First Round: Denver - Booker T vs. Bruno Sammartino

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round matchup in the Denver Subregion. The ring and arena are universal throughout the first round and the organization is not a factor. There is a 20 minute time limit. Vote using any criteria you like. Most votes in the poll at the end of the time period wins. In the case of a tie we will go off of the number of written votes. In the case of a second tie, both are eliminated.

Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado.

Booker T

Vs.

Bruno Sammartino

Voting is open for 4 days.

 

[Theo Mays]

I wanna say we had this match before here, however I could be mistaken and I believe Booker won the thing. Bruno is better, no doubt, but Booker is no slouch. Bruno should and probably will win, but I'm going to vote for Booker for the sake that it isn't too onesided. Booker has beaten the best of them and he finds ways to win. I see a sneaky, dirty win here from Book and he sends the legend home and probably gets me a load of hate from some of the guys here.

 

[Big Sexy]

Listen, I respect Bruno Sammartino and his 7+ year championship reign, but there is absolutely nothing that Sammartino does better then Booker T. Booker is superior in the ring, on the mic, and overall is about a thousand times more entertaining then Sammartino. Bruno couldn't talk to save his life and his in ring work consisted of bear hugs and body slams. He was champion for so long because he was the biggest, strongest face and people loved to see him beat the big, strong heels.

Booker T is one of the most decorated champions in wrestling history. He is a 5 time WCW champion, 1 time WWE World Champion, 7 time US champion, 1 time IC champion, 6 time WCW TV champion, 11 time WCW tag champion, 3 time WWE tag champion, 2006 King of the Ring, 16th triple crown champion, and the 8th grand slam champion. He was really the only guy who survived the Invasion angle and was able to have a main event career in the WWE. He was very entertaining both in the ring and on the mic.

Sammartino has also never faced a guy like Booker T. Sammartino faced basically all power guys like Ivan Koloff, Billy Graham, and Gene Kiniski. Booker brings to the table a great combination of power and speed. It would be a great match but Booker T gets the win with the axe kick.

 

[X]

I cannot stand Bruno Sammartino. He's the biggest example of someone becoming famous based solely on an image and not their actual talents. Shit, you think it's bad when the kids complain about how boring Cena is and how he only has 5 moves? Cena looks like fucking Rey Mysterio in 1995 compared to Bruno Sammartino's in-ring style of wrestling. Literally one of the most boring wrestlers to ever live I must say, not that I hold it against him because it was a different era and image was the important thing, and he fulfilled that for McMahon Sr. in the 70s and was the biggest wrestling draw on the planet for several years during that period. But like Dory Funk Sr. before him, he will bore any modern fan of wrestling to absolute tears with his in ring style.

Booker T on the other hand, well, he was pretty fucking awesome for a brief window of time in the 90s and early 2000s, he could pull off moves the cruiserweights were doing and the guy was six foot and built as fuck, great speed and agility, and just a great aura, the guy honestly could have been maybe not as big but close to as big as someone like The Rock if he hadn't been buried in the WWE for most of his career and fucked over time after time in WCW. By the time they gave him a world title in the WWE with the King Booker gimmick he was already past his prime. Sucks, he really could have been a big name, bigger than he was atleast.

My vote goes to Booker T. Why? Because like I said, I cannot stand to watch a Bruno Sammartino match outside some of his bloody MSG brawls or his feud with Larry Zbysko. The guy literally performed about three moves, over and over, and that was it. Like...I cannot express how much I he bores me. Seriously, I know you're supposed to respect legends and all that, but holy fuck, Sammartino had the workrate of a drunken Great Khali with down's syndrome.

Yeah. Vote Booker T. Because he isn't painfully boring.

 

[PsychoBlack]

Bruno was the original hogan he helped make wrestling wat it is today for that fact vote goes to bruno

 

[Big Sexy]

Bruno was the original hogan he helped make wrestling wat it is today for that fact vote goes to bruno

He really wasn't though. Yes he was always champion and defeated all the big heels, but Hulk Hogan actually had something called personality. Bruno was severely lacking in that department.

 

[Tastycles]

Time has not been kind to Bruno Sammartino's style, but in his day he was supremely popular. Despite the fact he wrestled in a regional era, he had quite a lot of national popularity, and he was over enough for him to keep returning during the 80s and be popular. Booker T is certainly more interesting, but seeing as so very few people went over Sammartino, I don't think Booker could be construed as being in the level of star that I'd expect to beat Bruno. Bruno wins this one.

