AC James and Veronique are seen sitting at a cafe somewhere in Tuscan, Arizona, Veronique slurping-down a milkshake, James with a coffee, the pair exchanging words quietly while partaking in their beverages.

The camera focused on them approaches, as does interviewer Roddy Miles, mic, as always, in-hand.
Veronique rolls her eyes and gestures in frustration as Miles sits between the pair at their table. James merely gesturing for Veronique to chill.

"AC, good to see you here in Tuscan." Miles begins, "Here bright and early ahead of the show."

"The early bird, Miles." James responds with a smile and nod, "The early bird....."

"You've been pretty quiet as of late....." probes Miles, "....you're, as you'd said in an earlier promo, collecting yourself?"

"Indeed." James replies with a raise of his eyebrows and a nod of his head, "When things go a little.....pear-shaped, so to speak, it's the best way to go about things. I mean, I'm at a place now, in my career, where I can do that. HWA management knows they've got a dependable main-event player in me, so I can afford the time to take that necessary step-back and a moment to breathe, to collect my thoughts."

"And exactly what ARE those collected thoughts?" Miles asks in an attempt to dig-deeper.

"Miles, Miles, Miles." James says with a smirk and shake of a finger, "vous m'en demandez trop, d'un ami. To tell you EVERYTHING would be crazy. I mean, there's tactics I have, there's a gameplan I'd like to use, there's......way too much to reveal without slitting my own throat."

"Any of those thoughts to do with your opponent at Havoc, Hans Von Richtoven? Seems you haven't said anything about your match...." Miles queries.

"And that's no disrespect intended for the former All-Star Champ." James says almost defensively, "It's just that.....after the tour I had in Australia, the beatings I took, the losses and especially the loss of the tag-team belts AND missing my chance at becoming the TWO-TIME *flashes two raised fingers to the camera* World Champion, both physically AND mentally I've had to gradually get myself up to this point.....where I can be ready to get my head around my match with Hans."

"All credit due, the guy's not a push-over." James continues, "You hold the All-Star Title and that pretty-much tells the world that exact thing......well, in most cases. Fortunately for Hans, he doesn't fall into the category of 'unworthy' champions........fact is, the guy was custom made to wear gold, and vice-versa with gold -to-him. I haven't avoided speaking on the subject of Hans because I'm looking BEYOND him at 'bigger-fish'.......as I explained earlier, I've had to work hard to get back to this point after the supreme highs and ultra-lows of the Aussie tour."

"Hans, I know he won't be easy to take down, but a$$-kissing and back-patting aside, Hans needs to know that when you get in the ring with me, you're in for the fight of your life." James says, jabbing a tense index finger into the table before him, "That whole Aussie tour was me turned up to 9.....10's a mere hurdle and 11's almost an afterthought when I get going, and that's in an industry where most people struggle to run at 7. Not to blow too much smoke up my a$$, but I'm THE MAN around here, championship gold or none......and if Hans is as man as both he AND I would like to believe he is, then he's gonna have to step it up and give more than ever before."

"So, beyond Hans, where....." Miles begins, before being cut-off.

"There is no beyond Hans!" James says angrily, "There is only THIS MATCH. FACT."

James and Veronique grab their drinks and leave, leaving Miles yet-again flustered.