Third Round - Chicago Region: I Quit Match - Sting vs. Kurt Angle

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm not really sure which way I wanna go in this. The supporters of both men have made great cases for their guys and this is a match that sounds so close that I might just not be able to vote.

Sting in his prime was essentially WCW's version of Hulk Hogan.Even when Hulk Hogan came to WCW, Sting was always seen as the flagbearer for WCW. Just about every major name that came through WCW from about 1987-2001 lost to Sting at some point or another. The idea of him screaming I Quit into a microphone is such an alien concept that it's really hard just to wrap my mind around it. It's just so hard to imagine.

Kurt Angle may be the best overall in-ring pro wrestler of the past 15 years. Angle's got strength, speed, stamina, agility and a legitimate level of physical durability that simply cannot be taken for granted. You can't say that a man that's broken his neck as many times as Angle and still come back isn't tough. When it comes to submission wrestling, Angle has a definite advantage over Sting. Angle has extensive MMA training and his prowess as a submission wrestler may well be unsurpassed in pro wrestling. However, as has been pointed out, Angle has submitted on a number of occassions and it would seem that he could possibly submit and it's just not nearly as impossible to picture him screaming I Quit into a mic as it is for Sting.

I'm gonna have to chew on this one for a while.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I'm going with Sting for many reasons that have already been given. I have been a Sting fan since I was a child, and I cannot remember him giving up. I can remember Kurt Angle, as a heel, tapping quite a few times. If I had to pick who was the better wrestler, I would say Kurt Angle. But in an I Quit Match, I just can't see Sting tapping out. I see Sting escaping the ankle lock several times, and Kurt finally tapping to the Scorpion Deathlock.

My vote goes to Sting.

 

[Ferbian]

I'm gonna have to go with Sting on this one, Kurt Angle, while quite a submission specialist, is also rather "weak" to being submitted himself, and I think that will come into play on this match, ultimately costing him it.

The Scorpion Death Lock is by the looks of it much harder to get out of than the Angle Lock which seems rather easy to counter if you get in position for it, as opposed to the SDL which is gonna give you some troubles either way you turn it (while it's counterable, it's not as easy to counter quite obviously)

I'm gonna have to go with Sting on this one, saddens me although as I would've liked to pass Kurt on, but Sting is the right choice on this one.

 

[DirtyJosé]

I'm going to have to vote Sting here.

I wanted to vote Kurt, but the arguments presented are fairly iron clad. Angle has beaten Sting, but not a prime 90's Sting. Perhaps even if this were merely a Submission Match I could be persuaded to vote Angle, but I can't deny the fact that Sting is not the type to say "I Quit".

Sorry Angle, this hurts me too.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Damn you, Sly... you really fucked up my thinking in this match.

The obvious choice is Kurt Angle, since he's a "submission specialist". But like others have pointed out, just because a wrestler can slap on submissions, doesn't necessarily mean their opponent would tap out.

Granted, Sting had never faced a more intense submission wrestler than Kurt Angle (off the top of my head... but I could be wrong) so it makes us think about whether a primed Angle could've made a primed Sting tap out.

I would vote for a man that is less likely to tap out over a man that is more likely to slap on more submissions. After all, Angle could put a billion ankle locks on Sting... but if Sting just refuses to tap out, it's only a matter of time before Sting gets the best of Angle.

I'm voting for Sting.

And this is why I <3 you, D-Man. If you watch a Kurt Angle match, he does lock in the Ankle Lock at pretty much every opportunity, but receives punishment from his opponent and expends energy he needs to withstand submissions each time. Sting, on the other hand, builds up to the Scorpion. He hits move after move until his opponent is too weak to not tap. Sting will wear Kurt down and refuse to give up while Kurt will wear himself out by repeatedly applying the Ankle Lock and will eventually tap/quit.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

I have one scenario:

Kurt Angle puts in the Ankle Lock, then does the grapevine thing. Where can Sting go? It can't be reversed and there is no way to break it. Sting either gives up or his ankle is broken. Either way, Angle takes it in the end.

 

[TheRapist]

I like the point 48.7 made. As soon as Angle locks in the Ankle Lock and drops into the ground grapevine, its all over. And is Sting doesn't tap what happens? He fights on with one leg? I don't think you can beat Kurt Angle on one leg, especially if he already broke the other.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Dig this... as what was said before... it's an I Quit match. And Sting doesn't quit. At all. Kurt Angle doesn't say I quit, either. Something will give. My edge goes to Sting simply because Sting's a force and is someone who can out think Angle and manage to get the Olympic Hero in a spot where he'd have to quit. Angle has a bad neck... and Sting could do numerous things to make him say 'I quit'. Say, a neck vice, a camel clutch, maybe pinning Angle's neck between a chair and threatening to jump off of it and kill his ass.

