What Old School means

Have you ever heard a catchphrase that stuck out in your mind? It doesn’t have to be significant or even catchy. It just has to be something worth remembering. What is it that sticks out the most about Jason Hughes? He is known as "Old School" and that is his work ethic. What does that mean?

You ask guys like Ted Masters and Daniel Adams and they will tell you all about old school and what it means. Do they practice it? Not hardly. They half-assed their match so bad at Smash that it wouldn’t have even been aired on Melee. If you counted the moves in that match there was only 5 moves.

Count them off in your mind. knee to the gut (1), snap suplex (2), punch (3), Canadian Leg Sweep (4), clothesline(5). That is what it means to be a former Legacy champ, a former Classic champ, and yes even a former Siren Champ. Do not blame the belts however they are only as good as the men that have been lucky enough to be able to hold them.

Jason Hughes and Neil Whittaker are two men that understand what "Old School" is supposed to be. Many people pay lip service to the ideals. They are like the people that claim to be pious because they are good religious people that go to church every Sunday. That is meaningless. You can recite the words but without the heart behind them they are just that words. It is just as meaningless as the plot to an episode of Ren and Stimpy or their Core equivalent A.S.S. promos.

This week they face off. Will they half ass it like the Daniel Adams and Ted Masters match that was over in less then a minute. 46 seconds was the length of the match. Daniel Adam’s theme "Coma White" by Marilyn Manson lasts 5 minutes and 40 seconds. Ted Masters theme "Sun Doesn't Rise" by Mushroomhead lasts 3 minutes and 13 seconds. 8 minutes and 53 seconds was their entrances. If you played the match 10 times in its entirety you would still only get 7 minutes and 40 seconds. But they are old school. It just happened to be a remedial class.

Say what you want about men like Jason Hughes and Neil Whittaker and believe me you will. They are not exactly what you would call "likeable". Neil is violent tempered and ruthless. He says what he wants and doesn’t give a damn about the critics or censors. Jason Hughes is so driven he is called obsessed by those around him. No low is forbidden when it comes to advancing his career. Needless to say there are many similarities beyond the work ethic.

Neither man will settle for being merely second best.

Both men have suffered some significant set backs and are looking to regroup.

Neil Whittaker lost the Core tag titles. He never lost much sleep over not having them but no matter how much they were holding him and Gideon down he still hates losing a lot. Now Neil is making headway. The first step was defeating Ryan Mendez in singles. This was a match that was very important because Ryan had 2 wins over him in tag matches. Needless to say Neil went into this match looking for payback and redemption. He got that when he beat Ryan Mendez.

Jason Hughes is another man that suffered a huge set back. He recently lost the Legacy title to Jack Diamond a man he has no respect for as a person. The idea of Jack Diamond with his Legacy title is worse then even the previous owners Skill Willie and Jantz Spalding. Despite all his efforts to bring prestige back to the title he sees it being defiled in his mind. Why is Jack Diamond so bad? You have to understand a bit more about what it is to be Old School. Jack Diamond isn’t a wrestler to him. Jack Diamond is a Sports Entertainer.

A growing cancer in the sport of Pro Wrestling is this Sports Entertainment. You notice that the word Wrestling is no longer important? This pisses guys like Neil and Jason off because they are wrestlers. They can break a man down hold by hold. They study their opponents and plan strategy. These days you see rappers, football players, and other people that couldn’t make it in the so-called "Legitimate" sports. They all think they have what it takes to be a professional wrestler………

THEY ARE WRONG!!!

Being a pro wrestler means putting your body through unspeakable pain day after day after day. Being a prowrestler means being away from your family and not seeing your children grow up. Being a pro wrestler means seeing friends die before their time. Being a pro wrestler means that you have to be able to go up to a man’s wife and family and tell them why he died and how he will never be forgotten. Being a pro wrestler means seeing friends crippled with their remaining lives ruined. Being a pro wrestler means doing anything you can to get through one more day just to drag yourself off the bed and do it all over again. Don’t tell me about being a pro wrestler until you start understanding just what that title means………

Being a Sports Entertainer is easy. You don’t have to have the heart and the dedication that the Pro wrestlers have. You see the WCW Champion David Arquette and know just how much this sport has turned into a media whore for the talentless. Some people would sleep with the boss’s daughter just to extend what was the last 3 minutes of a career that is mediocre at best. Some people think the world should be laid out at their feet because they can cut a cool promo. They buy into the hype that they are the men and women they are playing on TV and expect to be treated as gods among the common folk.

Very simple terms.

Guys like Neil Whittaker and Jason Hughes would rather retire then become Sports Entertainers like Daniel Adams and Ted Masters. They would not defecate on their profession with a match lasting 46 seconds.

