Quarter Finals: Sting vs. Shawn Michaels

[klunderbunker]

This is a Quarter Final match in the Wrestlezone Tournament.

This match has standard rules and a 45 minute time limit. All matches from this point forward take place in a single night which is one week after the previous round.

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona

Sting

Vs.

Shawn Michaels

​

Voting is open for 5 days.

 

[Ferbian]

I'm definitely not liking this match up, these guys could very well both win it, Sting is a very tough competitor for Shawn to meet, which really annoys me seeing as I'd love more than nothing but to see Shawn pass through this one.

Sting and Shawn has both accomplished a lot in the business, they're both considered to be icons of the business, they've had long careers, held their share of championships, while Sting's amount exceeds Shawn's by lengths, it doesn't make Shawn any less of a opponent to be aware of.

I think this match could be very back and forth, and I'm really not sure who I think would or could win this match, cause I can see both coming out on the winning side.

So, I'm gonna vote for Shawn, purely because of my preferences, not because I don't see Sting winning against Shawn, but because I don't know which one would win, but ultimately I would rather vote Shawn through than Sting.

 

[Nate DaMac]

This is the toughest match of the tourney for me. Both have similar to equal relevance to their respective companies as far as historical purposes are concerned, and frankly, their 2 of my all time favorites. I just don't know. They don't have a lot of mutual (relevant) opponents to base any argument off of. I mean, they both faced an out of his prime Hogan, He was much further out of his prime when Shawn faced him, and Shawn lost. Could be a valid point. But that's pretty much all that comes to mind at the moment. Once again, people are going to have to sway me. I'm leaning toward Shawn right now( at least he knew when it was time to quit) but anything can happen. Make it good.

 

[Schoolboy-Chris]

This is a dream match for many wrestling fans, and I count it as a great shame that we never got to see these two competitors compete in their primes. They have both been a huge inspiration to both fans and their peers over their long careers, and I have no doubt that many people in the business today are there because of these two legends. In this match however, only one can come out on top, and for this I am going to pick HBK.

The usual tactic of Shawn Michaels is to take a beating and then come back for the attempted win, and Sting is a man who would be more than happy to give that beating. However, Stings tactics very often involve his bat, and a sneak attack from a location such as the rafters. This is a standard rules match, and there aren’t exactly many hiding places inside a wrestling ring. This will force these two to go head to head and see who is more resilient and who is the better competitor, and I would consider this to be Shawn.

Stings main finishing maneuvers are the Scorpion Death Drop (Inverted DDT) and the Scorpion Death Lock (Sharpshooter), Shawn’s main finisher is Sweet Chin Music (Super kick). Over Shawn’s career he has become very familiar with the SDL, to the extent that he has often been able to counter it, and even applied it himself upon occasion. I do not think that Sting would be able to beat HBK by submission, considering how resilient Shawn has proven himself to be against the move in the past, most significantly against Bret Hart, who many consider to be the master of the move. As for the Scorpion Death Drop, I do not consider this to be an impressive finisher, as I think sting would be better served using a move that has more finality and does not seem so much of a mid match move. SCM is superior to both of these finishers in my opinion, as HBK mastered it over his career, and to me it has always had the feel of a match ending move when he hits it. Shawn would move on here, as a SDD would not put him out for the count, but SCM would lay out Sting.

The 45 minute time limit would not present much of a problem to either of these men in their prime, so this is not too much of an issue for me. The standard match stipulation would benefit the better competitor, who as I have stated I consider to be Shawn. This is because, while there have been better pure athletes in professional wrestling, I do not consider anyone to have mastered the nuances and become as adept in the ring as HBK. He proved his doubters wrong again and again when they said that he could not win a match or deliver a show stealing performance, and this would be another case of him being vindicated. Sting can brawl, and Sting can wrestle, but in a standard match with DQ’s and time limits as obstacles, there are very few people who could outmatch HBK without bringing in help or cheating in some capacity. Sting is a big part of wrestling history and deserves to have gotten far in the tournament, but I do not think he deserves to make it past Shawn in this round. HBK has recently retired and so we can look back at his career with fondness in its entirety. Sting has not retired and is delivering average matches, which I feel will only damage his legacy if he continues it much longer. Shawn Michaels to win here, because he deserves it.

