With You

I’ve waited for this moment, I’ve waited for this moment for a lot longer than you think, Dan. You’re probably thinking that I’ve been waiting for this match since Iconic, since you cost me the World Heavyweight Championship. 

 

No Dan. 

 

It’s been longer than that. 

 

I’ve been waiting for this match my entire career. I’ve been waiting for this match since the day Clay Byrd first laced up his boots. How could I not? You were always THE guy. You were always the measuring stick. Want to be a big giant guy from Texas? You better be as good as Dan Ryan, or you aren’t shit. 

 

I’ve lived it my entire career. 

 

Everytime I say I’m from Texas, someone reminds me that the entire state is your house. Everytime someone looks at my height and weight, they say Dan Ryan is ten pounds heavier. Everytime Dan. My entire career.

 

When I sat down with Lee Best and worked out my first ever deal, do you know what he asked me? He asked me who I wanted to face on the roster. I went down the list of names, Lindsay Troy, Mike Best, Cecilworth Farthington, Conor Fuse. 

 

And then, I landed on you. 

 

You and me, see, we were always destined to be. 

 

You should have heard the old man cackle, you should have heard Lee laugh. I think I could hear his shorts tearing at the thought of two big dumb fucks from Texas squaring off, ripping each other apart. He’s got a thing for big meaty fellas like us, if you haven’t noticed. It was his dream, it was exactly what he hoped for, it was exactly what he wanted. 

 

And then Teddy Palmer threw me off a boat. 

 

And the hopes of the showdown went down with the proverbial ship. 

 

See Dan, you want to talk about me being sad. You want to talk about how I’m some emotional wreck all the time, but I remember when you were sad. I remember when big Mad Sad Dan went down to the ring and had his little pouty fit, and got his leg snapped like a wishbone on Thanksgiving. Harrison broke you in half without a second thought. He did his fucking job and didn’t even look back. 

 

Boy, things were different back then, weren’t they? 

 

I was the dog back then. I was the pitbull, I was the attack dog. I was Lee Best’s number one weapon against the 214. I even started to handle the problems in house, he had me smash Jace at Rumble At The Rock, post mortem, in a 97,000 word contract, just because Jace had made mistakes and cost the Alliance. See Dan, I’ve been where you’re sitting. I’ve been in the same shoes, I’ve walked the same walk. I’ve talked the same talk. I’ve done it Dan. 

 

And I know you’ve been in mine. 

 

See, I remember getting chewed out after Lee got powerbombed on his desk. I remember being verbally belittled because big bad Dan Ryan showed up, and smashed his way through the building. We were supposed to have it locked down, everything was under control. See it was too easy against the rest of them, they’d sit up in their shitty little fan section running off at the mouth, while we ran wild in the rest of the arena. While we did whatever we wanted, everywhere else. 

 

But you showed up and smashed Lee Best because he was fucking with your family. Because he was fucking with your life. Because he was fucking with everything you fucking cared about. Even you, the best dog in the world. Cowed at the lap of Lee Best. Does he scritch you under your chin just where you like it? Does he give you a pat on the head when you’re a good boy? Does he give you a treat when you do a good job? Let me guess, it’s strippers and cocaine night after night. 

 

But see Dan, you don’t seem like you enjoy strippers and cocaine. Solex, he probably does. He probably loves that shit, but you, you big reclusive fucking teddy bear you. You put on those jet black shades around that big fat watermelon gerber baby look-a-like head of yours, and you walk away. 

 

So what did he do for you Dan? 

 

This man was fucking with your daughter. He kidnapped your fucking child and used her against you in a wrestling match. 

 

What magical goat is he sacrificing? 

 

What made you snuggle up to Papa Best’s feet on the cold winter day. What made you, the man that hated Lee Best almost as much as Kostoff, turn your back and go walking back to him? What made you stick out your hand and ask big daddy Best for the money? 

 

I know why I did it, I know I wanted to take a shortcut financially. I know what it did for me. I did it for my family, I did it for my friends. I did it for my fathers legacy. And here you are, Dan fucking Ryan. One of the few, the proud, The Final Alliance. I’m sure Solex hates that you guys decided to use the Marines as a slogan this time. Did you guys have to argue with him about that or be all that you can be? Is that why there wasn’t a big banner behind you guys when you were wearing the jackets? 

