Int'l Region, Las Vegas Subregion, First Round: (13) Great Muta vs. (20) Pat O'Connor

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the International Region, Las Vegas Subregion. It is a standard one on one match held under International Rules. It will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

#13. The Great Muta

Vs.

#20. Pat O'Connor

​

Polls will be open for three 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.

 

[Tastycles]

Pat O'Connor is frequently neglected by our posters, scoring less than some of the similar wrestlers. Perhaps it's that he comes from a different background and nationality thus he doesn't have many if any strong advocates. Muta is an innovator and I'm sure I'll end up voting for him in the next round, but I want to show some support for this guy.

 

[Bernkastel]

I'm leaning towards O' Connor. He was Dick Hutton's replacement as NWA champion following his less than stellar "box office" performance, and quickly proved to be far more charismatic and popular with the fans. He was comparable to both Thesz and Gagne in skills, drawing power, and marketability. He carried the NWA for nearly 3 years. He didn't have Muta's longevity but at his peak he was far more popular than Muta was. By the time Muta won the NWA belt it was no longer the prestigious title it had been when O'Connor carried it. When Misawa deflected from AJPW and created NOAH, Muta was chosen as AJPW's new top superstar, but he could not compete with the powerhouse NOAH had become and AJPW lost lots of money.

Charisma and in ring skills seem to be equal for both men, so it probably comes down to preference. I've watched more Muta matches than O'Connor matches, and I personally like his style more. But I'm not stupid to dismiss the fan base O'Connor obviously built with his abilities and presence.

As for legacy, Muta still remains one of Japan's most well known and was successful stars internationally, but not to the level's of Inoki. O'Connor on the other hand restored the prestige of the NWA belt after poor performances from Hutton, and strengthened the ties and good faith among members after the Eddie Quinn fallout which lead to Carpentier and others getting fucked over and the eventual creation of Gagne's AWA.

I'm voting O'Connor. Heavily influenced by his consistent popularity over Muta's.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

My opinion on this match is unashamedly skewered. Muta is my favorite Japanese star of all time.

He's the closest Japanese star to being a complete professional wrestler that I've ever seen, contributing as much to performing in the ring as he did to his character, his mystique, his look, and every other facet of being a wrestler.

He's displayed his worth by working with the biggest overseas stars through his career and now creating anchored ties with his Wrestle-1 promotion similar to how NJPW is doing. He's something of a visionary.

Evidently, in the mind of those deciding on this tie, he's a more iconic figure also. He wins for me.

 

[Bernkastel]

My opinion on this match is unashamedly skewered. Muta is my favorite Japanese star of all time.

He's the closest Japanese star to being a complete professional wrestler that I've ever seen, contributing as much to performing in the ring as he did to his character, his mystique, his look, and every other facet of being a wrestler.

He's displayed his worth by working with the biggest overseas stars through his career and now creating anchored ties with his Wrestle-1 promotion similar to how NJPW is doing. He's something of a visionary.

Evidently, in the mind of those deciding on this tie, he's a more iconic figure also. He wins for me.

This is also a purely subjective argument that could easily be tied to O'Connor. Except none of us were alive to have seen him on TV. I remember watching Muta on TV when I was a child. I didn't think much of him until years later after watching his main stuff - that I wasn't old enough to see and wasn't available to me at the time. After watching what is available to me on O'Connor my opinions of him have changed too.

There's no aspect or facet of wrestling that isn't totally subjective that Muta was superior to O'Connor.

Drawing power - O'Connor was better. Longevity - O'Connor was better. Consistency - O'Connor was better. Ability and charisma are subjective, but based on the fact that O'Connor was better in those other categories shouldn't he be considered inherently more skilled and charismatic than Muta?

I like Kane more than Rock, but I can't objectively say that Kane was more skilled in the ring or more charismatic, because Rock was a bigger draw and was more consistent as a top star. Meaning whatever Rock did had to have worked better than whatever Kane did.

if the match is close O'Connor should win.

 

[jmt225]

Great Muta is one of the greatest wrestlers ever in my book.

Like Liger, he's one of the very few Japanese guys to come to America and succeed on his own. What Muta did was unbelievable. He came over here with no hype, no name... nothing. And what did he do? Become one of the top heels in NWA/WCW and then go back to Japan with the character he created here and take over.

Muta's character is one of the best to ever grace a wrestling ring. And on top of that, he's had some unbelievably great matches, some of the greatest matches ever, in fact.

Pat O'Connor... I really know nothing about him. I've heard his name before, sure, but nothing stands out about him. I just looked at his Wiki page and all I'm seeing is text that holds no real impact or impressiveness. I don't see any reason to consider voting for him over a guy like The Great Muta.