Calgary Region, Third Round: Pure Rules: (2) Hulk Hogan vs. (7) Roddy Piper

[klunderbunker]

The following contest is a third round match in the Calgary Region.

This match takes place in the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

It is a Pure Rules Match.

Rules:
1. Each wrestler has three rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls during the match. After a wrestler exhausts his rope breaks, submission and pin attempts under the ropes by the opponent are considered legal.
2. There are no closed-fist punches to the face allowed in a Pure match, only open-handed slaps or chops to the face are allowed. Punches to other parts of the body (save for low-blows) are permitted. The first use of a closed fist will get a warning, and the second will cause the wrestler to be penalized a rope break. If he is already out of rope breaks, he will be disqualified.
3. A wrestler is subject to a twenty count by the referee if the wrestler goes to the floor.


#2 Hulk Hogan

Vs.

#7 Roddy Piper

This contest is one fall with a 30 minute time limit. The match will take place in a 16 x 16 ring with no ramp leading to it. Any traditional managers for either competitor will be allowed at ringside.

As for voting, vote for who you think would win this match based on the criteria you choose. Some suggestions would be (not limited to): in ring ability, overall skill, their level of influence at the highest point in their career, ability to connect with the crowd, experience in major matches or simply personal preference etc.

The most votes in the voting period wins and in the case of a tie, the most written votes wins. There is one written vote per user, meaning if a poster make ten posts saying Bret should win that will count as a single vote. In the event of a second tie, both men are ELIMINATED, no questions asked. Only winners advance.

Voting will open in 48 hours and will be open for five days and all posts must be non-spam. You may use the 48 hours to present your cases as to why either competitor should/should not win.​

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Piper vs Hogan in, excuse me, a PURE wrestling match?

This is like Iraq and Iran settling their historical disputes with a game of ice hockey.

Foreign territory for both men, no question. When you get down to it, Piper was more reliant on closed fist punches than Hogan was. Hell, it was a HUGE part of his arsenal. Piper's finishing move most of his career was a Sleeper hold - Hogan can Hulk out of that or use his 3 rope breaks. Hogan's set up move to the legdrop is either a boot or a scoop slam, so he has more control over where Piper goes.

I'm grasping at any strategy I can find to make this interesting. I'm at a loss. Hogan wins because he's fucking Hogan.

 

[Tastycles]

Obviously, this doesn't really favour either man, they are both about as far away from pure wrestling as you can get. However, the decision for this one is obvious, and that is Hulk Hogan. My main reasons are twofold:

1) Every single time Piper got in the ring, the commentators would say something like "don't expect any wrestling holds, this one's a brawl". Hogan is obviously not Chris Benoit going into this match, but the fact remains, he could wrestle a more classic style when called upon, as some of his pre-WWF work shows.

2) Hogan beat Piper in just about every conceivable fashion over the duration of the mid 80s. I don't see how all of a sudden Piper's going to overcome him in the worst possible circumstances for himself. He doesn't stand a chance, and Hogan would come out victorious.

 

[Slyfox696]

Hulk Hogan was actually quite competent when it came to a traditional hold based wrestling match. Hogan gets a bad rap because of the American style he worked, but it's not like Hogan couldn't go hold to hold with other wrestlers. Look up some of Hogan's Japanese work, and while you'lre likely to see some same moves from match to match, it's clear Hogan certainly worked a different style in Japan.


This should be a no-brainer. Hogan in a walk.

 

[Megadeth]

I think people here are vastly underrating Roddy Piper here. While Piper is known as a brawler, he has an amateur wrestling background. Back in the 80's when feuding with Ric Flair they did several Amateur exhibitions over the course of the feud, where Piper proved he could hold his own without brawling. Meanwhile a large portion of Hogan's offence is using his closed fist punches to the face. In most matches I would give the edge to Hogan, but here I see Piper having the edge. Given the rules of the match, I could see Hogan easily slipping up and punching several times, running through his rope breaks, and then when Hogan Hulks up going to end it, he would hit his 3 big punches to Piper's face as he does as the precursor to the big boot and legdrop, and end up getting DQ'd for it, with Piper getting the win over a technicality right as Hogan was about to win, in typical heel fashion.

