Reality is such a simple word. Steve Borden (Sting) called Neil Whittaker "the Real Deal" during his days in Japan when he wrestled for the IWGP promotion. What does reality mean in pro wrestling. This is the year 2004. The days of the mat wrestlers and the 30 minute classics are gone. Legends forgotten and disgraced. Wrestlers broken and buried in the cold hard ground mourned for a week then forgotten by the next tragedy of the week.
How do you deal with someone that hasn’t even got a basic concept of reality?
How do you deal with someone who mocks the very sport that made your life worth living?
How do you deal with someone that has taken your career to hell?
How do you deal with someone that has spit on all the bodies buried by this sport?
How do you deal with someone when you want to kill them with your bare hands?
Neil is a proud man. He never asked anybody for anything. He never played the politics that are so common in this sport. Neil is a throwback to the classic age of wrestling. The man can wrestle. He isn’t there to be one of the new generation of sports entertainers claiming to be wrestlers. Neil was undefeated in 436 amateur matches. He could have gone into the Olympics. Maybe things would have been different if he did. If is a word used often.
This is reality.
In reality we deal with what has happened and plan for what will happen in the future. The "If" and "Maybe" game never works because you can’t change what happened. You can only deal with it and move on. Neil Whittaker cut his hand smashing a video tape. He dealt with it by removing the shards and bandaging it up. They were only shallow slashes so there was nothing permanently damaged. There is still pain but that is just a fact of life you deal with it and move on.
Neil cut a promo and he came home pissed with a bleeding hand. It is just another average week for Neil in Core Wrestling. Now that man is dealing with reality.
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::It is 11 am. Stephanie is sleeping and Neil is finally stirring. Neil looks at his left hand. It doesn’t look to be infected. Neil puts on his boxers and heads to the bathroom. Last night was just what he needed. "Neil the Terrible" is starting to sneak his way out the left leg of the boxers and Neil obliges him as he takes a leak before getting in the shower.::
Neil: Hell of a night.
Neil remembers the first time that Stephanie and him slept together. It was following a night of heavy drinking and Steph jumped his bones. Who knew that night would be something that changed their lives forever? He always had feelings for Stephanie even when they first met. He saw a woman that feared nothing and took life by the balls and wasn’t afraid to castrate them to get where she wanted to go. He never thought that she felt that way about him. When that wild night happened it changed him and it changed her as well.
"BW: You need to get laid"
Neil is smiling as he remembers those words as they were talking about the interview. Neil had his hand taped up after the interview. After explaining why he cut his hand she smiled. She understood him well. He is a man of action. Once Ricky went to bed at 8:00 so did they. Stamina has never been a problem for Neil or Stephanie. Last night wasn’t a normal night. It was pure animalistic lust. Stephanie knew that Neil had been obsessing on this match way too much and a night of wild sex would allow him to forget the frustration and the anger.
::Neil takes off the boxers and gets in the shower. He steps into the warm water, letting it trickle down his body. Closing his eyes, he inhales the steam and allows himself to drift away. Totally caught in the moment, Neil doesn't notice when his wife joins him. She quietly sneaks up behind him and runs her hands over his back, and immediately, a smile comes to his face. Neil turns around to see Stephanie standing there, passion gleaming in her eyes as she lightly touches his chest with her fingertips.::
BW: Hi. Thought you needed some company.
Neil: Last night was just what I needed. Did I tell you how lucky I am the day you said I do?
::He pulls her close to him as she puts her arms around his neck. They hungrily kiss one another, starting with lips and then moving on to other parts of the body. Stephanie clutches her husband's shoulders as he plants kisses on her neck and collarbone.::
BW: Mmmm...
Neil: Relax and lets make this moment last.
::Stephanie loosens up a bit, allowing Neil to caress her, to taste her, to make the moment worth while for both of them. Passion flairs up as each delicious second goes by. Soon, Stephanie can't relax any longer. She latches onto Neil, pulling him closer and kissing with a red hot fury.::
And then…
::There is a tiny but vigorous knock on the door, and Ricky's voice reverberates off the shower walls.::
Ricky: MOMMY!! DADDY!! I'M HUNGRY!!
BW: Ok…(clears throat, trying to hide the emotion in her voice)… Ok, we'll be right there, honey…
::Closing her eyes, Stephanie leans her forehead on Neil's chest and laughs::
BW: Oh man…
Neil: (Laughing) Cover for me. I'll be a few minutes. Good thing the shower has a cold nozzle because Neil the Terrible is at full mast.
BW: (smirking) I noticed...See ya downstairs babe.
::She grabs a towel off the rack and steps out of the shower. Putting her robe on, she goes into the bedroom where Ricky is waiting. Neil can hear Ricky jabbering as he and Steph head downstairs.::
Neil: I’m a lucky man but Ricky needs better timing.
::Neil finishes the shower and gets dressed a few minutes later. He puts on street clothes. He decides against putting on the racing gloves. He heads down to the kitchen. Steph is starting up breakfast. Ricky is sitting at the table smiling with his plastic drinking cup filled with milk.::
Neil: I’ll finish the pancakes, eggs, and bacon Steph. You can finish getting dressed.
BW: (turning around, handing him the spatula) Thanks babe, I was just getting it started for ya. Not too bad though, huh? I'm making progress.
Neil: Yup it takes time. Most of it is easy once you start understanding what you are doing. You are doing fine.