 

[Big Sexy]

I'm still waiting for a legitimate reason of why Sammartino should win other then "He was champion for a really long time so he must be good." I realize there isn't one so it hasn't been posted yet but at least give it a shot.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Yea, Sammartino is shit, and dominated in a weak assed era. i get sick of people voting on someone whom they have never seen, been influenced by, or gave a fuck about. Sold out MSG, whatever. So has Booker T.

I vote Booker T. He fought SCSA in a grocery store.

 

[8thwotwATG]

I do agree with many of the posters here that Sammartino's style doesn't translate well into the 21st century, and yes, booker is more exciting to watch, but it doesn't change the fact that Sammartino still gets the nod here. Most of you here are probably aware that during Bruno's 2nd title reign, he recieved a broken neck at the hands of Stan Hansen when Hansen dropped him on his head attempting to execute a bodyslam. Now I know this probably means nothing to a lot of people, but Sammartino was back in the ring 8 weeks later after this accident for a rematch with Hansen, and he beat the fucking shit out of him to hold on to the strap. Not some scrub, Stan Hansen. I honestly can't see how Booker T, in spite of having the more visually appealling style gets by Bruno, who by any example I ever saw would have been too tough to get knocked out by some scissor kick to the head. sorry folks, Bruno wins this one.

 

[Big Sexy]

I do agree with many of the posters here that Sammartino's style doesn't translate well into the 21st century, and yes, booker is more exciting to watch, but it doesn't change the fact that Sammartino still gets the nod here. Most of you here are probably aware that during Bruno's 2nd title reign, he recieved a broken neck at the hands of Stan Hansen when Hansen dropped him on his head attempting to execute a bodyslam. Now I know this probably means nothing to a lot of people, but Sammartino was back in the ring 8 weeks later after this accident for a rematch with Hansen, and he beat the fucking shit out of him to hold on to the strap. Not some scrub, Stan Hansen. I honestly can't see how Booker T, in spite of having the more visually appealling style gets by Bruno, who by any example I ever saw would have been too tough to get knocked out by some scissor kick to the head. sorry folks, Bruno wins this one.

If Ivan Koloff can beat Bruno then I'm sure Booker T could beat him. Sammartino's entire career was based of his look. No personality, no great mic work, no great in ring talent. Just a tough guy with a good look. Booker is better in every single way.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

I vote Booker T. He fought SCSA in a grocery store.

AND hid from him in a church. Good enough reasons really.

I'll vote booker T for the same reason that everyone else is voting for him, in that he was far far more entertaining. Choose any of his title runs, from late WCW to his WWE run, and you will find that although we aren't seeing a huge, 7 year long period of time where he defeats all comers, he is way more interesting and had far better matches, and this early in the tournament, that's about all the criteria needed.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

These two wrestled in very different times. Bruno was great for his era, the biggest star in wrestling. Booker was good too, but not on Bruno's level. I wasn't around to watch Bruno, so I'm not going to pretend to be his biggest fan. But he was entertaining (for his time). Also, I just really don't care about Booker, never have. He was dominant during a shit era in WCW, and has always been ok with me, but I'm not his biggest fan.

Bruno gets the nod here for being...Bruno.

 

[Mr. TM]

Not sure why Bruno is winning this, he held the region WWE belt for a long time, when it was more regional than it had been, and has never been as regional as when Bruno had it.

Bruno was not entertaining, you had to be already in love with the guy yo care about him.

Booker T on the other hand was one of the only good parts of the end of WCW, and was very entertaining his entire way through that company. He was also entertaining in the WWE up until King Booker.

As I check the score I can't help but say "NOW TELL ME I DIDNT JUST SEE THAT"

 

[DirtyJosé]

I'm going to echo NorCal here.

This tourney isn't "who's got the biggest impact", "who had the better career", or "who would win in a real fight". It's open to measure by any criteria. Some win my votes by who was the better in ring, some I vote for because of their impact on the industry, and some I vote for simply because they made an impact on me as a viewer for whatever reason. I feel that is legitimate reason enough to vote for anyone.