Even the worst this sport has to offer are still called wrestlers. All who compete in the ring are called wrestlers. That is the problem. The sport has evolved to the point that there is nothing remaining of what it used to be. The mighty T Rex that was the chain wrestling and the mat classics where you had 2 people that understood how to wrestle has died. It has been replaced by the painted giraffe and the pink elephant all flying the banner of sports entertainment. Sure there are wrestlers left that can wrestle in the old school style. They are a dying breed. We bury them one by one as their bodies break under the higher standard they bear on their shoulders.

They say you poke a dog with a stick and it bites. They fail to mention that if you poke it enough times it dies. Neil Whittaker and Jason Hughes aren’t going to allow themselves to be put down by the stick that is sports entertainment. They will show their fangs and rip the throats out of the puppeteers and the ringmasters. This is their profession, their craft and their very life. Be prepared to bleed Sports Entertainment. Old School will not be killed so easily. Jason and Neil will show why on Smash.

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Earlier today Neil and Gideon are talking and plotting.

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::Neil and Gideon are at his office in L.A. Neil looks a bit annoyed. Gideon has a bottle of Water and Neil has a can of Coke.::

Gideon: Lanier threw you another swerve I noticed.

Neil: Yup

Gideon: How are we going to attack this match?

Neil: I’m going to train and sharpen up my speed.

Gideon: I mean the promos. Hell that is just standard training for a match.

Neil: This isn’t A.S.S. where you get a bunch of idiots doing jackass skits on TV. I ain’t the dog and F$%kin pony show. I plan on mouthing off a bit because we never got any respect from that jackass but that is about it.

Gideon: Good idea. There is no point doing the usual promos. This match will be a classic. He might go to the "I’ve beaten him before" spiel.

Neil: So what.

Gideon: You are taking this lightly Neil. If he buries you as a contender going into the match and manages to beat you……

Neil: Ain’t no point Gideon. I no sell the gauntlet match by mentioning the painkillers then what?

Gideon: That was one match in over a decade of wrestling Neil.

Neil: One match. Five matches. Ten matches. How many was it before William Tremaine ruined his name and became known as "No pain Willie Tremaine". The man took a good career and pissed it down the toilet by trying to excuse it instead of just owning up to it.

Gideon: You took some pills that would have left a normal man unconscious. The pills had Morphine and Codeine and that was added to the half a case of beer you put away earlier. You thought you were a god damn Luchadore doing a spring board legdrop.

Neil: I’m not going to go to the easy cop out. Too many people think that they can do whatever they want and say that they aren’t guilty. They don’t say that they lost the match because they sucked or they didn’t prepare. It had to be the drugs, the ref, or they were sick. There is always a crutch. It doesn’t matter what the crutch is. I took the pills and put Neil Whittaker out and left Neil Fracas in charge and he thought he was a F$%kin cruiser weight and got beat. I saw the match later after you told me what happened and I might have been able to do something about it but lets face it I F$%ked up and it cost me.

Gideon: So what now?

Neil: You think Lanier just randomly picked my name out of a hat.

Gideon: No. I think he has a dart board with all our names on it and missed when he was aiming for Daniel Adams’s name.

::They snicker.::

Neil: Ain’t ruling that one out G. Still think about it. Who on the roster can match Hughes hold for hold and push him to the limit.

Gideon: 5 tops. And they would have to be on top of their game to keep the pressure up.

Neil: Out of these 5 how many of them are going to straight up wrestle him trying to make their name based on skill rather then just go for a fluke win to pad their career. People see Hughes they are thinking of taking his spot. They don’t want to beat him they just want the victory so they can say "I beat Jason Hughes".

Gideon: Everyone does that Neil. Even we do that.

Neil: Yup. There is no cowardice when we do it though. We know who we are and there ain’t no BS. I’m looking at this match to prove that I can out wrestle the best technical wrestler in Core today. He is looking to this match to prove he is still "Old School" Jason Hughes a technical wrestler.

Gideon: Interesting approach. You think he will buy into the idea?

Neil: No idea. I gave up trying to figure out where his ego ends and his personality begins. I can tell you this he wants to beat me as much as I want to beat him. He doesn’t want a cheap win. He wants something real. When he goes into his rematch with Jack Diamond he doesn’t want any asterix by his name saying "He couldn’t beat Neil Fracas cleanly". I want this match to prove I am a contender. I can’t even make a F$%king dent in the rankings and this is my chance.

