First Round: Los Angeles - Jake Roberts vs. Rikishi

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round matchup in the Los Angeles 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: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California.

Jake Roberts

Vs.

Rikishi

Voting is open for 4 days.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I voted for Jake. The high point of Rikishi's career was when He 'Did it for da Rock'. Jake had several cracks against big time opponents. His stuff with Savage was great and truely entertaining. Take a look at this promo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaDxp_NV34s&feature=related
His fuedn with Rick Rude was also vastly entertaining. This man had several great moments and highlights to his career and I suggest a vote for him:

Vote Roberts

 

[D-Man]

Rikishi is a large, intelligent, and brute-powerhouse of a man. His finishers are tough and taxing on the body. But, he's very slow and can NEVER match intelligence with Jake Roberts.

As you can tell already, I'm a Jake Roberts fan, so there's no way I'd vote against him. Jake was an incredible heel AND babyface in the 80's, but was mainly known for the quickness and devastation of his version of the DDT, which put every opponent down during that time period. It was so dangerous that Bobby Heenan went on a tirade and actually got it banned from the WWF for a short period of time. This simple, finishing maneuver has become as generic as the suplex in today's market, but no one could forget how it dominated the 80's.

But Jake's true power came from his psychological warfare. That guy could get in your head better than any man in the WWF at the time. With Damian and Lucifer by his side, Jake would use scare tactics, quick strikes and head games to wear his opponents down before, during and after matches.

I just can't see a stinkface putting Jake Roberts down.

Jake for the win.

 

[CH David]

Mind vs. Body. Jake's mind games vs. Rikishi's fat ass. I'll take Jake. Rikishi will try his damndest to overpower Jake, but he is too slow and that will eventually catch up to him. Rikishi would likely start out on the advantage due to his power, but would likely take his eye off the prize to dance in the ring. Jake goes on the assault, and after probably one or two DDT's onto his hard head, Rikishi is down for the 1, 2, 3.

 

[GenMe]

Rikishi was a strong and large wrestler, but he had one weakness in that was his speed. Rikishi was very slow. Jake "the snake" roberts was quick and very intelligent with a very awesome DDT that destroyed his opponents. Jake was also an incredible heel while he was a heel an a incredible face while he had a face run. So this vote will be for Jake "The snake" Roberts.

 

[Tastycles]

For all of Roberts' mind games, who did he actually beat? His notable feuds - Savage, Undertaker, Austin, Steamboat, fucking Honky Tonk Man, all ended up with him losing. As shit as Rikishi was, he was never any worse than Kamala, another one who beat Jake. Seriously, Rikishi may have been fat, but he made it to the main event, something Jake never did. Don't confuse overness with actually winning matches. Jake was popular, but there were few names as big as him in the history of wrestling who have lost as much.

 

[Theo Mays]

I love me some Rikishi. One of my childhood favorites, however he will fall victim to a DDT from Jake. While Roberts was never a main event he still was pretty darn good. I don't think Rikishi would fall victim to the mind games here, but Jake would still find the way to win. His DDT is quick and can be hit out of nowhere and it could put the big man out. Now if Jake had to actually lift Rikishi this would be another story, but he doesn't. Roberts wins it here.

 

[ZeroVX]

Definitely Roberts here. Rikishi is decent in terms of wrestling ability, especially for one his size. His run with Too Cool made him widely popular with the fans. Having said that, no one could buy his heel run, and very few could view him as a threat to a world title. Roberts could make fans believe whatever he wanted, whether as a face or heel. His in-ring abilities are very good by 80's standards. He looks the part of "The Snake", like a wily, conniving schemer. And his promos are beyond excellent, and that may be selling them a bit short. Roberts wins here.

 

[Big Sexy]

I really like Jake Roberts but like Tasty said earlier, who did he ever beat? He lost in his feuds with Steamboat, Rick Rude, Savage, Taker, and even the Honky Tonk Man. Rikishi at least had some success and was even in the main event scene for a short while. He also was very entertaining in his own right. My vote goes to the big man.

