You're fading in to an all-black background. Nothing out of the ordinary to see behind or in front of him. Or is there?

There's a barely visible neon sign hanging above him, currently turned off.

"I get to thinking sometimes. My opponents are dumber than fuck, how best can I get through to them? Doesn't matter how slow or clearly my words are spoken, people want to side-step the truth and cut right into their own bullshit."

"Luckily, I was able to custom-order this incredible device hanging above me and write it off as a work-related expense. Not that I'm cheap, I just think its pretty sad that it had to come to this."

He grins just a little bit as he closes his eyes. A soft sigh escapes him.

"Its like, people will ask me something. I answer, and then they immediately want to shift to something else. Where do I get off talking this talk? What have I done to earn this? I've spelled this out three different ways from Sunday, and still people want to discredit me. Can't blame them... I've risen pretty high in a very short amount of time. I'm sure it gets a little under these "veteran's" skins. Just how high up am I?"

"A little louder this time so Frost can hear me under all that bullshit... Every single event I've wrestled in here, I have been the main event."

| FACT |

"Notice it wasn't an accident that I didn't refer to myself as "in" the main event. I, personally, have been the main attraction at a staggering number of our promotion's booked shows. Its not an accident. And I know that you guys have so many delightful things to say about my rhetoric and my dynamic... Your opinions do not matter in the least."

"The front office, the booking committee, the title committee, and most importantly? The people buying the tickets to our events... those are the only intellectual beings that I have to intrigue."

| FACT |

"And I have."

| FACT |

"Which is why I'm at the forefront of every match that's mattered this year. Its why Ticket Master refers to an LWF event as "Vicious, et al". You think I'm exaggerating the truth a little? Now let's mention our beloved champion for a second here. With absolutely nothing else to her advantage, she claims that I've been "ducking" her challenge. Now I've already got a title victory over her."

| FACT |

"I've got two pins over her husband, and retired him from the sport of wrestling."

| FACT |

"The last time we were in the ring together, she promised to "begin" her title reign with a win... and did not."

| FACT |

"The time previous to that, she threw a temper tantrum and got herself disqualified from the match."

| FACT |

"I still managed to win it for my team. Frost is bitter about it."

| FACT |

"Now taking this into consideration, you honestly want to sit there twirling your hair and claim that I'm running away from you? Let me clarify... You said you wanted me in the ring, title or no title. I said your championship was fucking worthless. That statement remains in tact, because so far you've never successfully defended it and only manage to hype yourself when your hand is forced in the matter."

| FACT |

"So I declined your offer, even when you "generously" took your title off the line. Why? Because I don't give a fucking shit about you."

| FACT |

"You said it in your last cut - at one point, I was the only person you cared about getting in the ring. Feeling wasn't mutual, go fuck yourself. Should I prove something to you? I've been doing it all along. Calling you out on your lackluster title reign. Tearing apart every word you speak and shredding any credibility you brought into this place. You tell me that my pin in our last match won't translate into the steel cage. I never said it would."

| FACT |

"Then again, not the first time you've tried to put words in my mouth."

| FACT |

"Regardless, I'm still prepared just like I was then. Its no accident I saw your wife - er, husband - and Aarya Ranvir coming. I prepared for them and I've spent the last two months preparing for a victory at Fall From Grace. I've got a cage and three opponents to work with, and I'm well aware of the unpredictability of this environment. So in-between humiliating you on the airwaves, I'm deciding just how I want to work it to my advantage. And I'm really quite sorry you think my knowledge of philosophy is meaningless and unnecessary as it pertains to this match... but for someone who claims to know why this night is so "special", you really should take a moment to realize wrestling is not all that matters here."

| FACT |

"Sure this is the night that people in our community always wait for and hope for... but these are the airwaves where they listen the closest. The impressions that we leave here are going to last for another year - and you should really take that into consideration before another incest-bestiality play-by-play."

| FACT |

"So if my opponent slips up and I take this conversation to a higher intellectual plateau than you can keep up with?"

"Your problem. Not mine."

| FACT |

"And what about that opponent? Calling me juvenile and "whiney"... when her last interview was easily the most immature and trivial nonsense I've heard all year."

| FACT |

"Seriously, that's not up for debate. I'm side-stepping your questions? Take a deep breath, babe. Step back and listen."

"You want me to answer your "questions"? The world already watched me, but I'm doing this real slow for posterity's sake... so we can move on from this."

 - Flawless rhetoric? I haven't seen it.

"No kidding. I know this is going to get all logical on you - but if you had the ability to process any coherent train of thought, we wouldn't be having any issues about this, would we? How can I justify something that simply "is" to someone that can't understand it? It's a catch 22, and really, who cares? If you're an idiot, its not my problem."

| FACT |

 - Exposing fraud? When? Where? Who?