Gideon: I agree. This match puts you both in a dangerous situation. You lose and you go back so far in the rankings that you will be asking Ted Masters for advice. Jason loses this and it will gnaw at his insides. He will be second guessing himself trying to figure out where he lost his edge.

Neil: Yup. I lose I might as well retire or become a tag wrestler because that F$%ker Lanier will bury me. Hughes loses and he wont have the confidence he used to and that will jeopardize his return match because Jack will attack that loss and add it to the loss he had for his Legacy Champ and take his pride.

Gideon: So you think that Lanier wants to have Hughes make an example of you.

Neil: Wouldn’t doubt it. One thing I like about this match is there isn’t going to be a lot of bull shit clouding it. Neither one of us are going to turn it into a circus act. He doesn’t like me and he is one of the biggest assholes I ever met. This isn’t like Jake Finale, Jack Diamond or Daniel Adams. We both have respect for wrestling. We thrive on being the best and we won’t settle for second best. When we wrestle it isn’t about any of that Sports Entertainment shit on TV. We are as old school as it gets. We see these jackasses prance around like human dog and pony shows. We see our sport dying because no one wrestles anymore. I’ve been thinking about this a long time since I saw the match line up. We need a wrestling match that win, lose, or draw we will know we haven’t been assimilated by sports entertainment and can still wrestle.

Gideon: I agree. When I was working with A.S.S. I noticed some things that you can use going into the match.

Neil: How Good?

Gideon: I was there for the strategy sessions. The fact that Jack got the belt should pretty much cinch the fact it was effective.

Neil: Will it work for me?

Gideon: Some yes and some no. The thing that cost Jason the belt was his disdain for Jack. He dismissed Jack as a fool and an idiot. That gave Jack a lot more opportunities then he should have gotten. You won’t be given the same opportunities. He knows you can wrestle on his level. Believe me he has studied both of us intently learning everything weakness he can about us because he knew a day like this would come. There are several ways you can attack his strategy.

Neil: Yup. Solid strategist but too arrogant. He thinks that his plan is the right one and anything that goes against his strategy hurts him. If he is pegging me for straight up mauling and I come at him with a mat based strategy of ground and lock him up that will throw him off his game.

Gideon: So if you can figure out what he expects you to do and keep him off guard by changing up on the fly you will have an advantage. Hughes thrives on being 2 steps ahead of his opponent. Take that away and it puts him at a disadvantage because he has to react to your style instead of counteracting your strengths.

Neil: Yup. When I faced Mendez I went power. Hell most cases I go power. If I straight up grapple with him and keep it a mat based match he will be able to keep up but he will be trying to read me. I change up every once in a while to keep him from pegging my style and he has to be more defensive. If I can make him try and figure out if I’ll go for the single leg take down or start laying in strikes he has less time to think offence.

Gideon: Exactly. Play into his plans. Start the way he thinks you will and make him feel comfortable. When he starts thinking he is in control of the match take it back by going against his strategy. He isn’t going to take you lightly. He thinks you are a thug with no finesse but he knows you can wrestle.

Neil: Going to be a hard match regardless. Neither one of us dares lose this match. I need the credibility and he needs the momentum.

Gideon: Luckily you have an edge. You have the rest of NEW helping scout. We have the notes from his match against Diamond. We have the strategy that A.S.S. used to prepare Jack for Hughes and we can go back over it to see what worked and what didn’t and more importantly why the plans didn’t work.

Neil: Hard to imagine those morons planning a trip to the kitchen let alone something that can work against Hughes.

Gideon: Well Jack isn’t a wrestler but he knew how to annoy Hughes enough that he would get openings. Ryan isn’t really all that technical but his biggest contribution was in helping predict some of the offence. Nick and I were helping with making sure Jack was ready for the moves and learning how Jack could best deal with the moves.

Neil: So that is why you were so busy.

Gideon: Jason wasn’t the only one preparing for the day that we would cross paths again. I had the advantage of trial running strategies with Jack.

Neil: So we going to the tapes or training?

Gideon: Training. You have the power so we have to tighten up your speed a lot. Jason is going to try and ground you like he would most big men and you have to be able to beat him to the punch before he can take you down.

Neil: Times like this makes me wish I still drank.

Gideon: Definitely.

::Neil and Gideon leave the office. Neil is going to be working on speed. By the time Monday rolls around Neil will be able to react with speed. Neil is planing to do so many nip ups, standing high jumps, and sprints that he will be able to react faster then Jason will expect………::

This is what old school means to a man like Neil Whittaker. It isn’t about the games and the promos. It isn’t about the personal shots and the disrespect. It isn’t about the millions of fans and the merchandising. It isn’t about being photogenic and filling in time to become a movie star. This is about wrestling.

