The scene opens up onto the interior of the HWA headquarters, where Heinrich von Richtoven will soon be interviewed by a variety of different media sources. The camera moves down the corridor, eventually coming upon Heinrich, in conversation with an aide, going over the schedule for the morning.

The camera moves in closer, bringing their voices into earshot.

(Aide): And Al Jazeera have a fifteen minute interview scheduled right after you’ve spoken with Mr Anderson.

Heinrich shoots the aide a look that causes him to swallow nervously, and stammer slightly in an effort to add.

(Aide): … It’s… it’s on Senester’s orders Mr von Richtoven.

(Heinrich): *Nonchalant* Really?

He takes the sheet of paper with his interview times out the aide’s hands, and holds it in front of him, scanning it.

(Heinrich): Well if you’d kindly inform Senester, that while I’m more than happy to speak to Mike, along with…

His eyes follow the names as he speaks.

(Heinrich): … Fox News… Australian Broadcasting Corporation… the BBC… and Deutsche Welle, I’m not willing to, proverbially speaking, bend over and spread my legs for his titillation on this one. I toe the line at having not walked out of my title match in protest at what he pulled.

(Aide): I can’t stress how much this interview means to Senester, Mr von Richtoven. Curt Ever’s win has certain elements of the Arab world very excited.

Heinrich leans in close to the aide, neck muscles taut and eyes gleaming, causing the aide to quiver somewhat.

(Heinrich): I. Couldn’t. Care. Less.

At this point the camera pans outwards, bringing the remainder of the corridor behind the aide into view, and with it, HWA interviewer Mike Anderson. Seeing the altercation between Heinrich and the aide, he calls out.

(Mike Anderson): Problem Heinrich?

Heinrich’s eyes flick upwards to Mike momentarily, and then back onto the aides.

(Heinrich): I’m the wrong man to ask Mike…

He rises up to full height, and pushes past the aide, who drops the various other sheets of paper in his hands, sending him to the floor scrabbling for them.

(Heinrich): … but perhaps if you asked him, or better yet, Senester, you’d get your answer.

Mike flashes a knowing smile at Heinrich, before opening the door to the interview room open, allowing Heinrich to slide in first.

The pair of them walk the few metres to their respective seats in front of the camera crew and their necessary rig.

(Mike Anderson): Since you’ll have some spare time after this interview, you fancy going for a coffee?

(Heinrich): Sounds good to me Mike.

They settle themselves into their chairs, Heinrich thumbing a gesture at the camera following them.

(Heinrich): Off the record though I assume?

Mike tilts his head round to take in the camera, before nodding his assent to the request.

(Mike Anderson): Of course. *Smiles* But you’ll be paying then.

Heinrich laughs, as he accepts a glass of chilled water from one of the make-up crew, but waves away the offer of touching up his bruises to make them less visible on-screen.

(Mike Anderson): Ready to begin?

Heinrich nods his head, swallowing a gulp of his water as he does so. Mike glances at the camera crew, who give him the go.

(Mike Anderson): Well, hello once again. I’m Mike Anderson with the HWA Roundup. Just days ago, the HWA Australian Tour came to a fitting conclusion with ‘The Other Side’, and I have one of the participants of that show with me in the studio now. Heinrich von Richtoven, welcome.

(Heinrich): Pleasure to be here Mike.

(Mike Anderson): Now this is the first interview you’ve given since Curt Evers was inserted into your match with the, then champion; Logan Neilson. What was your reaction when the referee was made to continue by Senester?

(Heinrich): Well, shock, obviously. At that point, Logan had me on the back foot, and if I’m being honest, I’m not certain that I had it in me to break the count, let alone reverse the trend, so, y’know, I was grateful for a few moments to catch my breath and get my bearings. Having what happened, happen, was not what I thought was going to go down.

(Mike Anderson): How so?

(Heinrich): Well at first it was just Senester and…

He makes no effort to mask the contempt in his voice.

(Heinrich): … Butch. And I could remember Logan saying that he’d thrown a few punches at Butch earlier on in the show when we were talking behind the Havoctron before going out, so I thought that this was going to be round two.

(Mike Anderson): So you thought that just Logan would be involved?

(Heinrich): If it had gone down the way I was thinking it would have, I’d still have gotten involved regardless…

(Mike Anderson): Well you’ll get your chance next week, but we’ll get to that in a minute. So what happened with Curt Evers was a shock to yourself, and most probably Logan Neilson also. Going over the tapes, he dominated both of you straight away and took the win in short order. Do you feel that’s a fair generalization of what happened next?

(Heinrich): You could say that, but of course, I’d be inclined to point out that Logan and I were at the tail-end of our own match. We’d expended our stamina, taken a lot of blows and one way or another would have had a resolution to our match in, at most, five minutes. Under those circumstances, to have a fresh wrestler enter the fray leads to only one result.

