonight, drinks are on you! We gotta catch up bro. - Byron”
“Reservation #515458 Reminder. Check-in time is 3:00 p.m., we look forward to your stay with us. – JW Marriot Orlando Grande Lakes.”
“It will be late but, text us when you get in, we’ll see you tomorrow. Your father’s made reservations at Kadence. – Mom”
There were nearly a dozen or so more messages from friends and former colleagues. But with the aisles much more clear, he put his phone in his pocket, grabbed his bag and was off the plane in mere moments. After he retrieved the rest of his luggage, he made his way through the terminal and a broad smile crossed his face with a bit of laugher as he saw his sister standing there with a chauffeur cap on holding a sign that read “Branson.”
(Jeremy): You’re so damn stupid!
Jeremy’s sister jumps up wrapping her arms around him into a tight squeeze.
(Jeremy’s Sister): You’re stupid…you big meat head. I’m the one picking up the “Big Celebrity!”
She gestures wildly in quotations marks.
(Jeremy): Oh come on, enough of that.
(Jeremy’s Sister): Do you have any idea what you’ve done to my career? “Dr. Branson…any relation to Jeremy Branson?” “Can I get your brother’s autograph?” “Is your brother single?” “Hey…aren’t you Jeremy Branson’s sister?”
(Jeremy): It’s not that bad, is it?
She cuts him a look raising her eyebrows as they exit the terminal heading for parking and her car.
(Jeremy): Okay, fine! Anyway, what’s new with you?
(Jeremy’s Sister): Oh you know the usual…late night druggies, the car accidents, the occasional miscarriage, the items stuck in people’s asses and vajayjay’s they’re too ashamed to come in for until its nearly too late….typical ER stuff I guess.
(Jeremy): Sounds about right Dr. Branson.
They reach her car and get in a bit more chat along the way, just brother and sister stuff, catching up on who this and who that. About 40 minutes later they are at his hotel where she drops him off.
(Jeremy’s Sister): Alright your highness…I’ll see you tomorrow at dinner yeah? Dad’s made a reservation for…
(Jeremy): “Kadence”…yeah I know…I got mom’s text.
(Jeremy’s Sister): Okay, Mwah! See ya!
His sister heads off and he heads inside the lobby to check-in at the hotel. Minutes later that bit of business is all done and as he’s heading to the elevator when he suddenly hears his name.
(Voice): Hey Branson!
Jeremy turns around and he sees Bully Ray walking in his direction.
(Jeremy): No way!
(Bully Ray): I thought that was you, come here…nice to meet you.
Bully sticks his hand out and Jeremy shakes it.
(Jeremy): Likewise…wow…it’s an honor. What are you doing here?
(Bully Ray): About to head to Philly for Multiverse United…look, we should catch a drink, put your shit away and come meet me in the bar.
(Jeremy): Uh, sure…ok! I’ll be right there.
Bully nods and Jeremy gets to the elevator. He was tired from the flight, but this unexpected encounter had sparked a bit of energy in him and he hurried to his room, dumped his luggage and headed right back out. In minutes he was back downstairs in the bar, Bully Ray had already gotten himself a drink, and as Jeremy sat down he motioned to the barman with two fingers to attend to Jeremy.
Good evening, what can I get you sir?
(Jeremy): Oh, uhhhh…I’ll have an Old Fashioned I guess. Thanks!
The barman nods and turns away to make the cocktail as Bully takes a sip of his drink focusing back on Jeremy.
(Bully Ray): So…HWA’s Jeremy Branson…you’re starting to make waves kid.
(Jeremy): Thank you that means a lot.
(Bully Ray): We’re in a big, small business…names travels far for better or worse, and I’ve seen your work besides. Your ass has been losing half the time, but you’ve got some fuking talent in you so we’ll see.
(Jeremy): That’s certainly something I’m working on turning around.
(Bully Ray): There’s only one way to do that, you get out there and you bust ass, that’s what you do. I keep up with things, and you’ve got some impressive folks there. Fuking shame what happened to the company back then, but it’s good to see you guys back.
