The scene opens out onto Heinrich von Richtoven’s apartment, much as it has done several times before. Standing in front of the camera, is Heinrich himself, clad casually in a well-fitted black N7 logo t-shirt, white and red banding down his right sleeve, while a pair of grey jeans cover his lower body; all that’s visible on-camera.

With a nod, aimed at the crew, he takes a look at the camera, smiling, and begins…

(Heinrich): Steven! How kind of you to ask if I’ve had fun with ’your’ title. Yes, yes I have. Did you have fun whining like a little girl and making excuses for not being able to put me away when I pinned you for this belt?

He laughs lightly, before waggling his finger at the camera.

(Heinrich): Or was that eclipsed when you went and torched Anton and Davis’ apartment? Given that you’re Neanderthal-like at the best of times, I’m sure the chance to use your fists and feet, rather than your brain, is by far the better attraction for you, so a spot of arson would easily trump having to face the facts that your little ‘oh I was unconscious when you pinned me’ line wasn’t flying the way it was supposed to.

You see Steven, you may think that I ‘lucked out’ and achieved this title by the ‘grace of God’, but you’re in a minority… ‘son’. The only thing that I lucked into, you might say, is that for once, the obligatory third person started the match, rather than interfered towards the end.

I deserve this title Steven, whether you want to believe that or not. I earned my shot time after time, and when it came to the final hurdle, got f*cked over by someone else jumping in. Curt Evers… you… you’ve both done it. And both times, after the dust has settled, I’ve fought my way back to being number one contender.

I deserve this title Steven, for that, and the fact that when we were both lying there after Talon had been stripped of the belt, myself, after going through his “Killswitch”… again… and you having gone over the cage to the mat, I was able to fight my way through the pain, the exhaustion, the blood, sweat and tears and do what you could not…

He leans in to the camera, a self-satisfied expression firmly in place.

Taking great care, he articulates each and every syllable, dragging it out, basking in the sound of it…

(Heinrich): Pin…my… opponent…

Falling silent for several moments, he allows the words to sink in, before smiling serenely, he takes a step back.

(Heinrich): So I think that your question of whether I’m ready to push the envelope of my endurance is rendered moot; I’ve already proved that I’m capable of going one step further than you. The question is, are you?

I ask because, well, you said the same thing to my brother not too long ago, and look how it turned out then…

I’ll be honest Steven, even if I’ve somehow ‘unleashed’ some great evil within you… which I don’t believe for a second incidentally… I’m confident that I’ve got the better of you. We’ve come up against one another a few times now Steven, tag-matches primarily, where yes, you’ve had the upper hand. Tag-teaming puts the advantage clearly in your court, especially when I was tagging with someone I’d never done it before with, but now that I’ve had the chance to go ‘one on one’ as it were, there’s no great mystery to you.

It pains me to say it, but I did learn a few things from Senester the other week. Nothing drastic, but I guess you might say of me that the term, ‘diamond in the rough’ is no longer suitable.

So come at me with all your madness and rage if you want. I’ll stare you down and give you a “Hertzenbrecher” for your troubles.

From there, I’ll set about showing you that my ‘fluke’ win over you, was anything but.

Smirking confidently, he nods his head at the crew off-camera, before the scene fades out gently to black.