WCW Region, Fourth Round, Hell in a Cell: (1) Lou Thesz vs. (5) Andre the Giant

[klunderbunker]

This is a fourth round match in the WCW Region. It is a Hell in a Cell Match. It will be held at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. Assume one week has passed since the second round match.

Hell in a Cell Match Rules: The match is held inside the 20 foot high Hell in a Cell cage. Victory is attained by pinfall or submission and must take place in the ring. Rope breaks do not count.

#1. Lou Thesz

Vs.

#5. Andre the Giant

​

Polls will be open for four days following a one day period for discussion. Voting will be based on who you feel is the greater of the two competitors. Post your reasons for why your pick should win below. Remember that this is non-spam and the most votes in the poll win. Any ties will be broken by the amount of posts of support for each candidate, with one vote per poster.

Also remember that this is a non-spam forum. If you post a response without giving a reason for your selection, it will be penalized for spam and deleted.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Unfortunate draw and stipulation for Thesz. I give him credit for his years as a draw and his title reigns but neither is enough to ignore Andre's size and the fact that Thesz doesn't have much room to separate himself from the giant. If you look at Thesz's signature moves they are all of the variety that Andre could easily power out of or wouldn't do much damage. Even without my Andre bias he wins this one.

Now is there any way the staff can ban Gelgarin for the next week or so?

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Hell in a Cell, with no way to escape?

I give this one to Andre unless Gelgarin or someone can give a legitimate reason for Thesz to beat the greatest superheavyweight of all time. I just don't see how hardly anyone can beat Andre in his prime. He either had draws or won. Thesz lost during his prime... and is a fish out of water in cage matches.

 

[HBsam31]

Tough draw for Thesz who I have voted for in every other round. He has no real way to get away from Andre in the cell, and he could basically power out of anything Thesz throws at him. If this was an Ironman match I could probably vote Thesz, but in Hell in a Cell I can't. Andre is the best super heavyweight of all time, and I think he would feel right at home in the Cell. Andre would get a hold of Thesz and use the cell to his advantage. Andre wins by pinfall in this one and moves to the next round.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Lou Thesz has just handed Dusty Rhodes his ass in a match that should have favored the Common Man. Andre has just been through a war with the wrecking machine known as Goldberg. On the lineage of this tournament, Lou has adapted to a Last Man Standing Match and easily defeated a guy renowned for his hardcore battles. Andre also went into uncharted territory and, yes, he also overcame... but far from easily - Goldberg pushed him to his limit.

Now, both men meet in a foreign environment, one were size, power and brutality usually mean victory which should favor the Giant.

So, as I see it, Thesz is in better condition but Andre is better suited naturally.

I think I'll have to go with Lou; a combination of him more than proving his brutality level and the physical state Andre must be in after getting battered with ladders by Bill Goldberg just has me believing that he would edge this.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Thesz doesn't need to escape to beat Andre, I don't know if he would but he has the tools to do so. Race has been able to go 60 minutes with Andre so I assume Lou could do it as well. Andre lost to Inoki and Canek but both were within a few years of his famous Hogan loss so I wouldn't consider Andre in his prime at the time. The problem in Lou would have to beat Andre, not just draw him, although he can beat Andre I don't know if he would beat Andre. I will say I feel Andre can beat Lou as well (obviously).

Andre has shown dominance against top stars and will definitely do well in a Hell in a Cell setting where he's fighting in a enclosed area.

Right now I'm leaning towards Andre based on dominance, the fact Lou can't get a dq victory and the fact Lou has been in matches where he has been bested in his prime, I can't say the same about Andre from what I know.

 

[Da Solo]

Ignore everything else: Lou Thesz would be so out of place in a cell that it's not even funny. Andre's at least been in a cage and is a giant anyway, which would have made up for experience. Andre wins.

