(He walked into the Hybrid Gym to catch Flaherty by the water cooler, talking to the Russian heavyweight Mikhail Kharitonov. His smile underneath the black Oakleys made Flaherty's attention shift.)

Eric Flaherty: "You bag her?"

(Stein's smile grew bigger.)

Dan Stein: "Absolutely."

(Flaherty raised an eyebrow at Stein.)

Eric Flaherty: "And...?"

(Stein looked at him, dropping his bags.)

Dan Stein: "I don't regret it, if that's what you're getting at. Nice rack, great ass. Plus, when I woke up this morning she was already gone so I didn't have to worry about breakfast or anything."

Eric Flaherty: "No, are you going to keep seeing her. Is she keeper material?"

(Stein put his hands on his hips, looking at Mikhail, then Flaherty.)

Dan Stein: "Yeah, probably. The only thing I'm worried about is Kenji or some twat going psycho and fucking around with her."

(Flaherty smirks, and pats Mikhail on the shoulder.)

Eric Flaherty: "Don't worry. Mikhail's been dying to destroy someone. Haven't you, ya non-English speaking fuck?"

Mikhail Kharitonov: "I do speak English."

Eric Flaherty: "Sure you do."

(Stein is the man raising an eyebrow now.)

Dan Stein: "The point is, ladies, I don't want to get involved with her and have her end up on some milk carton because some fucktard has it out for me. I'll put myself on the line, but I don't want to put someone I barely know out there."

(Flaherty nods.)

Eric Flaherty: "Don't worry. If someone fucks with her, I'll make a galliant comeback with Mikhail here and we three will hunt this idgit down until he spits out his own colon."

(Stein looks disgusted.)

Dan Stein: "If that's not the most disgusting thing I've ever heard, I've had a very fucked up life."

(Flaherty tosses a roll of tape at Stein, laughing.)

Eric Flaherty: "Get ready, Mikhail wants to go against some speed today."

(Stein looks at Mikhail, smirking.)

Mikhail Kharitonov: "I need to get quicker."

Dan Stein: "Oh, don't worry, Ruskie. I'll run your ass around that mat until you puke."

(As the camera fades, Stein turns away from the two men and squats down to his bag.

The camera fades back, Stein standing in front of the camera with the men of the gym training behind him. His gray OPW shirt is soaked to the very last thread. He drinks from a PowerAde bottle, making sure to suck out that last drop. He drops the bottle into a trashcan beside him and turns back to the camera.)

THE LIGHTS: "HA! In a tragic twist of fate, I'm wrestling you, Devastation. Well, not that tragic. You and I both know that I respect you. You and I both know that I am a fan of yours. I have a lot of those people who I consider myself a fan of. Yourself, Loco Martinez... Azrael Goeren. They're all over the place. Had you of talked to me a couple months ago, I'd think this was going to be an inter-faction match. You and I were both brought over by Ed Raymond. You and I were both trying to bring back that "pure" style of wrestling that both of us respect so much, and now you and I are in a match together."

(Stein pauses for a second, looking around the gym.)

THE LIGHTS: "We have a lot of the same background. You have size and experience. I have speed and ability. You're one of the best technical wrestlers in the business, I'm one of the most innovative. You're a multi-time champion... I'm just trying to make my way to the top - finally."

(Stein stops again, putting his hands up towards the camera.)

THE LIGHTS: "Now, don't get wrong here. I'm not trying to say I'm using this match as a stepping stone match. But that doesn't mean that somebody isn't doing that for me. I've heard some of the rumors in the back. Now that I'm back, and my attitude towards life has changed a little, people are starting to respect me a little more. I'm not banking' on anything, but I definitely feel like this is finally my time to step up and show the world what I got."

(Stein looks around himself, then back to the camera.)

THE LIGHTS: "I've only been in the business two years, and I've already gone through hell and back, in and out of the ring. What do I have to show for it? A Light-Heavyweight championship reign of a week and that Sky High Cup II victory. The Tao of Valor Championship in LEGACY. And the one and only champion of ALBATROSS. How many of those things mean something in OPW? None of them. A WEEK, man. A damn week. You on the other hand, you held the C3 title for how long? Four months? You're a fucking NAME now in OPW, man. People talk about you left and right. I just get mentioned with those guys that entertain people. I'm just 'one of them'. Not 'the one'."

(Stein looks down, then back up, smiling.)

THE LIGHTS: "So this is the first time I've ever been 'one of them'. I was a star in swimming. A star in high school wrestling. A star in modeling. A star in ALBATROSS. In OPW, I'm nothing. Now that I'm realizing this, Devastation, I'm a lot more free than I was. A lot more focused than I was. I realize now that I can't just walk into a match thinking I have it won. I can't just blow off my training, or my research simply because I'm tired. My dedication to the sport has increased... my training has, too."

(Stein's smile fades a little, but he continues to look at the camera.)

THE LIGHTS: "Like I said, I'm not looking at this match as a stepping stone match. I'm not going in with any more pressure than normal. But judging on my past, and judging on my present, I wouldn't be surprised if someone important wasn't looking at it like one. So if I'm going into this match any more different than any other, it's more focused. Not because you deserve it, not because it's a big match... but because it's what's best for me."

(Stein smirks again, pulling his drenched shirt off.)

THE LIGHTS: "Besides. I think we both want to show the OPW fans just how REAL men do business."

(The camera fades again, leaving just a black screen with Stein's signature overtop of it.)