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Josh Konnely holds a Colt Diamondback .22 in his left hand, and a Colt Anaconda .44 in his right hand. The camera stares down the barrels of the handguns as Konnely glares into it intensely. Finally he grins and lets out a chuckle.
"Easy, boy. There's nothing to be afraid of. These weapons are merely for show. As a former Soldier, a history buff, and an all around nerd I have developed an... admiration... for weaponry from ALL periods in time, including guns. I also own medieval style swords and daggers, a war axe, a warhammer, a morningstar, a few crossbows and longbows. Pretty much you name it, I've gotten one. It's a collection I've only just started recently, but one that both fascinates and amuses me.
However, I own the collection out of awe and admiration of the craftsmanship that went into them. Not to use for violence, or even for hunting.
As Strike Towers has learned over the last number of months, I am more than adept at using my hands and feet for violence. A message delivered never more loudly than when I defeated that wretched scum Twilight for the World Heavyweight Championship at New Beginnings. I was never supposed to be capable of accomplishing such greatness. I was rookie who had little more than his ruthlessness and his rage-driven desire to inflict as much pain as possible.
I will be the first to admit that when it comes to true professional wrestling ability and talent, I have never been among SFT's elite. I am good at striking, and applying submissions. Hardly the most versatile of wrestling talents.
Instead, it is the bloodlust and aggression that pushed me to greatness. I have always sought to hurt opponents first, and to beat them second. It is this predatorial, bestial desire to inflict pain and punishment on my foes that has got me this far, and you know what they say... if something works, don't change it."
Konnely puts the two guns down on a table in front of him, one on either side of a Colt-produced AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle which lays there.
"During my quest to maim and injure and cripple- and of course to choke people out- I met someone who was a bit of a kindred spirit. That man became a trusted friend and associate, while everyone else I simply sought to destroy. That man was actually The Beast, Dameon. You may recall that I once said Dameon was the only honest man in SFT, or even the world. Because all men have beastly, animalistic tendencies toward barbaric and brutish acts of violence. Just watch the news and you will see more than one instance of this. Not just once or twice, but every single night.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your outlook, past alliances mean nothing in the Lethal Lottery. On Sunday I team with the new SFT Champion- marking the first time a reigning World Heavyweight Champion participated in the Lethal Lottery- against Jack Jones... and Dameon. The Cowboy and The Beast. Kind of makes me wonder if maybe Jack Jones is going to saddle up and ride Dameon around the ring.
Borderline homosexual jokes aside, Jack Jones is plenty familiar with my reign as SFT Champion. I won it by way of what was originally booked as a number one contendership match until Radiant declared that he was retiring that night and thereby vacating the title to the newly crowned number one contender. For those who weren't around, let us revisit that magical night.
JC: From what we've learned Radiant is vacating the championship and one of these two could possibly be fighting at the chance to take it over. RW: Being number one contender just makes sense they'd get the title. Basketcase by Greenday hits as he slowly walks to the ring and sits in his corner till his opponent gets in and the bell rings. RW: Probably the simplest wrestler when it comes to entrances. JC: He's never been about being fancy. "NEVER BACK DOWN IN THE FACE ANGER!" The lights flicker, then go out as "In The Face Of Anger" by Shattersphere blares through the arena. A yellow light illuminates the stage area as two rockets of pyro fly from the far side of the arena to explode on the stage. Josh Konnely steps out into the smoke left by the exploding pyro, and raises his arms as the crowd boos. With his fists clenched and a scowl on his face, Konnely walks down the aisle to ringside. He runs up the steps, walks to the center of the apron, and climbs through the ropes into the ring. There he stretches against the ropes and gets ready to fight. RW: There he is, one of the most talked about men in Strike Towers today. JC: He's been so impressive over the past few months he's been here. RW: He could be looking to set the world on it's ear tonight if he wins. The bell rings and the two combatants come to meet in the center of the ring and Josh in mid-walk to the center of the ring just throws his elbow right in to the side of Twilight's face to begin the match. He stands back up after the shot and begins to trade punches with Konnely. The two of them go back and forth over and over again till they find themselves in the corner and the referee comes over trying to separate the two. He gets in between them and pushes them apart. During the break Twilight reaches over the referee and pokes Josh in the eye. RW: What an underhanded move! JC: How Very 1970's Southern Territory of Twilight. Twilight takes