ECW Region, Mel Subregion, Round 1:(13)Scott Steiner vs.(20)Tully Blanchard

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the ECW Region, Melbourne Subregion. It is a standard one on one match held under ECW Rules. It will be held at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia.

#13. Scott Steiner

Vs.

#20. Tully Blanchard

​

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.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

This is a tough one. A really, really tough match to call.

On one hand, you have Tully, who I believe is a much better wrestler than Steiner, even in Scott's prime. Tully was five times smarter than Steiner, which isn't difficult. On top of that, Blanchard was a more successful singles wrestler than given credit for.

However, in his prime, Steiner was an animal. A steroid produced animal (Yes, he took roids, fuck what he says). Steiner was an equally successful tag team wrestler, and had a far more memorable singles career than Blanchard.

So, here's my final decision - Blanchard was always the low end of the Horsemen in terms of overall importance, but I doubt they'd allow him to lose in the first round, especially when you take ECW rules into consideration.

I'm voting Tully.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

Big Nick has a point with the ECW rules. Horsemen absolutely play a role in this match. Steiner looks like the type of guy that could get hit with a metal folding chair in the head and not notice. But Tully was a technician and damn good entertainer. In WCW, this goes to Tully. In WWE, to Steiner. Here its a lot more difficult to call, but Tully gets the edge in a crazy, crazy match.

Tully by pinfall.

 

[The Crock]

I'm with Nick on this one; Tully Blanchard gets my vote. Tully is one of those guys who is often forgotten, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a great wrestler. Tully was never "the man," but neither was Steiner. A few World Heavyweight Championship reigns in WCW don't do much to change my position on Steiner, either. Even as champion, he wasn't the main attraction. Tully, on the other hand, was a main attraction in the NWA for a few years, while he was a member of the Four Horsemen. The Horsemen were the top draw and that's why they were almost always involved in the top feud, and why they always had some kind of gold around their waist.

Tully Blanchard -- admittedly -- won't get by on star power alone, especially since he wasn't the star of the Horsemen. Blanchard was a great wrestler though, at both the singles and tag levels. Blanchard was an NWA US and TV Champion on his own, while also grabbing the NWA and WWF Tag Team Championships with Arn Anderson as well. The guy was a winner, no matter how you put it. Couple that with the fact that this is in ECW, and I think Steiner's got an early path out of this tournament. Tully was in a few really brutal matches during his career and has experience in volatile environments. It's right up Tully's alley to take advantage of the lax rules here in the ECW region, and I'm sure he would.

Steiner's always been overrated, not to mention the fact that he's a botch machine -- though he has some actual ability -- but it's nowhere near the amount of talent Tully has. Blanchard deserves the win here.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

This is a tough one.

Steiner has had a far more successful singles career than Blanchard, and both guys are fantastic tag team wrestlers. You have to take into consideration that this is ECW rules also, which means The Horsemen could interfere and help out Tully as well.

But, I think Steiner is crazier, which is only a benefit in these no DQ settings. Even if the Horsemen come down, I think Steiner would come out on top. He would have his brother Rick with him, who would brawl to the back with Arn Anderson and Barry Windham, making all 3 of them innefective in the outcome of this one.

That leaves Ric Flair, and Steiner used to bring several "freaks" to the ring with him, and Slick Ric would have his eyes on the ladies, who would distract him and he wouldn't be paying attention to help out Tully. So we are down to a basic 1-on-1 match again....

Steiner is a suplex machine, and I could see a brutal brawl between the 2 ending with a Scott Steiner belly to belly suplex through a table getting the Genetic Freak the pinfall win.

Winner: Scott Steiner

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Like everyone's said thus far, this is a tough match to call. Steiner obviously has the size & strength advantage, which would no doubt give him a huge advantage in this setting. Tully would certainly get tossed around and just mangled at various points through the match.

At the same time, however, Tully is someone whose toughness is often underestimated. Blanchard was in a ton of memorable brawls, cage matches, barbed wire matches, street fights, etc. against guys like Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A. the Road Warriors, etc. and he could give as good as he gets.

I'm going with Blanchard. I think he has the cunning to outsmart Steiner, which isn't hard but still, and has an underrated ruthlessness & aggression that would allow him to make great use of the fact that this is an ECW match.