 

[HBK-aholic]

The best to never have worked for McMahon vs. The best to ever work for McMahon.

Tough match up here. Sting is a fantastic competitor to Shawn and this is quite possibly the most common of all 'dream matches'. Sting is a great wrestler, has had some great matches and has a great career. However, Shawn is a better wrestler, has had some better matches, and has had a better career.

The icon, The Showstopper, Mr. Wrestlemania - is there anything stopping Shawn winning here? I mean, I see Sting currently in the lead on this match-up, but no one posting why that's true. This tournament is to crown the best wrestler of all time, and that title belongs to Shawn. His matches are brilliant, his execution of moves flawless. He's defeated most of the major stars, retiring the fantastic Ric Flair. He's had matches with people of all styles and matched up to them, from high flying ladder matches to street fights. Never has a wrestler been as versatile and entertaining at the same time. This would be a dream, hard fought match. But at the end of the day, anything Sting can do, Shawn can do better.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

This is a dream match for many wrestling fans, and I count it as a great shame that we never got to see these two competitors compete in their primes. They have both been a huge inspiration to both fans and their peers over their long careers, and I have no doubt that many people in the business today are there because of these two legends. In this match however, only one can come out on top, and for this I am going to pick HBK.

The usual tactic of Shawn Michaels is to take a beating and then come back for the attempted win, and Sting is a man who would be more than happy to give that beating. However, Stings tactics very often involve his bat, and a sneak attack from a location such as the rafters. This is a standard rules match, and there aren’t exactly many hiding places inside a wrestling ring. This will force these two to go head to head and see who is more resilient and who is the better competitor, and I would consider this to be Shawn.

Stings main finishing maneuvers are the Scorpion Death Drop (Inverted DDT) and the Scorpion Death Lock (Sharpshooter), Shawn’s main finisher is Sweet Chin Music (Super kick). Over Shawn’s career he has become very familiar with the SDL, to the extent that he has often been able to counter it, and even applied it himself upon occasion. I do not think that Sting would be able to beat HBK by submission, considering how resilient Shawn has proven himself to be against the move in the past, most significantly against Bret Hart, who many consider to be the master of the move. As for the Scorpion Death Drop, I do not consider this to be an impressive finisher, as I think sting would be better served using a move that has more finality and does not seem so much of a mid match move. SCM is superior to both of these finishers in my opinion, as HBK mastered it over his career, and to me it has always had the feel of a match ending move when he hits it. Shawn would move on here, as a SDD would not put him out for the count, but SCM would lay out Sting.

The 45 minute time limit would not present much of a problem to either of these men in their prime, so this is not too much of an issue for me. The standard match stipulation would benefit the better competitor, who as I have stated I consider to be Shawn. This is because, while there have been better pure athletes in professional wrestling, I do not consider anyone to have mastered the nuances and become as adept in the ring as HBK. He proved his doubters wrong again and again when they said that he could not win a match or deliver a show stealing performance, and this would be another case of him being vindicated. Sting can brawl, and Sting can wrestle, but in a standard match with DQ’s and time limits as obstacles, there are very few people who could outmatch HBK without bringing in help or cheating in some capacity. Sting is a big part of wrestling history and deserves to have gotten far in the tournament, but I do not think he deserves to make it past Shawn in this round. HBK has recently retired and so we can look back at his career with fondness in its entirety. Sting has not retired and is delivering average matches, which I feel will only damage his legacy if he continues it much longer. Shawn Michaels to win here, because he deserves it.