control of the match by going in after Konnely and hitting him with a chop block to the knee. Twlight gets up and gives a hardy yell out to the crowd who give him a response of nothing but 'boo'. Twilight walks over to the downed Josh and picks up the leg he chop blocked and begins to stomp away at the back of it trying to knot up the quadriceps. He stops for a moment with the stomps and now begins to just deliver left elbows to it continuing to fall down on the knee of Konnely. RW: Konnely is in trouble now! JC: Take out the knees save the world. RW: What? JC: Sorry, watched Heroes season one while in the hotel. Back in the ring Twilight has stopped elbowing the knees and now is just wrenching it by putting all his weight on the knee with his own knee. Josh yells out in pain as he tries to grab for Twilight's head but is unable to reach him. So he reels back with his good leg and just delivers a kick to the kidneys. Twilight gets off the knee after two of these and stands up holding his left kidney. Josh gets up and shows an obvious limp now as he runs at Twilight and delivers a quick bulldog. JC: And the course of the match may have changed. RW: That's Strike Towers for you. Course of history changes quickly here. Josh goes over to Twilight who now lays face down and drops a quick elbow on his back before getting up and just driving knees in to the small of Twilight's back. Repeatedly Josh just stands up and delivers another knee in to the back. Twilight just tries to cover up from it but it's very difficult to block this situation. RW: Josh is just relentless now. JC: Twilight did the same to his knee, only fitting Josh goes after something of Twilights. Josh stops the assault long enough to get up and walk around the ring pumping himself up as Twilight crawls over to the ropes and begins to pick himself up slowly. The two of them meet in the corner as Twilight has found himself up to his feet. Josh walks over and smacks him quite solidly in the jaw. JC: And back to their feet they go. RW: Somewhere over the rainbow... Josh backs up after hitting him in the jaw and comes running at Twilight who sends him flying over the top rope to the floor below with a back body drop! RW: What a move by Twilight! Twilight not wanting to waste any time goes out to the mats below and gives chase. The two of them now on the outside are having to deal with the referee's ten count! 1... 2.... Twilight picks up Josh and throws him in to the steel guard rails outside. Josh holding his back just feels the pain come over him. Twilight now comes running towards Josh but Josh jumps from the guard rail and drop kicks Twilight in the leg and Twilight hits the guard rail squarely with his forehead as the referee's count reaches 4. Josh gets up and picks up Twilight who is pretty out of it and leans him against the guard rail and hits a few forearm smashes to the back as the referee reaches 6! Josh wanting to cause damage pulls back on Twilight's head and hooks it in a reverse DDT position. He then grabs the pants of Twilight and lifts him up and drops him upper body first on the guard rail putting Twilight in the first row as the referee's count reaches 8! Josh realizing how high the ref's count has become runs to the ring and slides in at 9! 10! The bell rings and Josh Konnely has won via Countout! JC: I can't believe it ended so quickly with a count out! RW: Those two brought it to one another and that lifting reverse ddt on the guard rail just did in Twilight. JC: Josh may have just won his first world title with that if what we heard earlier is true! Radiant and Allisa stand in the ring face to face. The bell rings and they shake hands as they take their opposite corners. Allisa lunges at Radiant with a flying clothesline she locks in a leg scissor, Radiant rolls out of it and monkey flips her into the turnbuckle and then baseball slides her. RW: I don’t really think thatll hurt Allisa, not like it would a guy. Radiant walks towards Allisa and side suplex’s her. He covers 1………….2…………..kickout! Radiant picks her up and nails a powerslam. Nirvana on the outside looks very nervous. From the crowd we see Redd once again come out again, still with a steel chair, he taps Nirvana on the shoulder, as Nirvana turns around hes met by a violent bone shattering sound that lays out Nirvana. RW: Damn that hurt me and im over here! Allisa's eyes open wide as she is in shock. She tries to exit the ring, but Radiant grabs her by her waist and rolls her up quickly 1…………2… kickout! Allisa kicks Radiant in the knee, she gets up and hits a DDT! But instead of covering she tries to make her way to try and help the fallen Nirvana. As he gets to the ropes, Radiant catches her once again RW: Twice tonight we have had Redd interfere and in one way or another affected the outcome of both matches. JC: Redd is making people see red. Radiant sets up and nails his Checkmate as he covers Allisa. The ref counts 1……..2………3! RW: Its over, Radiant has retained! Radiant is given the World Title, as he gently kisses it and hands it over to Erik Dean who has made his way down. "Now as you all may have heard, Radiant is in fact retiring tonight, so before the show the staff decided to make Twilight vs. Josh for the World title, so Josh Konnely is now our new World Champion, Josh comes down as Radiant hands him the belt." JC: We have a new World Champion.
