The Who's better poll #7

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

Ok, last poll was one-sided, Christian beat out Matt Hardy by over 30 votes. Today, it's time for a new poll. Today's theme is, "Wrestlers who have left us way to early" In this poll, we will look at Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Mr.Perfect, and Owen Hart. Lets take a look at the stats:

Eddie Guerrero:
1X WWE Champion
4X WWE Tag Team Champion
1X US Champion
2X European Champion
2X Intercontinental Champion
6th Grand Slam Champion
11th Triple Crown Champion
Induced into 2006 Hall of Fame

Chris Benoit:
1X World Heavyweight Champion
1X WWE Tag Team Champion
3X US Champion
4X Intercontinental Champion
3X World Tag Team Champion
2004 Royal Rumble winner
12th Triple Crown Champion

Mr.Perfect:
2X Intercontinental Champion- One of the best of all time
Inducted into 2007 Hall Of Fame

Owen Hart:
1X European Champion
2X Intercontinental Champion
4X WWF Tag Team Champion
1994 King Of The Ring
2X Slammy Award Winner

This is by far, the toughest poll to choose from. However, I'm going to say Chris Benoit here. He is one of the best technical wrestlers if not the best technical wrestler of all time. Another reason I think he is better is because of the Royal Rumble win followed by winning his first and only world title at Wrestlemania 20 in a match with HHH and HBK. So, just like in the Who's Better Poll # 3, The Royal Rumble win becomes a wild card.

 

[trendkiller]

I had to pick Benoit for this one, though it was a close call with Eddie in second. Unfortunately I never got to see Hennig or Owen in their hey day, so I can't really make a judgment on them.

This thread is as good as any to share my favorite Benoit moment, I guess. It was the same show (Armageddon) where Mercury got his nose busted way the fuck open the hard way on the ladder (when his nose exploded, y'all remember?).

Benoit made a surprise return and had a match with William Regal. To this day, that was the best, stiffest and most believable technical match I've had the pleasure to watch since I started watching wrestling regularly. That match made me love Benoit and Regal both and no matter what demons possessed Benoit in his private life, his acumen as an athlete and performer can simply not be ignored.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I like this idea.

I picked Owen Hart because despite the successes of the other wrestlers, Owen died the youngest and left a LOT of unanswered questions as far as where he could have been headed. Some say he was destined for an IC title run. Some even say he may have feuded with Austin and even had a run with the WWE Title. He was very capable of being a champion. He could draw money and wrestle his ass off. His death is also the most tragic in that he died in the ring.

I miss Owen to this day. He left us too soon, and he'd have been 46 by now. Which means he may have had another good run in him. What might have been.

 

[RockNWag]

I'd have to say Benoit, definitely one of my favorite wrestlers of all time....This was REALLY hard to choose though, considering all 4 men are some of the greatest wrestlers that have ever lived. This guy was one of the toughest wrestlers in history, regardless of his personal life, and the best technical wrestler (IMO) to date.

 

[Live2inspireX386X]

This is the hardest poll I have ever done but I have to go with Eddie. Eddie and Chris I see as equal but the biggest diffrence to me is that Eddie was involved in more memerable fueds such as his fued with Rey Mysterio , Rock and Chavo Benoit has had his share of good fueds but I just feel Eddie made a more memarable impact on the sport

 

[InterestingDrug]

All four guys were great, but BENOIT is the best of them all. From the moment he walked into the WWE, he was a main eventer. And he continued to be a main eventer until the day he died. Also remember, he walked out of WCW as the World Heavyweight Champion. He was a former Horseman. He held all the WCW titles, all the WWF/E titles. He was the best of this group. Technically, he has a slight edge on Eddy as the best in this group. I would have loved to see him wrestle Owen. It would have been a great match.