How would those tactics be considered a negative towards Sting? If the referee gets knocked down, Sting can use his bat but I believe he wouldn't need it. Shawn may have become familiar with the SDL but he tapped out from the Sharpshooter in 2004 so that's not a ringing endorsement. The last two big matches were against the Undertaker and what happened when he used SCM? The Undertaker kicked out. How about at WM 21? HBK couldn't capitalize and made a dumb mistake and tapped out to the Ankle Lock as a result. Even without Sting's stint in TNA, I believe he has had a overall better career than HBK and will win this match.

 

[Jsaturn14]

If anyone were to look in the dictionary under "Dream Match-up" this should be the photo example next to the definition. This is the epitome of a dream match-up. These two have been wrestling for basically the same amount of time, they are both extremely similar in their styles, and they were both one of, if not THE, faces of their respective companies during the Monday Night War. This is a match that I have personally been looking forward too since this tournament began. I can definitely see this match being decided by a single vote.

With all that said, I have to vote for my man HBK. Now of course, part of this has to do with HBK being my favorite wrestler of all time, but part of it has to do with reason as well.

1: As Chris as pointed out, one of Sting's finishers is very very weak (Scorpion Death Drop) and the other is one that HBK has seen, mastered, countered, and defeated before (Scorpion Death Lock). How exactly is Sting supposed to beat HBK with those two items as his finishers? On the other hand, you have Sweet Chin Music by HBK, one of the most devastating finishers ever. This thing can come out of nowhere, at any time, and it has put down some of the best this business has seen. HBK gets the advantage here.

2: I actually think longevity does have a factor in this argument in particular. As I have already said, these two guys have been wrestling pretty much the same style for pretty much the same amount of time, and yet.....While throughout this decade HBK was putting on a wrestling clinic, and wrestling match of the year matches for the past 6 years in particular, what has Sting been doing? Can someone name me one great, all time classic, match Sting has had this decade? I honestly don't know if he has had one, and yet HBK has had several. HBK has shown that his body is better conditioned than Sting's. Not only that, but HBK has proven to be a much harder worker than Sting could ever wish to be.

3. You wanna talk about taking some pain and punishment? Sure, Sting can dish out some pain, and he can take it as well, but anything Sting can take, HBK can take more of it. HBK is a guy who has wrestled in ladder matches, elimination chambers, Hell in a Cells, and Street Fights. Not only that, but HBK has proven to be one of the most resilient people to ever step foot into the ring, even when absolutely covered in his own blood. Forget all that though, how about the simple fact that at Wrestlemania 14, HBK wrestled against one of the toughest people this business has ever seen with a Legit Back Injury. Sure HBK lost the match, but the sheer fact that HBK was able to get into the ring and deliver a 4-5 star match even with a broken back just goes to show how tough HBK really is.

It is real simple everyone: Anything Sting can do, HBK can do that much better. Vote HBK.

 

[Schoolboy-Chris]

How would those tactics be considered a negative towards Sting? If the referee gets knocked down, Sting can use his bat but I believe he wouldn't need it. Shawn may have become familiar with the SDL but he tapped out from the Sharpshooter in 2004 so that's not a ringing endorsement. The last two big matches were against the Undertaker and what happened when he used SCM? The Undertaker kicked out. How about at WM 21? HBK couldn't capitalize and made a dumb mistake and tapped out to the Ankle Lock as a result. Even without Sting's stint in TNA, I believe he has had a overall better career than HBK and will win this match.

The referee getting knocked out is something that would benefit both competitors if that happened, HBK has shown himself willing to use a low blow or other nefarious means to score a win over his career. Shawn being familiar with the SDL does not mean that he is immune to it, simply that Sting would have a lot more difficulty applying it to him and making him submit than he did to many of his other opponents. HBK not being able to defeat the Undertaker at WM does not discredit the move in my opinion, considering he withstood so many other finishing moves at this event over the years, I think SCM is hardly unique in failing to put him down. And furthermore, if Sting had ever met Undertaker at WM, I think he would have had far less success while using a less than devastating finisher such as the Scorpion Death Drop.