That being said, Bruno is a big part of wrestling history, but a part I missed and that isn't truly captured by the visual medium of the time, and as such I can't fully appreciate his work. Booker T on the other hand wasn't as accomplished, but he was a star during a good chunk of the time I spent watching wrestling in my teen years. He was almost always fun to watch in and out of the ring, and he was able to play a wide range of gimmicks/roles.

My vote is for Booker T, this time.

 

[TLC]

My vote goes to Booker here. I always found Sammartino pretty shit. He never did anything for me and could bore me to tears with his matches. Sure he had two long reigns on top but other than I don't remember much from him. Booker on the other hand was one of the best things about WCW when it was coming to an end and was on my favourites when he came to the WWE first. The only time I disliked him was when he had that shitty King Booker gimmick. It's a shame they never put the title on him around the 2003 mark as I thought he would made a great champion.

If these two had a match I'm sure it could be decent but Booker would come out on top. I think his style would be too much for Bruno and he would fall victim to either a Book End or a Scissors Kick.

 

[Ronin]

I tend to agree with the Booker side of the argument. Booker was a star when there wasn't just one star. Sure there were other stars around in Bruno's day but, compared to the star power Booker has wreslted, it is piss all.

After The Bash at the Beach, who did the torch get passed to? Booker T and from who? HULK FUCKING HOGAN. Honestly I do think that Booker is better. Like someone said earlier, he fought Stone Cold in a super market.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Booker T was the WCW Heavyweight Champion during a time when his opponents were either beyond their prime, (Sting/Nash) or equal former Tag team Wrestlers. (Scott Steiner) When Jeff Jarrett was considered his best opponent, its hard to view him as a strong Wrestler who'd be considered the best.

Now, with that being said.. this, to my knowledge, is not a shoot fight. Its a Wrestling match. I'm not going to say Bruno couldn't make quick and easy work out of Booker T, however I will say in my view if both are considered "in their prime" you'd have to then look at which Era we're going to have this in.

Back in the day, "characters" and "entertainment" were based on strong looks and not much else. Bruno would win. Yet in today's Wrestling world, you win based on being able to get the fans to react to you - and getting over. Now, again, I'm not saying Bruno couldn't.. but I am saying I'm voting for Booker T because for Sammartino has the personality of a doorstop. And bores me to tears.

Stupid segments w/ Goldust. Food store fights w/ Steve Austin. And Spinaroonies > Looking like a roid raged muscle head.

 

[Suneeboy]

I vote Booker T. He fought SCSA in a grocery store.

He got his ass whooped but goddam what a great fight that was. Vote Booker T. He is better than Bruno is every conceivable way as a wrestler, and an entertainer.

If Booker T gets bumped by this guy I'm going to go fucking apeshit. One of the most entertaining wrestlers of the modern era. I even loved his TNA run.

 

[Straight Edge Loyalist]

I found everything about Bruno to be boring and stale, as I found his in-ring work and charisma to be very poor.

Booker T, on the other hand, is one of the most innovative wrestlers I've seen in the last 20 years. His skill in the ring matched with his athleticism and size made him one of the most entertaining wrestlers during these last two decades. He's pretty much a Bill Gates version of Shelton Benjamin - everything Shelton was supposed to become, but never did.


So yeah, my vote goes to KING BOOK-AAAAAAAHHHHHH

 

[Ferbian]

I'm voting Booker T, simply because I find him to be a great wrestler, great entertainer and an overall great act, he's able to work any kind of match really and do it to a extent that keeps you entertained and keeps you watching, and he's accomplished in any kind of match too, be it gimmick matches, he's done them, tag team championships by the dosin, he's held them, and singles championship titles, he's held those too.

And he was absolutely golden on the microphone, in comedy skits and everything.. no way Bruno is gonna beat that, sure he's the longest reigning WWE champion, but to me, that's where it really ends for him.

This vote falls to.. KING BOOKAAAH

 

[gd]

I actually quite like Booker T, don't think he's really as overrated as everyone makes him out to be. He's entertaining as hell with all of his stupid characters and his entrance music is one of the best out there. Recently, he was even able have a pretty decent tag team run with Scotty Steiner.

That being said, I have to go with the hometown boy, the living legend, Bruno Sammartino. Bruno didn't just hold the title for a century, he was and still is a hero in the Pittsburgh area. He represents every blue collar, working man out there. He even won some sporting award recently that was pretty big. Should easily go over someone like Booker, especially with all the other random old school guys going over for being "legends."