 

[The Crock]

I think people here are vastly underrating Roddy Piper here. While Piper is known as a brawler, he has an amateur wrestling background. Back in the 80's when feuding with Ric Flair they did several Amateur exhibitions over the course of the feud, where Piper proved he could hold his own without brawling. Meanwhile a large portion of Hogan's offence is using his closed fist punches to the face. In most matches I would give the edge to Hogan, but here I see Piper having the edge. Given the rules of the match, I could see Hogan easily slipping up and punching several times, running through his rope breaks, and then when Hogan Hulks up going to end it, he would hit his 3 big punches to Piper's face as he does as the precursor to the big boot and legdrop, and end up getting DQ'd for it, with Piper getting the win over a technicality right as Hogan was about to win, in typical heel fashion.

Honestly, Hogan isn't an oaf, he knows not to punch with a closed fist if it's against the rules. Plus, if you're going to use that argument, then wouldn't Roddy's move set be thinner too? Are you forgetting the Rowdy Strikes? He used those often, and they were closed fist jabs. Anyway, here's plenty of other things Hogan can do to wear Piper down. He can utilize his size, Bear Hugs and that kind of stuff, to run through Piper's rope breaks. On top of that, he doesn't have to use the punches to set up his big boot. He could easily just slam Piper and then go for the leg drop. He's not a machine, he can easily adapt. Plus, he's adapted many times before to beat Piper, so this time should be no different.

 

[Slyfox696]

Meanwhile a large portion of Hogan's offence is using his closed fist punches to the face.

The following proves Hogan can work a match without punches to the face.

[YOUTUBE]KIuEcao2cCM[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]qXg-P7Vw2c0[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]SV039F5l92A[/YOUTUBE]

Hogan went toe to toe, hold for hold, with the greatest name in Japanese wrestling, IN Japan. I think he can go with Roddy Piper.

In most matches I would give the edge to Hogan, but here I see Piper having the edge. Given the rules of the match, I could see Hogan easily slipping up and punching several times, running through his rope breaks, and then when Hogan Hulks up going to end it, he would hit his 3 big punches to Piper's face as he does as the precursor to the big boot and legdrop, and end up getting DQ'd for it, with Piper getting the win over a technicality right as Hogan was about to win, in typical heel fashion.

The videos posted above proves you wrong.


Hogan wins. This one is basically indisputable.

 

[ServantofTwilight]

Obviously, this doesn't really favour either man, they are both about as far away from pure wrestling as you can get. However, the decision for this one is obvious, and that is Hulk Hogan. My main reasons are twofold:

1) Every single time Piper got in the ring, the commentators would say something like "don't expect any wrestling holds, this one's a brawl". Hogan is obviously not Chris Benoit going into this match, but the fact remains, he could wrestle a more classic style when called upon, as some of his pre-WWF work shows.

2) Hogan beat Piper in just about every conceivable fashion over the duration of the mid 80s. I don't see how all of a sudden Piper's going to overcome him in the worst possible circumstances for himself. He doesn't stand a chance, and Hogan would come out victorious.

I disagree with this. Piper has bragged often that he was never pinned by Hogan in the WWF. In truth most of their matches ended in DQs or countouts. Even in 97 at Superbrawl VII Hogan only pinned Piper because of Savage and some brass knuckles.

Piper, on the other hand, cleanly beat Hogan at Starcade 96 with the sleeper. To my knowledge it is the only clean win one had over the other.

The rules may change my mind but right now I have Piper over Hogan.

IrishCanadian25, PHR said- Hogan wins because he's fucking Hogan.

I have always loved this logic. People will continuely vote Hogan because he is Hulk Hogan..that is until he meets someone they like better. They will say that Hogan never lost in his prime and should win but then come up with some reason a wrestler they like better would go over him.

Funny thing is that Hogan has never been to the finals of this tournament. Fact is he has never been to the semi-finals. Don't just vote Hogan because he is Hogan.

PS: I am not saying IrishCanadian25, PHR would do this, he is just the one who mentioned it in this thread.

 

[Megadeth]

The following proves Hogan can work a match without punches to the face.



Hogan went toe to toe, hold for hold, with the greatest name in Japanese wrestling, IN Japan. I think he can go with Roddy Piper.

The videos posted above proves you wrong. .