Shawn lost to Angle at WM but beat him at Backlash, he became familiar with the Ankle Lock just as he is with the Sharpshooter. Kurt Angle has also beaten Sting in his time, so I think that point is null and void because of that. I stated in my first post that it comes down to opinion, and you say yours is that Sting has had a better career. I think HBK had a better overall career, and this is why I voted for him.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

If anyone were to look in the dictionary under "Dream Match-up" this should be the photo example next to the definition. This is the epitome of a dream match-up. These two have been wrestling for basically the same amount of time, they are both extremely similar in their styles, and they were both one of, if not THE, faces of their respective companies during the Monday Night War. This is a match that I have personally been looking forward too since this tournament began. I can definitely see this match being decided by a single vote.

With all that said, I have to vote for my man HBK. Now of course, part of this has to do with HBK being my favorite wrestler of all time, but part of it has to do with reason as well.

1: As Chris as pointed out, one of Sting's finishers is very very weak (Scorpion Death Drop) and the other is one that HBK has seen, mastered, countered, and defeated before (Scorpion Death Lock). How exactly is Sting supposed to beat HBK with those two items as his finishers? On the other hand, you have Sweet Chin Music by HBK, one of the most devastating finishers ever. This thing can come out of nowhere, at any time, and it has put down some of the best this business has seen. HBK gets the advantage here.

The same way HHH, Angle, Undertaker, Cena, Orton, Jericho, Batista, Benoit, and Hogan have beaten him.

2: I actually think longevity does have a factor in this argument in particular. As I have already said, these two guys have been wrestling pretty much the same style for pretty much the same amount of time, and yet.....While throughout this decade HBK was putting on a wrestling clinic, and wrestling match of the year matches for the past 6 years in particular, what has Sting been doing? Can someone name me one great, all time classic, match Sting has had this decade? I honestly don't know if he has had one, and yet HBK has had several. HBK has shown that his body is better conditioned than Sting's. Not only that, but HBK has proven to be a much harder worker than Sting could ever wish to be.

I could go through HBK's past in detail about forfeiting titles and not wanting to face people since it encompasses his whole career but I'm not that petty. I would think Sting has a well conditioned body as well. Those four years must have been rough on HBK.

3. You wanna talk about taking some pain and punishment? Sure, Sting can dish out some pain, and he can take it as well, but anything Sting can take, HBK can take more of it. HBK is a guy who has wrestled in ladder matches, elimination chambers, Hell in a Cells, and Street Fights. Not only that, but HBK has proven to be one of the most resilient people to ever step foot into the ring, even when absolutely covered in his own blood. Forget all that though, how about the simple fact that at Wrestlemania 14, HBK wrestled against one of the toughest people this business has ever seen with a Legit Back Injury. Sure HBK lost the match, but the sheer fact that HBK was able to get into the ring and deliver a 4-5 star match even with a broken back just goes to show how tough HBK really is.

It is real simple everyone: Anything Sting can do, HBK can do that much better. Vote HBK.

Sting has competed in Falls Count Anywhere, Steel Cage, Ladder, and Strap matches. We're not comparing gimmick matches aren't we?

 

[Jsaturn14]

The same way HHH, Angle, Undertaker, Cena, Orton, Jericho, Batista, Benoit, and Hogan have beaten him.

The one name on that list that HBK hasn't beaten is Hogan, and we all know why HBK wasn't given the chance to beat him. How does naming off this list of guys prove that Sting can effectively use the Scorpion Death Lock against HBK though? How does it prove that Sting can beat him at all? If my memory serves me right all the guys on your list beat HBK using their finishers...so....what does that prove? Sting doesn't have an effective finisher against HBK. How is he supposed to beat him? How is he supposed to survive Sweet Chin Music?

I could go through HBK's past in detail about forfeiting titles and not wanting to face people since it encompasses his whole career but I'm not that petty. I would think Sting has a well conditioned body as well. Those four years must have been rough on HBK.