 

[klunderbunker]

Back in the early 90s, Scott Steiner was a monster. He put on a performance back int he day that had me freaking out. Steiner would throw Tully all over the place and pull off moves that you wouldn't believe were possible for a guy that weighs 270 plus about a dozen suplexes. Tully is great and can brawl with the best of them as well as wrestle with anyone, but Scott in his prime was possibly the best in the world. Steiner wins.

 

[Loveless]

There are 2 versions of Scott Steiner.

The athletic, technical guy from the early 90's who wasn't a singles star and would lose to Blanchard.
The other is the big dumb roided up guy who could barely move and would be outsmarted by Blanchard.
Either way, the result is the same.

 

[The Gribbler]

I actually think Steiner has the edge here. He is a huge, technically sound monster that could really do some damage to an opponent. The only thing that gives Tully my vote is the four horsemen in ECW stadium. Even if Rick was by his side, the numbers game would spell doom for the Big Bad Booty Daddy.

 

[The Brain]

Wow this is a tough match. About a week ago someone created a thread in old school comparing Tully Blanchard to Ted Dibiase. I learned from that thread that Blanchard is pretty underrated by some people here. Many mistake him as just a Horsemen member. I just want to point out that Blanchard was not great because he was a Horsemen. Blanchard was a Horsemen because he was great. He was a crucial piece of the puzzle that help give the legacy that the Horsemen group now enjoys.

I did like Scott Steiner a lot too. Well, the early 90s Steiner. The blonde headed roid raging physcopath, not so much. Steiner was always impressive in the ring. He did moves that I'd never seen before. This really is a tough choice. I could see Tully bumping like crazy for Steiner but sneaking a win with a hand full of tights. I going to hold off on vote for now but I'm leaning toward Tully.

In the event of a tie consider this a vote for Tully unless I post in here again saying otherwise.

 

[Tastycles]

It's probably the hardest one to call I've seen. On the one hand, you have Blanchard, a man who never hit the real heights as a singles wrestler, but who was very good. Steiner was a World Champion, but he only really reached the peak when there wasn't anyone else left. I'm going to go with Steiner, because I think that his career has been sustained much longer, and as ridiculous as his second character is, he was still able to maintain his relevance by re-inventing himself when wrestling made it's seismic shift in style in the mid 90s.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

There isn't a member of the Horsemen who isn't involved in a first round match except JJ Dillon, I think Rick should be able to suppress his influence. I'll give the edge to Scotty here because he had the more successful overall career - both as a Tag Team specialist and as a soloist.

 

[Coco]

Has to be Steiner. I judge a wrestler's greatness by the entertainment they provide me. And when talking about Scott Steiner, it's worth mentioning that few provide me with more regular, albeit occasionally unintended, entertainment. Tully on the other hand? Well his introduction of his match with Magnum TA on the Starrcade DVD was more uncomfortable to watch than it was entertaining. And that's about the extent of my exposure to the man. I'm really left with no choice.

Vote: Steiner.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Back in the early 90s, Scott Steiner was a monster. He put on a performance back int he day that had me freaking out. Steiner would throw Tully all over the place and pull off moves that you wouldn't believe were possible for a guy that weighs 270 plus about a dozen suplexes. Tully is great and can brawl with the best of them as well as wrestle with anyone, but Scott in his prime was possibly the best in the world. Steiner wins.

Best in the world's a stretch. Think Brock Lesnar before there WAS a Brock Lesnar. Tully Blanchard could wrestle with anyone in the world and he did a fantastic job at it. He could take a helluva beating and somehow, come away w a winner. He did that with Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, and many others in his career.

Scott Steiner was powerful, but never could get over the top against someone who could out think him, and Blanchard out-thought everyone he stepped inside the ring with.

Blanchard wins this with Brass knuckles to the face of Steiner.

 

[stblink]

When Steiner was at his best in the early 90's, he could do things that nobody his size cold ever dream of doing. A Frankensteiner from a man who weighed 270 pounds was unbelievable at that time.

He was in ECW for a short period in 1995, so the ECW rules aren't new to him. An absolute beast who would wear out Blanchard. Steiner with the pinfall.