Chicago Region, First Round: (32)Blackjacks vs.(33)Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the Chicago Region. It's a standard tag team match held in the Rosemont Horizon.

32. Blackjacks

Vs.

33. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood

Vote for who you feel is the better team. The poll will be open for THREE days starting approximately twenty four hours after this thread is posted. Use the time to argue and defend your choices. In the case of a tie, the team with more written votes will win. Only one vote per user.

Remember that this is a non-spam section and posts that do not meet our spam requirements will not count.

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[JoeyJoeJoe]

Perfect pairing of two closely seeded teams...to my mind, this is a pick-em. The Blackjacks were one of the meanest teams of the 70s with a true giant in Blackjack Mulligan, and managed by Bobby Heenan. On the other side, one of the greatest babyface pairings ever in Steamboat and Youngblood. This would've been a classic match of brawlers vs. technical know-how. I think the difference maker though would be Heenan, and the size of Lanza and Mulligan.

Winners: The Blackjacks

 

[Dragon]

Close match up but I see Steamboat/Youngblood coming out on top after confusing the Blackjacks with some high flying double teaming.

 

[The Brain]

Another tough match. Both experienced their primes before I got into wrestling so I have to go off more of what I've read over the years compared to what very little I've seen. I've always heard the Blackjacks were one of the toughest and best teams of their generation. With Steamboat & Youngblood it's more like 'oh yeah, Steamboat used to be in a tag team. Who was his partner again?' I don't mean to disrespect them but his partnership with Youngblood is very much an afterthought when remembering Steamboat's career. I vote Blackjacks.

 

[justtxyank]

The only reason the team is an afterthought is because steamboat became such an enormous main event talent and because Youngblood died.

If you talk to nwa fans that wat he'd them you will hear effusive praise.

Black jacks still have their legacy because the wwf chose to remind you.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Only 3 teams won the NWA/WCW Tag straps more times than Steamboat & Youngblood and only 4 teams held that gold longer. The Blackjacks were together longer and accomplished (much) less. Ricky & Jay deserve to go through here and deserve to be sleepers for the whole shebang!

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Another tough match. Both experienced their primes before I got into wrestling so I have to go off more of what I've read over the years compared to what very little I've seen. I've always heard the Blackjacks were one of the toughest and best teams of their generation. With Steamboat & Youngblood it's more like 'oh yeah, Steamboat used to be in a tag team. Who was his partner again?' I don't mean to disrespect them but his partnership with Youngblood is very much an afterthought when remembering Steamboat's career. I vote Blackjacks.

Honestly, Steamboat/Youngblood is only an afterthought to fans who were introduced to Steamboat AFTER Youngblood's death. Anyone who had the pleasure of watching them in action never thinks this. The thought for them is more "I wonder if Steamboat would have gone back to singles because that team was so good together".

One poster above said it perfectly. The Blackjacks are remembered because the WWE WANTS you to remember them. Not to take a single thing away from them, because they were a good team, and Mulligan especially was a hell of a talent, but half the reason they are remembered so well is as a favor to Lanza because he was a long time agent for them. You don't hear about Steamboat/Youngblood much from the WWE because they weren't a WWE creation, and they don't like to remind people that wrestlers die young.

In this match though... the Blackjacks are precisely the type of team that would lose to Steamboat/Youngblood. Big, tough heels that look like they should kick the asses of anyone across the ring again. Steamboat/Youngblood built their names beating these types of teams, because for a team like them, that's where they got their sympathy from the crowd. The same would happen here. Arguably the most underrated team in the tournament goes on to the next round. Steamboat/Youngblood win.