Your right you could indeed go into how HBK was a complete ******** in the past who made some extremely selfish moves, but how does that prove that HBK isn't a hard worker, or that HBK isn't well-conditioned when in the ring? Outside the ropes HBK was a complete douchebag from about 1993-1998, but when he got inside that ring HBK was practically untouchable, and he delivered a 4-5 star match night in and night out. Second off, you can think that Sting has a well-conditioned body all you want, just like I can think that the moon is made of blue cheese, but thinking isn't exactly fact is it? What has Sting done over the last 8 years or so to prove that he is still just as hard of a worker, or that he is just as well conditioned as he was 20 years ago? Now granted, perhaps that argument has no place here in a tournament with everyone wrestling in their prime, and that is a perfectly legit stand to take, but my point is just that I see what has happened in these two men's careers over the last eight years as proving that HBK is simply a harder worker and better conditioned than Sting.

Sting has competed in Falls Count Anywhere, Steel Cage, Ladder, and Strap matches. We're not comparing gimmick matches aren't we?

Your right, we aren't comparing Gimmick Matches, we are comparing how tough, and how resilient each men are. I simply see HBK as being tougher, and being able to take more punishment than Sting. HBK wrestled a 4-5 star match with a legit broken back. Is there anything in Sting's past that can match this level of toughness?

 

[Hulkamaniac]

This is Sting's match. TERRIBLE match up for Shawn (but then, so was Savage, but I digress). In their primes, Sting could do everything Shawn could do, and do it harder, as he's the MUCH stronger man. But Sting was just as quick, could fly from the top rope (and did so more effectively), could use higher impact moves then Shawn, and could take UNGODLY amounts of punishment (check out his matches with Vader).

Historically, both guys are similar. When given the keys to the Cadillac, neither guy ended up being to carry the company, although at least Sting was falling short of Ric Flair's standard, whereas HBK was falling short of Bret Hart's, and let's just say Hart isn't thought of a big drawing champ.

I also give big bonus to Sting for being a guy who has become as well-recognized a name in wrestling circles as almost anyone during his era without ever having the McMahon Marketing Machine behind him, from a historical perspective.

Sting wins. Vote for the Stinger.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

The one name on that list that HBK hasn't beaten is Hogan, and we all know why HBK wasn't given the chance to beat him. How does naming off this list of guys prove that Sting can effectively use the Scorpion Death Lock against HBK though? How does it prove that Sting can beat him at all? If my memory serves me right all the guys on your list beat HBK using their finishers...so....what does that prove? Sting doesn't have an effective finisher against HBK. How is he supposed to beat him? How is he supposed to survive Sweet Chin Music?

Sting has beaten Jarrett, Angle, Hogan, and Flair at one point or another with his finishers so why wouldn't it be effective against HBK. Sting has beaten Hogan more times than anyone else. What makes Sting's finisher less effective exactly?

Your right you could indeed go into how HBK was a complete ******** in the past who made some extremely selfish moves, but how does that prove that HBK isn't a hard worker, or that HBK isn't well-conditioned when in the ring? Outside the ropes HBK was a complete douchebag from about 1993-1998, but when he got inside that ring HBK was practically untouchable, and he delivered a 4-5 star match night in and night out. Second off, you can think that Sting has a well-conditioned body all you want, just like I can think that the moon is made of blue cheese, but thinking isn't exactly fact is it? What has Sting done over the last 8 years or so to prove that he is still just as hard of a worker, or that he is just as well conditioned as he was 20 years ago? Now granted, perhaps that argument has no place here in a tournament with everyone wrestling in their prime, and that is a perfectly legit stand to take, but my point is just that I see what has happened in these two men's careers over the last eight years as proving that HBK is simply a harder worker and better conditioned than Sting.

HBK only wrestles about nine or ten matches a year since 2008. I'm sure Sting has worked plenty of matches over the last eight years as HBK.

Your right, we aren't comparing Gimmick Matches, we are comparing how tough, and how resilient each men are. I simply see HBK as being tougher, and being able to take more punishment than Sting. HBK wrestled a 4-5 star match with a legit broken back. Is there anything in Sting's past that can match this level of toughness?