"February 8th, I spelled out for you the definition and history of the word "scapegoat" after you insisted I didn't know how to use it."

| FACT |

"And I know it gets under your skin every time I mention it... but I really can't get over how stupid you are."

| FACT |

"February 23rd, I reminded the world just how hypocritical this bitch was who claimed to be here "only for wrestling" and yet felt the need to "prove a point" by hitting Joe Boxer with a baseball bat."

| FACT |

"And just two days ago, March 27th. I let this same woman know just how meaningless her victory at the last Fall really was in the big picture. I degraded her career just as she was trying to make it seem somehow important. I reminded her of my main event status and my AOWF title reign. I threw her trite little Shakespeare quote back in her face, give me something with substance. What did she do in response?"

"Ignored the whole fucking thing, and called me juvenile."

| FACT |

"The fact is, it doesn't matter how I respond to you, Frost... you're going to side-step it and come back at me with another few lines of crap. You're going to pretend it doesn't matter, and move on to something else. Just like "scapegoat" doesn't matter when you become the idiot. Just like "only here to wrestle" goes out the door when you're PMS'ing."

| FACT |

| FACT |

"So let me iterate once more... everything you have to say to me? Fucking crap. You don't take even half a second to realize how bad you look when you try to turn it all on me. I make you look bad, Angelica. Really fucking bad on national television."

| FACT |

"I've never whined about "not getting a title shot fast enough". February 20th, I made it a point to iterate that I've got all the time in the world to win that belt."

| FACT |

"I don't complain about carrying the company, I merely state it as it is. You were probably too busy staring at words on a page at the time, but me and a portly trucker were the only people on LWF television leading into our first pay per view."

| FACT |

"You tell me that I whine and stamp my feet when I don't get my way, but I ask you this... when would that be? I've had more title shots without a bona fide contender ship match in the last three months than anyone in wrestling history. I'm quoted on the highlight reels back-to-back. I'm in the limelight every fucking week. I'm a champion at the height of my game, and you know what? I'm more than content with all of it."

| FACT |

"You on the other hand? Keep bitching about the same stupid shit. Keep trying to convince the world you're superior to me in some way. You don't ask hard questions, you ask arbitrary ones over and over again, clinging to your seat to see if I'll slip up. But I don't, do I? Because you can't name even one time I've come up short - all you do is give abstract metaphors and hope we're all dumb enough to buy into it. The hard questions, Angelica?"

"Ali mother-fucking G asks harder questions than you do."

| FACT |

"Then we hear some words from Drake this week... right from the horse's mouth. He says he's "protecting" all of us in his actions and bookings as of late. He's absolutely right. Every match we've been booked in has been hand-tailored to make sure that we're protected, whether we asked for it or not."

| FACT |

"And no, I'm not very happy with it. Because it gives each of you an out. That's what he's protecting. Not just a title reign or someone's title shot. He's catering to your egos. Whether its a blindside in a tag match, half the locker room interfering in no holds barred or Swifkicky calling it a no contest - he's sparring you guys from the embarrassment of having no choice but to admit to the world you fucking suck on any given night."

"And you guys have been happily indulging in it every chance you get. Reminding me of certain circumstances that you think discredit my victories or my title reign. All I'm guilty of is comprehending the state of things there and planning accordingly - taking advantage where I can. Just like Aarya took advantage at NoA. Just like Frost took advantage of November's ineptness. Just like Lisa tried to take advantage of the chaos in the four-way. You won't hear me say there's anything wrong with it... You won't. But these are the facts as they are, and you aren't going to be coddled on the Eighth."

| FACT |

"You won't have any excuse when I maliciously pound you into submission."

| FACT |

"You're both engaged in petty bickering about who fucked up in your match at the pre card. Here's a hint: it was both of you."

| FACT |

"You're both uninspiring as competitors. Repetitious nonsense. Banking on mistakes or hoping that you're drive will see you through to the end. I'm banking on my own talent, not the lack of yours that's so obvious. I'm relying on my intelligence and my ability to adapt at a moment's notice. I'm relying on me... and that's far more potent than either of you are going to realize before its too late."

| FACT |

"You guys want facts and evidence? I hope you've paid attention. I hope the neon sign above me is burned into your retina's so deep you'll never forget how absolutely fucked up it is that you haven't been able to accept any of this - despite all the proof in front of you. The best part is? Tommy Riley hasn't said one fucking word on the air since I suffocated him out of his only chance to regain the only thing that's ever given him any recognition."

| FACT |

"But he will. And I'll humiliate him again. And again. Three times on Sunday. You want me to prove that I'm amazing? Here's an idea... you try proving I'm not."

Two lights go out above him. And nothing but black.