A camera blinked into life, he checked it, making sure his bearded face could be seen and positioned it facing a black sheet, which stretched across an otherwise empty room.

The distant hum of electricity and of cars driving past were the only other sounds.

He was alone.

With a shuffle of feet, he re-appeared in front of the camera, hooded and cast in darkness.

"For years I came to the defence of my WWA brethren," he said, as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I was unwavering in my protection of my friends and my home." He paused and lowered his head before continuing. "Whenever someone sought to destroy us, or damage our company," He continued, raising his head once more. "I stood alone as the constant watchman of the last eight years." He paused again, the shifting of his weight becoming more and more violent with each passing moment. "But I failed!" He roared, as he threw back his hood, revealing his scarred and damaged face. He took a breath and controlled the shifting, seemed to calm him. "The Damned may have put me on the shelf for a year but they weren't the true evil," he continued, his voice becoming remorseful as he shook his head. "No, the WWA became infected years ago by a virus long before I arrived." His head sunk, his face falling into darkness as he continued. "A virus so virulent that it could not be contained, let alone destroyed." He audibly sighed before he continued, so ashamed was he that he had failed to notice this evil until recently. "A virus, so uncontrollable, that it once infected me." He looked up, his eyes burning a hole in the lens of the camera. "A virus simply known as Ego."

His manner began to change again, the calmness seemed to leave his body and was replaced once more by shifting; his body coursed with so much anger and adrenaline that he was seemingly unable to control it any longer. He clenched his fists and snarled at the camera.

"For years I defended THAT place," he spat with venom. "And I foolishly thought people like Kade Williams and Dave Harley were causing the most harm, when in fact it was the so called heroes." He paused as he shook his head in disbelief. "For years I watched as they held the crowd in their hands," He said as he raised his right hand, palm up but semi closed. "Captivated them with the false promise of honesty in their actions but when it really mattered their words meant nothing." He closed his hand, slowly, until his hand was once again a fist, that twitched with his pulse. "They chose to ignore one of their own, whilst I lay there, for one reason," He paused and shook his body, he had come so close to death that day, that it still scared him. "Because in that moment they saw a chance, an opportunity if you'd rather, to see a top contender and a threat to their own title chances get taken out of the equation, without them having to try and do it themselves." He paused for another moment, furrowing his brow as he began to speak. "Their own selfish desire to be recognised as the pinnacle of the WWA, is what allowed them to stand idly by as their friend came within moments of losing his career," he said as he began to touch his face, tracing the damaged areas. "Their egos allowed them to watch as my nose was broken, my face tenderised, and my forehead scarred." He continued, flinching as he touched his nose. "Their egos nearly destroyed my career and atheist God willing, I shall make it destroys theirs."

He paused and snarled again but the snarl quickly became a knowing smile.

"I want each and every one of them to feel their careers disappear beneath their feet, to feel their very livelihood slip away from them as they are forced to re-evaluate their lives and their decisions." He said. "I want them to know the feeling that comes from not having people chant your name anymore," he continued. "I want the audiences, the WWA fans worldwide, to help them realise the errors of their ways." He said, as he became almost preacher-esque in his delivery. "I want them to learn that sometimes in life, it's not the thing you choose to do that define you, rather what you don't do." He paused and breathed, running his hands through his hair. "If the WWA fans were to turn on their heroes and only cheer them when the act heroically," he continued. "Then they'd be forced to become the heroes who they claim to be." He stroked his beard as he next spoke. "I want them to spend their time stuck in their own minds, like I used to, trying desperately to figure out how they can become better people Rather than how they can become WWA Champion." He paused, solely for effect. "So to help them on their roads to recovery, I am going to do them a favour. I am going to take the next WWA Title Shot away from them."

He chuckled as he began to bounce from heel to heel once again; the smile grew from knowing to confident.

"I am going to win the Independence Day Rumble, forcing them to focus on entertaining the fans rather than clawing after the championship and my victory will send shockwaves around the wrestling industry, that will reverberate for generations." He paused, smiling widely; he continued. "Forevermore the wrestling industry will remember my victory as a triumph in the face of adversity." He stopped, almost to find the right words to continue. "They will remember the tale of the spirited young man, who refused to allow an injury to come between himself and giving the fans something to cheer about; and they will tell their children, and their children's children about where they were when he tossed everyone who stood in his way from the ring, on an ascent to greatness." He paused again, the excitement constantly building in his eyes. "And they will forever brag about how they were one of the people that he dedicated his second WWA Championship reign to." His smile now as wide as his face, and his eyes as wide and open as ever, he spoke one last time. "Because this reign, this unforgettable, unmistakable, immovable reign would be in the name of every fan who ever cheered his name, every fan who ever recognised him as THE true paragon of pro-wrestling, and every fan who never stopped believing that he was the very best in the world. That I was the very best in the World."