Scheide (Ultimate)

Scheide is the stage name of British sports entertainment professional Jonas Schneider (born 17th May 1996), who competes in the sports entertainment brand Ultimate.

Early life
Schneider was born on 17th May 1996, in Treichard, Valdyren. His father left the family when he was three years old, leaving him to be raised by his mother Sabine and his grandmother Else.

At school, Schneider was frequently in trouble for fighting with other students and being disrespectful to staff. He often played truant, spending hours in a local back street gym where he would lift weights and practise callisthenics. He got to know the owner of the establishment, former boxing promoter Frank Burkhard. Schneider confided in him about his struggles at school, and told him about the intense aggression he felt towards society, his absent father and himself. Burkhard began to mentor him, helping him to channel his aggression.

Scouting
In 2015, Burkhard was approached by Ultimate development manager Uwe Schulz, who was visiting the city to scout for potential talent in boxing and Crossfit circles. Burkhard mentioned this to Schneider, who was immediately interested and persuaded Schulz to give him a chance to audition.

At the audition, Schulz was impressed by Schneider's physicality, but felt that he had too little experience of combat sports to join the development roster. Upon hearing the decision, Schneider became intensely angry and launched a tirade at Schulz, extolling his own virtues. Schulz realised that with some polishing Schneider could be a powerful character, and offered him a development contract on the spot. Schneider accepted immediately.

Development and breakthrough
Schneider spent two months at the Ultimate Development Center in Erkfurt. He was given the stage name Scheide (German: 'Scheide') referring to his agility and position at the 'cutting edge' of a new generation of talent. His status as a 'heel' (an antagonist or 'bad guy') was never in doubt, and his natural self-confidence and disrespect for authority was incorporated into his Ultimate character.

His full Ultimate debut came at an exhibition match in November 2014 in Dravid, Heitenland, in which he earned a surprise victory against Falke. He quickly became a fan favourite, developing a reputation as an egotistical, narcissistic villain. He proclaimed himself as a young upstart who was so talented that he was the inevitable future Ultimate Champion. He has embarked on numerous storyline feuds with established competitors, and has gained infamy for his shameless self-promotion and blatant disrespect for more experienced figures in Ultimate, the Authority and crowds.

Style and character
As Scheide, Schneider has developed a strong persona as the archetypal narcissistic "bad boy jock", who insults his opponents (and spectators) and brags about his own prowess, athleticism and good looks. He is fond of goading the crowd, remarking that the boos and jeers only excite him further. He frequently interferes in other competitors' promos and interviews, and often picks fights on the arena floor, backstage and outside. Schneider has admitted that his Scheide persona is only an exaggerated version of his own personality, likening it to "being an actor, but playing myself."

He is known for his assertive, high-energy bouting style, favouring agility and manoeuvring over brute strength. He has developed long-running storyline feuds with numerous other competitors, including Steitross, Scheme and Roman. During promotions, opponents typically mock his youth, his egotistical personality and his very skimpy attire.

Attire
Scheide is known for his distinctive attire, which represents a major departure from what would be traditionally associated with an Ultimate heel. His attire has no particular theming, consisting of nothing but black briefs, with orange knee-pads and a pair of white trainers instead of the traditional boots. This extremely minimal 'costume' accentuates both his sculpted physique and his rebellious, supremely self-confident persona. Ultimate character designer Juliana Klein explained:"'We've got this hot-headed, cocky guy who also happens to be drop-dead gorgeous and have an amazing body. The character creates itself. We know he's going to be a stirrer, a challenger, someone who plays by his own rules. The ladies love him, the guys want to be him, so we give him the attire to match: he goes out there with practically nothing on. We make sure that everyone knows that he's literally wearing as little as possible: completely shirtless, tiny, tight trunks with nothing underneath, and he doesn't even wear any socks."Unlike almost all other Ultimate competitors, Scheide lacks - deliberately - a separate dress attire, so he performs promotions, conducts interviews and goes backstage in his extremely minimal match attire, even on occasions when he is not even scheduled to compete. The fact that Scheide never appears in-character wearing anything more than his ring attire has become an established part of his persona, and has resulted in him making public and TV appearances wearing nothing but his briefs, knee-pads and trainers.

Schneider has revealed that he suggested the attire himself and enjoys wearing so little, remarking, "it makes me feel completely naked... and I love it."

Personal life
When he is not touring with Ultimate, Schneider lives in Concord.

Quotes

 * "People say that I'm arrogant, but I'm not. I'd be arrogant if I thought I was the best. I know I'm the best."
 * "I'm going to the top, and I'm leaving you behind."
 * "I'd trample my own grandmother to get to the top."
 * "My favourite thing to talk about is how great I am."
 * "Your mistake wasn't thinking you could beat me. Your mistake was thinking you deserve to be beaten by me."
 * "Of course I'm not wearing very much. A body this good shouldn't be hidden."
 * "I'm very well aware that I'm dripping with sweat. At least I'm not dripping in weakness and failure."
 * "[My attire] makes me feel completely naked - and I love it."