 

[SexandWrestling]

Even though I would love to say Owen because of emotional reasons, I would have to say Chris Benoit. His technical prowess in the ring was above and beyond anybody else on the list and even though he didn't have many memorable feuds in the WWF(E), his time in WCW was a different story. We could look at his epic best of seven series with Booker T, his great clashes as a member of the Four Horsemen, his awesome ladder match against Jeff Jarrett for the US Title and I could go all day on this but I'll stop. I am judging solely on their career up to the date of their death. I am not speaking of what could have been if they didn't die because that's just complete speculation imo. I try to remember the great Canadian Crippler Chris Benoit, the best ring technician in the history of this awesome business and nobody comes close in my mind.

 

[No Hype]

Speaking logically Eddie is the second youngest on the list (at the time of death) and he accomplished the most. So I am going with Eddie, good as a face, heel and the best as a tweener, could wrestle his ass off with anyone and literally destroy a character on the mic.

Eddie was going to get the belt when he died, there is no hypothesizing like with Hart, He wasn't about to make a come back like Henning, and he wasn't heading for the C-show like Benoit.

Eddie left way to early he could have given us another decade of Lieing, Cheating, and Stealing and we all would have loved it!

RIP to all 4 of these great men

 

[lghikas]

I would have to pick Owen Hart. For me personally you have to be more than just great in the ring. Also I had always felt that you could just see how much love Owen had in entertaining people and he was so good it. Perfect example would be him at the Slammy, which is one my favorites moments of WWE. Just whether it was inside or outside the ring, doing a promo, or just away from the business it seemed like he always tried to entertain the ones around him, and I think we can say he did a pretty good job.

 

[phlewfy]

I definitely have to go with Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig. He was by far the best overall talent of the bunch. The man could do it all. He was a superb athlete who competed in great match after great match. I would say his matches with the Hitman top even Benoit's greatest moments. When you listen to other wrestlers speak about Hennig, there is nothing but respect in their words. Not only could Mr. Perfect wrestle, but he was a top notch talent on the stick as well. I remember those old vignettes with Hennig playing all the sports and doing all of them "Perfect". Easily the best vignette was when he throws a hail mary pass to himself. It also was always entertaining when he spit his gum out and swatted it with his hand. I think that Hennig could have been used by both the WWF and the WCW much better. Maybe he doesn't have the statistics to match up with Benoit or Guerrero, but he definitely had all the talent, if not more than those guys.

P.S. What about Hennig's tag titles with Scott Hall in the AWA? Don't they count for anything? Or how about his World title in the AWA? He was also a US champion and WCW tag champion.

 

[mister_b1LL]

I can't make a full judgement on Owen and Perfect because they were somewhat before my viewing time. So for me it's gonna go down between Eddie and Benoit.

In terms of entertainment, and yes I'm playing favorites here, Eddie was the best. I had been watching him since his days in WCW and he always made me laugh, made me cry, made me enjoy the wrestling show I was watching. From that one skit he had where he tried to spot his attacker from a line of masked luchadors, to his first few years in the WWF when he was with his mamacita Chyna, to that amazing moment when he won the WWE Championship at No Way Out 2004, to even his last match with Mr. Kennedy, Eddie always entertained me, and thanks to the wonders of YouTube, he will continue to!

 

[Rated_R_Superstar2010]

im a little too young for Owen Hart and MR. Perfect. i know alot about them just never saw then wrestle. eddie and benoit are really close but i'd have to give it to eddie. he was more of a ME than benoit. i loved benoit the wolverine, loved his toughness. eddie just has that latino heat.

my vote goes to Eddie Guerrrero. love them all but he was better.

 

[Proof]

Overall. it's Guerrero. It's amazing that Benoit, one of the least charismatic, worst mic workers, and a guy that did more damage than good to the business is winning. Guerrero is one of the most complete packages ever. He could wrestle any style, one of the most charismatic wrestlers ever, always had the crowd in the palm of his hands, and didn't shit on the business. The guy had it all and was one of the most over wrestlers post the Rock/Austin era. As far as overall ability goes, Benoit is last.

