Forgive me for my ignorance, but I've only been here for a little over a year, and I only know the results of last years tournament, but I'd be willing to venture that none of these monsters have ever won the tournament.
Ignorance forgiven. Welcome to your 2nd tournament!
Vader made the final four just 2 years back, and lost by ONE VOTE to Randy Savage in a classic. He has made the final 16 all 3 years. Bigelow always seems to make a decent showing because of his versatility. Andre generally isn't so lucky. This is the first year I am campaigning for Wight, ironically, because of how much I learned about him last year while fighting AGAINST him.
These four guys were at one point in their career or another built as unstoppable monsters. That means somebody was going to stop them.
Sure, but think about it this way - Vader was only ever thoroughly defeated by two men - Flair and Hogan. Yet neither were undefeated against the man from the Rocky Mountains, so that's far from a lock. Vader owned men like Sting and Cactus Jack, and really dominated Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam '96.
Bigelow was never billed as unstoppable. He was always billed as an amazing athlete at over 300 lbs. He was also a 2-time state wrestling champion from Neptune, NJ back in the 70's, so his technical prowess is sound.
Wight was billed as unstoppable, and in 1996, he was. His major effective losses are against men named Goldberg, Lesnar, Nash, Austin, Undertaker, Rock, Benoit, and a handful of others. In terms of staying power, he's right up there with the most longevitous SHW's of all time. And also consider - these matches take place with each wrestler in his PRIME. That means you're getting Wight in 1996. Ouch.
Andre gets a raw deal because of the Wrestlemania 3 and after issues. His work in the 70's and 80's was stellar. He moved like a normal sized man, but was a beast. He was one of the original professionals who used their weight truly as well as he could be expected to. This isn't Gorilla Monsoon we're talking about, it's the damn 8th Wonder of the World.
While all these men are without a doubt some of the most entertaining and greatest wrestlers in history, they all had their foils. They would have it all, often in times thanks to a helpful manager mastermind, and it seemed like nobody would be able to stop them. Unfortunately for the giants, someone always did.
Every wrestler had foils. But the fact is, these 4 men were among the hardest in history to dispatch. As you astutely pointed out, it took 15 years before anyone in Vince's organization did it, and that was Hogan in the most significant match in wrestling history. Just a few years prior, Andre had dominated Hogan in less than 10 minutes at Shea Stadium, and less than a year after WM3, Andre took Hogan's title.
Vader's foils are few are far between. He's as fast and agile as most cruiserweights, as brutal as brawlers such as Hansen, Funk, and Foley, and he was technically sound enough to go move for move with men named Inoki and Fujiwara. In their home countries, mind you. He also defeated the legendary Canek IN MEXICO. Unless you're a wrestling historian, you may not realize the magnitude of that accomplishment.
Wight's foils were self-imposed, mainly issues with his weight staying under control. But who can blame him? He battled the same gigantism Andre did, and life on the road in the WWE can be tough on the body, especially when your 400+ lb frame wears faster than most. But in 1996, he was lean and amazing. He'd hit a drop kick like nobody's business.
Bigelow's foils are harder to pin down. He had agility almost on Vader's level, hitting flying moves and inziguris on a regular basis. Some of his best moments were not wins, but how he'd put over a variety of other men and put the business before himself. He was a consummate professional who really never did get his due.
Point is, these guy's are monsters, and nobody likes a monster without a monster slayer. I believe this is reflected in kayfabe and will be reflected in the voting here in this tournament. The fans want to see the little guy win, and I think the voters participating in this tournament will feel the same way
If logic prevails, Vader wins the competition, Wight makes the final 4 or 8, Bigelow makes the final 8, and Andre the final 16. Unless they meet each other, in which case it is Vader > Wight > Bigelow > Andre.
I predict all of these four competitors will get very far in the tournament, and maybe we'll even see some make it to the final four this year, but I don't think any of them will win.
Beware the mastadon.
pun2003hh said:
So if you are going to support a rather large man, why not pick the largest of them all, Yokozuna.... BANZAI!!!!!!
Last year I did, and this year I still will. I wanted to keep this to 4 guys, so I picked Wight to change it up. In last year's tournament I was Yoko's #1 supporter. He's a legend, and I still say he's in the conversation for greatest heel of all time. I may add him later, but don't worry, I didn't neglect him out of disrespect. Ask around - nobody campaigns for these guys harder than I do.
This year I may also start to campaign for Earthquake and Bill DeMott, though DeMott may not be in this.
