Second Round : Philadelphia - John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Harley Race

[klunderbunker]

This is a second round matchup in the Philadelphia Subregion. The ring and arena are universal throughout the first round and the organization is not a factor. There is a 20 minute time limit. Vote using any criteria you like. Most votes in the poll at the end of the time period wins. In the case of a tie we will go off of the number of written votes. In the case of a second tie, both are eliminated. Assume one week has passed since the first match.

Location: The First Union Center: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

John Bradshaw Layfield

Vs.

Harley Race

Voting is open for 4 days.

 

[klunderbunker]

Race.

JBL tried to be this big intimidating heel and act all evil and stuff. He never really was accepted as a heel on that level. Race WAS that kind of a heel. he destroyed just about whomever he fought and was just plain evil. he got Flair on the map and had a classic with him at the first Starrcade. he won 7 NWA World Titles when 3 made you a legend. This is Race's in any facet you want to go with.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Harley Race takes this one. I found JBL to be pretty entertaining and while his long run with the WWE Championship was kind of impressive, he's up against someone that could literally make a good and legitimate claim on being the greatest world champion of the past 40 years. Race wrestled the best of his day and beat them all from 60 minute clinics to cage matches to brawls. He'd already done it all when JBL was in grade school.

 

[jmt225]

Hmmm... one of the greatest champions in the history of the sport vs. one of the worst. Who in the World should I vote for????

Well, I'm voting for Harley Race, one of the greatest champions this business has ever had.

For almost thirty years, Harley gave the sport the utmost of dedication, great entertainment, and tremendous matches. Nearly thirty years he did, and a good ten of them was him serving as NWA Champion, wrestling in countless cities, putting on countless one hour draws and great matches. He is the embodiment of old school, and definitely deserves to go over this worthless piece of shit JBL.

For, what, ten years himself all JBL did was drink beer and clothesline/stiff people in tag matches. That's all he did as a member of APA, and it was the only time he was ever worth a damn or halfway entertaining. But then, the guy got an undeserved push and gave us one of the absolute worst World Title reigns I've ever seen. Week-in and week-out it was the same, boring shit with the guy, and he hardly ever was able to deliver solid main event matches. He sucked, period.

As far as a kayfabe match, Race would kill this douchebag, end of story. JBL was a straight up fucking PUSSY. He could hurt people, but he couldn't take any of it himself. Harley would have absolutely no trouble putting away JBL in a match. No trouble.

JBL doesn't deserve a single vote in this match-up, let alone win it.

 

[gd]

I've always like JBL. The fact that everyone on here calls him the worst champ ever wounds me deeply. It really does pain my heart. I'd say he was at least approaching average as a champion, but certainly not the worst. JBL was just plain entertaining on the mic and not a terrible wrestler for being a fatty. The rich guy gimmick may be a pretty generic one, but JBL pulled it off well.

I know Race was very successful, influential, and entertaining throughout his career, not the mention the sideburns, but I happen to think JBL was pretty damn good as well. He certainly deserves at least a few votes here.

 

[Ferbian]

While I'll second what Dissaray said about the "I've always liked JBL" it's not gonna be enough to sway me to actually vote for him in this match up, JBL while he's a great character, has put on some decent matches here and there, held championships (which in no way can be compared to Harley Race) and all in all has performed rather decently throughout his career, it's nothing compared to the things Harley Race accomplished.

8 times NWA world champion at a point where a world title was something you had to claw your way to earn, and actually get voted in to hold (at least I believe that's how it functioned back in those days for the NWA, am I right?) and has put on some memorable matches, especially the cage match with Ric Flair, it's no doubt that Harley Race is the superior talent of these two, and should be going through this one rather easily.

 

[8thwotwATG]

To me,JBL is just more than a little overrated. I think he was a decent worker, but for the life of me, I don't understand how this man got as over as he did. Anyway, he's up against one of the greatest of all time in this matchup, and while I think,kayfabe wise, that he presents more of a match than Berzerker did, Race still pretty much owns JBL's ass here and does pretty much whatever he wants enroute to a victory. Once again, he's tougher, and far more skilled in every facet of the wrestling business than JBL and absolutely deserves to go over here.

vote Race.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

Yeah, this isn't much of a contest to me.

Sure JBL had one 9 month long title reign which was impressive. Harley Race had 8 of them.

JBL is outclassed here big time. Plus, as great as his character was, 95% of the matches I've ever seen JBL in have bored me to tears. Great promo guy, horrible in-ring performer.

Harley Race wins this easily.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

JBL was one of the best heel promo men of the last decade and I like him BUT this is Harley Race. This man is one of the greatest of ALL TIME. He deserves to win this match. As others have already stated 8 Times the NWA Heavyweight Champion of the World. Those combined equal 1862. Thats more than 4 TIMES the length of JBL's reign. That not enough for you? Harley Race has been hailed by some of the greatest in wrestling history as one of the best ever. There's a whole list of them. The fact is Harley can wrestle better than JBL and is just that much better.

 

[Tastycles]

JBL probably wasn't as shit as I have said at other times, and he was definitely over as a heel. If we're honest though, JBL's career was far too erratic to justify putting him over Race. He was on top for a year or so, but was losing to The Boogeyman within 9 months of dropping the title. JBL just isn't good enough to go over here, and I don't really need to delve very far into Race's career to justify it, except to say he was more successful in a more competitive period.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

The guy who wants to be one of the best heels of all time versus the ACTUAL best heel of all time. Harley Race was mean. He was tough. And he wasn't above leaving someone with a broken limb in the ring. He hit harder. He hit more flush. And Race has forgotten more knowledge about wrestling than JBL will ever know.

Race is a thinking man's world champion, too. JBL, despite his look, was a power guy and a mediocre power guy at that. His ring shape would be laughable and the only hope JBL would have is a 20 minute time limit draw. But alas, Race will win this in about 10 minutes.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

Race looks like the sort of guy that as soon as he finished with his 60 minute match would go back into the dressing room and down a 6 pack of beer, smoke a pack of cigarettes and fall asleep in his bathrobe. In other words, a real champion. JBL probably did the same thing, but with nowhere near the amount of success or skill, and instead of a 60 minute classic, it would be closer to a 4 minute tag match with Farooq.

If it were a drinking contest it would be a match I would like to see, as a wrestling match....eh. I have no beef with JBL, but apparently Race is like HHH, except better, which is all the more reason to vote for him. Any resemblance at all to HHH is almost a guaranteed vote. My vote goes to the John C. Reilly lookalike.

 

[D-Man]

Ah, Harley Race... even though he is a legend during an obsoleted era of pro-wrestling, he was still superior to a modernized version of JBL. Race was noted to be one of the toughest men in wrestling's history while JBL was a bully.

I have to go with Harley Race.