Phoenix Region, Miami Subregion: Second Round:(4)Ricky Steamboat vs. (13)Dusty Rhodes

[klunderbunker]

The following contest is a second round match in the Phoenix Region.

This match takes place in the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.

#4 Ricky Steamboat

Vs.

#13 Dusty Rhodes

This contest is one fall with a 20 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 is open for four days and all posts must be non-spam.​

 

[Tastycles]

Ricky Steamboat was definitely more interesting to watch, and went old considerably more gracefully. However, his time in the main event was far more insignificant than Rhodes' and he would almost certainly lose a match between them. Steamboat would lose this in style. That being said, I really wouldn't care if Steamboat won this one.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Man oh man if this match would have ever happened back in the 80's. Talk about someone being carried to a great match. Steamboat is a top 10 greatest wrestler of all time, folks. That may be pushing it in some people's eyes... but the fact is, Steamboat has beaten some of the greatest wrestlers ever to step in the squared circle.

Savage and Flair. At their peak. That's all you need to say. Dusty in his prime would give Steamboat trouble by being big and simply pounding on Steamboat for a few minutes, but Rhodes would be worn out... and Steamboat would hit a high cross body at about the 19 minute mark to win this thing and advance.

Steamboat wins.

 

[JGlass]

Both of these men have accomplished much. Both of them beat Ric Flair during his prime, both have held extremely prestigious titles, and both have had legendary feuds, and both have had absolutely amazing matches. However, Ricky Steamboat did something that Rhodes didn't, and that was put on one of the all time best matches. While Rhodes put on his fair share of beauties, it was Steamboat vs. Savage at Wrestlemania 3 that has inspired wrestlers to this day with it's beauty, emotion, and storytelling.

This should be an extremely tight match, both men had all the tools they needed to be great and they were great. However, in the end, I give this one to Steamboat.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I thought of Steamboat as the winner immediately. I asked didn't ask myself if I could see Ricky getting by Dusty Rhodes, I asked myself if I could see Rhodes getting by Steamboat. I just can't. I see this being one of the better matches of the tournament so far. Back and forth, filled with each other's signature moves and impact moves. Eventually though, I see Steamboat getting a roll up or Sunset Flip or another quick pin maneuver and getting the 3 count over Rhodes.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I'm going with Dusty here. Just because he was out of shape looking, does not mean he had no stamina.

Dusty Rhodes has been a numerous time NWA Heavyweight Champion, and was a one-man fanfest. The guy had a huge following, and that reason alone was why he even got his spot in the WWF - when everyone else looked built and huge, with Dusty looking "fat and out of place".

Steamboat has had huge matches with Flair, Savage and Rude - he's even got amazing stamina and has competed in original Iron Man match-ups. Thankfully, the longer the wrestler can go doesn't indicate the true winner here. The match is 20 minutes.

Rhodes power will overcome Steamboat's high flying, to me. Someone mentioned Steamboat could have a difficult beginning with Rhodes pounding on him, but then said he'd wear down. The match is 20 minutes - at most. No overtime, nothing longer. Rhodes won't tire down in 20 minutes, so the pounding won't slow down, either.

 

[D-Man]

Classic WZ Tournament matchup... this might be one of the best matches of the tourney.

I'm sure that everyone is going to have their unique ways for voting on this matchup. Some will weight in-ring talent vs. charisma. Some will go by who they like more. Some will go by who they know more about. But I've always believed that the matchups in this tournament should be weighed by all of the factors that make a pro-wrestler great. Therefore, I'm personally going to break down these factors and make decisions based on them. Whoever takes more of the categories wins.

Overall Appearence
Edge: Ricky Steamboat
Do I even need to explain? I love Dusty Rhodes and all but if there was ever a man who had a great babyface look in the business, it's Ricky Steamboat.

Charisma
Edge: Dusty Rhodes
Although Steamboat was a sweetheart in and out of the ring, I don't think that many men were more versatile with charisma than Dusty. Think about this: Steamboat already had the look and athleticism of a great pro-wrestler. He didn't need to talk in order to verbalize that. However, Dusty was fat and looked out of shape (even though he wasn't) and needed to use his personality and words to win the people over. Not only did he do that, but it won him multiple world championships.