HBK feared an ass-kicking from the Undertaker or else he wouldn't have dropped that belt into Austin. I'm sure Sting's matches with Vader in his prime prove that Sting could take as much punishment as HBK. I never seen Sting back down from a challenge.

 

[thepalaceprince]

Two great performers Id call this match even and when I think a match is even I vote by personal preferance so Im going with one of my favorite wrestlers and a man that I consider to be the best all around wrestler ever shawn michaels. Ultimately either man could win I would feel dumb trying to make an argument as to why ones better then the other so as I said Im going strictly by preferance

 

[Tastycles]

Sting. Michaels, as I have shown previously, just doesn't cut the mustard when he is up against the biggest and best in the business, whereas Sting does. I don't doubt that Michaels would be capable of pulling off a great match, but lets be honest, the list of all time greats that he has a winning record over is as long as a porn star's pubes.

Sting on the other hand has had a mastery of beating the big names, and at the biggest occasions, which this surely counts as. I don't think Michaels has any discernible advantage over Sting, who most definitely trumps Michaels in the power stakes, and I think that will ultimately be enough. Sting wins.

 

[Jsaturn14]

Sting has beaten Jarrett, Angle, Hogan, and Flair at one point or another with his finishers so why wouldn't it be effective against HBK. Sting has beaten Hogan more times than anyone else. What makes Sting's finisher less effective exactly?

I'm not saying that the Scorpion Death Lock is a weak finisher in general. The Scorpion Death Lock is in fact a fantastic finisher, and it has indeed worked against some all-time greats. What I am saying though is that against HBK it would be ineffective as HBK has seen this finisher before, mastered this finisher, and developed near-perfect counters against it. Sting will have a very very hard time locking it in against HBK, and even if he does HBK has shown time and again against Bret Hart that he can withstand it.

HBK only wrestles about nine or ten matches a year since 2008. I'm sure Sting has worked plenty of matches over the last eight years as HBK.

Your right, Sting and HBK have probably worked the same number of matches over the last eight years. I wasn't talking about the number of matches each men have worked, but the quality of said matches. How many of Sting's matches over the last eight years been all time classics? Has he wrestled a great match since after 2001, when WCW closed down? I know that HBK has which I think proves how much of a better worker HBK is.

HBK feared an ass-kicking from the Undertaker or else he wouldn't have dropped that belt into Austin. I'm sure Sting's matches with Vader in his prime prove that Sting could take as much punishment as HBK. I never seen Sting back down from a challenge.

Yes, HBK probably feared an ass kicking from Taker if he didn't drop the belt, but it was HBK's will, and toughness that made him go out there and have a great match with Austin. People said he had to drop the belt, no one said he had to have a great match while doing it. Kayfabe, Sting probably is just as tough as HBK, which is why I am not using kayfabe to measure their toughness. That is a race that is too close to call. I think HBK has proven just how tough he is in real life while wrestling with a broken back? Has Sting ever proven something like that?

 

[ted sheckler]

Sting is great but fortunately for Shawn Michaels he's just a bit better than great. Sting is powerful and quick which might give him the edge mid match once he's landed a couple power moves and slowed Shawn down.. but Michaels has been taking beatings for 20 years and there's nothing Sting can deliver that he hasn't lived through yet including "the scorpion death lock" .. WM12 After an hour long iron man match Michaels refused to tap out to the Sharpshooter.. However Sting has never had to shimmy to the sounds of sweet chin music and that will be the difference.

This one goes to.. The Headliner...the showstopper... the main event.... the icon... Mr Wrestlemania... the greatest in ring performer of alltime...The Heartbreak Kid.. Shawn Michaels..

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Can we stop calling Shawn Michaels Mr. Wrestlemania? He's 6-11 all time, including his tag team matches. Shawn Michaels is a guy who makes other people looks good, but then loses because he doesn't draw any money.