Sting has a bad knee. Which isn't that affected by the Ankle lock. And Sting would pass out before quitting. Angle would just say he quit and pretended it didn't happen the next night on Raw iMPACT!

Vote Sting.

 

[Schoolboy-Chris]

Sting does not have what it takes to beat Angle, if Angle decided that he wants the win enough to do anything it takes. If Angle is determined to beat Sting, then there is no way that Sting can resist. Angle is a man who absolutely bulldozed through Kane, and made him tap for possibly the first time in his career. He is also the only one to make the Undertaker ever tap out, even if it did not win him the match due to him being pinned at the same time. Sting has a prestigious list of people he has beaten no doubt, but Angle has a long list of those he has made tap, including such formidable opponents as Benoit, Austin, Hogan and Sting himself.

During Sting’s prime he never had to come up against someone the caliber of Angle, someone who would not allow himself to lose once he had set his sights on beating him. Angle is a man who it is dangerous to challenge, sure he has lost matches before but when he sets his mind to something he is all but unstoppable in following through with it. Angle decided he wanted to win a gold medal in the Olympics then went and did it, he decided that he wanted a meteoric rise to the main event and a WWF Championship and he got it, he decided he wanted to beat Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania and he did exactly that. The list of Angles achievements goes on, but the important thing to note is that once Angle is unleashed with an aim, there is very little that an opponent can do to stop him. Angle has beaten Sting in the past, though Sting was not in his prime at this time, but if Angle could go back and fight Sting in his prime, I have no doubt that he would do it, and win.

Sting does not possess the ferocious intensity that Angle does, and that is exactly why he would fall before Angle like so many others have. Angle would grapevine the Ankle Lock and Sting would tap from pure fear of Angle ending the match and possibly his career with a broken ankle. A determined Angle is something to be feared, as Scotty 2 Hotty learned when Angle snapped his ankle with the Ankle Lock. Sting would learn from this and submit in order to live to fight another day. Angle for the win here, because Sting never faced an opponent like him throughout his career, and when he finally faced Angle, Sting lost, and he would lose again here.

Vote Angle

 

[Барбоса]

While I can certainly entertain the arguments for Sting progressing, I think that much of what Angle has achieved submission wise is somewhat forgotten. Granted he has tapped out himself on several occasions (although the video posted earlier is not a good example as kayfabe-wise he tapped out to the Rock to facilitate the Alliance's defeat); however, he has made Chris Benoit, Sting, Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker and Hulk Hogan all tap out. Even if the most were not in their prime (whatever that means), to force any of them to submit is a massive feather in Angle's cap.

Saying "I Quit" may be different to tapping out but if anyone can make Sting say it, it is Angle and I think he is quite rightly giving the Icon a run for his money

VOTE ANGLE

 

[shattered dreams]

It seems like people are playing heavily into the booking on this one. The logic is something like Sting is a big babyface so he won't quit. That is something you can make a legitimate case for, however, I fail to see how that wins him the match. To win the match he has to make Angle quit. How is he going to do that? Angle is clearly in better shape and superior in technical ability. Who beat Sting the most in WCW? The technically great Bret Hart. Sting does have a solid submission move but Angle should be able to counter it quite a few times and is not exactly someone who gives up when the wind blows himself. You cannot really argue Sting is the ultimate babyface and then claim he gets over the top vicious to win the match. If you want to bring booking into it then there is no way they book this match to run long enough for Sting to win the way people suggest he will - simply not quitting until eventually Angle does. It would take too much time. Plenty of resilient faces lose "I quit" matches by getting screwed over by the heel and others. In his prime Sting had a powerful enemy that was basically taking over his company. I see this one ending with Sting passing out in the ankle lock instead of quitting. The music hits here comes Bischoff and the boys to declare Angle the winner and give him an iconic shirt. Break out the spray paint its real ITS DAMN REAL.

Vote Angle

 

[The Brain]

This is a tough call. I would seem Sting would have the advantage as he rarely, if ever, submits. Then I think of the guys who have tapped to Angle. Angle has made Benoit tap. He made HBK tap at WrestleMania. He made Lesnar tap. He was the first to make Kane tap. He even made Hogan tap, although Hogan was past his prime. That's a pretty impressive list and he was heel for four out of the five making it more impressive.

Despite the impressive list I'm still leaning toward Sting. I imagine this as Sting from 1992 vs. Angle from 2002. Even though Angle has made a lot of greats tap I just picture Sting coming out on the winning end. I'll hold off a little while on voting, but I'll probably vote Sting.

I'll edit this post later with my decision in case the vote is a tie.

I finally decided to vote for Sting. It was a tough call, but I just think Angle is more likely to quit than Sting. I thought back to Backlash 2001. If Chris Benoit could make Angle submit four times within 30 minutes I think Sting can survive an I Quit match against him.