But maybe one of the most unique qualities about Dave’s style was his ability to flip a switch when he stepped onto a wrestling mat. The smiles, handshakes, and contagious laughter that people associated with Dave were nonexistent during a wrestling match. The night and day shift in his personality was perhaps what caught his opponents off guard the most. He approached wrestling like a game of chess. His style was technical. He loved to trick his opponents with sneaky moves or unusual techniques - coining his most iconic nickname given to him by the Russians - the “Sly Fox.”

Nancy Schultz admitted, “He liked messing with people's minds, like sitting down and talking to Kenny Monday about how his family was right before they were ready to go out and wrestle each other.”

He loved techniques that would use specific finite movement over brute strength. He was the “Michael Angelo of wrestling, using applied scientific principles of fulcrum, balance, and motion,” shared Nancy.

While his approach was mathematical, a part of his equation was inflicting pain.

Despite being a savage on the wrestling mat, Dave never harbored dislikes or animosity towards a fellow wrestler. He wrestled not with hatred, but with mastery. Dave was an artist, and wrestling was his canvas of self-expression. A devoted student of the sport, he remained perpetually open to mastering new techniques. Dave's ability to read and speak Russian, a language that unlocked the secrets of Soviet training and techniques, placed him ahead of the global competition. He would ask Cary Kolat, a high schooler at the time, for insights on his technique. Dave wasn't bound by ego; he eagerly sought technique hints from anyone he faced on the mat. Humble and insatiably curious, Dave was a perpetual learner.

With a free spirit, a linguistic virtuoso, and an ever-curious mind, he transcended the boundaries of convention, inspiring a generation to embrace their quirks and champion their own style. Dave Schultz, the master of his craft, continues to resonate as a beacon of authenticity, urging us all to paint our own masterpieces, be unapologetically ourselves, and become true Masters of Style.