I hear voices in my head
They council me
They understand
They talk to me, they talk to me
They tell me things that I will do
They show me things I'll do to you
They talk to me (talk to me, talk to me, talk to me)
They talk to me (talk to me, talk to me, talk to me)

"I hear voices calling. They come to me, they understand. They talk to me." a man says through complete darkness.

A smoky red mist rises up out of the pitch blackness, appearing to give off or possess its own light. At last a light snaps on and as the mist dissipates we find Josh Konnely standing in its place. He has on a protective face mask of clear plastic.

"Dawn Lenore Artesmisk surely knows the feeling. She's got more voices in her head than most. The voice of her forgotten hero Sorik, that of her girlfriend Ariel, and that of her self-appointed therapist Nirvana. With the formation of the Crimson Knights, Shadow's voice has been joined the rest inside that muddled brain.

So 'Lady' Artemisk gets a shot at revenge against the guy who eliminated her from the Craze In The Cage, is that it? Does she know just what she's gotten herself into? She is going to meet a two-time World Heavyweight Champion; current and multi-time National Champion. She hopes to take the title from me, but she is running into a force of pure destruction.

It would appear The Outer Circle has become The Inner Circle by way of their allegiance with the big boss. Strike Towers has been turned upside down. Are you pleased with the direction this has taken, Dawn? Your life finally has a purpose... and it is to be used for a couple of men's purposes. To dance like a marionette while the puppet master pull your strings.

You want to know about me, Dawn? So full of questions, aren't you? Had you been around to witness my debut in Strike Towers and my early career you would know most of those answers. Even so, I do not mind humoring a lovely little lady such as yourself on such matters. For some this will be a recap of a story they've heard half a dozen times. For others such as yourself, it will be my reintroduction.

Where am I from? I was born in Utica, New York and raised in Saugerties, beneath the Catskill Mountains. I was an average kid with an average childhood and only slightly better than average marks in school. That was until my father died when I was 11 years old. On that day the part of me that was Kyle Johnson began to slowly die away, which led to the birth of Josh Konnely.

Kyle Johnson grew introverted, unwilling to let anyone else get close to him, afraid he would continue to lose anyone he grew to love. Behind an invisible armor, he steeled himself against the world and threw away the key. I could not trust anyone, I could not like anyone, I could not love anyone too dearly.

At thirteen my family left the country of New York for the 'mean streets' of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Here it became even easier to shut myself away from the world. I was a white boy from the country living as a minority in the inner city. It was easy to play the outcast, the non-conformist who wouldn't yield to the urban 'culture.'

But in truth, I was only depressed. No one cared about me, so why should I care about myself? That was how I felt, and I let myself grow ragged and dirty. Just getting out of bed in the morning was an inconvenient chore that I rued every single day. I only masked my self-pity and self-loathing behind a shield of black leather and body odor. I would not be hurt again, because no one would get close enough to hurt me again.

I was living in the city, but I had left my heart and mind back in the mountains of New York. It was there that my father had lived and died. It was there where the girl I had secretly had a crush on since the first grade still lived, a hundred miles away, never knowing how I felt. I did not want new people in my life. I wanted my father; I wanted my dear, sweet, beautiful Emily.

And so in light of this shy introverted youth I've just described, I suppose that brings me seamlessly to the answer of your next question. Who was your first kiss? The truth is, I'm twenty-five years old and I've never kissed a girl. I suppose you know the feeling, since you never kiss boys, either.

Well, there was the little girl who used to follow me around when I was about eleven or twelve, and she was no more than eight. One day, at her house, I did wrap my arms around her and give her a peck on the lips. I don't think I'd even hit puberty yet, and she was just a kid. She was just my sister's boyfriend's kid sister. Were you able to follow that? If so, give yourself a gold star.

Who was my first love? Well, I already answered that one, didn't I? I loved Emily when I was thirteen, and I love Emily to this very day. Will she ever know of my love? Not very likely. Unless I call up Maury Povich and have him bring her out to Stamford for one of those 'secret crushes revealed' episodes.

Did I have many friends? I suppose I have answered that one as well. I had one or two friends before my father's death, mostly people I talked to in class and hung out with at recess. Sleepovers and camping trips? Not so much. My closest friend was a couple grades behind me. Otherwise, there were one or two kids in my class with whom I got into Magic: The Gathering while the game was new and young. After my father's death in 1996 and the move to Connecticut in 1998, I crawled up into the dark recesses of my own mind and wouldn't get close enough to anyone to build a true friendship.

As for why I wrestle, I wrestle for rather dark and morbid reasons. I see the world as a wicked place, full of sin, which is responsible for its widespread suffering. I blame the inherent wickedness of mankind for the pain I have lived through in my life. As a child, I always internalized all the anger about my father and that caused by school bullies. I locked that pain in my mind and heart until they were both ready to explode. Stepping into that wrestling ring gives me a haven in which I can let loose all that pain and suffering and anger, turning them back on the people whom I hold responsible for it all.

I guess you could say that I hear voices. Voices that council me to punish the world for its wickedness. Voices that comfort me and tell me that I am right and that they are the ones who deserve to suffer.

Now do you see why I am The Butcher of Bridgeport? The Park City Punisher? I am a venomous cobra, cold and unfeeling, ready to lash out and bite anyone fool enough to venture too close. Do you feel you have a better understanding of the bitter and angry young man called Josh Konnely?

And what has this understanding accomplished for you? Can you live vicariously through me? Does it make you feel better about not knowing your own past now that you know mine? Maybe it will help you see that the past isn't always worth remembering. Perhaps you are the lucky one. After all, you do remember Sorik and Ariel, don't you? I've heard you talk about them. Has not the memory of your friend and your girlfriend caused you nothing but pain and misery? Perhaps remembering your parents or your name or the life you left behind would only cause you as much agony as my past causes me."

Josh Konnely grabs the clear plastic of the mask on his face and pulls the gaudy thing off.

"But I am done hiding behind masks and allowing that agony to consume me. I am a man of faith, I am a man of the Lord. There is only room for one thing consuming my mind, body, and spirit and that is the ever-lasting Consuming Fire of God's love. I will not be devoured by my past anymore. I will no longer that pain eat away at me. In that ring I let out that pain on my opponents... all in the spirit of competition, of course.

Are you ready for what suffering the past can bring? Because this Sunday night I will introduce you to the pain I feel. I no longer hold in all the pain and anger that I feel. I let it all out, and I let it all out on people like you. People fool enough to cross the path of this divine demon, this holy monster. You are the Scarlet Lady of the Crimson Knights, and I am the Red Horseman of Revelation. The bringer of War, with the power to take peace from men and make them slaughter each other. I guess that makes us alike doesn't it, Scarlet Lady?

I'll see you Sunday, Crimson Knight. Be ready for a War.

The lights in the building suddenly turn blood red as Josh Konnely glares straight ahead. He places sunglasses on his face, protecting his eyes from the bright red glow. Suddenly the lights go out completely, leaving the large warehouse room in darkness. A second later the lights come on again, now their normal hue, and Josh Konnely is gone. The plastic face guard is laying on the floor where he stood. The scene fades to RED.