Lots of tough decisions have been made, and more now follow. We have 8 contenders, soon to be 4, vying for this prestigious title:
As we get to the end we will be doing one round per post, because this is definitely still fun and not something I am forcing myself to finish to maintain discipline in a time of global crisis.
(3) Chris Jericho v. (4) The Undertaker
Jericho and Undertaker didn't cross paths too much in the later stages of their careers, but they were two of the best for a long ass time. I'd say Jericho is more of the complete package, and in a vacuum he'd have a huge chance to move on because his moves out of context is just plain better. But add in the characters and the auras and all that and Taker is just the man. A chokeslam from Undertaker hits different than one from, like, Vlad Kozlov or something, I don't know at this point.
WINNER: THE UNDERTAKER
(5) Rey Mysterio v. (14) Batista
Was this all a ruse just to get this matchup to happen? Perhaps. Two of Eddie's favorite friends in WWE, Batista and Rey teamed together against the likes of MNM (winning the tag titles along the way) and as part of Team Smackdown for Survivor Series. Probably my favorite tag team of two superstars thrown together, these two epitomized the the idea of Yin and Yang. Batista was the powerhouse, the muscle, the one you didn't wanna mess with. Mysterio was the speed, the agility, the quick bursts that get you to come at him before Batista comes out of nowhere and just levels you. I wish I could find it but them doing Batista's signature rope shake together is an all-time moment for me.
They teamed sparingly after Batista was on the shelf for part of 2007, but they reunited in 2009 before Batista turned heel and attacked Rey in one of the most upsetting moments of my youngish life:
When he drops "EDDIE'S DEAD" I cannot believe what I am hearing. Over a decade later and I'm still like, "Uhhhhhhhhh, is that ok?? Was he supposed to say that???" These two made up a large chunk of my boyhood fandom (I was Batista and a short friend was Rey for living room wrestling matches, it was the bees knees). How could this be happening?!? Batista is arguably my favorite heavyweight of all time. Rey Mysterio is arguably my favorite cruiserweight/luchador-type of all time. GUT DECISION TYME.
WINNER: REY MYSTERIO (Batista turned heel, giving Rey the edge)
(2) John Cena v. (4) Kurt Angle
What a blast from the past!! John Cena DEBUTED by answering a Kurt Angle open challenge:
What a debut! "RUTHLESS...... AGGRESSION!!"The fact KURT ANGLE was beating a debuting Cena with a rollup is very telling that Cena was destined for great things. He had his second match against Jericho, he was meeting the Undertaker backstage and getting signs of approval, young John Cena was already making waves. These two crossed paths a few times early on and things were fairly even. I've harped on how well-rounded (and flat GOOD) Kurt Angle was, but Cena is every bit as entertaining and knows how to call a match. He doesn't exactly take the mosts risks with his moveset but he is good at what he does. Are Cena's titles enough to stave off Angle once more? Or does the Gold Medalist have enough talent and acting chops to get the job done? I guess if I was starting a company from scratch and had to try and choose the better all around talent, gun to my head I'd go Angle just cause he offers more in the ring while not totally sacrificing what you get with Cena.
WINNER: KURT ANGLE
(1) Stone Cold Steve Austin v. (3) Shawn Michaels
At Wrestlemania 14, Shawn Michaels defended his WWF Championship against Stone Cold in one of the more iconic matches in history. In the lead up to the match, Mike Tyson (you heard me right bub, THE Mike Tyson, of Hangover fame) was inserted as special guest referee and later moved into a role as Michaels' cornerman, aligning himself with DX. At the end though, it was Tyson raising Austin's hand after jumping in for a downed ref and siding with Austin, clocking the Heartbreak Kid with a signature right hand. Michaels went on the mend to nurse serious back injuries for 4 years while Austin skyrocketed in popularity and became on for he faces of the business. Michaels has definitely had the big ups and big downs, whereas Stone Cold was a little more stable in his status. Injuries didn't help either man as they both reeled from different ailments throughout their careers. At the end of the day, as much as I like HBK, I don't think you can stop a motto like e"Arrive. Raise Hell. Leave." by being a Sexy Boy.
WINNER: STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
FINAL FOUR SOON COME, GET READY.
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