(Jeremy): Why didn’t you ever come over, you’d been huge.
(Bully Ray): You saying I wasn’t already huge?
(Jeremy): No, I didn’t mean…
(Bully Ray): Relax, I’m just busting your damn chops. You always this uptight?
(Jeremy): I don’t think so.
(Bully Ray): Yeah, well…you wouldn’t be the first. I’ve seen a lot of you come and go over the years. So which one are you going to be…someone who comes up, or someone who goes out?
It was a rather direct and unexpectedly phrased question, that caught him a bit off guard. Luckily, his drink arrives and he takes a sip buying himself a few extra moments.
(Jeremy): I honestly don’t know. This is what I’m focused on right now.
(Bully Ray): You better get your shit together and figure it out. Either you put your heart and soul in this business, or you don’t fuking belong. Pretty boys with the beach bods are a dime a dozen.
(Jeremy): It’s not that simple.
(Bully Ray): Bullshit!
(Jeremy): No seriously, before I started here I had a career path. This was never really supposed to be my thing, it was just something I enjoyed, was pretty good at and could make some money.
(Bully Ray): Who do you think you’re fuking talking to here? I can look at you and tell you what you want to do. You take me for some kind of mook?
(Jeremy): No, I really mean, I don’t know. I have more than one passion in life. Don’t get me wrong, I love wrestling, but maybe someday…
(Bully Ray): But you want to have something to fall back on in case shit doesn’t turn out, I know. Look, you either commit and do something with this, or you half ass it and jerk the curtain and be the fall guy while you play around with your side gig shit. I saw you tear the fuking roof off with Ospreay…and you got this ppv this weekend with von Richtoven…so what’s it going to be?
(Jeremy): I’m all in on this. Hans is a legend, like you…it’s honestly a bit intimidating getting in there with him. It’s like the ultimate teacher vs. student kind of deal to me. I’m truly honored.
(Bully Ray): Let me tell you what he’s thinking. That man doesn’t respect you. Right about now he’s probably feeling sorry for you. You’re nobody. You’re a nice kid, but you’re going in there with a guy like him…we’ve won championships, we’ve traveled the world ten times over, bled, sweat, and walked every aisle across a thousand arenas…it’s about legacy at this stage in the game. It’s about what he’s bringing to that ring, and what he’s going to leave in it. He’s going to be on his game, that’s what he’s bringing because he’s not about to get shown up by some kid half his age or whatever and be a stepping stone. He’s gonna make your ass earn every minute in that ring with him, and “If” you manage to beat him…I said “beat him” not win the match…there’s a difference… “If” you manage to beat him, then you’ll have his respect.
Jeremy looks a little taken aback at Bully’s comments.
(Bully Ray): You know how many young guys I’ve been in there with, all excited to lock up with me? One open hand chop to their fuking chest lets them know they can wipe that goddamn fan smile off their face…I’m not playing. That’s what you’re going into, and you damn well better be ready, cause German boy ain’t playing neither.
(Jeremy): Why is it that everyone things, guys like me don’t take things seriously? With all due respect, guys like you who have been in the business a while seem to disregard us, like we’re joking around.
(Bully Ray): Because guys like you don’t always see the full picture. You’re little brains and bodies hop in the ring and flippity flop around trying to count how many fuking moves you can do in 15-minutes and you don’t know how to tell a story, you don’t know how to work a crowd, you don’t know how to cut a promo, you don’t know how “not” to blow your whole paycheck on booze and bitches. You think this is fun and games, this is a business, this is a way of life. You’re all on the social medias and the streams and you’re not being consistent. You can pull a Will Ospreay match off every blue moon, but you can’t win a tag match against the guy who put you down with a baseball bat, and the guy who flew over the cuckoos nest.