 

[Big Sexy]

I didn't want to do this but have been left with no choice

Booker T is so popular 7-11 stores everywhere were sold out of Booker T cups. Selling out 7-11 > selling out MSG (which by the way would have been sold out regardless of who the champ was in that time period as long as he was booked right and had the right look).

[YOUTUBE]L7fcpPR4bFA[/YOUTUBE]

Booker T is a fucking Jedi master. Sammartino can't fuck with that.

[YOUTUBE]gOwLTjdP9F8[/YOUTUBE]

Booker T is a master of his environment whether it be in the ring or at church. Sammartino wishes he had the smarts of Booker T.

[YOUTUBE]3SLYgwpghK4[/YOUTUBE]

Booker T is a ladies man. You won't find Sammartino's hairy self getting with any fine women.

[YOUTUBE]GTScoVhPu34[/YOUTUBE]

There you have it. Booker T is more popular, a Jedi, adapts better to his surroundings, and is better with the ladies.

In all seriousness don't vote Sammartino because of a couple long ass, boring title reigns. He got them because of one main thing; His look. You can make the Hogan comparison if you want but Hogan had personality and was actually entertaining. Sammartino placed in any time period past the 70's would have been a mid carder at best. Booker T is just better.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Bruno by a mile. Booker is a solid midcarder to weak main eventer. Bruno was THE Main Eventer for about 10 years. Bruno rarely lost, and he faced all styles. Booker lost most of his Main Event level feuds.

He lost to Scott Steiner, he lost to Triple H, he lost to Vince Russo (!), he lost to Stone Cold, he lost to the Rock, he lost to Edge, he lost to Christian, he lost to midcard John Cena, he lost to to JBL, he lost to Kurt Angle, he lost to the freaking BOOGEYMAN, he lost to Bobby Lashley, he lost to Kane, he lost to the Undertaker, he lost to Triple H AGAIN...in TNA, he was never a true Main Eventer, and even in the MEM he was the tag guy/jobber. These are all feuds. He won the odd match against these guys, but lost the war almost every time. Even his best individual wins were usually with outside help, like Orton saving him in the Best of 7 series or KEVIN FEDERLINE saving him against Main Event John Cena.

Bruno almost never lost. He literally might have less then 30 singles losses in his career, and certainly never lost with the frequency that Booker did. And if you read that rather lengthy list, it's not like Booker was only losing to the cream of the crop.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I didn't want to do this but have been left with no choice

Booker T is so popular 7-11 stores everywhere were sold out of Booker T cups. Selling out 7-11 > selling out MSG (which by the way would have been sold out regardless of who the champ was in that time period as long as he was booked right and had the right look).

[YOUTUBE]L7fcpPR4bFA[/YOUTUBE]

Sammartino's a real man. He wouldn't fuck around with no Slurpies. Those are for wimps.

Booker T is a fucking Jedi master. Sammartino can't fuck with that.

[YOUTUBE]gOwLTjdP9F8[/YOUTUBE]

Bruno would take that saber, break it in half, and stick it straight up Booker's ass.

Booker T is a master of his environment whether it be in the ring or at church. Sammartino wishes he had the smarts of Booker T.

[YOUTUBE]3SLYgwpghK4[/YOUTUBE]

Didn't Booker T get his ass whipped in a grocery store after that?

Booker T is a ladies man. You won't find Sammartino's hairy self getting with any fine women.

[YOUTUBE]GTScoVhPu34[/YOUTUBE]

Looked like it was just Goldust and that women when it was all said and done. Bruno would have thrown Goldust out the window. Maybe the woman too.

There you have it. Booker T is more popular, a Jedi, adapts better to his surroundings, and is better with the ladies.

In all seriousness don't vote Sammartino because of a couple long ass, boring title reigns. He got them because of one main thing; His look. You can make the Hogan comparison if you want but Hogan had personality and was actually entertaining. Sammartino placed in any time period past the 70's would have been a mid carder at best. Booker T is just better.

I'll take a guy who was great in the 70's over somebody who was a midcarder for life. I don't hear anybody say "Hey, remember that great Booker T match."

I think Bruno would laugh at this.

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Then do worse to him.