Round One, Match Two - Samoa Joe & Eddie Guerrero vs. Rhino & Evan Bourne

[Uncle Sam]

Basic Guidelines:

1. First Round matches are conducted under basic WWE singles match rules - the really inconsistent ones you see on television weekly.
2. Polls will open after - approximately - twenty-four hours.
3. Vote how you like, by whatever criteria you like.
4. Strictly no alts.
5. No regions, no arenas, no gimmicks (for now) - everything is based on merit.

Match Two
SAMOA JOE & EDDIE GUERRERO
"Latin-Samoan Heat"
vs.
RHINO & EVAN BOURNE
"Air Gore"​

Generally considered two of the weaker draws but I don't think it's a bad match-up. Eddie Guerrero might have an inflated legacy since his death, but he was still a world champion - and a successful tag team competitor. Samoa Joe, on the other hand, once held the TNA tag team titles by himself.

Rhino is a former ECW and NWA World Champion, and had a pretty damn good but often overlooked tag team with Chris Benoit for a while. Not to mention that Evan Bourne has the coolest tights in all of wrestling. Weirdly, a tag team that I'd like to see in real life.

 

[Dave]

For me, this match up can be easily decided by pitting one member of a team against the opposing number and it balances out really nicely.

When I think about Eddie Guerrero and Evan Bourne having a match to themselves, there is only one real winner in my mind and that is Eddie Guerrero. The same can be true of Samoa Joe and Rhino. Personally, in my very ignorant opinion, Samoa Joe has just got too much for Rhino and would pick up the win.

When it comes down to this tag team match, I personally think that Samoa Joe and Eddie Guerrero would win the match up. I believe that Evan Bourne and Rhino, whilst being an entertaining team, are pretty much over-matched here and Latin-Samoan Heat would pick up the win with Eddie Guerrero pinning Evan Bourne for the victory.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

It's a classic case of mirror-opposite teams. Each team has a big power guy (Joe and Rhino) and each team has a high flyer (Guerrero and Bourne).

Dave has the right idea with matching each guy up, but he simply matches power vs power and agility vs agility.

I'd actually take Rhino over Joe. I like Joe, but he's inconsistent. Rhino is just a wrecking ball, and he'll be fresh at a few points in the match.

I'd take Joe over Bourne. Bourne is too green, and Joe has X-Division experience against guys like Styles and Daniels, so he'll have the high-flying stuff scouted.

I'll take Guerrero over Rhino. Eddie is the classic case of the undersized guy who uses speed and smarts to take advantage of his opponent's weaknesses. Remember, this is the same Eddie Guerrero who was essentially the first to really defeat Brock Lesnar.

I'll of course take Guerrero over Bourne, for obvious reasons.

That's 3 for team Joe / Guerrero vs 1 for team Rhino / Bourne. So as a result, Samoa Joe and Eddie Guerrero win this match up for me.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I think this'll probably be close to a clean sweep for Latino-Samoan Heat. A shame - Air Gore is an infinitely better tag team name. Oh well.

The weak link here seems to be Bourne. However, he's one of the most exciting wrestlers in the mainstream today. He has numerous victories over the man that's teaming with Bret Hart, Chris Jericho. Not to mention, of course, that he has really, really cool tights. This time next year, he might be held in better standing than the other three guys in this match.

I'll agree with IC, I think, that Rhino goes over Joe. Joe and Rhino have actually been booked similarly by TNA; incredibly inconsistently. They've gone from unstoppable monsters - and world champions - to midcards to jobbers and back again.

Before TNA though, Rhino had ECW and WWE, Joe had ROH. Joe's Ring of Honor stuff was good, but was it better - or more significant - than Rhino's ECW stuff? That's one for the fanboys to duke out.

Eddie is obviously the most ring smart of the guys. As much as I hate to list "sneakiness" as a reason for why someone is good, I'm going to have to. Rhino and EB are both lack caution, running, goring and flipping headlong into danger. Just the sort of attitude Eddie could exploit.

I think I'm siding with Samoan-Latino Heat for now, though I'm a bit in two minds now I've thought about it a bit harder. Perhaps I'll come back and fight Air Gore's case a bit harder.

 

[Megatron]

Like all 3 of you said, I think it's safe to say that Eddie and Joe will win this match handily. Eddie has been an accomplished tag-team wrestler, winning 4 WWE Tag-Team titles and a NJPW Tag-Team title, which is the biggest promotion in Japan I believe. Joe and Rhino are a pretty even matchup, but Joe has been good enough to hold the TNA Tag-Team Championships by himself, which is something that neither of his opponents can say.

