First Round: Miami - Arn Anderson vs. The Iron Sheik

[Muffin Top Merkley]

Double A wins with two back-to-back spinebusters.

Yes, Arn Anderson was never a world champion. However, in my mind, the Iron Sheik was only a world champion to Hulk Hogan could take it from a very hated heel to increase his popularity among fans and become the face of the WWF.

 

[Mr. TM]

He was an Olympian for Iran, but he was slow, lethargic, and someone who was bested by many great wrestlers. Arn Anderson would have no trouble dispatching the Iron Sheik.

Why do you think Sheiky is underrated?

I already said, people dont remember him at all for being a world champion, because of the downward spiral the man has went down.

He was trusted enough to give Hulk Hogan, the future of the WWE at the time the first title win in the company. Losing can be good if you get to lose to the man who would become the greatest talent of all time. Because of that, he is underrated.

 

[The REAL Iron Chef]

Anderson. Four Horsemen should say enough. But to elaborate, he could talk, he could wrestle single or tag (back when tag was distinctive), and GodDAMN did he have a spinebuster. Good enough that Triple H copied it and named it after him.

I'll say Double A for general excellence.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

He was trusted enough to give Hulk Hogan, the future of the WWE at the time the first title win in the company.

I'm not sure if it was more of he's trusted to give Hogan his first title run, more than it was conenient to give the title to Shiek, because Backland refused to turn heel, and McMahon needed an established heel to futher push Hogan as the face of the company.

Losing can be good if you get to lose to the man who would become the greatest talent of all time.

Losing to a man who would is continuing a push is only really good if you recieve any benefit in return. Hogan going over Sheik didn't increase Sheik's standing on the roster or in the eyes of the audience. He was still seen by all as cheap foreign heat.

 

[Mr. TM]

Established heel, who was big enough to lose to hogan for the title... That is all I neede you to say. It's not like they were going to give the title to some jobber to give to Hogan, they needed someone legitamate, and that is what Shiek was, hardly overrated as we don't think of him as that, thus he is overrated.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

Of course they wouldn't give it to a jobber to pass on to Hogan. If Backland would have been willing to turn heel, then Sheik never would have touched the gold.

Sheik beating Backland was more of the Sheik being in the right place at the right time, not him having the talent to be a credible long-term champion rather than the transitional one that The Iron Sheik ended up being. The Sheik was a champion out of convenience, not because he earned it.

 

[joejoe]

This one is actually really tough to call. Both guys are over and both have had a history of success. However I think Arn out wrestles the Sheik in this match up. Even though the Sheik trys everything he can to win including the use of foreign objects, Arn pulls off the win with a piledriver.

Arn is the better worker so he gets the win.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The Iron Sheik gotta shitty draw in the first round and he's not going any further. I wouldn't expect Arn Anderson to just completely dominate the Sheik as the Sheik was easily the stronger of the two. When it comes down to overall ability in the ring, Anderson runs circles around the Sheik. As long as Double A can avoid the Camel Clutch, I see him walking away with the win in this one.

Arn Anderson was a great wrestler. In my opinion, he was every bit the equal of the likes of Ric Flair as an overall, all around pro wrestler. While Arn Anderson was strictly in the tag team or mid-card scene for his entire career, he could have been a serious main eventer. I think he's one of the best to have never been a world champion.

 

[X]

Shiek was never more than a mediocre brawler, pair him inside of a wrestling ring with someone who has the technical and brawling skills of Arn Anderson and he would simply pick the Shiek apart. Easy victory for Arn Anderson here as he advances with the best spinebuster in the business.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I already said, people dont remember him at all for being a world champion, because of the downward spiral the man has went down.

He was trusted enough to give Hulk Hogan, the future of the WWE at the time the first title win in the company. Losing can be good if you get to lose to the man who would become the greatest talent of all time. Because of that, he is underrated.

That's a good answer... but it doesn't mean he'll beat Anderson. I think their match would be better than most think, but there's no other outcome except a nice DDT to Sheik for the 1-2-3.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Not sure I can say much about Double A that hasn't already been said. Superior in the ring, by a mile. He was the Enforcer of the greatest stable in pro wrestling history. He was a technician, a brawler, and anything else you can think of. I just don't care about the Iron Sheik, never have.

Arn all the way.