"I indeed have picked a... fortuitous... time to come back. Just two weeks before the Lethal Lottery I returned to the ring. As a product of that rather lucky timing, I have an opportunity to regain what I lost just five months ago on the first of March.
I lost that World Heavyweight Championship to Dameon on March 1st, a week after defending it successfully at Bad Chemistry on pay-per-view. And so technically, I am 2-0 in World Championship matches at pay-per-views. But it is that defeat against Dameon in the battle of mutual respect that is of greater significance at this moment.
To be perfectly honest, I did not think that Dameon would be able to beat me, even a week removed from a main event war on pay-per-view. I had held the SFT Championship for more than a month, and I was on top of the world. Dameon, while someone I considered a friend due to his honest admission of being a 'Beast,' was in my eyes an inferior competitor who was strong in the mid-card but not a World Champion calibur wrestler. After all, he was like me. A hardcore brawler who would much rather snap their opponent in two than pin them. Guys like us are more commonly considered sideshow freaks than the main event.
But just as I had become hungry to keep the title, The Beast was even more ravenous to take it from me. Then, once he had shocked me by defeating me for what had become 'my' World Championship, he continued to shock the world by piecing together a title reign that could be considered dominant. He amazed us all each and every week with the quality of his performances. While the 'King' reigned over SFT, he ruled with an iron fist.
Between the two of us, our little destructive duo seized the SFT Championship and held it hostage for over three months, from January 25 to April 26. The Butcher and The Beast in succession. Anyone who wanted to take the title had to be willing to risk their own destruction or even death.
So, too, is the nature of the Lethal Lottery. It is almost akin to playing Russian Roulette with your career in the hope that you may get yourself a World Heavyweight Championship match. Not the title, just the opportunity to face the champion. It is not just one contendership match, or even two. It is a series of grueling tag team matches in which you get stuck with a partner and random. That partner may or may not have your back. For whatever reason or reasons, the Lottery has seen quite a bit of no-shows over the years. And ultimately we all know that only one person matters in each and every match... ourselves. Hell, if your partner gets hurt and you can still manage to win the match, then your odds improve in the next round when that person likely will not be your partner and may be your opponent. So it is really a matter of having your own back first, and your partner's second. Not really the most desirable circumstance in a tag team match, is it? Knowing your partner doesn't give a monkey's red ass what happens to you as long as he or she can get into the next round.
This year- as I mentioned earlier- a new wrinkle has been added, as a reigning SFT Champion is participating in the tournament for the first time. As the champion, you have a bullseye on your back at all times. I have worn that bullseye myself, as has every participant in this matchup, so I am all too familiar with every wrestler in the Towers gunning for a target pinned right on your chest. Or, more accurately, around your waist.
