The Cowgirls from Hell vs. European Fiery Nation (Dakon Theron & Ludvig Eriksson)

[CowgirlsFromHell]

Veronica Strader’s Ranch
Strader-Estate Houston, TX
April 1st, 2024

“Are you sure you don’t want your house back, mom?”

Veronica was still in a state of shock that her mom was alive, even though her Auntie Tamika had admitted she was to Veronica back in February. Meghan smiles and shakes her head no.

“You have turned it into such a beautiful home for you, Christian and my granddaughter… the Whitehouse is more than big enough for me and Dustin, and besides, our primary home is in North Carolina. It’s yours, sweetheart.”

Meghan reaches for her glass of rye on the coffee table in front of her out on the back deck that was used more than a front entrance. Veronica sat across from her in a rocking chair, while Meghan sat on the 70s beige, orange and brown chesterfield that had been there for years. Meghan smiles at the eleven-month-old Christian-Michelle, commonly known as the family’s “CM Punk” and couldn’t believe how much the child looked like Tamika did as a young child.

“I know. She’s beautiful, isn’t she? Reminds me of Auntie Tee.”

“I was just thinking that. But I can see your type of crazy in her eyes.” Meghan winks at her oldest, and Veronica nods in agreement as they both laugh.

“So…”

“I feel good, Veronica. All the cancer is gone, the tests are negative. I still have all these scars from the fourteen stab wounds, but they are warrior marks.” Meghan’s index finger traces along the slash under her neck from the attempted murder last year by a man only known as The Stalker, a man hired by her first cousin, Kristopholis Strader, who attempted to take Strader Incorporated away from her. Even though she had been stabbed and had her throat slashed, killed The Stalker that night. Kris was still free, but Meghan would handle that situation eventually. Her primary concern now was spending as much time with her children, grandbaby and her husband as she could.  

“I was mad at Auntie Tee for a split second, but she did what any of us would have done. If not for her quick thinking, we might not have you here now.”

“I’m here and not going anywhere. Listen, there is something I wanted to talk to you about…” Meghan gives her oldest a reassuring smile. This was a good thing. “Meeks told me about her idea for you and Cara.”

Veronica’s right brow cocks up as she takes a sip of her whiskey. Colour her curious.

“Me and Cara? Already an interesting thought… What is Auntie Tee’s idea?”

“No Strader has been as successful as you and Cara, right out of the gate. Singles wise, you two are diamonds in the rough. But, tag wise, neither of you seems to fare all that well.”

“Ummm thanks and ouch?”

“Nothing wrong with it, but this family has always excelled in tag team wrestling. Your uncles, grandfather, me and your aunt… and it’s surprising you and your sisters haven’t done the same.”

“Is this an April Fool’s Day joke?”

Meghan can sense she has struck a nerve. She leans in, swirling her whiskey.

“What am I saying is, I know who the next great Strader tag team is. The Cowgirls From Hell… Veronica and Cara Strader.”

The sheer absurdity of the statement caused Veronica to malfunction momentarily as she was trying to process what her mom had just said. She comes to and starts to laugh. Meghan just sits back, crossing her arms with the drink still in hand. Her own brow goes up, and her lip curls.

“I know, it sounds crazy, but you and Cara have what your aunt and I did. We both see it.”

“But the Cowgirls From Hell?” Veronica stands up, sipping on her whiskey. “The thing that made the Cowgirls special is the team didn’t have a revolving door like the Cowboys did. The bond you have with Auntie Tee, that’s Victoria and Cara. Not me.”

“Ronnie, baby, what made me and your aunt so great was the fact we are different from each other. I know you love me, and I know you love me as a mom, but when it comes right down to the brass tacks of it, who is more motherly?”

Veronica’s eyes, her father’s eyes, give her mom that “I know” side eye.

“You are so much like me, sweetheart. You're fierce, you don’t give a shit what anyone says about you, and you handle business in that ring, and you're so crass it’s damn well near endearing, and Cara is the opposite. She is your Auntie Tee if she had my sex drive and was always stoned.”

“I’m no prude. I enjoy one of Cara’s edibles after a hard match, but you said it: always stoned. It’s a detriment.”

“How though? A lot of people write her off because of her promiscuity and love of pot, but look at her win/loss percentage. She’s over 80%, just like you. The two of you together? Talk about dangerous.”

Veronica stops pacing and looks up at the crescent moon before taking another drink.

