Filmed Friday, December 26th
DEFIANCE Wrestle-plex

Seated in empty seats in the audience among the set-up for the upcoming DEFIANCE Year End Awards, Lance Warner is wearing a dark red blazer and dark brown slacks while seated with copious notes prepared for the interview before him. 

Lance Warner:
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for watching a special DEFonDemand exclusive! DEFIANCE Rising was quite a show with a lot of newsworthy moments! Incredible matches! Wild brawls! Shocking returns! And among one of those… We now know the identity behind the MV2 mask! At last year’s DEFCON, Lord Nigel’s own Masked Violator 2 terrorized Corvo Alpha! He formed a brief, but successful partnership with MV1. When MV1 was injured, MV2 picked up the slack, which led to this issue ending at DEFIANCE Rising. 

Lance turns to address the man sitting across from him now in the stands. 

Lance Warner:
Please welcome… the man revealed as Masked Violator 2… 

The camera pans out. An individual wearing a white athletic muscle shirt, black bomber jacket and torn black jeans sits with a cold stare towards Lance. It appears facially, he’s had a chance to clean up as he’s now sporting a buzzcut and a more neatly trimmed version of the beard often seen under the mask. 

Lance Warner:
Ryan Batts… welcome. Thank you for this time. 

Warner’s warm welcome is returned with a scoff. 

Ryan Batts:
I was told I had to do this interview. Skip the fake pleasantries. 

Lance Warner:
My apologies, I’m not here to offend you. You were a part of one of the biggest mysteries of DEFIANCE in 2025. Our management felt even after everything that you’ve been a part of, that you get this open time to tell your side of the story. 

Another angry scoff. 

Ryan Batts:
What I heard out of all that was “you get a chance to make some extra clickbaity stuff to sell our pay-per-view or premium live event or whatever the preferred nomenclature is on the DEFIANCE Rising reply.” Just… just ask these questions, Warner. I don’t want to be here any more than you do right now.

Lance Warner:
You know… you’re free to leave any time that you want. We can skip this… 

Ryan gets a hand up. 

Ryan Batts:
No… No. I said I was told I had to be here. But I have things to say so you can ask your questions and then I’m going to tell you the truth. Not “my truth” that idiots say… THE truth. What ACTUALLY happened to me. So… shoot. 

Lance Warner:
We’ll get right to it, then. Let’s start with the big, burning question. Why put Corvo Alpha through this by impersonating the man he used to be under the mask? 

A light chuckle. 

Ryan Batts:
Let me tell you right now… at the end of the day, I don’t give a damn about Corvo Alpha. I don’t care about Corvo Alpha’s own struggles. I don’t care about what makes Corvo Alpha tick. I don’t care what’s going on in his brain. The fights between men and Corvo at Acts of DEFIANCE? DEFIANCE Rising? These were never personal to me in the slightest. This whole deal with Corvo Alpha was a means to an end; nothing more, nothing less. 

Lance Warner:
Then maybe let me ask this question a different way: why work with Lord Nigel Trickelbush in the first place? 

Batts reaches forward and taps Lance’s knee. 

Ryan Batts:
THAT’S the question you should be asking. But before I get to that… let me tell you a little about me, where I’ve been and how I got here. It will all dovetail into the answer to your question. You know where I’ve been in the last three years and changed, right, Lance? 

Lance Warner:
I do. You were a player-coach in BRAZEN, our developmental program. And as a competitor, you were very successful. RISE Tournament Winner. BRAZEN Tag Team Champion. BRAZEN Champion. You did a lot there. 

The listing of accolades just seems to annoy Batts more. 

Ryan Batts:
What you call ‘accolades’, that’s what I call ‘making the best of a shit-uation”. Now let me ask  you cause I know that you do your homework… What was I doing before that tenure, Lance? 

Lance Warner:
Well… for a few years, you were a member of the main roster. 

Ryan Batts:
Yeah… I was. Then I was demoted. I was FORCED to be a part of BRAZEN. 

Lance Warner:
Really… do you know what the reason was for that? Were you ever given an official reason?

Ryan Batts:
For the longest time… I didn’t. I was told many things on the roster when I was up here back in 2021. I was told “change up your style! Learn a new hold!” so I got to train with Lindsay Troy despite a former friend’s protests -- all to increase my striking ability. I was then told “you’re too small to be seen as a serious threat” despite the fact that Elise Ares was one of this company’s biggest stars in the past few years before she got the boot and right now, I weigh the size of two Elises. I was told “you need to be more than just a great wrestler” despite great wrestlers like Kerry Kuroyama, Rain City Ronin and Matt LaCroix coming through the ranks and ALWAYS having respect for fans and being given chances at success on top. I was given excuse after excuse after excuse about why I got sent to BRAZEN. In three years, I never got a straight answer from anyone. 

