Austin Region, Portland Subregion,Second Round: (7) Ultimate Warrior vs.(27) Nakamura

[klunderbunker]

This is a second round match in the Austin Region, Portland Subregion. It is a standard one on one match. It will be held at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

#7. Ultimate Warrior

Vs.

#23. Shinsuke Nakamura

​

Polls will be open for three days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster. Assume that the wrestlers are coming in fresh after their first round match.

Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted.

 

[Bernkastel]

Warrior was a flash in the pan wrestler like Goldberg. He was only relevant for a handful of years. But those few short years were more than some other wrestlers entire careers combined. At his peak, Warrior was considered to be the most popular wrestler in the world and he defeated Hulk Hogan clean for the WWE world title. Very impressive.

If his final days taught me anything, it's that fans continued to love the Warrior unconditionally. Despite his negative reputation on social media and his prolonged absence from the industry as a whole. He had that much of a lasting impact.

Nakamura is still building his legacy. Perhaps in a few more years I could feel more comfortable about putting him over, but as of now I think I have to back the Ultimate Warrior.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I've only seen two Nakamura matches. One vs Sami Zayn and the other vs The Drifter. He's a good wrestler and I like his -Strong Style- from what I've seen. But I don't think he could match the intesity of The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior would shake the ropes, make the comeback and press slam/splash this small man like he did The Macho Man and Hulk Hogan at seperate Wrestlemania's.

I vote Warrior.

 

[sikkbones]

Yeah. Had this been in Japan, maybe a different decision.

But this is a squash match.

Warrior is gonna shake the ropes, power slam and we are done.

 

[Celtic Tiger]

Warrior is going over here, not many arguments from me anyway.

I like Nakamura's style, but Warriors intensity and power and would have the fans behind him here too. Wouldnt last to long either.

Warrior was a flash in the pan, but made a big impact on the industry, his matches and rivalries are some i still love to watch today.

Warrior gets my vote.

 

[enviousdominous]

KINSHASA!!

I don't think The Warrior has ever met an opponent who could match his intensity, which is why I'm going with my gut and I'm putting in my vote for Shinsuke.

Ultimate Warrior is used to being able to encounter a confused and intimidated opponent who stands bewildered at his antics before being clobbered and slammed into oblivion. To put it mildly, Shinsuke isn't a predictably typical opponent.

It wouldn't make sense in The Warrior's era for him to lose to Shinsuke, and it wouldn't make sense in Shinsuke's era for him to lose to The Warrior. I imagine this happening at a mid-point where the fans have been drowned in The Warrior's antics and they're still trying to figure out the antics of Shinsuke. The fans are eager to see a fresh face beat The Warrior, they're just not 100% on board with that individual being this brash young Michael Jackson impersonator.

Shinsuke strikes me as a strategist, someone who comprehends his opponents' potential long before he faces them. The Ultimate Warrior listens to voices in his head and always makes sure to sterilize his needles, his matches rarely involve anything more than a dumbfounded opponent bouncing off of him. The Warrior's encounter with Papa Shango had a somewhat unorthodox backstory, but the match itself wasn't winning any awards.

I see this being Shinsuke's litmus test to prove that he has what it takes to be a big shot in the prowrestling world, and I see it as a mercy win for the fans who would have otherwise made a beeline for the bathroom in knowing that an Ultimate Warrior match with anybody except Shinsuke Nakamura was about to start.

Vote Shinsuke

 

[nightmare]

Squash? Hardly.

And if those two matches are your only reference point Jeff, go watch some shit. That is Nak light. The guy is more than capable of taking the short burst attack of Warrior & outlasting him, while sending some major shots back. The guy is legit.

Dont let the fact Nakamura hasnt won the big title yet hinder the smart move. Warrior isnt unbeatable & this is just the man with all the tools to get it done.

 

[BigBombB]

Nakamura was massive in Japan and for a long time was considered the best wrestler in the world. His feud with Tanahashi will go down as one of the all-time greatest in history. Warrior's impact is unquestionable, he was around for only a short time but people still remember him. Even still, in their primes, Nakamura would have brutalized Warrior.