“Since you seem to have an answer for everything, where are we going to do this? I’m not stepping into TPW again unless a huge match opportunity happens. OCW isn’t ever going to be a week to week promotion, although I could be wrong. My faction leader told us there won’t be a booking for a while for all of us in Miracle Galaxy Pro. Where am I going to do this?”

“SCW.”

Veronica scoffs, and Meghan elaborates.

“Supreme Championship Wrestling.”

“I don’t know, mom. You know how heavy that mantle is? Maybe you don’t because you build it from the ground up with Auntie Tee, but it is a lot. I already have enough on my plate being a damn Knox and a Strader. You know what kinda hatred I deal with. I need that from your die-hard fans?”

“Honey, you are so much more than I ever was in the ring. I love that it’s going to be my children that make this name their own. People are already forgetting about the rest of us. That’s the business, but it’s also because both you and Cara have been top tier since your rookie debuts. Imagine that together.”

Veronica finally sits down, finishes off her whiskey. She leans forward to grab the whiskey bottle, pouring another drink, and extending the bottle to her mom, topping off her glass. She shakes her head and looks at her mom, who still wears the same look on her face.

“Did you forget I threw her off - - -“


Strader Training Centre
Behind The Whitehouse, Strader-Estate
Same evening

“- - - off the OCW Arena, bruh?!”

“I know, I know, but you know just as well as any of us that wasn’t Ronnie. I mean, yeah, she’s a hardass, but she’s a hard ass with a big heart of gold. You’ve seen it. She lets exactly 5 people be alone with her little girl and you are one of them.”

Cara crinkles her nose, and her black headband is drenched in sweat from the workout in the ring. She loved smoking a big joint and working out. She leans over the top rope down at Tamika Strader, who was attempting to persuade her nieces into becoming the next Cowgirls From Hell.

“Imma be straight with you, Auntie Teebag. I can see what’cha is putting down, and I might even pick it up, but Ronnie? Why not Vee? Ya know my bestie before we even found out we sisters?”

“Besides Uncle Payton, Uncle Kaleb, and Aunt Vanessa, none of us besides me and Johnny knew we were family, well into our teenage years. My son is one of four Straders who know who they were from the beginning. You and Vee, yeah, sure, you grew up together, thick as thieves, but Vee isn’t wrestling anymore. You and Veronica have what your mom and I had.”

Cara shakes her and starts running the ropes while Tamika hops onto the ring apron, and leans her head into her hand against the turnbuckle.

“I would say different moms, and even though I am high AF, Imma bet you gonna say differences, bruh?”

“Your mom and me are way different from each other. I like to joke, not take things so seriously all the time while Megz wears her heart on her sleeve, approaches everything she does seriously, and that difference makes us strong. We made our individual strengths stronger and our weaknesses weaker. If we hadn’t had lapses in activity from our crazy family, we’d be in more than one Hall of Fame and have more than the 6 championships we had. You and Ronnie are gonna both be 24 this year, not even in the primes of your careers and own a winning percentage over 85%… each! Imagine that together for a second.”

“I don’t know…” Cara bounces off the ropes one last time and comes to a stop at the centre of the ring. “I don’t exactly have the greatest tag match outcomes, bruh.”

Tamika sighs and steps through the middle and top rope. As she approaches her, Tamika reaches out, putting her hands on Cara’s shoulders.

“And who have your partners? Outside of Larry Tact, you have had bums as partners. The family relies on each other because we don’t stab each other in the back. There isn’t anyone you can trust more than family, except the odd cousin…”

Over a year ago now, the first cousin of Meghan and Tamika had tried to kill Meghan to take her part of the Strader Incorporated empire. Meghan had also been sick with a few different cancers, and with thirteen stab wounds, thought she had died in her baby sister’s arms. Tamika’s quick thinking saved Meghan’s life, but not for a long time after Tamika faked Meghan’s death. A long story that will be retold for the new audience… just not right now.

“Come with me.”

“If I want to live?”

Tamika gives her a side eye for the SkyNet reference, as her biggest fear is AI taking over and a nuclear fire that the survivors called Judgement Day. Tamika kicks open the heavy steel door and sitting in the women’s line of sight is a brand new Harley Davidson Softail, the tank is Cara’s signature cyan blue with a new look CFH emblem airbrushed on the side of the tank with a skull smoking weed. Cara’s eyes go wide and she grabs her knees to stop them from shaking. Tamika chuckles and, with a flip of her hand, dangles the keys to the bike in front of her face.

“Bruhhhhhh! Softails are my jam!!”