In-Ring Skill
Edge: Ricky Steamboat
It's been well-documented that Steamboat is one of the greatest in-ring workers of all time. Although Rhodes was fantastic for a man of his build, Steamboat was poetry in the ring. And every DVD you'll ever see on him has other wrestlers praising him for the work he did.

Resume
Edge: EVEN
How can I choose one man to take this category? Not only have both of them won multiple championships (including world championships in major promotions) and defeated legends in their heydays (they've both beaten men like Ric Flair & Harley Race,) they've both been recognized by multiple publications for the matches they've put on. This is like choosing between my kids... if I had any (that I know of.)

Classic Moments
Edge: Dusty
I'm throwing in this category because I think it's very important in our decision-making. Many posters on this site vote based on memories they have of each wrestler and the things that made them "stand out" in their careers. But it's the defining moments that helped them excel in our minds as great wrestlers. That's how everyone remembers both of these men. Steamboat had classic matches but and Dusty had classic matches AND moments. His interviews, his in-ring charisma, his mannerisms, his famous lisp... this man sticks to the end of our tongues when we think of entertainment in wrestling. And he's had WARS in the ring that kept him ahead of the game, just hairs above Ricky Steamboat.

By my count, that's 3-3. This sucks. Somebody help me, PLEASE. If there is a category I've accidentally left out then someone point it out to me so I can come up with a decision. Otherwise, I'm abstaining from voting here.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

On the surface, I don't think that this match would be quite as cut & dry as some might think.

Dusty Rhodes is a legend and an all time great. He may not have had a great look or a great body, but the man's resume speaks for itself. The man had over 60 different reigns with various NWA championships over the course of his career including 3 as NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The man was a star everywhere he went whether it be Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tampa, Charlotte or New York.

Ricky Steamboat is one of the greatest in-ring performers in the history of professional wrestling. The man was a great athlete with all the physical tools, he could outwrestle just about anyone on the mat, could employ high energy & high risk offense and was just as smooth as a prom queen's thighs with whatever he did in the ring. Steamboat's star shone the brightest in the Mid-Atlantic area, later WCW, and he's someone that could literally have an entertaining match with a broomstick.

From a charismatic pov, Dusty is all over Steamboat. Let's face it, Steamboat could be pretty dry on the mic and in terms of personality. From an in-ring pov, Steamboat could do things that Dusty could only dream of and Steamboat was so good in the ring that he didn't really even have to be charismatic. He got over on his ability in the ring alone. From a physical pov, Steamboat is overall far superior. Even though he didn't look it, however, Dusty Rhodes had tons of stamina and could keep up with just about anybody.

In the end, I think I might just have to go with who I simply like the most. It wouldn't surprise me to see Dusty Rhodes go over here but I have to go with Steamboat. If this was some sort of street fight or brawl, I'd give it to Dusty because he'd just be all over Steamboat in that respect. I just think that Steamboat's overall superior conditioning and skill would wear down the big bull o' the woods.

 

[X]

Glad to see Steamboat running away with the vote here. No offense to Dusty, who is a legend in his own right, but he's not on Ricky's level. Ricky has to be one of the greatest babyface wrestlers EVER in that he knew how to get the crowd behind him and show off his crazy fighting spirit. The only other worker the WWE had at the time who came close to him was Tito Santana, and I haven't even touched on his legendary feud with Flair in WCW.

Sorry Dusty, the Dragon wins here handily.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Classic WZ Tournament matchup... this might be one of the best matches of the tourney.

I'm sure that everyone is going to have their unique ways for voting on this matchup. Some will weight in-ring talent vs. charisma. Some will go by who they like more. Some will go by who they know more about. But I've always believed that the matchups in this tournament should be weighed by all of the factors that make a pro-wrestler great. Therefore, I'm personally going to break down these factors and make decisions based on them. Whoever takes more of the categories wins.

Overall Appearence
Edge: Ricky Steamboat
Do I even need to explain? I love Dusty Rhodes and all but if there was ever a man who had a great babyface look in the business, it's Ricky Steamboat.