It's been shown over and over again in this tournament is consistently a guy who loses the biggest matches. He has a win here and there, but more often then not, he loses. Like I said, he's 6-11 at Wrestlemania. He's 6-4-1 at Summerslam which includes a lot of undercard feuds. These are not dominant records. He's been supposedly "the best in the game" since he returned until his retirement, but again, he was given like two total world title reigns, because he can't draw money. This translates into him LOSING matches and feuds. People like to paint him as this guy who takes a beating and then overcomes the odds, but that doesn't jibe with reality. He's a guy who gets his asskicked, briefly looks like he might pull it out, and then eventually loses.

Sting is the opposite of that.

Vote Sting. The guy who wins.

 

[ted sheckler]

Can we stop calling Shawn Michaels Mr. Wrestlemania?

Eeeehh .. No probably not. The guy has more classic Wrestlemania matches in the history of the event.. 8 of his Wrestlemania matches went on to win the Match of the Year. Win lose or draw HBK could outperform just about everyone on the biggest stage of them all.

Shawn Michaels is a guy who makes other people looks good, but then loses because he doesn't draw any money.

YAAAWN... Same old tired excuse of Shawn haters. This is an entirely different thread for another day. But your right.. there was a period where Shawn got the belt and the three other biggest draws left Bret..Nash and Hall and shockingly rating went down a bit.. Then after he formed DX (one of the biggest draws and merch sellers in WWE history) he headlined the biggest selling PPV up to that point with Austin... Then again headlined the biggest selling WWE PPV ever WM23. Not saying he did all that but saying Shawn couldn't draw is looking at the situation ultra simplistically..

People like to paint him as this guy who takes a beating and then overcomes the odds, but that doesn't jibe with reality. He's a guy who gets his asskicked, briefly looks like he might pull it out, and then eventually loses.

Thats exactly why Sting will underestimate him and end up with a boot in his goofy crow painted face and prove why Shawns peers refer to him as the best.

 

[ScreaminNormanSmiley]

Eeeehh .. No probably not. The guy has more classic Wrestlemania matches in the history of the event.. 8 of his Wrestlemania matches went on to win the Match of the Year. Win lose or draw HBK could outperform just about everyone on the biggest stage of them all..

unfortunatley for hbk he loses a lot more than he wins in big matches and this would be a big match. i dont think anybodys arguing whether or not hbk can put on a good match, this is about who would win.

YAAAWN... Same old tired excuse of Shawn haters. This is an entirely different thread for another day. But your right.. there was a period where Shawn got the belt and the three other biggest draws left Bret..Nash and Hall and shockingly rating went down a bit.. Then after he formed DX (one of the biggest draws and merch sellers in WWE history) he headlined the biggest selling PPV up to that point with Austin... Then again headlined the biggest selling WWE PPV ever WM23. Not saying he did all that but saying Shawn couldn't draw is looking at the situation ultra simplistically.

if you want to talk about drawing power you may want maybe you should menton the fact that leading up to that title defense against austin wwf was losing the ratings war to wcw, and who was the wcw champion at that point? sting. also both those big ppv matches you just mentioned, shawn lost.

Thats exactly why Sting will underestimate him and end up with a boot in his goofy crow painted face and prove why Shawns peers refer to him as the best.

actually thats exactley why hbk would do what h nearly always does in big matches, put on a good show and lose.

 

[CH David]

This should be Sting. He carried WCW in the early days when Ric Flair was sent packing by Jim Herd. Sting was the true essence of WCW for his entire career. He had countless great matches early in his career, and was the top draw of the company once Ric passed the torch. In his prime, he didn't lose clean to too many people.

Shawn is great, I think he is a great performer, but he just doesn't touch Sting. Shawn wouldn't keep Sting down with a Sweet Chin Music. Not in Sting's prime anyway. Shawn would be looking to hit it out of nowhere, and even if he did hit it, Sting kicks out. The Undertaker is looked at as Sting's equivalent (sorta) and he wasn't put out by SCM. Shawn is lucky if this goes to the 45 minute draw.

Vote Sting.