(Jeremy): That’s the problem right there, we didn’t “come up” the way you did. We didn’t “pay our dues” so people look down on us, and I’m sick of it. I went to Los Angeles for a job at SpaceX and did this for income, but it became a lot more to me. I’ve put everything I have into HWA. I trained like a race horse day in and day out. I learned everything I could in that ring and still learning more. I learned all about the business outside those ropes. I took the same criticisms everyone else gets at being in the spotlight. The entire world is different than it was back then when you started, when Hans started. It’s the difference someone pulling out pots and pans to heat some pasta, or the 80’s coming along and microwaves getting commercialized doing it in seconds. The people who used them weren’t lazy, they weren’t worse cooks because of it…it was about efficiency.
I never had to sleep in my car between cities, or arrange my own travel…the company does a lot of that these days. Doesn’t mean I’m spoiled and unappreciative. I don’t wrestle 2 or 3 cities a night just to make some decent money because wrestling pays better now than it once did. You had fan mail delivered that someone in the office saw first and most of the time replied to it on your behalf and you never saw it, we get shit blasted in our face constantly from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube etc, comments coming from everywhere and go out in these arensa with out heads high regardless of the praise of the harshness thrown at us.
Bully is silent, taking a chug of the beer now in front of him, and Jeremy seems fired up.
(Jeremy): You might be right. Maybe Hans doesn’t respect me the same way I do him. Maybe I am just a likable guy to him, that’s he’s looking to have a decent match with to see if I’m made of anything. That’s cool in and of itself, but I’ll tell you something. You, him and everybody else is going to find out exactly what I’m made of at Art of War, and there’s going to be no doubt when I leave that ring what my dedication and direction is. I’m going to “beat” Hans, I’m going to “win” that match and get his respect, your respect, and the respect of every other veteran out there that thinks I’m some cookie cut from a factory line to paraphrase Stu-E Price.
I respect the hell out of Hans, I idolize his career, but I’m not going into this starstruck. You said, he’s not playing games, well I’m not either. When there wasn’t a soul of you in site, I helped put this company back on the map…and I’m not saying that for some award. I’m saying it because it shows that when the chips were down there were those of us who believed in what we were doing, we lived it, we breathed it, and we got paid crap for it and pushed on. I might not have walked down a while thousand arena aisles yet, but every one I have thus far has been with pride, honor, dignity and respect.
When you look at me at Art of War that’s what you’re going to see walk down that aisle at Amway. I’m ready for The Baron, I know what he brings to the table and he may pull something out his arsenal I haven’t seen, but I know for a fact that I’ll be pulling out shit you’ve never seen from me. I have to, I need to, to beat him. I’m not going out there for a payday, I’m going out there for Matt, for Sean and Michelle, for Sarah and Michelle, even for freaking Erica…for all of us who have been here. We’re not bench warmers. We didn’t save your seats and now that the big boys are back the vets get to pick up where they left off. Those are our seats now, but I’m happy for a guy like Hans to sit next to me to share and to learn from him, and I hope there’s something he learns from me along the way too.
If this is about his legacy as you say and what he leaves in that ring then bring it on. He’s going to leave knowing that whether he wrestles another day, another 10 years or if that’s his last match…that Jeremy Branson has picked up his torch and will be one of the guys leading the way holding to the real meaningful values of this sport and everything Butch and Wisdom Parker have stood for, and him as a trainer and extension of them.
Bully stands from his stool and slaps Jeremy across the back. His heavy hand thuds hard feeling it all the way to his chest.
(Bully Ray): That’s all I needed to know. Sounds like you’re fuking ready to me.
Bully extends his hand and Jeremy shakes it. Bully pulls out some bills and drops them on the counter.
(Bully Ray): On me! Good look this weekend!
(Jeremy): I appreciate that, thank you!
Bully turns and sees a guy at the end of the bar with his phone pointed at them. He pushes his stool aside as he charges forward like a bull at the guy.
(Bully Ray): You fuking filming us bro? You streaming this shit? Come here…
The guy leaps from his seat and runs for his life as Bully gives chase. Jeremy pulls his phone out and sure enough the guy was streaming them live the entire time and its already viral. Jeremy downs the rest of his drink and leaves the bar as the scene fades to black.
Message Thread
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