You notice that Neil and Gideon didn’t go the low road in their plans. They thought of all the opportunities available and they went to what the sport was named for "Wrestling". The Sports Entertainers would like you to forget about wrestling. When you see guys like Tank Abbott, Hulk Hogan, and Nathan Jones in wrestling you know they aren’t wrestlers. You add all their moves together and you wouldn’t even have to take off your socks because your fingers are easily enough to count them all. They are a different breed of pro wrestler. They are the Sports Entertainers. Tank Abbott is a brawler who played a wrestler. Hulk Hogan is an actor who played a wrestler convincingly enough that he became a standard in pro wrestling. Nathan Jones is a media experiment that flopped by the WWE. They were never about wrestling. They were about the fame and fortunes that come with being successful.

Where does that leave guys like Neil Whittaker?

Sell your soul and be a star... Sign the dotted line and I’ll make you famous... You are the next big thing... You’ve got what it takes to be a star all you have to do is follow my advice... How many times does a person hear this before they lose a piece of who they are falling into the trap of sports entertainment? For every one wrestler that keeps to his roots and wrestles there are over 2 dozen suckling at the teat of Sports Entertainment. Why not sell out? Why not sign a deal to star in 2 movies? Why not go for TV appearances? After all when you are a star the public can’t get enough of you because you are somebody.

Who is that somebody you are being?

Can you answer this question and say that the man in the mirror is the man you still are? For guys like Jack Diamond and Daniel Adams the camera is on 24/7. Their career is a twisted reflection of what they view as their life. Neil Whittaker is the type of guy that will go home and enjoy life with his family and bitch about the assholes at work along side Stephanie. He is still Neil Fracas because that is who he is but he doesn’t let it run his life. For every 10 wrestlers you meet ask about who they are and 8 will respond with the name of the wrestler they play in the ring. 1 will respond with both and the other is the man that responds with his real name. He is the Wrestler and likely still clinging to the old school roots he had when he first started. There is a saying in this business and that is "if you wanted to you would never have to come out of character". You can be the man you play on TV and the fans would never know because they don’t care about the real you. They want to believe in the larger then life Icons as much as the Sports Entertainers want to become these heroes.

Neil Whittaker and Jason Hughes are not these Sports Entertainers. Wrestling is their chosen profession but it will not become who they are………

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Later today Neil is training.

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::Neil can be seen going to the ground and rolling. You can see some beads of sweat as he focuses on getting to the ground and back to his feet as fast as possible. Neil’s fast and flexible for his size. But he is driving himself to be better.::

This is the type of hunger Neil has. He will not accept a loss. His career needs this win and he is going to go through hell to get it. When he gets home he will be tired.

::Neil goes to his back then nips up doing them as reps. He grabs a towel and goes to the chalk board he marks down ten lines adding them to the other 30. He wipes his brow and does it again… And again…… And again.::

If you go to the Core website and look at the fans making predictions on Smash they have Jason Hughes the favorite 4 to 1. Things like that really piss Neil off. Neil doesn’t get any respect from the fans and he will be damn if he lets that slide any longer.

::Neil can be seen on a treadmill. He is running at a very fast clip. He turns up the speed and sprints even faster. You can see the strain. Neil is focused and driven. You can see in his eyes the tunnel vision.::

You asked what it means to be a pro wrestler.

::Neil looks tired. He is doing standing high jumps. The first is 2 feet high. The second is 3 feet high. The third is 4 feet high. Neil is alternating between the 2 and 3 feet jumps. Later this week he will be doing jumps to the 4 foot high one.::

This is his drive.

This is his passion.

This is his Work Ethic

This is Neil’s chance at real credibility.

This is old school.

This week on Smash 2 men will go into the main event. Neil will prove how bad he wants this win. You can see it in both men’s eyes. They know what it means. Two men that can take the worst the other can dish out. Two men that need a win in the worst way. Two men that demand the win. Two men that have what it takes to beat the other. Only one will be right.

Those betting against Neil Fracas only see the faces of Sports Entertainment.

Those that bet on Neil Whittaker understand.

Those are the people that keep wrestling alive.

You can pick a man by his size or his gimmick. You can decide the match based on something as simple as their hair. You can say either man is great based on any number of factors. These men aren’t great because the fans say they are. They are great because they push themselves to a higher level. Some men are satisfied with collecting a check after a 46 second match. They are not Neil Whittaker or Jason Hughes.

When you are Old School you only settle for the best.

Neil Fracas VS Jason Hughes will set the standard because they settle for nothing less then their best.

Let the others watch this match and take notes…

OLD SCHOOL WRESTLING FINALLY RETURNS TO CORE…