The camera fades in. It's looking up at a brilliant blue sky, natural, beautiful, untainted. A couple of clouds speck it, white puffy pillows for the sky-high angels to rest upon. Birds are heard singing and chirping in magnificent harmony of one-another, with their hatchlings chiming in as they await their mother to return with their food. Children can faintly be heard playing, and the clouds appear to slowly move upwards. A patch of green pokes out the bottom of the screen, slowly growing until it's covered half of our view, forming an ever so slight curve to indicate a hill. The low sky behind it is almost completely devoid of clouds as well, and sprouting out the centre of the hill is a lonesome tree, standing tall above the grass.

A figure rises over the crest of the hill, accompanied by an excited dog. The tiny shadow walks over to the grand tree slowly. It stops, keeping a few feet away from the trunk, but close enough to be under the shade of the green leaves that sway in the steady breeze. The dog runs under and around the figure's feet, before quickly trampling off again to find something in hopes it will please its master.

The camera starts moving forward, turning upward slowly as it reaches the bottom of the hill. As it moves, the figure becomes clearer and clearer. However, it choses to move into the shadows, walking up to the trunk, sitting down and resting his back and head on it. The camera turns and follows appropriately, coming to a stop mere inches away from Daniel's outstretched feet. Looking down at him, we can see that he is looking down toward where he had come from, and giving a sharp whistle, his dog runs back over and lays down on his lap. Daniel slowly caresses the dog's head, while it rests. Looking at the camera, he speaks calmly, careful not to disturb his companion, who is drifting to sleep:

I've seen Baalberith's apparent 'Words of Wisdom'. I had expected him to verbally attack me eventually, seeing as I'm his first opponent and all. Now, I could pick apart every line he says but I won't do that. That would make me seem like a pompous ass who feels the need to correct statements that are nothing more than false information or threats. Threats are just threats and there's nothing to pick apart. No meat, only bone. But I will say this, and this isn't just a gripe with Baalberith, but I seem to have given you people a free pass ticket or something.

My in-ring name is Smoke Man. It's what I am when I am in the XWF, it's what I am to most people in the locker rooms, and I am always that when I walk out into the arena ready for a fight. It might sound weird coming from a guy who's nickname sounds like a Marlboro subliminal message, but I am strictly, 100% straight-edge. I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't use performance enhancers, and most of all I do. Not... Smoke, oddly enough.

Everything I do, and everything I am is me, and nothing more. And yet you guys see it as a whole cryptic message, diving in with your own deluded theories of why I call myself the Man of Smoke. Well, I'll be ending the conspiracy theories right here and now, and at the risk of sounding like Eli James IV, I will tell you the truth.

The smoke represents mystery. You don't know who I am, or what I am. Making assumptions of my reasoning, like a bully at the playground, will not make you seem like the bigger man. It will make you seem only like a pussy who feels talk will get them out of a real fight. News Flash: Actions speak louder than words. What I entail should not matter to you as far as I'm concerned. At the end of the day, whether you or I win, I will always remain Smoke Man. I am the mystery you so desperately seem to unfold. If you want something to reveal, be it that.

My message today is simple. Baalberith feels he is the bringer of my demise, that he will expose me for all that I am this Saturday. This is just a bone. Just a threat. I am not intimidated, Baalberith, I am ready. I don't expect you to go easy on me, and I know you don't think I will be much of a threat but the threat is real. Very real. Impress me with your actions, show me what you can do, and I'll triple it back to you. I will Chokeslam you with such force that you will need surgery to remove the barbs from your back. Throwing you into the Rancor pit would be a kindness, but you won't even get close to the beasts that lie beneath if I have anything to say about it.

I don't need my team mates, I don't need to hide, I don't need to make excuses. All I need to do is show you what I'm made of. And that will happen on Saturday. Just keep your eyes open, and maybe - just maybe. You will see:

A predator hides in the smoke.

Daniel looks back down at his dog, still softly stroking its head, as the scene fades.