Recalling his history, Ryan is getting more visibly upset, but tries to contain himself as he continues his story. 

Ryan Batts:
But when management got tired of me asking, they signed me to a dual contract: one as a talent and one as a trainer. I thought “okay, they want to keep me here.” And the money between the two kept me more than comfortable. Bought a house. Did a lot there… as you said. But in hindsight, they did it to keep me quiet. Because after I did all these things in BRAZEN and I did everything asked! I worked with whoever they wanted to work with! I helped whoever they wanted me to help… when I started asking questions about being a top star again… I heard I was going to be on the chopping block instead. Then… back to your question. Nigel called. 

Lance Warner:
And what did he say to you? 

Ryan Batts:
He heard around that I was in need of what he called a “life preserver.” He needed someone. He needed me to handle the Corvo Alpha problem and in return, I’m back on the main roster. He spewed the kind of drivel he spews to everyone to get them on his side. Makes you feel like he’s your friend. Makes you feel special. I saw through that crap. All I wanted was a chance to prove I belonged. And when you look at what I did under that mask.. I did it.

He starts naming off names. 

Ryan Batts:
I helped beat the Lucky Sevens. I helped beat SNS. At Acts of DEFIANCE, MV1’s shitty little knee made up of duct tape and a prayer gave out and *I* beat Corvo myself. When the chance came for Career Versus Mask, I thought if I end the career of a decorated and dangerous monster like Corvo… then I’m in BUSINESS. I’ll end Corvo Alpha’s career, then I’ll take off that stupid mask, then people will know who Ryan Batts is! They’ll know I ended Corvo Alpha’s career! Then this company would FINALLY get behind me to succeed… 

Lips trembling, Batts turns back to Lance. 

Ryan Batts:
Instead… Nigel and MV1 SCREWED me. Nigel botched his part. MV1 CRACKED me in the head with a crutch and allowed Corvo Alpha to take advantage and get the win. The jig was up. I had to unmask… and I told Nigel where he could shove it. 

Lance takes a moment to let this information sink in. 

Lance Warner:
That’s quite the set of circumstances… but it does seem that despite the loss, things did go in your favor to some degree. I can confirm a rumored report… you were signed to a new one-year contract on the main roster of DEFIANCE. So it sounds like even though you didn’t win… 

Ryan Batts:
No… I HAD that match won. Get that on record. 

Lance Warner:
…Be that as it may, the accomplishments you achieved under the MV2 mask seemed to be enough for management to reexamine their prior stance. Again, you were signed to a main roster contract. So… all that said, what are you feeling right now? In a way, it seems like you got what you wanted out of all of this. 

Batts spins his head towards Warner again. 

Ryan Batts:
…Are you out of your goddamn mind? “YoU gOt WhAt YoU wAnTed?” Not entirely. No… what I wanted was INFAMY, not PITY. And once again because of outside forces beyond my control, yeah… I’m back on the main roster. But… 

He gestures towards the camera in front of them. 

Ryan Batts:
Yeah. I have a chance to be on top again… but you want to know what REALLY pisses me off, Lance? What I never got out of all this? You want to know what I’m yet to have? 

Lance Warner:
What’s that?

Batts leans forward. 

Ryan Batts:
…Resolution. Resolution for being shunted down. Resolution for what happened to me. Resolution for what should be MINE!

He glances back up towards Warner. 

Ryan Batts:
But here’s the thing now, Lance: earlier, I told you that for the longest time, I didn’t know what happened. I had suspicions. I couldn’t prove them and I wasn’t in any position to do anything about those wrongs… but… now…I am. I know why I was put there. I know why I got thrown out of the big-time. 

Lance Warner:
To clarify, are you talking about why you were sent to BRAZEN? If so, do you care to elaborate on that?

Ryan Batts starts to sit up. 

Ryan Batts:
No. 

Finally, he reaches up towards the inside of his jacket and rips the microphone clipped to the chest. He looks towards the camera and holds the miniature mic to his face. 

Ryan Batts:
Not right now, I don’t. But you’ll find out when everyone else does. 

The former MV2 rips the mic off his jacket and throws it in Lance Warner’s lap before he storms off from the interview completely. When the camera moves towards trying to catch up with Ryan Batts, he turns. 

Ryan Batts:
Get that out of my face… NOW. 

He starts to shove the camera and the cameraman back… 

Lance Warner:
HEY! Ryan! Ry… 

Static. 

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