Elbows propped up on the chair arms, his arms open out, palms open.

(Heinrich): I can have no complaints over my inability to alter the results. And neither can Logan.

(Mike Anderson): Your thoughts on Curt Evers?

(Heinrich): About as undeserving as it’s possible to get. That there are blogs on the internet out there saying that Lucas Valentine and Medos are so far above this guy’s level says it all really. *Laughs* I mean, this guy has done nothing but tag with that other idiotic terrorist wannabe since he got here. He’s done nothing of merit, and about the only thing I can remember of him before that night was his fascination with fat ladies.

(Mike Anderson): It’s his partner, Shakir who has that particular ‘fascination’ actually Heinrich.

(Heinrich): Well there you go. Shows how inconsequential he really is.

(Mike Anderson): I already know the answer to this one, but for the benefit of our viewers, what are your thoughts on Senester at the moment?

Heinrich smiles at this, before taking a small sip of his water.

(Heinrich): Well…

He places the glass of water back where it was.

(Heinrich): Let’s just say that if some terrible accident happened to him and the roster had a whip round for a ‘get well’ card, I wouldn’t be signing it.

(Mike Anderson): Anything else you’d like to add to that?

(Heinrich): Hmm… I think that’ll sum it up nicely for now.

(Mike Anderson): Very well. Do you consider yourself the number one contender for the Spotlight title still then Heinrich?

(Heinrich): I don’t see any reason why not. Firstly, our singles match had yet to finish, and secondly, Evers has completely circumnavigated the usual procedure due to his mistaken belief that Senester is Allah, and consequently has his tongue so far up his arse, that you would need surgery to remove it.

Mike stifles an amused titter, while Heinrich throws a look towards the camera crew.

(Heinrich): That’s editable, right?

(Mike Anderson): Yeah, we can cut out the cussing easily enough. Don’t worry about it; we get better results when you don’t have to self censor anyway.

(Heinrich): Fair enough. *Chuckles* Right, where was I? Ah, yes, so with what I said, I still see myself as number one contender.

(Mike Anderson): Bearing in mind you don’t have to worry about cussing, I’d like to ask a question or two on your next opponent; Butch Parker. Are you looking forward to it?

(Heinrich): Is the Pope a Catholic? Of course I’m looking forward to it.

(Mike Anderson): You’re both coming off the back of losses. Is the will to get back onto winning ways going to influence the outcome of this match do you think?

(Heinrich): Speaking solely for myself here, not at all Mike. Unlike my brother, bless him, I don’t care for getting one over Butch, I just want him to get a taste of his own medicine for what he’s done as of late.

(Mike Anderson): The most obvious connection to the people who have been done over by Butch lately is of course, your brother’s relationship with Vanessa Lang, and through her, fellow commentator Jason. It’s through others, rather than personal and one could argue it’s a flimsy excuse to go after someone for.

(Heinrich): I do think it’s personal though Mike. With Vanessa, I consider her family, and with the way things are between her and my brother, I could very well have the law on my side when I say that. With Jason, yes, you’re right, I don’t know him too well, but if the man wants someone to stand guard when he enacts whatever he has in mind for Butch, then I’m all ears.

(Mike Anderson): You and Butch were close. Do you think he’s redeemable?

(Heinrich): In my eyes, it would take a lot. You just don’t do what he’s done. That man on Senester’s yacht, Vanessa’s leg, the fan at the third Havoc of the Australian Tour to name but a few.

(Mike Anderson): How do you think the fans see him?

(Heinrich): He goes away a hero, comes back as Senester’s little puppet, does what he does, and get’s bent all out of shape because people don’t like what he’s doing?

He takes another sip of water.

(Heinrich): The fans can really only draw one conclusion from that, and of course they will react the way they do. It’s naive to think otherwise. What they see is their former great doing these reprehensible things, and not saying one word in explanation to them. It’s elementary.

He adjusts his seating position.

(Heinrich): You know, every time my brother’s phone rings, he’s hoping its Butch, calling his friend for help, to tell him what’s wrong. It never is him though, always somebody else. That’s the same for everyone else in the locker room. In many ways, we’re in the same boat as the fans.

(Mike Anderson): That would explain Vanessa’s stance on Butch over the last few shows.

(Heinrich): Exactly.

(Mike Anderson): One final question to finish us off then Heinrich. Will you walk away the victor from your match with Butch?

A thin-lipped smile crosses Heinrich’s face at hearing the question.

(Heinrich): Without a doubt, I’ll walk away the victor irrespective of what goes down.

(Mike Anderson): Well Heinrich, thank you for your time. And good luck in your match next week.

He turns to face the camera.

(Mike Anderson): I’m Mike Anderson, and this has been another interview for the HWA Roundup. Join us again next time!

The scene fades to black.