And so I have to question the wisdom of the champion putting himself into this position, joining the giant game of Russian Roulette, when his head is the one everyone wants to see get blown off his shoulders. Why carry the ultimate prize in the Towers into the Lethal Lottery? A boxing champion would never enter the Olympics and say 'whoever beats me wins my championship.' The Phillies don't keep the World Series Championship trophy in the dugout with them for every game they play. Tom Brady and the Patriots would never keep their three Vince Lombardi trophies on the sideline for the season. So why would the SFT World Heavyweight Champion want to join a tournament with TWENTY-THREE would-be challengers who are all hungry to get their hands on him, to break him, and to beat him?
But of course I am the poor bastard with the misfortune of being the first person to team with the reigning SFT Champion in a Lethal Lottery tournament match. I will have to go down to that ring, then watch as he comes down after me with the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist or over his shoulder. All the while knowing in my heart and mind that the gold he carries is why I am there, and not for him to keep it, but for me to win it. So there I'll be... standing in the middle of the ring... looking at him... and knowing that this is the guy I want to beat. My whole reason for being in this match is so that I can face him and beat him for that title that he carries. But he is not my opponent just yet, instead he is my partner. Instead of thinking about beating him, I must think about making sure we WIN.
As a result, I am stuck in the middle. As much as I might like to destroy the World Heavyweight Champion Dave Van Dam this Sunday and send a message that I am coming for that title, I cannot. I must protect him. I need to protect him for myself. And I need to protect him for Strike Towers.
The SFT World Heavyweight Championship has already been tarnished by the likes of Twilight, Saint Jude, and even Jackie Boy Jones himself. Mediocre wrestlers undeserving of even the mid-card, but carrying the World Championship by some sick fluke. Flash in the pan champions unworthy of even the flash, or the pan. But it would be an even bigger black smudge across the gold, name, and prestige of the SFT World Heavyweight Championship if the champion is defeated by Dameon and Jack Jones in the very first round. It wouldn't even matter, in fact, if Van Dam and Konnely were facing Reginald Royce and Shawn Walsh. Defeat for the team means defeat for the SFT Champion, and defeat for the SFT Champion means disgrace for the very championship and the entire Strike Towers.
So essentially, as far as SFT is concerned, Josh Konnely has to play bodyguard and protect their champion. I have to protect Dave Van Dam and the championship which I covet, and I am seeking to take from him. But, in an ironic twist of fate, the only way I will get the chance to do that is if I do help Dave and see to it that we win Sunday. Sadly, I need the champion more than he needs me. If he does get pinned or made to submit on Sunday, he still has his title. I, on the other hand, get eliminated from the Lethal Lottery and thereby eliminated from title contention.
So champ, in 48 hours you and I will be partners. Once that first bell rings, we will need to work together and get along to make sure we win. But know this. After the final bell rings and our hands are raised? Well, all bets are off at precisely that minute... precisely that SECOND.
As for our opponents, a couple of one time World Champions seeking to get back to the top of the mountain, back on the throne. They are Jack Jones and Dameon. Beauty and The Beast. A tale as old as time..."
Josh sits up quickly.
"Jack Jones, you think anyone cares about what you and Dameon do? Everyone knows that against Konnely and the Champ, the two of you are completely outclassed. I give all due respect to Dameon, but you're a weak link in a team that cannot afford to have a weak link.
And better yet, do you really believe anyone gives a damn what did or did not happen with Shawn Walsh? You 'set him off?' What, in your imagination? Or maybe you goaded him into no-showing the Lethal Lottery. Yeah, really nice. But no one cares to here about your little failed bromances in the SFT locker room, Jackie. I 'hate' to play devil's advocate, Jonesey, but if you got in the ring with Shawn Walsh he would DESTROY you. And I can't say it wouldn't be deserved.
But you know what? I can't believe I'm even justifying your delusional little ramblings with a response. As far as I know, JACK JONES and SHAWN WALSH have never met. Let's try to keep from breaking character from now on, eh bucko? And as far as Shawn Walsh goes, a semi-retarded squirrel with a Down's Syndrome could set that guy off by just throwing half it's nuts at him. He's not exactly the most STABLE person in SFT history. All you've accomplished is to pour gasoline on the ashes of dead fire and reignite the inferno, you stupid son of a bitch.
