KB"s Wrestler Challenge #2

[klunderbunker]

After last week's strong response, I figured I'd keep this going.

This week the matchup is between a great heel, and a great career midcarder.

To begin with, we have the man who in my opinion is the greatest heel of all time, The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase. This guy was the epitome of heel. There was not a single redeeming thing about him. From the evil laugh to buying a swimming pool for a whole day to making his own belt, this guy was the perfect heel. He was more powerful than you, and he made sure you knew it. No slouch in the ring either, as he put on some wrestling clinics in the 80s.

On the other hand, we have the man who in my opinion is the most accomplished wrestler to never win a world title, the Enforcer, Arn Anderson. This man was the backbone of the most elite group of all time. Everytime you see the Horsemen, you see him and Flair, no exceptions. He won multiple titles in WCW/NWA and was one of the best talkers of all time. He coined the phrase 4 Horsemen. Why he was never given a run with the belt is beyond me.

So there you have it. As with last week and as always, pick the winner however you'd like. There's no real criteria here. Pick who you think was more influential, who would be booked over who, who had more accomplishments, who was better in the ring, whatever you'd like to go by. More to come next week.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Klunder you really have to put this one up huh? A conundrum to say the least. Oh good lord where to start.

Ted Dibiase is one of the best heels of all time. And could have been so much more. He could rile up a crowd and make them hate him so much. He was so talented it was uncanny. I don't know though. To me he always seemed a little forgettable. He was wasted potential. Very underrated and one of my all time favorites.

Arn on the other hand was part of one the most influential stables of all time. Numerous time tag champ with Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard. One of the handful of people to come from the NWA and win the Tag team titles in the WWE. As one half of the Brainbusters. Another very underrated wrestler. Who in my opinion was one of the BEST on the mic. He was so smooth. In the ring and out he is one of the best.

I don't know honestly. Both are phenomenal. I guess the mark in me is going to make the decision here. It may not be popular but I am going to go with Arn Anderson. I mark for him so much it isnt funny. This decision is based purely on preference for me.

 

[RabidChihuahua]

For me, the winner would have to be Arn. I never really cared all that much about DiBiase in the WWE or Mid-South.

Arn, on the other hand, is one of my all time favorite wrestlers. I remember getting goosebumps listening to his promos on Saturday afternoons on TBS. He always seemed like the most "real" of all the wrestlers, to me. His lack of gimmick as it were, made me really appreciate the effort, the intensity and the genuine love of the business that he had. Not to say that DiBiase didn't, but Arn never put on a bad match that I ever saw. If Ric Flair was the leader of the Horsemen, Arn was the heart and soul.

Call it bias, call it personal preference, but whatever you call it, Arn is the winner. It's not that Ted wasn't a good wrestler, but in my mind, the Enforcer is just a touch better.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Man, KB, this one is tough. Here are my thoughts.

MDM is one of the most underrated heels of the 80's. He should have won world titles, and if not for Hogan, he would have. He is also one of the few 80's characters who could have transferred to the Attitude Era (minus the sparkly costume). The vignettes of buying the pool and all the Andre mess are happy childhood memories. I even remember one of my friend using DiBiase as the subject of a "hero" essay in second or third grade.

Arn, on the other hand, was a pillar of the Horsemen. He had multiple title reigns, and he won his belts, he didn't buy them. He was almost as good as MDM on the mc, and better in the ring.

I'm basing my decision on two things. First, Arn associated with the Horsemen, Ric Flair alone is enough to win. DiBiase had short term association with Heenan and Andre, which is awesome, but twenty years with Flair wins. Secondly, when I see Arn on TV backstage, I feel more excited than when I see DiBiase, although that's close too.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Ted DiBiase is one of the best heels of all time. Arn Anderson...he never really worked for me. I only got to see him in the twilight of his career, but what I saw, was definitely not very impressive.

Ted DiBiase wasn't fantastic in the ring, but could cut promos so over-the-top heel-ish that you had to hate the guy. And the crappy way he treated Virgil...one of the last ever heels I can remember that I actually hated with a passion. So, based on that, Ted DiBiase wins this, for me.

 

[jmt225]

This one seems hard off the bat, but the answer is Ted DiBiase.

Arn Anderson was a great wrestler. He had tremendous promo ability, and could work as good of match as anyone ever in the business. However, what separates him and DiBiase is that DiBiase proved himself on a much larger scale, not just the territory circuits he worked. Arn was always over in WCW, granted, but DiBiase had such a huge run in the WWF that it sort of makes this a mismatch. I mean, Ted DiBiase headlined a Wrestlemania. Did Arn Anderson ever headline a pay-per-view that wasn't a War Games match?

You see, Anderson will always be remembered as a guy who could never get out of Ric Flair's shadow. Nothing more. It's unfortunate, but it's true. DiBiase, on the other hand, will be always be remember as a guy with one of the most fun, kayfabe hated characters in the history of the business, and that's what ultimately separates DiBiase and Anderson. Work and promo wise, it's pretty much a tie, but since DiBiase did loads more with his career, he gets the nod here. Also, you can't underestimate how over DiBiase was in the UWF, both as a babyface and heel during his run in that company. So he has that going for him as well.

 

[klunderbunker]

I have to go with the Million Dollar Man. Anderson seems to be built for the midcard, something like a Razor Ramon. He would be in a main event match, but never really there permantly. In the 80s he was absolute gold on the mic. His in ring work was always great and if I remember right he innovated the spine buster. However, it always seemed to me that he was big because of his association with Flair and the Horsemen. Where would he be without them?

Dibiase on the other hand was the top heel in WWF for a long time. He was just an evil character and built the mold for Vince's character ten years later. That trademark laugh and the great music are still just perfect for him. If there's ever been a man that is perfect for a gimmick, this was it. Dibiase played that character to perfection. He technically was the World champion for one day, even being introduced as champion during two tag matches. Politics kept the belt off of him in 88, and I'd still have loved to see him with the belt. Its close, but I have to go with Dibiase.