This would prove me wrong, if the match was taking place in Japan, but it's not. It is taking place in Calgary, and Hogan pretty much never wrestled like this in North America. Personally I think Hogan is often unfairly criticized for having to limited a move-set, but the problem isn't that he couldn't wrestle, just in his prime, in the US, the way he was booked never let it show. If Piper and Hogan ever were booked in this type of match, in a kayfabe POV, it would almost definitely end in some way similar as I described with Piper getting a technicality to keep the feud going. Personally if Hogan wins I won't be bothered at all by it, as Hogan and Piper are pretty much split in wins over each other, with several of the matches ending in DQ, and I just gave what I feel is a logical argument why it isn't a given that Hogan would automatically win this.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Both of these guys relied heavily upon punching, so that doesn't really hurt either guy.

This match will go to Hogan, and it probably should. But do not sleep on Piper as a wrestler. Anyone remember WrestleMania VIII? Bret Hart? Piper, after years and years of pure brawling, reminded people he can actually wrestle. I think if both men are put to the test, Piper is a better mat wrestler. However, I think some are taking the pure stipulation a bit too far.

The only significant difference from a regular, one-fall match is the no closed fist rule. That's it. I see this ending the way most Hogan/Piper matches did--with Hogan on top.

 

[The Crock]

This would prove me wrong, if the match was taking place in Japan, but it's not. It is taking place in Calgary, and Hogan pretty much never wrestled like this in North America. Personally I think Hogan is often unfairly criticized for having to limited a move-set, but the problem isn't that he couldn't wrestle, just in his prime, in the US, the way he was booked never let it show. If Piper and Hogan ever were booked in this type of match, in a kayfabe POV, it would almost definitely end in some way similar as I described with Piper getting a technicality to keep the feud going. Personally if Hogan wins I won't be bothered at all by it, as Hogan and Piper are pretty much split in wins over each other, with several of the matches ending in DQ, and I just gave what I feel is a logical argument why it isn't a given that Hogan would automatically win this.

It makes NO difference that this is in Calgary. Hogan's limited move set was pushed forth by Vince McMahon, during the "Hulkamania" days and from then on. In his early days in the territories, and in the AWA especially, his move set was a lot broader. AWA shared talent with AJPW (All-Japan Pro Wrestling), so honestly he was FORCED to use a broader style. Not to mention all the other guys that he faced where he had to pull out all the stops, such as Nick Bockwinkel. When Hogan faced guys that used more holds (outside of the WWE and WCW) he generally allowed himself to use more holds. Nowhere does it say that Hogan has to wrestle with a limited move set, especially since he did actually use a broader move set in North America. This match being Calgary is not a factor.

 

[Stormtrooper]

I think people here are vastly underrating Roddy Piper here. While Piper is known as a brawler, he has an amateur wrestling background. Back in the 80's when feuding with Ric Flair they did several Amateur exhibitions over the course of the feud, where Piper proved he could hold his own without brawling. Meanwhile a large portion of Hogan's offence is using his closed fist punches to the face. In most matches I would give the edge to Hogan, but here I see Piper having the edge. Given the rules of the match, I could see Hogan easily slipping up and punching several times, running through his rope breaks, and then when Hogan Hulks up going to end it, he would hit his 3 big punches to Piper's face as he does as the precursor to the big boot and legdrop, and end up getting DQ'd for it, with Piper getting the win over a technicality right as Hogan was about to win, in typical heel fashion.

As Crock said, and Sly provided video evidence, Hogan isn't this 5 moves of doom with a lot of punching that you make him out to be. Nor is Hogan (who's wrestling mind was one of the driving forces behind him being on top for 20 years) some stupid oaf who would forget the rules.

However, even if it were true that Piper is a wrestling god and Hogan just an oaf , I have one ever so important question. During Hulk Hogans heyday (his first WWF/WWE run in the 80's and early 90's), did Hulk Hogan ever use a Rope Break? I do not believe I've ever seen Hogan use rope breaks so much like you say he would, especially against a smaller combatant like Roddy Piper. And Piper isn't one who would regularly use moves to require Rope Breaks. Pipers main 2 submissions are the Sleeper (countered all the time by elbows to the midsection) and the Figure 4 (countered by rolling over).

I see this match playing out in typical Hogan format, where he gets beaten down a bunch, Piper might even lock in a sleeper, (which Hogan eventually counters). Then Hogan Hulks up, does his 3 punches (he'll either do slap/chops, or use his up his warning and Rope Break 1 and 2 since he'll still have them), Irish Whip, Big Boot, Leg Drop, and he'll get the 1-2-3.