Aside from their Tag-Team accomplishments, both Eddie and Joe have been their companies World Champions, along with winning the Triple Crown of them, with Eddie actually being a grand slam champion. Rhino has been a World Heavyweight Champion before, but he hasn't been able to clean up the midcard like his opponents have. Bourne clearly is the weak link in this match, and hasn't accomplished a whole lot on the singles note, and has been in the WWE for over a year and a half, and is still yet to hold any form of championship.

The fact is, Joe and Eddie are both more decorated, both as singles and as Tag-Team wrestlers, that puts them over Air Gore.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Oh no, Samoa Joe is inconsistent. It's better to be inconsistent than consistently shit, like Rhino. Actually I lie, Rhino was entertaining in ECW when he was beating up bitches and his first three months in TNA were the shizzle.

Eddie Guerrero, yeah he was alright. Not half the seller or high flyer Evan Bourne is though, is he!

I'll vote whimsically later.

 

[Big Sexy]

This is even easier then the other first round match that is up so far. Samoa Joe > Rhyno. Eddie Guerrero > Evan Bourne. It's simple math. Joe and Eddie take this one fairly easily.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Ever since his matches with Styles and Daniels, Joe has been basically shit. Eddie Guerrero may have "beaten" Brock Lesnar but he was getting thrown around like a rag doll before Goldberg had to show his pretty face. The past is in the past though.

I'd say Rhyno can handle either Samoa Joe or Eddie Guerrero. Is Bourne on the same level as Benjamin or Haas at this stage of his career because the previous two have beaten Guerreron numerous times.

I'm leaning towards Rhyno and Bourne. Decisions, decisions.

 

[Ferbian]

This one is pretty clear for me. Eddie Guerrero and Samoa Joe would practically rip apart Evan Bourne and Rhino. Evan is good don't get me wrong, but he'll be the downside to their tag team, because of his size as well as he'd have problems with the bigger guys like Samoa, and Eddie who would both wrestle the ass off Evan.

Rhino has an advantage in being brutal, but it's something Samoa Joe can work around, and Eddie Guerrero has worked with his share of brutal opponents as well (Brock Lesnar?).

Eddie and Joe wins this one, pretty easily as well I would think.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

See I think this match is a little tougher to decide then the first match up. It's easy to call out the most obvious weakness in Bourne here, but you can never count the little guy out, he has handled his own against bigger guys. With Rhino it only takes one gore to put someone down. I think the way Latin-Samoan Heat could pick up the win would be by, Eddie using his "sneakiness" like Sam said. Rhino would be dumb enough to fall for some of Eddie's tactics.

 

[Theo Mays]

I actually think this is closer than many think. I think Air Gore will keep it close, but I like Latin Samoan Heat just a bit better. Eddie is the top guy in the match and then Joe and Rhino are pretty much equals with Bourne slightly behind. Bourne will do a bunch of great selling and Rhino will get a hot tag and clean some house, but Eddie will find a way to steal a victory for his team.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

Air Gore has the combination of polar opposites... a big, powerhouse in Rhino and Speedy Gonzalez himself, Bourne. They have shown that they are pretty good in these roles, considering their finishers... but that's all I see these two as... men with epic finishers. Do you know what they do during the match? Knock you silly enough to hit those finishers... not really a good strategy to employ, is it?

Latin-Samoan Heat have a good mix of styles here. Eddie can fly, whilst going to the mat as well. So the idea of grounding the high-flier isn't a good strategy. He is also an excellent ring psychologist with the amount of ways he found to steal victories. Samoa Joe is just a machine. He's a powerful guy that can match speeds with some of the faster works (evident in his X-Division experiences). Joe can also hit to the mat too if need be, and can go submission. Definitely an all-rounder right here.


I'm giving it to LSH here. They've got the broader wrestling skills and have proven to be bigger successes in tag team wrestling than Air Gore. Guerrero has held the titles and has paired up with many people of different skills, doing well in the process. Joe defended the titles by himself apparently... whatever Rhino/Bourne has done does not equal what LHS has done. Latin-Samoan Heat to advance.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

This one is pretty clear for me. Eddie Guerrero and Samoa Joe would practically rip apart Evan Bourne and Rhino. Evan is good don't get me wrong, but he'll be the downside to their tag team, because of his size as well as he'd have problems with the bigger guys like Samoa, and Eddie who would both wrestle the ass off Evan.