 

[The_Misson]

This simply would be a great match that we sadly will probably never see (at least in there primes) and would be an outstanding match with HBK vs Sting (during his surfer gimick, not the crow) and is between 2 of my all time favorite wrestlers but sadly i have to give this one to sting. His moves are just a little more devastating then HBK's and overall Sting is just a tiny bit better, but even if HBK wins i'll still be happy.

 

[gd]

Not really much to say here. I'm going Sting because I much prefer him. Facepaint and fighting the nWo and the baseball bat and all that? Awesome stuff. Really gets the blood pumpin. He also has been able to do everything in his career without one Mr. McMahon, which is somewhat impressive, when you think about it. That Michaels guy is alright, but he hasn't even wrestled for 2 months! What a lazy bastard.

 

[Teddy Irving]

have to go for the heartbreak kid here people can say all they want about how sting never worked for mcmahon and got to be so well known(and im not going to knock this achievement it is impressive) but i believe that if michaels hadnt been signed by vince he would have gotten just as well known as sting anyway.

 

[jmt225]

I would argue that Shawn Michaels had more classic matches throughout his career, but that's literally all HBK has over Sting.

From a kayfabe point of view, Sting would rag doll HBK the entire match. Prime Sting was not only a lot stronger than Shawn, but he was just as athletic, if not more. Who has HBK ever faced who was light years ahead of him in strength, but also matched him athletically? The answer is nobody, which is why all logic says that Sting would win this match. Not to mention that Sting was just as tough as Michaels too, and it took a LOT to keep him down. HBK simply would not be able to deliver enough punishment to keep the man down for the pinfall.

Now, from a "worker" point of view... listen, like I said, Shawn has the better match resume, but you know what? That alone doesn't mean he was overall the better worker. You look at Sting vs. Vader and HBK vs. Vader... who was able to have a truly great match against the big man? Sting was. Sting could fucking work, and his matches against Vader, Ric Flair, the Steiners, Rick Rude, etc. are all up there with HBK's very best work.

Furthermore, you could also argue that HBK NEVER got crowd reactions like Sting did. Did fans love HBK? Sure, but never, and I mean NEVER, did they explode for him like old WCW fans did for Sting back in the day.

Moreover, who truly had the better character? Really? Shawn Michaels was Shawn Michaels. Either he was an immature prick, or a Christian. That's it. Sting was much more complex and interesting, which is why he was able to become so over back in the day. If there's one thing Shawn lacked, it was a character fans could truly get behind.

All in all, the fact of the matter is, Sting would win a kayfabe match, and Sting was overall the better wrestler between the two when you add it all up. Do the right thing and vote for him. Don't vote for Shawn because of his recent retirement; vote for Sting because it's simply the right choice.

 

[D-Man]

I love HBK and all, but WHY THE BLUE FUCK IS STING NOT WINNING THIS?!? ARE YOU PEOPLE DERANGED?!?

Honestly, this matchup is painful to me because it pits two of my favorites against each other. But guys, as much as we want to deny this, HBK is the guy that LOSES in the majority of big match situations why Sting pulls out the victory, against all odds. But that's just ONE way that you can justify a reason for Sting's victory here...

Neither man should ever be slighted for their contribution to professional wrestling. But if we vote based on who is the bigger superstar, I mean, is there really anyone bigger than Sting? He's so fucking over that he didn't even need the biggest company in the world to become one of the most popular, most well-respected, and most iconic wrestlers in the history of the sport. That really says something.

Both of these men have conditioning... both have tremendous in-ring skill... both men lead their companies with multiple world championships. But one man did more with his title... that man was Sting. He took the SECOND-RATE company and kept it relevant (along side Ric Flair) during a time period when Hulk Hogan ruled wrestling and got people to change the channel to the WWE(F) instead of WCW(NWA). However, once Hogan left the company and HBK took it over with Bret Hart, the focus-shift went to WCW. This obviously means that Hogan drew better than HBK, which should be irrelevant here, except the minor fact that Sting DEFEATED HOGAN during this time of dominance.

So basically, Sting > Hogan > HBK. No-brainer guys... VOTE FOR STING!!!!