Winner, rather handily, THE IMMORTAL.... HUUUUUUUUUULK! HOOOOOOOOOGAAAAAANNN!

 

[JGlass]

Two things have me voting Hogan here. Well, three if you count the fact that he's Hulk Hogan and he'd go over Piper 9 out of 10 times.

1) Hogan has had a lot of success overseas and in more pure style wrestling matches. Piper, on the other hand, has not.

2) Piper's offense is almost entirely based around strong strikes, and I think he'd be sacrificing his rope breaks very early into the match, and I wouldn't be surprised if he got himself DQ'd fairy quickly.

I'm giving it to Hogan.

 

[Slyfox696]

This would prove me wrong, if the match was taking place in Japan, but it's not. It is taking place in Calgary, and Hogan pretty much never wrestled like this in North America.

That's just asinine. Your comment was the Hogan didn't work matches like this, and I showed that he did, in hostile and foreign territory. Are you really implying that Hogan has to learn how to work in a match in every country before he becomes good at it? That's just stupid, even for this tournament.

Personally I think Hogan is often unfairly criticized for having to limited a move-set, but the problem isn't that he couldn't wrestle, just in his prime, in the US, the way he was booked never let it show.

Which has no bearing on his ABILITY to use grapple-based wrestling.

If Piper and Hogan ever were booked in this type of match, in a kayfabe POV, it would almost definitely end in some way similar as I described with Piper getting a technicality to keep the feud going.

Wrong.

If it was the blow-off match of the feud, and they were both in their prime, Hogan would win every time.

 

[gd]

Hogan and Piper were actually even in one on one matches throughout their careers, four a piece. Somewhat surprising. However, that doesn't mean I'm not going with Hogan.

The "he wins because he is Hulk Hogan" logic certainly does work each and every time. He is the best pro wrestler ever, he should win this thing for once. The stipulation really is a non factor for me, but, as already mentioned above, if anything it favors Hogan, brother.

 

[Megadeth]

As Crock said, and Sly provided video evidence, Hogan isn't this 5 moves of doom with a lot of punching that you make him out to be. Nor is Hogan (who's wrestling mind was one of the driving forces behind him being on top for 20 years) some stupid oaf who would forget the rules.

The fact is Hogan typically when he starts to "Hulk Up" it is typically an adrenaline rush where he is over run by emotion, and normally at the end of the match. It is not really that uncommon for a wrestler in a match with some sort of stipulation to sometimes forget about stipulations such as this. How many times do you see wrestlers go for pinfalls in matches with some sort of stipulation where the match doesnt actually end by a pin just because it is habit? My point was that if properly provoked, Hogan could forget about the rules and just want to hurt Piper. And Piper was great at provoking his opponents. Hogan has proved in the past at times he can get carried away and end up getting DQ'd. Just look at Wrestlemania 4, when Hogan was fighting Andre. The match ended in a Double DQ because Hogan got fed up and used a chair, proving he can get carried away at times and lose because of it.

However, even if it were true that Piper is a wrestling god and Hogan just an oaf , I have one ever so important question. During Hulk Hogans heyday (his first WWF/WWE run in the 80's and early 90's), did Hulk Hogan ever use a Rope Break? I do not believe I've ever seen Hogan use rope breaks so much like you say he would, especially against a smaller combatant like Roddy Piper.

My point was that Hogan would run through them for the most part by using punches, not that he would necessarily actually use the ropes to break a pin up. Every time Piper gets Hogan riled up, the more likely it would be in the course of the match Hogan would forget about the punch rule and accidentally use a closed fist. And if anything, I think the rules would help Piper get Hogan mad even more so than a normal match, as with the 20 second outside the ring time, Piper could easily milk that and use it to keep his distance from the Hulkster.

That's just asinine. Your comment was the Hogan didn't work matches like this, and I showed that he did, in hostile and foreign territory. Are you really implying that Hogan has to learn how to work in a match in every country before he becomes good at it? That's just stupid, even for this tournament.

The point I was trying to make was that what Hogan did in Japan was not really even the same character as Hogan in the WWF, which is what I would assume most people would consider his prime. So I am basing that off the fact we are getting mid-80's Hulkamania Hogan, not the Japanese version. While I know he didn't just magically forget how to wrestle once he came back to the states, the fact is once he did he never went back to using that style, and I don't see why this over any other match he has had since would be the one thing that would cause him to revert back to his Japanese style. If anyone can find me a single match of Hogan wrestling like he did in Japan in North America while he was in his WWF prime, I would be much more likely to accept this argument.

