Flair Region, Third Round, Casket Match: (1) Ric Flair vs. (9) Bruno Sammartino

[klunderbunker]

This is a third round match in the Flair Region and it is a Casket match. It will be held at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.

Rules: There is a casket at ringside and the first person to put his opponent inside and close the lid wins.

#1. Ric Flair


Vs.

#9. Bruno Sammartino


​

Polls will be open for four days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster.


Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Neither of these guys have been in a casket match that I am aware of. I know Chavo had one on Smackdown against The Undertaker, but that is the closest a Guerrero has gotten.

So given that the stipulation favors neither man, it has be be Flair. He has a better legacy than Eddie, he was a legit main event player while Eddie was just career upper midcarder who got the call to main event a few times, and Flair was better on the stick. Good match, but Flair wins.

Edit: After careful consideration, KB screwed up and rendered my entire argument useless.

I still stick with Flair winning though. He would be willing to pull any dirty tricks he could to screw Sammartino over.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

The true question here is: who cheats more?

 

[OYDK]

Don't mean to spam but... shouldn't this be Flair/Sammartino? Did I miss something?

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Don't mean to spam but... shouldn't this be Flair/Sammartino? Did I miss something?

It should be. I didn't realize it, but yeah KB messed up. I'll fix it.

 

[nightmare]

Flair.

Why? Because casket matches have shown us that if you are up against a legend who will not die, you bring your friends to get the job done. Bruno is a master, but Flair is the dirtiest player in the game. He will cheat to win here & Bruno wouldnt, giving him a slight disadvantage against Ric.

Bruno keeps trying to put Flair in, but Arn keeps the casket lid from closing. Even if it means jamming his arm under the lid or tipping the motherfucker over. Since he didnt touch Sammartino, he wouldnt cause a disqualification assuming there are because nothing says no DQ here. Regardless, the ref is focused on Anderson, while Flair either uses something from his tights to smack Bruno with or he hits a low blow. Then it is just a matter of them slamming the lid. Flair celebrates by sitting on top of the casket & letting out a victorious "WOOOO!"

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I think I ll give this to Bruno but in a bullshit win. Like wins by DQ or CO. Bruno was great in his territory and Ric made your champion look good without losing his. SO I see a Dusty finish of sorts here.

Bruno advances coz Flair cheats.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Its a casket match, its no DQ, so how could Flair lose if he cheated? If anything his cheating would help him win.

 

[Bernkastel]

I honestly do not see Flair being able to win this match without heavy interference. If this is just a one on one contest then Bruno has this in the bag. Washington, DC was one of the major cities in the Northeast territory and thus Bruno country. The crowd will be solidly behind Bruno and against Flair here.

While I am ultimately fine with either guy winning, I think Bruno was the better of the two. Certainly a bigger drawing card and definitely a more dominant champion. I don't know if Bruno was a better champion overall, but considering the NWA was willing to go out of their way to try and capitalize on his popularity spoke volumes about him. Ric carried the WWE title twice, but seemed more like a transitional champion for Savage and Bret than anything else. Bruno was still treated like a huge deal in kayfabe even in the 80's having wins over Savage and Piper.

Outside of Hogan, no one has been peddled by the WWE promotional machine harder than Flair. And part of that reason is that Flair literally cannot afford to retire at his age. Bruno was back listed by Vince Sr and later had a falling out with Vince Jr, and no one even mentioned Bruno on TV for a number of years. WWE tried to pretend that Bruno did not exist but his fans wouldn't let them. Bruno himself tells stories of how his fan mail flooded the WWE main office every year, and every once and while Vince's lawyers would call Bruno's lawyers to try and get the parties to bury the hatchet. For years it didn't work, but once they reconciled WWE began to tout Bruno as a living, breathing wrestling god made flesh to walk on this earth. As they should have. And for newer fans that don't know much about the guy that has a huge impact.

Considering the stip subjectively doesn't favor any guy, there's no reason to assume that the more popular, better all around, and ultimately more influential wrestler in Bruno would go over.

Vote Bruno.

 

[stingray11214]

Flair versus Bruno in a WHAT?!? WHERE?!? First off, this type match would never have happened. Both Jim Crockett, Sr. and Vincent J. McMahon, Sr. would have fired you on the spot for even DREAMING this. However, someone forgot the memo, and now we have the UNLIKLIEST casket match in history.

