The Decay of Bram

From the moment he showed up in TNA, Bram seemed poised to bring a different brand of violence to the company. He was a special type, as his joyful bloodlust wasn’t wrapped up in some 7 foot monster, nor hidden behind masks and scars; this was a simple man from the UK – a good looking man by some accounts – who only appeared to want to bring misery to everyone else around him.

The first time we saw him, he was tearing down his childhood friend Magnus for “going soft.” He was angry at what Magnus had become – which, to be fair, was an ex-TNA Champion known for having a super ineffective reign after rising to prominence as a no-nonsense face in the first place.

Bram looked to bring Magnus back to his roots. For a little while, things got off to a rough start. Magnus still wanted to be a gentleman, while Bram looked to inflict pain everywhere he went. Sometimes, Magnus was angry at the tactics of Bram. But he never disavowed his friend, and it was only a matter of time before the two were seeing eye to eye.

That changed during a Feast or Fired match when Magnus would end up with one of the briefcases. The problem – Bram felt that he should have been the one to get the briefcase, and felt slighted by his friend. Magnus attempted to calm him down, pointing out that the briefcase he had grabbed contained a shot for the tag team titles. Asking Bram who he thought Magnus would choose as a partner, the two appeared to have it smoothed over as they shared a few drinks.

Magnus, however, made a mistake in thinking he could calm the rage with a few pints and a promise. See, Bram had made a promise of his own: a promise to bash Magnus’ head in. It seemed so delightfully cartoonish at the time, the lunatic ravings of the new madman on the block. He was angry, and, we reasoned, he most likely didn’t mean it.

We were wrong. More tragic, Magnus was wrong. He, the one that should have known exactly what Bram was capable of, instead chose to believe that he had the ability to talk him off the ledge. He decided to think that Magnus was greater than Bram, forgetting that his rediscovered edge wasn’t because of deep soul searching, but because Bram had charmed it out of him. Inside, though, Magnus was still the soft, insecure man that needed all of Dixieland to finally put that TNA Championship around his waist. And, unfortunately for him, Bram knew that he was still that same guy, too.

The attack wasn’t the end of it, and I don’t think Bram ever had illusions that it would be. Magnus would return angry, and with his wife Mickie James at his side. Bram would delight in taunting the both of them, attacking the both of them, showing the both of them that they no longer mattered. Not in Bram’s world, a world where no one was safe from his terror. Soon, Magnus would be gone from TNA. There’d be whispers of a contract running out, or of Global Force Wrestling offering him a better deal. The Human Nightmare, however, knew in his black heart that he was the reason Magnus was gone.

And so he took delight in continuing his mayhem. He had proclaimed himself the new King of Hardcore, and he looked to prove it every week. He’d even bring faces from the past – guys like Matt Morgan and Crimson – to prove that no man (past or present) was going to stop this runaway freight train.

It seemed that TNA’s resident psycho would reign forever. He had no real interest in championships. He had no friends. He had only a desire to hurt people, to watch them bleed, and to celebrate over their fallen body.

He was, for me, the perfect presence in that world of Bro Mans and DJs and guys who howl like wolves. He wasn’t a Rock Star, nor was he someone looking to prove he belonged. He was simply there to shatter everyone’s hopes and dreams.

But then the Corporate Machine took over, placing Bram in the World Title Series that closed out 2015. Bram found himself in Group UK (along with Drew Galloway, Grado, and Rockstar Spud). Unsurprisingly, Bram and Drew would advance, and Bram looked poised to really make a statement, as he drew Davey Richards as his opponent in the Round of 16.

Sometimes, though, the best laid plans fail to come to fruition. What should have been a brutal walk in the park turned into an embarrassing loss, with Bram’s own penchant for taunting while assaulting finally coming back to get him, as The Brighter Side of Suffering turned into a small package for the upset Davey win.

As any man would be, Bram was furious about losing to Davey. The little guy with the kicks? The guy that howls? The guy that thinks everyone needs to earn his Respect Handshake™?! Bram was livid.