::She smiles, giving him a kiss on the cheek as she turns to walk away.::
BW: I'll be down in a few...
::As Neil is cooking breakfast he is whistling happily. He turns to Ricky.::
Neil: How do you want your eggs Ricky?
Ricky: (Excitedly) Ova easy! Ova easy!
Neil: 2 eggs over easy coming up kiddo.
::Neil is dishing out the food. He has the pancakes, the eggs, the syrup, the bacon, the toast and various things like jam syrup and butter on the table. As he is getting Ricky a plastic fork and knife then is buttering his toast and pancakes. Steph comes back down and takes the seat across from Neil. They have been putting Ricky at the end of the table so either one of them could help him.::
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Neil has always known just how lucky he is. He has Stephanie as his wife. How does he explain why he loves her? They are so much alike it is scary. Even their flaws are the same. Each has a temper and before Ricky they drank and caused more hell then a platoon of Marines on leave. Then they both changed. They both stopped drinking during her pregnancy. Neil could have kept drinking but that wasn’t his style. Stephanie had to stop drinking cold turkey and Neil did too. It was because he cared and respected her too much to hold her to any higher standard then he would hold himself. They were a team. This was their child and becoming parents and a family involves sacrifices.
He looks at Stephanie across the table and realizes just what being a husband means. It means bettering yourself for your wife and making sure that she can rely on you during the tough times. Last night Neil felt low. He hated just about everything. He wanted to rip apart Ryan Mendez in an act of legalized manslaughter. Stephanie made it all better. Last night revitalized him and made him focus on the positives. She knew exactly what he needed and that was just the way things are.
Of course he still wants to beat the living hell out of Ryan Mendez.
Neil never realized how much that drinking calmed him down. March 11th was the last day Neil drank. He gave it up and decided never to go back to drinking but he will still have the odd beer. He just doesn’t need to drink anymore. There are things that are way too important and it took nearly losing Stephanie and Ricky when he was on the floor of the bar. Neil still gets pissed off. Even more now that he is sober. Still he sees 2 faces in his mind. He sees Ricky and Stephanie. That is his life and when he spends a quiet morning with his family he’d even give a Jehovah’s witness a 5 minute head start before firing the rifle.
Well maybe 3 minutes.
Anyone knocking on your door at 8 in the morning telling you the glory of god deserves a personal meeting with him to be slapped around for being ignorant.
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::They are finishing breakfast. Neil is putting the dishes in the dish washer and Stephanie is cleaning Ricky’s face and hands.::
BW: Hold still so I can get it all.... There. Now you can go play.
Ricky: Watch Shrek?
BW: Maybe...you'll have to ask Daddy.
::She glances at her watch.::
BW: Mommy's gotta hurry, or she'll miss her dentist appointment.
Neil: Later. Ricky and I will be here.
BW: (laughs) Have fun guys...
::She gives them each a kiss before grabbing her purse of the counter.::
BW: Be good for Daddy, Ricky. Maybe I'll bring you back something from town.
Ricky: YAY Sooprise!
::As Stephanie leaves Ricky goes to Neil.::
Ricky: Daddy I wanna watch Shrek.
Neil: Sure beats watching a Ryan Mendez promo. Better acting and more realistic.
::Neil puts in the tape and Ricky looks at Neil’s hand and sees the cuts on it. He looks worried.::
Ricky: Daddy your hand is hurt.
::Neil looks at his hand. The cuts aren’t that bad but it must be scary to Ricky seeing dad hurt. Neil goes over to the couch and sits Ricky on his lap.::
Neil: Daddy is all right Ricky.
Ricky: But your hand… (He looks at Neil trying to understand.)
Neil: Daddy cut his hand at work. I lost my temper and broke a tape.
Ricky: Why did you lose your temper?
Neil: Because Daddy is mad at someone.
Ricky: Why?
Neil: You remember when you had the ball at McDonalds and somebody tried to take it from you?
Ricky: (Looks a little sheepish) … Yeah.
Neil: Well he has my ball and he wants to take my new one from me.
Ricky: He’s a meanie.
::Neil has to laugh that is about the only thing he hasn’t called Mendez this week.::
Neil: No he can have the other ball. It was icky.
::Neil and Ricky laugh.::
Ricky: What about your new ball daddy?
Neil: I’m going to get it back.
Ricky: He’s a meanie taking all the balls. Mommy says that is greedy.
Neil: Yes it is. Let’s watch Shrek.
Ricky: YAY! Shrek!
::Neil gets a can of pop and fills Ricky’s drinking cup. They start watching Shrek. Ricky sits close to Neil as the movie starts playing.::
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This is reality.
A man with his wife and son.
A man who despite his faults knows what is truly important.
Neil is sitting at home watching a movie with Ricky. He had breakfast with his family and Stephanie made all his problems go away last night. Well maybe not go away but today he has a hell of a smile on his face. This is reality. Neil Fracas is a wrestler created by Neil Whittaker. Neil Whittaker has faced reality all his life.
The beating he plans to deliver to Ryan Mendez will be brutal and sadistic. He intends to prove beyond any doubt that he will be a top contender in Core. He has to win and win decisively. He may have brutalized Sidarian and Genocide. He may have damn near killed Mr Black on Melee. Ryan Mendez will not be easy. Still Neil will hurt him and hurt him bad to prove a point.
This is what Neil is going through this week.
Reality as a man, a husband, and a father.
Neil wouldn’t have it any other way.