 

[matman8540]

Chris Benoit was the best....barely. Although I'm old enough to have seen all of them (including when Mr. Perfect was just an up and coming enhancement talent in the WWF back in the early 80s), he had some good IC reigns, but never got the rub as top dog. Of course, that had somthing to do with someone who wore red & yellow being Vince's boy. Owen left us sooner than all of them, so he hadn't hit his stride yet. Eddie had more combined title reigns, but Chris went straight ahead at his opponents despite being smaller than the vase majority of everyone he ever faced. Also, with Benoit, you also had the belief that he could overcome any opponent. Finally, sort of off the subject, I would like to remember Benoit as the wrestler he was, instead of what his last act was.

 

[CoolioCM]

So I have to say Perfect only because he could do it all, and could do it all well. He could brawl, he could trade hold for hold, always told an amazing story, sold his ass off, had a great look and great presence, and was an excellent worker on the mic years before so much emphasis was put on that. Now if you're going off accomplishments, then the answer is Benoit, but if you're going off actual talent, I think the answer is gotta be him...All these guys are great, but only one could say he was perfect!

 

[jazzua]

I have to go with Hennig. Despite his obvious lack of a major World Title the man was about the most all around talent the business has ever seen, minus HBK. He could literally do anything, with anyone, at anytime, in any match. Even though he wasn't originally meant to have the "Perfect" moniker, he was far and away the best choice.

While all the wrestlers are great, he stands out above the rest. The fact that most people would cut him out due to his never holding a title should tell you something about him. Put a World Title on his waist and not as many would over-look him. Considering the fact that Title's in wrestling mean very little in terms of the overall rating of talent, I go with the Perfect one.

 

[scorpioking1026]

While all of these guys were great I had to vote for Owen. He had everything that it takes to be a superstar but unfortunatly Vince kept typecasting him with that damn Blue Blazer role. I was so happy for him when he finally beat Bret at Wrestlemania, he had finally arrive. Then to seem them work together as part of the New Hart Foundation vs DX was fantastic. In my opinion he stole the show.

Eddie was great too as he was capable of being both a great heel or face besides being a sound wrestler. Plus you have to throw in the impact he had on the Latino communtiy along with Rey. That's why I put him second.

Curt Henning's "Mr. Perfect" role was perhaps the best overall heel that the WWE had to offer during the 80s, along with "Ravishing" Rick Rude (my all time favorite wrestler). His matches were always entertaing and thanks to ESPN classics I have had the chance to watch him while he was in the AWA and he was great then too. The combo of Flair and Henning was "Simply Perfect". The only reason I rank him 3rd is because by the time that he died his in ring days were pretty much over. Although I'm sure he would have continued in the business as the "Perfect Manager" or "Perfect Announcer".

As for Chris Benoit...to this day its hard to grasp what he did. Pound for Pound he was far and away one of the top in ring performers if not the best. His battles with Kevin Sullivan were legendary. Sure he sucked on the mic but unlike others like Lashley, Lesnar, Goldberg, and so forth.. he made up for it with 100% effort in the ring. I never thought he was a great world champion though, probably cuz he was a face and strived in the heel role. If not for the conditions surrounding his death, I would have him head to head with Owen for the #1 spot however in good concious I can't do that. In fact I personally believe that his wife, "Woman", is more deserving to be remebered for her role in wrestling. She was WCW's version of Miss Elizabeth, only a full out heel. I didn't like the way the WWE ignored her role during RAW the day after. She was more then just a footnote in this industry.