Charisma
Edge: Dusty Rhodes
Although Steamboat was a sweetheart in and out of the ring, I don't think that many men were more versatile with charisma than Dusty. Think about this: Steamboat already had the look and athleticism of a great pro-wrestler. He didn't need to talk in order to verbalize that. However, Dusty was fat and looked out of shape (even though he wasn't) and needed to use his personality and words to win the people over. Not only did he do that, but it won him multiple world championships.

In-Ring Skill
Edge: Ricky Steamboat
It's been well-documented that Steamboat is one of the greatest in-ring workers of all time. Although Rhodes was fantastic for a man of his build, Steamboat was poetry in the ring. And every DVD you'll ever see on him has other wrestlers praising him for the work he did.

Resume
Edge: EVEN
How can I choose one man to take this category? Not only have both of them won multiple championships (including world championships in major promotions) and defeated legends in their heydays (they've both beaten men like Ric Flair & Harley Race,) they've both been recognized by multiple publications for the matches they've put on. This is like choosing between my kids... if I had any (that I know of.)

Classic Moments
Edge: Dusty
I'm throwing in this category because I think it's very important in our decision-making. Many posters on this site vote based on memories they have of each wrestler and the things that made them "stand out" in their careers. But it's the defining moments that helped them excel in our minds as great wrestlers. That's how everyone remembers both of these men. Steamboat had classic matches but and Dusty had classic matches AND moments. His interviews, his in-ring charisma, his mannerisms, his famous lisp... this man sticks to the end of our tongues when we think of entertainment in wrestling. And he's had WARS in the ring that kept him ahead of the game, just hairs above Ricky Steamboat.

By my count, that's 3-3. This sucks. Somebody help me, PLEASE. If there is a category I've accidentally left out then someone point it out to me so I can come up with a decision. Otherwise, I'm abstaining from voting here.

On... Head... The... Nail... You've... Hit... The... (arrange into logical statement).

This one has had me rubbing my temples and I've ran through strengths and weaknesses as well.

In the end I've gone with a controversial topic in IWC circles - Push

A large part of Ricky's career was mid card, tag belts and lower singles titles - a smaller amount in the World scene.

Dusty was constantly going with Race, Flair, Terry Funk and 'Superstar' Billy Graham of the time up to when he started booking, when he dropped out of the ME scene.

As such, while there was periods over 'The Dragon's' career were he'd be pushing Dusty, there is a greater period were 'The American Dream' would go over.


Very tight call but with D-Man providing some bullets, I'm going with 'the Natural' & 'Dashing's' dad.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I can't do it. No matter how hard I try to be objective, I just can't side with Dusty Rhodes. Sure he may have the better career overall, but good Lord he has ruined so many matches for me with his ungodly commentary in WCW.

I hate Dusty, but I love Steamboat. That's pretty much my entire basis here and I'm not going to try to justify it with any other reason than Dusty sucking so horribly on the mic.

Fuck you, Dusty.

 

[ABMorales787]

I'm gonna go with The Dragon. I might sound a little off balance, but to me Dusty was a bigger face for the NWA. He was consistantly in the main event picture with Race, Flair and others. But not the same with Ricky. He was always on a different place in the card. In 1987 he was in the WWE wrestling for the IC title in one of the greatest matches ever. In 1989 he feuded with Ric Flair and won his only World title. By '91 he was in makeshift tag teams as well as feuding for the U.S. title. But Dusty was consitant in his main event stint and became a 3 time champ.

By now you gotta wonder just how the hell I'd vote for Steamboat if I'm praising Dusty and making Steamboat seem like the smaller star. Well that's the point. In most occasions, major face vs slightly less major face tends to lead to the slightly less major face winning. Hogan to Warrior, Hogan to Rock, Bret to Michaels, in more cases than not, it happens. And if you add how both character were booked, it's most probable that Steamboat would win. What would Dusty lose from getting beat by Steamboat? Nothing. His character was the kind of talker who could bounce back from anything. But in Steamboat's case, he'd just fall into another place on the card. Plus Steamboat can put on consistent matches even in his freakin' mid-fifty's.

As so, vote Steamboat. You wish you had a grampa who could put 5 star wrestling matches in his old age.