The WrestleZone Tournament All Star Panel Discussion

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Welcome one and all to the WrestleZone Tournament's discussion section where for the first time ever a select group of poster's known as the 'All Stars', all of whom were involved in this tournament’s selection and seeding process (or were at least invited to do so) will give their views on the tournament as it progresses. I, FunKay, am your host for this special panel which will run throughout the WrestleZone tournament.

At this time three All Stars will be involved in the process though others may be involved as well. So at this time, welcome your three All Stars, first:

[YOUTUBE]_8cMpFGuyHQ[/YOUTUBE]​

From the North-East (of England), he is the saviour and former Head of Creative of WrestleZone Championship Wrestling, the man they call...Lee!

[YOUTUBE]8-r-V0uK4u0[/YOUTUBE]​

From the Jersey Shore, a former Power Mod and a member of the Jersey Triad, The Mighty...NorCal!

[YOUTUBE]jyQwRUeFSV0[/YOUTUBE]​

And finally, now residing in the London area, via the Islamic Republic of Iran, a former Global Moderator, Tastycles!


These three men are experts on professional wrestling and noted members of our forum and have each served on staff for a prolonged period of time before now comfortably resting in forum retirement.

This first set of questions is designed to set the stage and get a general overall view of each panel member's view of the tournament this year (it should be noted this first set of questions were asked prior to the tournament starting):

1) The first round draw this year has resulted in some very interesting matches. Which are you looking forward to most?

I think for me, the "mid-card" match ups are often the best. The partisa sides people take when there really isn't much in it makes for interesting matchups. Mr. Kennedy vs The Miz from 2009 was a classic match for exactly that reason. I think we are blessed in that area this year - Warrior vs Jarrett, Eddie Guerrero vs British Bulldog and Curt Hennig vs Ted DiBiase all have potential for that, but for me the most interesting match is Chris Benoit vs Rob Van Dam. Both are, for very different reasons, very divisive characters on the boards. In the past we have seen both of them reach the latter stages and pull off some huge upset wins. For me, RVD had a marginally better career and didn't murder any children, but such is the backlash against the backlash on Benoit, people have really started to white knight for him. Both men would gain a lot of momentum from a win and could cause Sting problems in round 2.

Yoko Vs Hogan, big time. You have their one on one record, a year of EXCEEDING dominance for Yoko in his prime, and a posting community that often blurs the lines in this tournament of it being an overall quality or fantasy booking camp type situation. Many do not take the overall legacy portion of the voting into account properly, which is a combination I feel could result in us having out first 128 over number 1 seed upset. Better yet, its a somewhat plausible result to boot. If the right poster(s) got behind this thread, it could happen.

Avoiding what the others have said I think Vader v Bully Ray will be an interesting matchup. Bully Ray's stock has gone up the last few years whilst without IC25 about Vader's may decline. It'll be a close one for sure.

2) Looking at each region which pairing do you see emerging from their respective regions?

I think TNA Is the most predictable. There's a lot of old school guys in there who will struggle in the gimmick rounds. As such I can't see beyond Cena and Triple H. WWE doesn't have much down the card. I think Angle is the kind of guy that will be voted to beat Hogan in a ladder match or similar, so I'm going to risk him and Undertaker as the escapees. International has a pretty stacked card in the sense there's a lot of the second tier of wrestling megastars in there for me. The Rock is given, unless Michaels gets a dream gimmick. Flair will have to face both Jeeicho and Hart in a gimmick match in all likelihood. For me, that's too much so I think Bret Hart and The Rock will progress. WCW looks totally uninteresting at first, and I think Austin will progress without any bother. However, buried deep in the lower half of the draw is Brock Lesnar. He will have to beat a lot of huge names to get out, but barring him getting smashed by Roman Reigns in the real world, he's getting out of this one.

To summarise, quarters will be

Taker v Angle
Austin v Lesnar
John Cena v Triple H
The Rock v Bret Hart

I'd disagree with Tasty on the TNA side. There's Cena and Triple H but there's also Edge, Daniel Bryan and whatever old school person the posters get behind this year.
WWE: Hogan/Taker
Int: Rock/Flair
WCW: Austin/Macho Man.

For me, the surest thing looks to be Steve Austin and Randy Savage coming out of the WCW region. Steve Austin is Steve Austin, and Savage is deeply loved and appreciated by the IWC (albeit overrated, as well). Sting is in the region, and could present plausible resistance, but I don't see him beating either of those guys.

3) Do you have a dark horse pick for this year?

I think Lesnar could be the lowest seeded winner ever, but in terms of real shocks, no. If Yokozuna beats Hogan, which won't happen in my opinion, Misawa has a real chance to go deep, but not beyond the last 8.

Brock Lesnar, 110%. For a solid year now we have done nothing but get beat over the head with how dominant he is and can be, this following deep runs BEFORE he came back to end the streak and wreck John Cena repeatedly.

I'd say Lesnar too but the others have said it so it's not so much a shock then. Last year he did well and the streak destruction came a bit too late.

4) Can a repeat winner be avoided, or are we scheduled to see another win for the likes of Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels etc..?

Lesnar ideally. I can see people getting behind Punk, just because it's the in thing to do. Sting may get some additional support with his recent WWE debut. Rey leaving WWE may also help him.

Lesnar is the only chance, unless the gimmick rounds throw some real upsets.

Lesnar is our one and only hope, unless the gimmick matches throw some really wonky shit at us (Hulk Hogan ladder match baby!).....and maybe, just maybe....The Ultimate fuckin' Warrior. His legacy is just now been put into proper perspective, and he has that just freshly passed away glow on him that has helped so many others.

Thank you gentlemen! Stay tuned ladies and gents for more of the All Star panel in the coming days, in the mean time, feel free to comment below and keep posting in the 9th annual WrestleZone tournament.