[b]Veronica’s Ranch
Strader Estate
Same Evening[/b]

“Oh my god, she’s beautiful….”

Veronica slowly walks through the opened barn doors and stares intently at a fully rebuilt and chopped out 1945 Harley Davidson Panhead, frame all blacked out, tank in her signature purple with the new CFH emblem on it. Veronica traces the new logo with her middle finger and chuckles.

“Skull for me and the smoke for Cara? Nice touch.”

Veronica swings her right leg over the seat and stands, left foot on the kick-start. She looks at her mom, who just sneers and nods.

VAROOOMMMMMMM!

The iconic Harley rumble echoes in the old barn and always made Meghan think of a panting dog who couldn’t wait to start running after something, a mailman, a car, something.

“Oh, my… that sound…”

“Go ahead. Get a feel for her.”

Veronica smiles and straightens out the front wheel and kicks up the kickstand. A flick of her foot into first, she hits the throttle and burns out of the barn and Meghan smiles, looking at her watch. Just a normal watch. She’s a Xennial.

“Ok, Meeks. Hopefully, we timed this right.”



Main Road
Strader Estate
Same evening

“YIPPEE CARA MOTHERFUCKAZ!”

Cara hits the throttle and the thunder-like rumble coming out of the Screaming Eagle tailpipe gives her goosebumps and is all smiles.

“Best gift ever, Auntie Teebag! WHOOOOO!”

She sees another single headlight in the distance and a familiar rumble. She perks up.

“Sounds like Uncz panhead!”

Cara hits the throttle and the front end comes up with a wheelie, sending adrenaline through her body. Her nerves were on fire in the best way possible. But as she gets closer, she sees it isn’t her biker uncle, it’s her fraternal twin.

Veronica notices that it isn’t her aunt on the Softail but Cara. They both ride to a stop, killing the ignition and flipping down their kickstands. The sisters stare at each other, arms crossed.

“Let me guess… a gift from our aunt?”

“Imma say that was from mamabear?”

They nod at each other.

“Imma bet you got a pitch about taking the manitity of CFH?”

“Mantle. It's a mantle. And yes, mom had a whole ass pitch ready to go.”

“(Chuckles) Yeah, same with Auntie Teebag. (Imitating her aunt) But different- - -”

“(Imitating their mom) was our strength.”

Cara laughs and so does Veronica.

“Great mamabear!”

“Good Auntie Meeks! Say... you want to go get a beer?”

Cara hesitates for a second but has an internal fuck it moment and nods.

“Yeah, alright bruh. Scorpion’s Tail?”

Veronica nods, and the sisters fire their bikes up and head out toward the front gate.


The Scorpion’s Tail
Houston, Texas
Same Evening

Meghan and Tamika sit in the far corner of their dad’s old hangout and biker bar down a few miles from the family estate. Meghan looks like she is going through some midlife crisis with a natural-looking pink wig and Tamika thinks she is hilarious wearing her “I Love Lucy” Lucille Ball red wig. They slid in unnoticed by Veronica and Cara, who were sipping on a couple pints of Labatt 50, the bar imported from Canada for the Strader family. They are playing pool and look to be getting along.

“This is going to work, Meeks.”

“Remember how mad you would get when daddy interfered in our lives?”

“I am not Scott. And this isn’t for a selfish reason outside of wanting my daughters to be friends like you and me. Is that really so bad?”

“Not at all, Megz, but we didn’t start off our relationship with you by throwing me off the top of an arena, either.”

Meghan knew she was right, but she shrugs in response.

“That was the Affliction, and Valerie is long gone. I know they can find a way to that bond.”

The Affliction was a problem on Veronica’s dad’s side of the family. Matthew The Raven, Supreme Machine and Queen Machine all suffered from it. A full on full-fledged soul in their body that takes over. If one were to believe that Veronica was consumed in the womb by Victoria, but her soul stayed with Victoria and eventually found their way to their own bodies through an inter dimensional portal, you would believe Veronica is an abomination. Another long story for another time. In short, it meant that Meghan’s first-born are a triplet girls and only Victoria and Veronica have the same dad. Meghan got around when she was young as a fuck you to her biker dad. Typically Xennial teenage stuff, it seems.

“Ok, I’ll give you that.”

Meghan turns back to look at Tamika, and she lowers her eyes before looking back up. Tamika’s face morphs into a small curl of her upper lip and a nanosecond of a head shake.

“What? I know that look. Spill it.”