If it was the blow-off match of the feud, and they were both in their prime, Hogan would win every time.

I agree, if this was the blow-off match, Hogan would undoubtedly win. But how often does a blow-off match occur in the middle of a tournament like this one? Or with this type of stipulation? Most of the time when a stipulation like this is used, it is only to give the heel some way of cheating the face out of a victory and is almost never a decisive end to a feud.


And again, I don't think it would be some huge travesty if Hogan wins this one, as I could see it going either way. Piper too could get a little to angry and slip up and loose by DQ, but given the circumstances, with this being a tournament, and assuming both men are the mid-80's WWF style, that people should at least think about it and not automatically say Hulk Hogan wins because he is Hulk Hogan, and at least look at every angle before saying that it would be completely impossible for Piper to win here.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

There's a small point that seems to have been forgotten in all the Hulk in Japan furore - this match is in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA. It is not in the US of A. As such the hometown boy is Roddy Piper and the heel is Mr Bollea (yes, I know he's meant to be Scottish, but between word of mouth from those in the know and the wits of Piper who I'm sure would promo the fact his da was RCMP - his Canadian lineage would be milked). For anyone who wasn't watching 'Rowdy' versus 'Hollywood' in WCW, a face Piper goes over a heel Hogan who doesn't have his trusty Hulk Up to fall back on and is extremely susceptible to the sleeper hold.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

You really pulled out that card, didn't you? It's not like Hogan has been in hostile crowds and other guys hometowns and won. That's never happened before. Hogan would win this match no matter where and what nationality Piper is. Also, heel Hogan went over Piper before in WCW. Guess you forgot to mention that like it matters.

 

[Stormtrooper]

The fact is Hogan typically when he starts to "Hulk Up" it is typically an adrenaline rush where he is over run by emotion, and normally at the end of the match. It is not really that uncommon for a wrestler in a match with some sort of stipulation to sometimes forget about stipulations such as this. How many times do you see wrestlers go for pinfalls in matches with some sort of stipulation where the match doesnt actually end by a pin just because it is habit? My point was that if properly provoked, Hogan could forget about the rules and just want to hurt Piper. And Piper was great at provoking his opponents. Hogan has proved in the past at times he can get carried away and end up getting DQ'd. Just look at Wrestlemania 4, when Hogan was fighting Andre. The match ended in a Double DQ because Hogan got fed up and used a chair, proving he can get carried away at times and lose because of it.



My point was that Hogan would run through them for the most part by using punches, not that he would necessarily actually use the ropes to break a pin up. Every time Piper gets Hogan riled up, the more likely it would be in the course of the match Hogan would forget about the punch rule and accidentally use a closed fist. And if anything, I think the rules would help Piper get Hogan mad even more so than a normal match, as with the 20 second outside the ring time, Piper could easily milk that and use it to keep his distance from the Hulkster.

Again, I find your basically calling Hogan a stupid oaf ridiculous.

Hulk Hogan isn't stupid. He'd know the rules and abide by them. Piper, on the other hand, is known as a striker. yes, he can do some grappling maybe, but the guy MUCH more of a striker then even Hogan. And to compare Hulk Hogan (the greatest Professional Wrestler of all time) t an ordinary wrestler who would forget the rules is asinine. Again, Hogan has a much better mind for the business then you're giving him credit for. He won't get fooled into a DQ here.

And again, just because he was forced to spend his prime of his career wrestling a somewhat brawling style, doesn't mean that it's his only style. Hogan (as Sly proved) can go on the mat, and against MUCH bigger (both physically and higher on the card) then Piper.

I agree, if this was the blow-off match, Hogan would undoubtedly win. But how often does a blow-off match occur in the middle of a tournament like this one? Or with this type of stipulation? Most of the time when a stipulation like this is used, it is only to give the heel some way of cheating the face out of a victory and is almost never a decisive end to a feud.

Dude, not even close. most of the time, a stipulation is used to give the FACE the upper hand. And a stipulation like this, which puts both superstars out of their element, wouldn't on the surface appear to help either, but again, Hogan is not being given enough credit here, he would EASILY be able to thwart the evil Roddy Piper here.

