Now let's look at Buddy Rogers. One of wrestling's most controversial figures ever. No doubt. Many have went on record as to how much of a dick and asshole he was in his prime. He was very much the Shawn Michaels (circa 1990's) of his era. One of the greatest performers in the world, a loudmouth, obnoxious prick, and a guy who could've (and did) had his ass handed to him by just about everyone in the wrestling business.
But this matchup isn't about who was the nicer guy. It's about who was the better wrestler. The criteria for a particular persons's votes for this tournament from what I understand is to either a) who you feel was the greater/more significant wrestler; b) who would win in a kayfabe matchup; c) personal preference, etc.
Whichever you choose. For this tournament I will mostly be voting on who I feel was overall the greater professional wrestler, and in this matchup, Ahmed Johnson couldn't lace Buddy Rogers' boots.
Ahmed may have killed him, but again his place in wrestling history is nothing to Buddy Rogers. Buddy Rogers is one of the most significant and influential wrestlers of all-time, hands down. Buddy Rogers was the first "true heel" in the business. Yes, Gorgeous George was pretty much the first bad guy and wrestler with a gimmick. And anyone who has read any of my previous posts should know how much I respect and admire Gorgeous George. Besides Frank Gotch, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Lou Thesz, and Hulk Hogan, he's probably the most important wrestler in American pro wrestling history. But Gorgeous George got heat from audiences for basically playing a gay guy, or a guy with "feminine qualities." In the early 1950's, that was fine, but in truth, his overness as a heel isn't exactly a wonderful example to set for heels and doesn't speak too positively of our society. A guy shouldn't be hated for being gay or having feminine qualities. Wrong or right, it worked for Gorgeous George and he changed the business forever, but ummm yeah, he's not exactly my idea of what a true heel should be.
The first guy to examplify what a real heel is? You guessed it, Buddy Rogers. The guy that was the classy, sporty, articulate prick who acts like he's better than everyone. The popular, jock who gets all the girls and the money and who you deep down wish you could be. That is the arch-type for a wrestling heel, the kind of guy you hate and want to see get his ass kicked. Forget Ric Flair, Buddy Rogers started that. Buddy Rogers' gimmick set the standard and personified just about every major trait that a wrestling heel possesses. Not every heel is the playboy "I'm better than you" asshole of course (see Jake Roberts and the more recent version of Randy Orton, or early Undertaker), but there would be no real true heels in the business without Buddy Rogers. For that alone, his legacy and place in wrestling history is bigger than almost anybody's, certainly much more than Ahmed Johnson.
In addition to that, much like Shawn Michaels in the 1990's, almost all of Buddy's peers hated him on a personal level, but few denied his abilities to perform and put on a show and draw in crowds. And few denied how much he affected the business. Especially as time went along. Buddy was a guy who changed the business. His peers like Lou Thesz and Bill Miller, guys who were renowked shooters hated Buddy not only for his principles and ummm, lack of professionalism, but also for what he was doing to change the business, by bringing more showsmanship and less technical skill and shooting. In his time he was ridiculed, but in his later years even Lou Thesz, Buddy's basic mortal enemy in the business conceded that Buddy Rogers helped to change the business and was a great performer and tremendous draw. And he was. Buddy Rogers was hands down one of the top draws in wrestling during the late 1950's and early 1960's. His appearances brought territories up from nothing attendance and money wise, which was why the NWA was up McMahon's and Mondt's asses to get Rogers booked with other territories and why he was made champion. Because he was a huge draw. Which is what they say makes a great wrestler. A guy who put butts in seats. Rogers did that and more. Until the wrestling boom of the 1980's, Buddy Rogers and Pat O Connor held the record for the highest attendance for a wrestling match in history. Largely because of Buddy Rogers and people wanting to see him lose. Everyone wanted to see him lose and get his butt kicked. That's the basis for modern pro wrestling and the existence of heels, and while there were those who created that idea before Buddy Rogers, no one did it better or solidified that concept more than Buddy.
) And while Tiger Mask to the best of my knowledge was a big draw in Japan, Buddy was also a huge draw in America, one of the biggest draws of the 1950's easily. They could be even on that front, although Buddy Rogers is one of a handful of wrestlers to at one point be part of the match that drew the biggest crowd in wrestling history (which he held with his World title win over Pat O'Connor for 25 years).