 

[X]

Can't vote against Jake the Snake here, simply because of his innovation of the DDT. People don't realize just how INSANE that move was at the time when he invented it, that was the kind of move that could easily kill someone if done incorrectly and it became probably the best finisher in the game for a few years before it's initial luster wore off. I was a Rikishi fan during his Headshrinker days as well as his time with Too Cool and his brief stint in the main event, but one false move and Roberts would have him in the DDT and it would be game over for the fat man.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

It's not so much a vote for Jake "The Snake" Roberts as much as vote against Rikishi. I was just never a fan, and when Umaga came onto the scene a few years later, he just showed how dominant a large Samoan guy can really be with his ass. Then again I won't discount Roberts at all, who gave some of the best heel promos of all time in my mind in his feud against Savage. So good, they secure my vote alone, which means they must be tremendously creepy.

This isn't even bringing in Damien and the DDT.

 

[Papa Shango]

Jake the Snake wins for sure. Rikishi has size and power to his advantage, that's it. Roberts, in his prime, had so many tools. Surprisingly quick and agile, especially for an era when wrestlers weren't known for agility. He was cold and calculating, and ruthless son of a bitch. The similarities between him and Randy Orton are impossible to ignore. Hell, Orton's known as "The Viper". Not a coincidence. For those of you unfamiliar with Jake the Snake, in the 80's, he essentially was Randy Orton. That should put it into context for you. Jake the Snake will take any punishment Rikishi hands out, and take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way. Low blow, eye rake, exposed turnbuckle, ref bump. And Jake the snake knows how to make those opportunities arise. The Snake is just way too smart and way too deadly for RIkishi to handle.

 

[PsychoBlack]

why is rikishi in the tournament? what has he ever done? he was a comedy character with too cool and got a giant push because he was the rocks cousin and what came from that push not a damn thing. jake had a very interesting personality and was a great performer who put on many great matches im voting roberts here

 

[Suneeboy]

The people Jake lost to are Hall of Fame caliber wrestlers man. Who did Rikishi beat? He has a win over Chris Benoit, but who else? He did nothing but go through a dozen gimmicks before settling in as the dancing Samoan who jobbed to the main eventers. I was raised on Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and he is a wrestling ICON.

The originator of the DDT will slap that shit on Rikishi so fast he won't even know what hit him.

He never did anything like this to any of his opponents. This is one of the best segments of all time in pro wrestling.

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=higt0UI7tlg[/YOUTUBE]

Fuck the dancing shit. Jake Roberts FTW.

 

[DirtyJosé]

Kayfabe: Rikishi, the big jolly man who turned not so jolly. Jake the Snake, a natural talent who could get exactly what he wanted out of a crowd on command, but couldn't control his own demons. Rikishi has done some things of note, but can't hold a torch to Jake the Snake's lasting impact. Also, Jake is the master of the DDT, while Rikishi rubs his ass into people's faces. Edge: Jake

Performance: I would value Rikishi's dancing skills if Too Cool didn't suck so hard. Jake controlled a crowd. He was an innovator in the ring. Rikishi doesn't stand a chance. Edge: Jake

Personal: Are you fucking kidding? Jake the Snake Roberts is a legend, a flawed one but still a legend. Master of the DDT was a childhood hero of mine, while Rikishi was an also ran during the late 90's/early 00's.

Jake gets the win here.

 

[deem]

This is fairly close - at Rikishi's peak he was a genuine main eventer, during late 2000. For whatever reason he never established himself and built on it, but I've always loved him. My childhood favourite.

Roberts is a guy I adore - I'm a sucker for ring pyschology, and Roberts might be the best ever.

I see this being a closely fought match with Rikishi eventually being caught by a DDT as he leans down to a samoan drop.

 

[Mr. TM]

A guy who had to get a new character ever few years because he kept getting fatter and fatter against a guy who has basically stayed the same, and still gets over in the back of barns filled with people (term people is used loosely) is a bit of an easy one. Jake Roberts was never the toughest guy, but he would play mindfreaks on whoever he fought against, and that is why he was always at the top of the midcard. As for Rikishi, he would scare the guy shitless and get the win with a DDT.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

There was no getting up from a Jake Robert's DDT, a move so devistating that it was "banned" from the WWF for a short period.

The Snake had an incredible ring psychology and loved to play mindgames with whoever he was facing before and during a match.

He would be inside Rikishi's head and that gives him the advantage over Rikishi's strength advantage.