And I just looked up the career record for Piper vs. Hogan (on the Internet Wrestling Database). Only counting singles and Tag Team (2 on 2) matches, the results were 7 wins for Hogan, 4 for Piper, and 2 of each mans victories were by Disqualification (this spans from the War to Settle the Score (Piper got DQed) all the way to Judgement Day 2003 (Mr. America pinned Piper).

Hogan beat Piper more in real life, Hogan was an EXPONENTIALLY bigger star then Piper, Hogan is more in his element then Piper, and Hogan is Hulk Fucking Hogan, the Greatest Professional Wrestler of All Time. He DOESN'T lose here.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

You really pulled out that card, didn't you?

I generally like to throw in factors that haven't been mentioned, it's usually important that all aspects are accounted for. As I'm backing Roddy, should I just leave it out?

It's not like Hogan has been in hostile crowds and other guys hometowns and won. That's never happened before. Hogan would win this match no matter where and what nationality Piper is.

This isn't a 'hometown' this is a foreign country and one that provides a unique intensity.

Also, heel Hogan went over Piper before in WCW. Guess you forgot to mention that like it matters.

It was 2-1 to Piper in WCW which I guess you forgot to mention and only outside interference from Savage lead to Rowdy having his victory overturned and then Randy provided knucks for Hollywood's extremely tainted 'victory'. That'll really fit in with a pure wrestling bout. Like the 'card' or not - heel Hogan is one outside interference away from being 0 and 3 against face Piper. Oh yeah, and none of these three matches were in Roddy's hometown.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

That's all well and good but Hogan will be the face coming into this match and Piper will be the heel and in the WWF, Hogan always came out on top. Even WCW Hogan would have his 50 members of the nWo helping him out.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

That's all well and good but Hogan will be the face coming into this match and Piper will be the heel and in the WWF, Hogan always came out on top. Even WCW Hogan would have his 50 members of the nWo helping him out.

Why is Hogan the face? SCSA was the face in his feud with Bret Hart except in Canada. Given the dq stips in this match 50 nWo members is a very chancey proposition (and that's on the idea that they wouldn't get thrown out).

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Why is Hogan the face? SCSA was the face in his feud with Bret Hart except in Canada. Given the dq stips in this match 50 nWo members is a very chancey proposition (and that's on the idea that they wouldn't get thrown out).

You can just take a peak at Slyfox's video of Hogan wrestling ANTONIO INOKI in Japan and throw that argument right out the window. Hogan got a pop as big as Inoki, and let's not forget that Hogan is as popular in Canada as he was in the US. Please see Wrestlemania 18 where he outpopped the most popular wrestler on the planet.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Neither one has any clear advantage here. Hogan could work a more pure style of wrestling but he wasn't what you could consider a legendary grappler by any stretch.

Piper was someone that could also use a pure/amateur style, he could do it pretty decently in fact when he chose to. But, for the most part, Piper was a brawler and fighter.

I have a feeling that Hulk Hogan will go over here if for no other reason than he's Hulk Hogan. I'm gonna vote for Piper, however. I could see ol' Bob Orton come down and serve as a distraction for the ref while Piper pulls out a foreign object or brass knucks or something from his knee pad. He lands a punch on Hogan, knocks him loopy and Piper picks up the win.

I can't really blame anyone voting either way though.

 

[Shocky]

I don't get this Hogan owns Piper thing that people seem to believe. This feud is about as even as it gets. If Hulk Hogan is Superman, Roddy Piper is Lex Luthor. These two needed each other to get the WWF going. Without one, the other would have probably succeeded, but not to the success that they ultimately reached. These two made Wrestlemania, and made what we watch today.

I don't recall Hogan ever getting a clean pinfall victory over Piper, (spare me Mr. America). I could be wrong, and I don't doubt it, but the only pinfall victory he has was Superbrawl, and it took the Macho Man interfering to secure a victory. I recall Piper beating Hogan in a cage match, and beating him at Starrcade 96, with a sleeper hold. Yes it was Hollywood Hogan.

Both men have proven they can wrestle an amateur style. This just seems like a match that is a literal coin flip. In a tournament, this would end up in a draw. Both men are hot headed, and I could see this match ending in multiple scenarios. Let's not forget that Hogan isn't a clean baby face. He has a tendency to get caught cheating. Piper is the type of guy to get away with dirty punches, frustrating Hogan, and then Hogan be the one getting caught with a closed fist.

I'm tempted to abstain from voting, because I really can't pick one over the other.