First off, this match would have been created after very high-level negotiations between the two legendary promoters. First off, this is in DC. DC was considered "neutral" territory between JCP and WWWF. Many a match was held by the NWA and WWWF in Landover's Cap Center. Since this was going to be in DC, you just needed some convincing. Flair would have gone along with the match. Bruno would have looked at Crockett and McMahon as if they were smoking some bad wacky weed.

This match would have gone on if a lot of concessions were made. Bruno would have asked that some of the other talent received fair wages for the undercard. Bruno would have insisted that the World Straps were NOT up for grabs, which really would have been offered by Crockett anyway, as to protect the NWA Strap from Vince Sr. DC would have been the most logical place for the match because, as I said before, this was considered "neutral" territory. However, you would have carloads of Italian-American factory workers for Western Pennsylvania coming to watch this special match, as well as other ethnics who worshipped Sammartino in the Northeast. You just did not have the same type of appeal for Flair. So, this arena would be about 75-25 for Sammartino.

However, all of that would be for naught if you did not have one thing: You needed Bruno to agree with it. And, he was just not into BS stipulations like this one. Texas Death, Cowbells, Bullropes and Four Corners? Maybe. Casket and Ladders? You kiddin', right?!? So, how do you get Bruno to agree with this? Have Flair put Sammartino over in the Verizon Center in DC. Flair was about the money, as well as "stylin' and profiling!" Crockett and McMahon convinces Flair that their will be a crapload of money to be made if this match is made. Would he have a problem jobbing to Sammartino if it means to make a crap load of money? Flair would have said "Nope, not if the money is there." The match would have been booked. The crowd would have went bonkers when Bruno comes out.

And, the crowd would have left for home happy once Sammartino closes the lid on Ric Flair. Vincent Sr. and Jim Sr. counted money, Flair got paid, the undercard got paid, Sammartino got paid and glory. Everyone is happy.

Bruno for the win.

 

[enviousdominous]

A casket match!? AUGH!

This would be the match of the millennium and these two legends have to finally settle a score that has existed since the mid seventies by trying to stuff the other one into a casket.

I've got to go with Flair on this one. Bruno might really want to win this one for the sake of the tournament, but I don't think he'll come prepared for the rush of outside interference that would likely occur during this match.

Maybe I missed a caveat saying that there can be no outside interference, but come on. Casket matches have always had some kind of interference, and usually the good guy gets whomped by eight bad guys. Maybe if Bruno gets Chuck Norris to guard the entryway he'll have a chance at a fair fight, but this seems like the kind of match stipulation that favors Flair. However; I'm sure that even Ric Flair would be taken back by seeing that this epic encounter will be a test of who can put the other one in a casket.

Vote Flair.

 

[JJYanks121]

The only argument so far FOR Flair is that he'd have outside interference. However, the first two rounds assumed that these people are wrestling as individuals, not members of stables. Thus, Flair is on his own. He may try to eye gauge, but that's about it. He can't put his feet on the ropes, can't get counted out, can't run. It is under these circumstances that Flair has lost and lost A LOT. He would lose here, because that's what top heels do against bigger drawing babyfaces. Please, vote smart and vote Bruno here.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I'm going Flair here.

It's a little hard to get behind the stip for this one. Flair and Sammartino in a casket match? Maybe if we have it in 2016, when one or both of them are likely to die of a heart attack and actually need the damn thing.

So I'm going Flair simply because I think for this one, we wouldn't see the Horseman Flair. We'd see the guy who fought Steamboat. The guy who won the Royal Rumble. The guy that was so good, that it pissed people off even more when he'd cut corners or rely on his friends to help him out... because they'd seen enough to know he didn't need it.

Flair could stand up to Bruno, and I think he could take him in the end.

Plus there's one little known fact here that probably means nothing to most, but I like anyways.

Everyone remembers that one big win Bruno had over a "Nature Boy". That wasn't the only time they fought.

21 other times in fact, Bruno fought the other "Nature Boy". Mostly for the NWA title, but 2 other times for the WWWF title.

The last time was the ONLY time Bruno beat Nature Boy Buddy Rogers. The man Ric Flair patterned his entire gimmick and ring style after, absolutely OWNED Bruno.

Bruno occasionally managed to coax a draw out of Rogers (6 times), but 15 other times the match ended with Bruno on his back, looking up at the victorious Nature Boy. Bruno even lost WWWF title matches to Rogers.

