WWE New York, Round 2, Match 1: #4 Mick Foley vs. #29 Rikidozan

[Shocky]

The following match takes place in the WWE Region, udner WWE Rules, from Long Island, NY.

#4. Mick Foley

vs.

#29. Rikidozan

 

[klunderbunker]

Most interesting matchup here as either man could go over easily. Rikidozan is seen as the father of Puroesu, but Foley is a legend in his own right and put more people over in the Attitude Era than anyone, as well as currently being a recognized World Champion. You can make all the remarks you want about him, but Foley is still a big player in the sport today. He's also far more well known in America which has some merit to it. You could easily go one way or the other on this, but since it's in America where Foley is far better known and it's in his main promotion, I have to go with Foley.

 

[Tastycles]

On the one hand, you have a man who popularised wrestling in Japan, on the other you have a man who found popularity and success against all odds in America.

Hometown advantage is certainly with Foley, but I'm still going with Rikidozan. His popularity is unfathomable. If you think at the absolute peak of wrestling, the highest rating in America was about 13.0. One of Rikidozan's matches drew 87.0. Thats more than anything. A match he had with Thesz years later had the highest number of TV viewers ever.

Normally, Japanese wrestlers should be approached with caution as these matches happen on US soil, but in the case of Rikidozan, that isn't the case. He beat Thesz in America at a time when nobody did. He also beat Fred Blaissie proving it wasn't a fluke.

Rikidozan is more powerful than Foley and a better technician. Foley wouldn't have the big spots to rely on in this match against an old school wrestler and would ultimately fall short after a noble effort, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Rikidozan was an absolute legend of wrestling before he was muredered by a yakuza and he would beat Foley here.

 

[Gelgarin]

You're also forgetting the fact that Foley lost a lot of the time, whilst Dozan really, really didn't.

If this was ECW, or some other environment to give Foley an edge, then I'd vote for him; but in a pure wrestling match there is simply no way he goes over Dozan.
Dozan was stronger, faster, better technically, more over, a bigger draw, and was more influential on the sport. Add the fact that Dozan had to spend his entire career pretending that he wasn't Korean, and his success story becomes one of the most impressive I've ever come across.

Thesz aside, it's difficult to present a list of notable names that Dozan has gone over. Obviously, that doesn't matter, because Thesz was the absolute pinicle of the sport at that time, and had only just come off an unbeaten streak of something like 800 when he put Dozan over.

Then you have to consider that Foley is an American. Dozan almost always defeated Americans. It's like Hulk Hogan with with anti American monster heels.

Foley is one of the greatest talents of all time, and will always be a personal favourite of mine. But at the end of the day, he's remembered for playing characters, taking bumps and making stars, and not for winning matches. Dozan is what you get if you personify a match winner. In other words, he's Lou Thesz with more hair.

 

[NSL]

I've never thought of Foley as a great ring wrestler, but that never stopped him from being a favorite of mine. Rikidozan though, truly is a great wrestler, and should pull off the "upset" here. It'll be a great match, with Foley taking some amazing bumps, but he won't be able to win.

I was on the fence, not knowing much about Riki, but Gelgarin and Tastycles came through with good arguments, and convinced me.

 

[Shocky]

Geh, I was torn on this one. Mick Foley is perhaps the most enjoyable wrestler that I ahve watched, adn that says a lot. The guy has done so much and was pretty much for me, aside Sting,t he only reason I watched the early WCW, the reason I got into ECW, and the reason why I believe the Attitude Era worked. And now, he's given me a reason to watch TNA. Quite frankly, everywhere Mick Foley goes, he makes better, and I can't think of any other wrestler that I have watched that draws me to a new program like Mick Foley has.

Do I recognize that Rikidozan is probably a bigger name, certainly. However, it's so hard to figure out who would win a match like this. Rikidozan isn't used to an animal like Foley, in my opinion. Foley is so willing to self sacrifice to get over, and I think he does that here.