You are a laugh riot, Jack. You're trying to make it past round one of the Lethal Lottery tournament, and all you can manage to say is 'blah, blah, blah, I made Shawn Walsh cry, so that must mean I'm special.' Because that is what I heard, buddy. Yeah, you're pretty freakin' special, alright. Special ed, that is. And this is coming from a friend. This isn't the Park City Punisher, or the Butcher of Bridgeport, Josh Konnely. This is the man behind the madness, Kyle Johnson.
Dameon, I pity you, old friend. You've got to crawl out from under your rock now and try to overcome the mindless fool of a partner you've gotten stuck with. Ranting about some imagined or backstage rivalry is hardly the stuff of legend. He babbles like he's an extremely premature Alheimerz patient. I mean, what's this 'banned' nonsense? I'm pretty sure JACK JONES has no such authority. Is Walsh going to be arrested if he shows up at the arena for Breakdown? Wow, tough break for Screwball.
Here's a tip, Jack: it's usually a good idea to focus on your OPPONENT or OPPONENTS- the CHARACTERS, to be specific- rather than outside parties.
And now that all 'kayfabe'- as those of us in the rasslin' business like to say- has been hacked up and murdered like a baby at Jeff King's house, how can I salvage this? I guess I can start by reminding Team Beauty and The Beast that I am indeed Josh Konnely, former World Heavyweight Champion. I held that title once because I was willing to destroy anybody that got in my way, and in fact destroying people was my primary goal anyway. That formula has made me a champion once, and it WILL do so again.
Jack Jones and The Beast both seem a little bit insane. Shockingly, Jones may have Dameon beat in that category. I know, it's the upset of the century, ain't it? But this Sunday night they will both get to know my PERFECT INSANITY!
Dameon, since I still consider you a friend, let me make you a friendly suggestion. Since Jack Jones is off the deep end and all jacked up in his head, I suggest you just stay back. Just stand back and watch while I slap Jack- see what I did there?- in the Death Grip. Let me choke the life out of that goofy S.O.B. and put him out of his misery. They say discretion is the better part of valor, Dameon. As I said earlier, you've always got to have your own back first. So protect your own ass and live to fight another day. Jack Jones is only going to get himself broken in half Sunday night because his mind is scattered. At Breakdown, his body will be scattered as well. That cannot mean anything good for you if you choose to fight us by yourself. Pick your battles wisely, and fight when you have a shot at surviving.
Dave Van Dam and I have combined for what? Twenty-two or twenty-three World Championships? His twenty-something and my one? Point is, we are far too much for any one man to overcome. Can Jack Jones even really be considered a partner? That guy lives in his own little world. But it's okay, apparently they know him there. If we all just ignore him here in reality, maybe he'll go away. We can only hope, right?
Anyway, my head hurts trying to cipher my way through Jack Jones' muddled logic and rambling. It's Friday night, and in roughly forty eight hours the Lethal Lottery will begin. I will see you all again before then, but right now I just need to close my eyes and rest. Jack really gives me a headache. Does he think he's already won something because he supposedly 'pushed Shawn Walsh over the edge?' Walsh was going to be gone before the end of August regardless, and nobody cared. Uggghhh... I think Jack is contagious... 'cuz all of a sudden I can't think straight.
Jack challenged us to shut him up, too, didn't he? Does he know nothing at all? I can shut him up, and do it permanently. With ease. A minute or two in my Death Grip will send him to the hospital in a coma, and he'll be the next Terry Schiavo.
But I've had enough of idle threats. For now I think I really do need to lay down. This ID-ten-T baffles me completely. Strike Towers, I will see you tomorrow. Hopefully my head will have stopped throbbing."
Josh lays back down on the couch and closes his eyes. Fade to darkness.
Come inside and be afraid,
Branded like an animal!
Come inside now I implore
Branded like an animal!
I don't know how much I can take
Now I try again to find
(I've lost it, |