The faux-pink haired Strader Matriarch that everyone still believes is dead gives Tamika her best sheepish smile.

“So I was thinking…” Meghan holds back her laugh at Tamika slowly raising her right brow and leaning back in the booth, crossing her arms with that cockeyed ‘Really?’ look, she knew it very well. “We need to keep an eye on them and- - -”

Tamika immediately starts shaking her head, uncrossing her arms, and places her hands across the table at Meghan’s.

“- - - no, the last time we had this kind of conversation I ended up with a losing stake in OCW shares, and was forced out of retirement and my dumb and loyal ass tried to keep it afloat without the things that made the company great so no. We are not joining SCW to ‘watch over,’” The emphasis Tamika puts into her air quotes, Meghan almost lost it with laughter. “I can see you laughing at me behind the face of someone who looks like they have entered a mid-life crisis and living it up with a wannabe rapper.”

Neither can hold it in and start laughing at each other. Meghan grabs some of the pink hair.

“This hair is ridiculous. I look like I left my husband of ten plus years, father of my kids, for someone under 30 with bad tattoos. Scott would’ve hated that!”

“Yeah, he would’ve, but back to the topic at hand. My answer is no.”

“You done? It’s not what you think. People don’t know I am alive, and until we have a way to explain where I have been without disrupting society, I can’t be by their side. But you can. I do want you to sign with SCW as well, but as their manager. I mean, the only time I ever plan to step into the ring to wrestle again would be teaming back up with you to put down Bound by Blood.”

Bound by Blood was the team to end the Cowgirls From Hell’s first tag title reign and never got a chance to rectify that. Every team has one.

“So handle all their bookings and what not… I don’t even know why I am thinking about this when you have already decided for me.” Tamika sticks her tongue for a second at her big sister. “Now that Clay and Lizzie have their mom back, I have the time. Ya know Lil’Scottie is going to UCLA this fall?”

Meghan shakes her head and smiles, squeezing her baby sister’s hand.

“No, but that is awesome, Meeks! When I was watching over all of you, I saw little Mack has been training with Calaway. So crazy, my younger twin siblings have these two amazing kids who are turning eighteen.”

“And you are a grandma. Only way I am going to be is by adoption.”

“I'm a hot grandma though. He must be excited for all the boys at UCLA!”

“He is. He hides it, but he’s so much like his dad and like our daddy. Sauve little heartbreaker.”

“I bet he is!”

THWACKKKKKK!!!

“COME AT ME BRUH! IMMA BRING THAT SMOKE!”

“Fuck it.”

Meghan and Tamika look over to see Veronica and Cara brawling with two biker girls and their old men. Meghan looks back at Tamika.

“Phase two of Ride or Die is underway. Let’s see how they do.”

“Hundred bucks says Cara yells Bruh minimum six times, Veronica sighs and they low blow someone.”

“Rather specific and cheating. We both know that’s exactly what will happen.”

10 Minutes Earlier

Veronica chalks her cue and glances over at a man and a woman who are looking up the pair of Daisy Dukes that Cara is wearing and she shakes her head.

“Gonna make your call before the shot or gonna do that ‘I meant to put that there’ routine?”

“Side pocket, bruh. 2-Ball LEFT side pocket.”

Cara sinks it but it’s the right side pocket. Veronica snickers and blows the excess dust off the end of the cue.

“15. Back right side corner pocket.”

“Playing with Houdini, bruhs!” The couple that were getting an intimate view of Cara make their way over, putting money down the side of the table. Cara looks up at them and smiles. “Challenge accepted. My sista from a birdy mista is just gonna scratch this shot first.”

“Shut up.”

“You know what the difference between a joke and three cocks is? Veronica can’t take a joke.”

“I’m on your team and your sister, ya know.”

“Different Veronica.”

The couple laugh, thinking they got this without even saying a word, and Veronica sinks her shot followed by the 8-Ball to win the game. Cara starts to rack, as Veronica looks over at the couple. Now, not many know this, but the deceased Scott Nash Strader’s soul is attached to Veronica’s. They communicate often, but he was oddly absent from the sisterly interaction. Possibly his guilt for selling Cara as a baby when Meghan gave birth to her girls. She had no idea she was pregnant with twins and passed out during delivery. Long story short, SNS thought he was saving his granddaughters lives but all he did, like he normally did when alive, was fuck up his kids’ lives.

“So, you two lookin’ for the smoke, bruhs?”


TO BE CONTINUED...