WCW Houston, Round 1, Match 8: #23 Mitsuharu Misawa vs. #42 James Storm

[Shocky]

The following match takes place in the WCW Region under WCW Rules from Houston, TX. The ring entrance and ring are equal height.

#23. Mitsuharu Misawa

vs.

#42. "The Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm

 

[Gelgarin]

I like James Storm, really I do. I think he's one of the most talented ring workers TNA has, and is a fantastic entertainer to boot. He's also got one of the better catch phrases to be spawned this generation.

That being said, he's getting killed in this match. In Japan, Misawa is usually the name that comes up when the question of "greatest worker of all time" comes up. I'm not sure, but I think Meltzar has given Misawa more five star matches than anybody else in the history of wrestling.

He's a five time world champion if All Japan, and has fought and defeated most of the Japanese legends, including but not limited to, Giant Baba and Kenta Kobashi. He invented most of the moves in his arsenal, and has been one of the most consistent big names on the card for over twenty years.

As much as I enjoy Storm, and admitting that he's been one half of this years greatest tag team, he simply isn't even on the radar in this match.

 

[klunderbunker]

Misawa destroys Storm here. I've never been a huge fan of Storm. he's ok, but I've never seen anything great at him. Misawa can go with anybody and should be a force in this. I'll be most upset if the TNA marks give this to the Cowboy, who shouldn't last 4 minutes here.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Bad draw for Storm. He's one of my favorite workers in TNA.

Though Slyfox seems to think some of us are voting for foreign wrestlers to "appear smart," Misawa isn't a guy we require Wikipedia to know about. His name is fairly well known in the circles of big wrestling fans, and his matches are well known for their quality.

I'll take Misawa in this match over Storm, but a heck of a contest.

 

[Tastycles]

I think Misawa is going to take this one. He has won mulltiple championships in Japan, and doesn't give anything to Storm on size. He istechnically better, and while I think it might be a back and forth match initially, Misawa will take this strongly in the end.

That's not to say that Storm isn't good, just that he won't be able to get over here.

 

[NSL]

Misawa wins here, with ease. If he gets a big enough win, the blowout could help him move on through some more matches. Storm is probably my favorite heel in TNA, and in my mind, will at least put up a fight, but it won't be near enough to stop him from losing.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Hmmm...do I take the man who is arguably the greatest wrestler of all time, or do I take a man who shows some potential but has yet to capitalize on said potential? I'm going with Misawa. I think Storm has a bright future ahead of him, but he will never touch Misawa's greatness or legacy, even when his career is over.

Pick: Misawa