 

[Tastycles]

I can't believe some of the nonsense here. Nakamura had a great career in a Japanese company and is doing well in the developmental territory of the biggest wrestling company in the world. Warrior on the other hand dominated company itself. The votes for Nakamura so far have been totally empty platitudes, and the reason for that is that there's no reason Nakamura can beat him.

Roberts was better at mind games than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Hogan was more charismatic and popular than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Andre the Giant was more of a notable name in the history of wrestling than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Undertaker was more unusual than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Savage was more of the total package than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Finding any wrestler that beat Warrior is difficult. Finding one that had the beating of him multiple times on their own merits is more difficult. Finding one that had those things and was a lesser wrestler than Nakamura is impossible. Warrior wins.

 

[OYDK]

My heart is telling me to go with Nakamura, my head is telling me to go with Warrior. My argument is pretty basic... it's just extremely difficult for me to picture Nakamura pinning or submitting Warrior when Warrior was at the pinnacle of the wrestling world. At that time, Warrior was nearly uneatable, defeating the likes of Hogan, Savage, and Andre, arguably the three biggest names of the 80s.

Nakamura can put on a great match, but at the end of the day, he loses to top stars just as much as he wins. I like Nakamura more, but if I voted for him solely for that reason, I feel like I'd be doing a disservice to the nature of the tournament.

I'm going Warrior, but if Nak goes over here, I'm interested to see just how far this wave of momentum can take him.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

So people have a hard time voting Tanahashi over Bryan but are willing to vote Nakamura over Bryan? Ooooook.

Ultimate freakin Warrior. Beat Hulk Hogan clean at Wrestlemania. Even though his time on top was short, Warrior left a huge mark on the fans. Huge. Vote Warrior.

 

[Alex]

I can't believe some of the nonsense here. Nakamura had a great career in a Japanese company and is doing well in the developmental territory of the biggest wrestling company in the world. Warrior on the other hand dominated company itself. The votes for Nakamura so far have been totally empty platitudes, and the reason for that is that there's no reason Nakamura can beat him.

Roberts was better at mind games than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Hogan was more charismatic and popular than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Andre the Giant was more of a notable name in the history of wrestling than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Undertaker was more unusual than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Savage was more of the total package than Nakamura. Warrior beat him.

Finding any wrestler that beat Warrior is difficult. Finding one that had the beating of him multiple times on their own merits is more difficult. Finding one that had those things and was a lesser wrestler than Nakamura is impossible. Warrior wins.

Great Khali dominated quite a few big names, he eventually became the Punjabi Playboy. Vladimir Kozlov, also the same. There's loads of intense big guys who dominated and then fell down. Warrior leaving when he did stopped him from possibly going down this route as well. He didn't really do anything in WCW and his 1996 run is only notable for him squashing a bottom of the ladder Triple H.

Nakamura was at the top of NJPW for years. Has come to NXT and went straight to the top.

Nakamura has longevity and is a better wrestler.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I see the vote is actually heading in the proper direction. Voting for Nakamura is such a smarky thing to do. The Ultimate Warrior was a huge deal. If someone beats Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania 6, that person cannot lose to Nakamura.

 

[nightmare]

Fandango beat Jericho in his debut match at Mania, what's your point? Nakamura is a better wrestler & doesnt get winded on his way to the ring.

 

[BigBombB]

I think a lot of these comparisons are forgetting that Nakamura had a solid MMA career, is a legit experienced fighter, and his in-ring persona is about taking and giving out intense amounts of brutality. Warrior could dish out the punishment but could never last long before getting winded, Nakamura at his biggest (size wise) easily could have lifted a guy like Warrior for some brutal suplexes and exploited the weaknesses in his game to leave him a bloody heap in the ring. I don't think these are empty platitudes, I think these are people who are more familiar with Nakamura's work voting for the better overall wrestler.