Now Ric Flair... is an improvement over Buddy Rogers in every way. Rogers was the first man to hold both the NWA and WWF titles? Flair was the first to hold them both at least twice!

So if Flair is the new, improved, better Nature Boy... and Sammartino got beat by the inferior version of the Nature Boy every single time except for that one last time...

then vote Flair. He's got this.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Unless Flair brings in every horsemen who has ever existed to help him in this match he's not winning this. Let's be real here what can Flair do to keep Sammartino out cold long enough to log his ass to the casket and throw him in? If it was a submission match or 1 on 1 he could hack away at his leg enough to cause referee stoppage, pull out brass knuckles to get a quick 3 or dip into his bag of tricks but I don't see him knocking out Sammartino and keeping him unconscious long enough to where he could shove him in and shut the lid, I just don't see it happening.

Bruno on the other hand could very easily knock Flair out, casually throw him over his shoulder and win this match. He's freakishly strong, he can go an hour like Flair can and he can take a beating and come back without much issue either. I feel there's just too much against Flair going into this match and as a result I see little reason to vote for him. If it was different stipulations then I could be swayed to go with Flair but in a casket match it's just not happening.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

I was torn on whether to vote for Bruno or Flair coming into this match. In terms of a normal 1v1 match between the pair, I'd probably say that Bruno has Flair's number, but a casket match usually gives the advantage to a heel, particularly if that heel has friends or goons to assist him, which prime Flair most certainly had in the Horsemen.

I've had a weird relationship with Ric Flair. At first, I loved the guy, then I hated the guy and thought he was overrated, and now, I'm at peace with him once more. I definitely respect him as a very talented worker and for his longevity within the business, but he did have a tendency to lose a lot due to his position as a heel. However, Flair was more than capable of winning feuds against many top stars, which is a testament to his position as one of wrestling's best, particularly as a heel, who are at a disadvantage in feud conclusions due to the very nature of wrestling.

Ultimately, I'm still torn. Bruno's definitely a big enough face to put Flair away in a decisive match, but the match gimmick would be one that Flair could manipulate into his favour and escape with the win. The arguments thus far have been relatively balanced for me, as has the voting, so I'm going to abstain for now; but I can be swayed by either party still.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Just leaving my Bruno vote here in case this ends in a tie. The guy went undefeated for 8 years. Flair lost the title at least 16 times. I think this is obvious. Just because Flair's name is on the bracket doesn't mean he stands a lick of a chance.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Based on the stip I was leaving toward Flair. Bruno seems to be the kind of guy who would only compete in straight up regular matches and only fuck in the missionary position.

But that's not fair to Bruno since I've never had sex with him. And remembering David you have to figure Bruno must have been up to some weird shit.

So I deferred to my favorite argument made and MrMojoRisin wins with his Buddy Rogers comparison.

Vote Flair.

 

[Tastycles]

If you add up all the Reigns Flair had as World Champion, they are still less in combined length than the two runs Sammartino had. He didn't have as many title wins, because to do that you have to lose the title. If WCW in the early 90s taught me anything, it's that Ric Flair could take a beating off a newly debuting WWF star and remain over. I don't see how this would be different. Stipulation wise, Ric Flair is probably more likely to win due to the shenanigans prevalent in this type of match, but I don't think it's enough of an advantage.

 

[NSL]

In my mind, the best casket matches always had some sort of surprise, or interference, so I'd say it's fair to say the Horsemen would be involved. That, combined with everything Flair has accomplished and his championships...It gives him the edge. This would be a classic match, and I could see Sammartino being as close as anyone in this situation, but I'll vote for Ric.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

This match is exactly what this whole tournament is about. Fantasy matches that you'd never see with stipulations that would never be booked. Flair and Bruno in a casket match HAHA, insanity.

However, I'm going with The Naitch for the win in this one. We've seen plenty of times in the past that the heel often comes out on top in this type of match due to mass interference helping them to steal the win, and with the backing of The Four Horsemen, Flair would be able to slam the lid of the casket on Sammartino after a prolonged beatdown infront of a furious audience.

Winner: Ric Flair

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Casket match huh? Flair wins.

Have to flip coz I didn't check the stip. The Horsemen come out, Flair cheats like there is no tomorrow and basically all of them stuff Bruno in a casket after pulverizing him with everything they can find.