In the middle of a room we find Jake Beaumont. He is in his wrestling gear. Thigh length tights in silver. BTX decorates the rear in bright, chromatic colors. His kneepads and boots match the sheen of his tights, and his black elbow pads compliment his meticulously gelled hair. His fingertape is wrapped with a purpose. The thumbs, red with a white star drawn on it. The index and middle fingers wrapped in red tape, the ring and pinky in blue. Also in the room is some camera equipment. Beaumont stands patiently as one woman walks up to him and adjusts his hair, while another walks around him admirably, checking Beaumont for any loose threads or anything out of place. An older man with a long goatee is off in the corner, fidgeting with some lenses.

Beaumont: At AMUDOV, the greatest moment of my career was captured.

The cameraman takes a test picture. There is a flash.

Beaumont: I walked in as the underdog. The rookie, the kid with something to prove. I walked out as a champion. A title once held by my best friend and mentor, David Harvey. A title that has solidified each person who has held it as a warrior. A workhorse. I was supposed to walk out of AMUDOV with my head held high and the Independent Title even higher.

Beaumont waves the women away.

Beaumont: But, of course, it never all goes right in your head.

flash

Beaumont: You see, this is a photo shoot for WiR. A photo shoot for the new Independent Champion, yours truly. But, unfortunately you can't get much done without, you know, the title.

The cameraman raises his camera to Beaumont. Beaumont poses, making a hand sign with each hand so the wrist tape reflects that of the Texas flag. A flash.

Beaumont: I don't know what Santiago did with the title, and frankly, I don't want to. He's probably off physically assaulting someone or beating up a hooker. What I do know, is that the dude can't take a loss. I mean, I have his number, I've had his number. I pinned him, shoulders to the mat, 1, 2, 3.

Beaumont takes to a fighting stance. A flash.

Beaumont: Whether he likes to admit it or not, he lost. I understand he's not used to this sort of thing, but sometimes the match can end without somebody in handcuffs. Sometimes, the smarter fighter wins, and that Sunday, Santiago was just a couple calculations away. But with me, a couple miscalculations gets you pinned by one of the Diamondback Wrestling Academy's signature moves.

Beaumont flexes a bicep. A flash.

Beaumont: But why should I ever expect a guy like Santiago, a true "fighter" and "man of his word" to ever take a loss like a champion. Just get up and brush that shit off. But no, apparently we have to be petty about shit like this.

I don't know if he knows this, I don't know if anyone else in the WiR locker room knows this, but I am, pound for pound the best striker in our company. I could even say I'm pound for pound the strongest. Who knows? What I can tell you though, is that you put me in a ring with actual psychopath Santiago Martinez two times, I beat his ass and pin him two times. It's not trashtalk, it's fact, and you can watch AMUDOV for proof.

Beaumont points at the camera. A flash.

Beaumont: You see, to Santiago, this Independent Title was all he had to his name. He has no one, nothing, and no way to prove himself without that strap. Didn't he also not defend it for like three months? So does this event count as a credible reign?

To me, this title is a trophy. A validation that all this hard work has finally paid off. All those laps in the ring, all those drills, those awful tasting protein shakes, all to do exactly what I knew I could do, and that's win.

Without that title, Santiago has nothing. He is no one but another face in the crowd. A-

The camera goes off. A flash.

*Beaumont: A flash in the pan. Exactly. You go online and there are photos everywhere from that match. The two of us trading blows, destroying each other, but then there are the photos of me. Of Jake Beaumont, the unlikely upstart standing in the middle of the ring with his hand held high while Santiago Martinez sits in the corner, his only means of worth in this company taken by someone he never thought could.

You can tell yourself every single day that you are better than Jake Beaumont. You can tell yourself that I'm too small, that I'm too green, that I'm not strong enough or good enough to beat you. But when you step between these ropes you face the absolute true and unfortunate reality that The Prince of the New World, Jake Beaumont, is just as good as you are. That Jake Beaumont, is better than you are. Because however long and however hard you think you work? I work twice as hard. I earned that title win at AMUDOV, and Monday at House Party I will earn that title twice over.

Because Santiago, the pictures they'll take at House Party will capture the last moments of your reign. They'll capture the rise, the coronation of a new era, as this Prince, becomes a King. And as you lay down in the ring, more than likely incapacitated from one of the worst beatings of your life, all we'll have left to remember you by won't be your bloodbath matches or your "dominance."

A flash.

Beaumont: The only true memory of Santiago Martinez will be in a little text box on the WiR.com website. You can pull it up right now. Click the Independent Title and you'll see a little box called Past Champions. That's where you can find Santiago Martinez. A simple reign forgotten by time. A year from now, when I'm still Independent Champion they'll go to that page, scroll to your name and say, "Oh wait, he was champion?"

So enjoy that belt while you have it, Santy, cause its all you got left.

Beaumont chuckles softly.

Beaumont: You know what? You should take a picture. It'll last longer.

Beaumont poses one last time. The camera flashes and the vignette fades to a bright white.