Rhino has an advantage in being brutal, but it's something Samoa Joe can work around, and Eddie Guerrero has worked with his share of brutal opponents as well (Brock Lesnar?).

Eddie and Joe wins this one, pretty easily as well I would think.

Rhyno can take care of Samoa Joe. Joe has been beaten my wrestlers similar to Rhyno's position in TNA.

Eddie has fallen to the spear before so Rhyno can catch with him a Gore and then set up for the SSP.

Right now - 55% Air Gore 45% Other team

 

[INDYjon22]

Joe and Guerrero should win this match. In fact, I would put Guerrero over Rhino and Bourne in a two on one match. Guerrero is just far superior then both men and add in the fact that his partner could easily neutralize the bigger and stronger Rhino, that really puts Evan Bourne on the hot seat to step up for his team, something he would fail at. Guerrero would pick Bourne apart until he could hit the frog splash.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Joe and Guerrero should win this match. In fact, I would put Guerrero over Rhino and Bourne in a two on one match. Guerrero is just far superior then both men and add in the fact that his partner could easily neutralize the bigger and stronger Rhino, that really puts Evan Bourne on the hot seat to step up for his team, something he would fail at. Guerrero would pick Bourne apart until he could hit the frog splash.

When has Guerrero shown in the WWE that he can beat a real powerful wrestler on his own? Goldberg was just Lesnar's Kane plain and simple. Bourne is similar to the Rey Mysterio of 2005 who owned Guerrero mostly all of that year. He beat him like four or five times at PPV's.


Right Now- 60% Air Gore

 

[gd]

Air Gore is definetly the superior name, which has to count for something. I don't think it's enough though. Kayfabe wise, if you want to go that way, LSH have the advantage. Both Eddie and Joe have beaten Rhino the majority of the time in a myriad of different matches, and while they don't have much experience with Evan Bourne, you'd only imagine they'd take him down, since he's a jobber and all.

Tough call really, but LSH really is an intriguing team with two high quality wrestlers, including one of my personal favorites in Joe. Air Gore simply doesn't have enough here.

 

[hatehabsforever]

This one was a little tougher than match #1. But I voted for Samoa Joe (shockingly) and Eddie Guerrero over Rhino and Evan Bourne.

Even though I feel that Samoa Joe is one of the most, if not the most, over-rated professional wrestler on the current roster of either company, he has displayed glimpses of promise in his days on Spike TV. While I have never ever watched ROH, I understand he was pretty dominant back in those days, and I guess that should count for something. I think if he were to lay off the cheeseburgers and spend a little time back in the gym to re-capture the chiseled physique he once had (hee hee), he would be capable of re-capturing some of the hype and promise he has displayed on occasion in TNA.

Combine him with Eddie Guerrero, who is a class act bonafide superstar who combined in-ring talent, superb mic skills with accompanying charisma, and I think we have a team that can survive round #1, but one which is probably not going too far beyond this.

Who opposes them? Rhino, a guy whose only minor relevance in the business was achieved in ECW over a decade ago, hardly the stuff of legends. Average at best in the ring and only a star in the business in a third-rate and quickly defunct organization. Combine him with Evan Bourne who, much like the Miz, may be good in the future in the WWE, but is still pretty green in the ring (regardless of his ROH past). He spends a lot of time jobbing in the WWE, and this fact, plus a lacklustre partner, makes my decision clear.

WINNERS: SAMOA JOE AND EDDIE GUERRERO

 

[Tastycles]

Eddie Guerrero and Samoa Joe are quite shit, to be honest. I have never understood the love that either of them get, but in all honesty, Rhino is something of a big fat loner, and Evan Bourne is a bit of a weed. Joe has made a career of beating people like Bourne, indeed, I imagine he has actually beaten Bourne at some point. The real victor here though is Guerrero. Better than Bourne, and Rhino is the sort of moron that falls for his tricks, not to mentiion he's functioned in a lot more tag teams than the rest, so I'm going for Latino Joe.

 

[The Holy One]

You know I'm actually going to make the unpopular decision and go with Air Gore. I feel that Joe's hothead will be downfall for Latin-Samoan Heat. Rhino and Joe will be an equal match. Bourne will able to hold his own with Guerrero b/c a wrestler of similar size was able to the same (Mysterio 2005). In the end, I think it will come down to which team will be able to get along. Joe's has a history for not working well with others and Guerrero certainly not the likable character that will able to get along with Joe. I feel Joe will walk out on Eddie at some point which leaves Guerrero to get hit with a Gore and SSP combination.