 

What the fuck happened to Dan Ryan. What the fuck happened to The Ego Buster. What happened to the bad motherfucker that would go out, and didn’t give a flying fuck what team you were on. What happened to that guy? Where did he go? Is he still around? Can you give him my number? 

 

Because the guy I’m looking at is a pale imitation of who that guy was. 

 

Does it ever bother you Dan? 

 

It used to bother me. It used to eat at me every night. I’d sit there, and in the pit of my stomach I’d feel the rot. I’d feel the infestation that Lee is. I’d feel him clawing away at my morals, some choose to call him GOD. But we all know what Lee Best is. The temptress in the Garden. The snake in the grass. Lee Best is the DEVIL. 

 

But he made you feel good, a pat on the head and ten grand in the bank account later, you look the other way. Your morals, they start to numb, and fade. You go about your day, totally and completely normal. You’re happy with what you do, you’re happy with who you have to become. But really, when it’s just you. When you shut your eyes at night, and stare into the darkness of your eyelids. Waiting for the red hue, and all the colors and veins from the inside of your eyes to fade. When it’s just you, and your inner monologue in the dark. When you’re alone with your thoughts. 

 

Do you hate yourself? 

 

You know what that means, right Danny boy? You know there’s a little bit of humanity in there. You can’t forgive a man for fucking with your life. You can’t forgive a man for using your daughter against you. You can’t forgive a man like Lee fucking Best. 

 

There has to be a plan, Dan. Guys like you, you don’t get into it for nothing. You don’t go in without an idea, you don’t go in without a path. You don’t go in without a plan. You’re too smart for that Dan, way too smart for that. 

 

And you don’t seem like you’re the forgiving type. I think you’ve broken peoples necks for a lot less than what Lee Best has done to you. And yet here you are, his little servant boy. His little errand runner. ‘Go cost Clay the World Title, go make sure America is safe, go make sure everything is alright. Dan read me a bedtime story. Dan, check under my bed for Kostoff. Dan, look around outside, I think Kostoff’s ghost is in the bushes again. Dan, why did you let Jace get on Twitter again.’ 

 

It never ends Dan, you aren’t some beta bitch. You aren’t some wannabe roided up beta like Solex bowing down to the old King. You’re Dan motherfucking Ryan. You’re the god damned Ego Buster. You’re a fucking lion. You aren’t a fucking hyena. You don’t need them, you don’t need fucking protection. 

 

What you need is to go break STRONK Godson in two like the little bitch he is. What you need is to grab Conor Fuse by his dumb fucking face and toss him across the ring. What you need Dan, is to get off your pacified fucking ass, and go crack some fucking skulls. Get some fucking revenge. Show this motherfucker who the boss really is. And we all know it never works, but Dan, you could put the fucking wrench in the machine. You can hurt him, you can stop the presses. You can take the belt, and take it away from him, and you can do what’s right for Dan Ryan for once, and not what’s right for Lee fucking Best. 

 

Stop pissing around like you’re some hired thugs. Stop sitting there and jerking off while you think really hard about something that happened last week. Grow a fucking pair, Dan. Make a fucking move. Do something for you instead of doing it all for him. 

 

Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime. 

 

Get your own fucking dollar you little bitch. 

 

Danny boy, Danny boy. I always wanted this. I dreamed of this. We’d sell out Memorial Stadium with this, they’d come from Houston and Dallas, and Plainview. They’d come from everywhere to see this. To really find out who the baddest motherfucker to ever be birthed in the State of Texas was. Instead Dan, we’re going to fly to fucking Ecuador and beat the fuck out of each other in a jungle and nobody will fucking care. 

 

I always wanted it Dan. I always wanted it to mean something. I always wanted it to matter. I always wanted there to be something between us. I always wanted it to ignite, and burn, and bring out the best of each other. 

 

I always wanted a match with Dan Ryan. 

 

Instead I’m having a match with you. 

 

I’ll see you at fucking CHAOS.