I would also like to nominate "Ravishing" Rick Rude for this poll. Although his career in the ring ended with the neck injury suffered at the hands of Sing, he like Henning most deff would have continued in the business as either a manager or announcer. His pre-match rants were legendary, in fact he was the one to do something like that. Hell he even made the Ultimate Warrior look good during their feud and that's not a small task at all. Plus he is the original Mr. Monday Night. Sure Raw was taped that night but really what better way to fuck WWE then to be on Nitro as part of the NWO live the same night that your last appearance with the WWE and DX is being aired. To me that was an important part of the "WARS" especially since we now know that RAW isn't taped

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's a tough call really. On the surface, you have to be a little impressed by the sheer number of titles Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit have won. Title reigns don't necessarily mean someone is great, but it can be in some cases.

Owen Hart was a great wrestler and was still quite young when he died. I personally think that, had he lived, he would eventually have become WWF Champion at some point in his career. However, I'm just speculating about that and I'm not gonna base my decision on what I think could have happened. Owen never won a world championship and that can be a big mark against him when it comes to something like this.

Curt Hennig was easily one of the best overall workers of the late 80s to the mid 90s. He had a great natural look, great athleticism, had some real legitimate skill, could work his ass off in the ring and was damn good on the mic. Some people consider Hennig to be the last great AWA World Heavyweight Champion and when he left the AWA to go to the WWF, I think everything about him improved. He never won another world title, but he was involved in some very memorable matches during his time in the WWF. He also has to be considered one of the best Intercontinental Champions of them all as well.

Eddie Guerrero is part of a wrestling legacy. The Guerrero family left their mark in wrestling promotions all over the United States, Mexico and Japan. Eddie Guerrero was one of the real work horses of WCW during the 90s. His matches against the likes of Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko were often among the best wrestling matches of the year and showcased the talent of all involved. Eddie Guerrero accomplished a lot when he came to the WWF, although he was poorly used at times. Guerrero still remains one of the only wrestlers of latin descent to win a widely recognized world championship in pro wrestling.

Chris Benoit was a throwback in a lot of ways. He wasn't very flashy, not a lot of flamboyance and he didn't have a lot of pizazz about him. However, his ability in the ring and his sheer passion for wrestling more than made up for anything he may have lacked. Benoit was a tough as nails type of wrestler that could have a good match with just about anybody. Often called the wolverine for his tenacity in the ring, Benoit took on many of the best in the industry in WCW and the WWE and made and impression, win or lose. Benoit was someone that managed to get over with fans even though he rarely cut promos or even spoke a word on the mic. The kind of work ethic he had in the ring was able to more than make up for that because the fans saw that he would work his ass off in the ring to make sure they got their money's worth.

It really is a tough choice. I couldn't really blame anybody for any of the choices that they made. However, I think I'm going to have to give the edge to Chris Benoit. As I said, Benoit was something of a throwback in a lot of ways. In an age of larger than life wrestling personas, flashy characters and sometimes outlandish gimmicks, Benoit was just a hardnosed guy that managed to succeed by just putting on great matches. Compared to the other three, Benoit didn't have much of a personality but he sitll managed to get over big with the crowd. And in an era where your character often means much more than your ability in the ring, Benoit was able to become a big star without being a big character.

 

[Ferbian]

I voted for Eddie Guerrero.

Now it's not that I don't acknowledge Mr. Perfect, Owen or Chris Benoit, especially not Benoit, but to me Eddie guerrero was everything a wrestler should be, he had the looks (even thou he was a fairly small guy so to say, but we cannot deny he was also very muscular.. I mean, look at those biceps and triceps)

Eddie Guerrero had the Mic skills, to make the crowd love him, cheer him, hate him or boo him, Eddie could put on a great match with anybody, yes anybody, now I know thats yet again another feat for Benoit, Owen and probably also Mr. Perfect (haven't watched too many of his matches, but he was good in the royal rumble 2002).
I watched parts of Eddie Guerrero's Viva La Raza DVD, and the match he put on against Dean Malenko for the ECW Television Championship was simply amazing!
And his match against Rey mysterio for the Cruiserweight title was yet another amazing match.

and that, is why I think Eddie Guerrero was better.