ECW Region, Kansas City Subregion, First Round: (4)Harley Race vs. (29)Mad Dog Vachon

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the ECW Region, Kansas City Subregion. It is a standard one on one match held under ECW Rules, meaning anything goes. It will be held at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.

#4. Harley Race

Vs.

#29. Mad Dog Vachon

​

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.

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.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Harley Race in Kansas. That's about as much as you need to know about who would win this match.

Now I watched a lot of AWA and Mad Dog was one of my favorites but we are talking about one of the greatest of all time in Harley Race. The 8 time NWA champion that carried the belt and promotion as well as anyone else in wrestling. A fantastic talker, a fantastic wrestler, a fantastic look, Harley Race was just head and shoulders above most and that includes Mad Dog Vachon.

Mad Dog may be building a pine box, but he's the one going in it not Harley Race. Harley wins this one.

 

[Brewski]

The King Harley Race is an incredible performer, really one of the all time greats in my mind. Even without considering his championships he put on some of the best technical matches for the time in NWA.

Mad Dog is a 5 time AWA champion and can hold his own in the ring with Race, but at the end of the match Harley simply outwrestles him. Race wins.

 

[Tastycles]

Mad Dog Vachon was a fairly big deal in a fairly big company. Harley Race was the biggest deal in a much bigger company, and here he would be a home town hero. I don't know enough about Mad Dog to comment on how the hardcore aspect would really affect him, but I know that it's certainly no detriment to Race in a favourable market. Race wins.

 

[deem]

People are underselling Mad Dog here. A revolutionary heel who would be absolutely PERFECT in ECW brawls, using everything he can to cut and slash Race to ribbons.

Maurice Vachon's tendency to hurt his opponents with foreign objects, filed fingernails and teeth, and the multiple use of his signature finishing move, the Piledriver, to end matches made him notorious in the business and caused him to be banned in three U.S. states. But it also made his popularity soar among the fans.

the two battled again in a famous steel cage match at Chicago’s Comiskey Park (where the Vachon’s again emerged victorious), as their violent fights ultimately served as the precursor for a new brand of sadistic and vicious brawling that would spawn future mayhem stars like Abdullah the Butcher, Bruiser Brody, Stan Hansen, and others.

I agree though - Harley Race is too good to lose here and adept enough at brawls to get through too, especially with the location. He's one of the best ever and should go really, really far in this tournament. This would be a bloody brawl with Harley Race battered and pounded, but his tournament isn't over yet and it is for Mad Dog. Tough match for Race to open things off in his tournament, on to Kevin Nash in another match he should win to set up a classic with Backlund.

 

[Bernkastel]

I went with Harley Race, who was ultimately the bigger star. Mag Dog was a star in his own right, defeating several big names - like Verne Gagne in his prime - and holding the AWA title, and the tag titles when they were relevant.

Last year I underrated Race, but I learned quite a bit, did my research, and I can say pretty soundly that he does indeed deserve his seed. If Vachon had been seeded higher, he'd likely be going to the second round sans unbiased opinion, but he's going out early here.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

An old school bloodbath, that's what this match will be. Both Race & Vachon were a couple of old school brawlers that were flat out tough as nails and both left their mark.

Race was an 8 time NWA World Heavyweight Champion while Vachon was a 5 time AWA World Heavyweight Champion. They were both dominant champions as well with Handsome Harley holding the NWA strap for a combined total of 1,801 days while Mad Dog had the AWA title for 776 days in total.

Both guys were big stars in multiple territories as well: Race was a big name in AJPW, had 3 tag title runs in the AWA, Central States Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Stampede Wrestling, St. Louis Wrestling Club, etc. Vachon was a dominant force in the AWA, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, WCCW, etc.

This would be a close one in my book, though I'm not surprised to see Race winning by a landslide. When it comes to star power, Race is clearly the stand out compared to Vachon given his dominance of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship picture for so long. Plus, Race was a huge star in the mid-west working for promoters like Bob Geigel and Sam Muchnick.

 

[PsychoBlack]

Race won't lose in Kansas City whether it be to Mad Dog Vachon or Hulk Hogan. Now that wont be the only reason that Race wins this match. Harley was one of the most dominant stars of all time. He was tough as nails and more often than not got the job done. Very few people in the history of this sport could go out and defeat Harley Race in his prime on any given night and Vachon is not one of them. Vote Race

 

[The Brain]

I always push for Race in this tournament. Eight time NWA world champion. I think that's all that needs to be said for now. It won't be enough later on but it gets Race to the second round. No disrespect to Mad Dog but he got too tough a draw here.

 

[HBsam31]

Tough draw for Mad Dog as other have said. This would be a great brawl. Race though being an 8 time NWA champ sets him apart here, and will get the win. I am curious to see how far he goes in this tournament.