And so, as 2015 ended and 2016 arrived, Bram decided that perhaps a running mate wouldn’t be the worst idea. And he found the craziest guy he could, teaming up with Eric Young.

Together, they were perfect. Two psychos who openly professed to hate everyone else. Even each other. If memory serves, Bram put it best when he stated that “I hate everyone… I just hate this guy a little less.” They weren’t friends; they were two like-minded individuals who were capable of not assaulting each other, as long as there were other people to assault.

Lucky for them, there were plenty of other people. Eric Young was feuding with Jeff Hardy, so Bram would assist Eric in attacking the Charismatic Enigma. Beer Money also had an issue with Young, and Bram again was more than happy to aid in attacking Roode and Storm. It seemed to be a perfect union. There would be no backstabbing in the way that Magnus and Bram had dissolved, because there was no trust here. Both knew the either could try to take his eye out at any second, and both seemed to appreciate that fact.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. And the two started to have some issues. And finally, after a little too much trash talk, Bram had had enough of EY.

Which would lead to this…

Which ultimately led to this…

And like that, Bram had vanquished Eric Young from TNA, and took his King of the Mountain title in the process. Bram’s first TNA championship, and he seemed oddly happy about it. Happy. A word that wasn’t really used to describe Bram. He’d smile, sure. He’d even laugh. But it was never from a place of joy. At least, not what us mere mortals would consider joy to be. His came from a dark place, one that simply liked to see others hurt.

Some started to wonder: had Eric Young brought out the best in Bram, or had he simply extinguished the flame? Did the loss of his beard take away some of his lunacy, like some insane version of Samson? Did the King of the Mountain Championship win tell Bram that the way he was doing things wasn’t as successful as this new way?

Before we could even really consider these ideas, Bram would lose the King of the Mountain title to Eli Drake (yeah!), himself cashing in a Feast or Fired briefcase. Bram would then lose the rematch, and his singles title dreams appeared dashed.

And that’s when things really started to get weird.

Bram was now kissing Rosemary. And hey, good on the chap. We all want to be loved. But this was the same bloke who ran around TNA proclaiming to hate everyone. He was the one who delighted in terrifying Mickie James. Was he so broken that Rosemary’s simple approach was enough to draw him in?

Decay was angry, but Rosemary explained it as a way to recruit. And that seemed like a great idea. Bram as a part of Decay would be a Dark Nightmare realized. So Abyss and Crazzy Steve went along with it, however begrudgingly, because even those two nuts can see the allure of adding Bram.

So each week, we’d see them kissing, and talking, and Rosemary was doing her best to recruit Bram into the group. Would Bram finally rediscover that fire? Would he attack the entire group on his own, confident that he’s still the craziest man in TNA?

No. Bram has, it appears, been completely lost to the charms of the lady. He’s professing to be there for her no matter what. He cares.

It seems that, in her attempt to bring Bram into Decay, she’s simply caused the man we all knew and loved to decay into a plain old guy. A pretty boy who likes a girl. The Human Hate Machine, it appears, is dead. Whether we liked or hated Rosemary’s story is irrelevant here; the tragedy is the loss of the man that didn’t care.

Bram, you can still come back. One simple flick of the switch and you could inspire a fear unlike anything we’ve seen before. Dismantling Rosemary would mentally cripple her two charges, and to be known as the man that singlehandedly destroyed Decay? You have to admit, it’s got quite a nice little ring to it.

We all want to be happy. And if she brings it to you, Bram, then so be it. But some of us don’t believe that this is you. We believe your brain has been twisted by this lady. You want to believe it can be better, but deep down, you have to know that you’re being played for a huge sucker.

Bram has to know this. He’s too smart to be this unaware.

Come back, Bram. We’ll leave the light on for you.

PUT SLICK IN THE HALL OF FAME!!

It’s All Wrestling. It’s All Silly. We All Love It