 

[Bernkastel]

I love Andre but I can't vote for him here. I'm not Gelgarin, but I can make a case for Thesz all the same. Both Verne Gagne and Antonio Inoki are the same size as Thesz and use the same technical style... and both have handed a prime Andre his ass multiple times. So why couldn't Thesz?

Neither Thesz nor Andre were known for their ferocity or brutality. Andre wasn't particularly stiff, nor did he have the mindset of "grab a weapon! grab a weapon! grab a weapon!" Honestly the only weapon I could see being used in this match is the cage itself. And it's not like Andre is just going to murder Thesz 'cause he's big. No, he did a crackerjack job of not being able to do that against Inoki and Gagne. Thesz would have Andre thoroughly grounded to the point where he couldn't utilize his strength or size properly. And a grounded Andre is a fucked Andre.

Factor in the "Thesz was a much bigger/popular/influential star than Andre" and all that jazz, along with the HIAC stip not doing much to favor either since Andre wasn't particularly all that sadistic or brutal, but at the same time Thesz is not dumb enough not to know how to swing a chair. Andre has been utterly immobilized and beaten by technical wrestlers similar to Thesz before, so it's entire plausible for Thesz to win here.

Voting Lou Thesz.

 

[8thwotwATG]

Tough, tough call to make...Thesz's acumen and resume' speak for themselves, Andre's status as a great attraction is undisputed in the pro wrestling business. In HIAC, the stip seemingly favors a seven foot, 400 plus pound giant over a technical master. Thesz is a legit shooter, and could find a way to keep the big guy off his feet for a little while, but I have to think that eventually, Andre's size and power would begin to overwhelm Thesz's mastery and skill, especially in HIAC. Andre', while not a particularly vicious guy, has been known to lose control in matches, and it seems to me that HIAC would be an environment where the boss might be inclined to lose control and get a bit more violent than he would be in a conventional match. Whether this will be enough against one of the greatest of all time is anybody's guess. I'm guessing yeah, probably, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Thesz go over here. I could live with a Thesz victory a lot easier than I could have taken a Goldberg win from last round. I still give the edge to Andre', although a small one. Andre goes over in a squeaker.

 

[Tastycles]

How many superheavyweights like Andre have won in big gimmick matches? Very few. The reason is simple, people like Andre do not tend to be in them. Why? Because the person is a spectacle more than the match, so there's no point. However, Andre did wrestle a few and was mostly successful. To me, this kind of thing would always be an old school "can anyone last against the giant in a cage" bear wrestling state of affairs, and Thesz would have been the one of the time that could do that sort of thing credibly, though whether he would is a different manner.

I'm waffling, but for long enough to let you know that I'm voting Thesz because he was consistently the main attraction for years, whereas Andre, good as he was ever a sideshow. That seems harsh, but how often was he ever used as the focus of a wrestling promotion?

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I love Andre but I can't vote for him here. I'm not Gelgarin, but I can make a case for Thesz all the same. Both Verne Gagne and Antonio Inoki are the same size as Thesz and use the same technical style... and both have handed a prime Andre his ass multiple times. So why couldn't Thesz?

Inoki and Gagne beat Andre in their territory. This is a huge fact. Inoki has beaten Andre like 3 times in the NJPW.

Since WCW is the NWA's successor I might give a slight edge to Thesz. I still haven't made my mind. I feel Thesz is more out of place in a cell than Andre. I might be voting Andre because trapped inside a Cell with a Giant, can never end well.

 

[deem]

Finding this match tough as it's so unnatural a setting for both men. It probably slightly favours Andre but Thesz was so much bigger of a deal and exactly the type of guy to beat him, as stated.

Trying to envision this tournament as clearly as possible - do I think Andre could win? I mean maybe, I think it's more likely he builds up a head of steam before putting over a world class babyface. If he makes the finals, is Hogan that man? Probably. But Thesz also makes a huge amount of sense.

In kayfabe, Andre has wins over some big names but his win/loss against the best isn't excellent. In fact, for such an illustrious career he hasn't been THAT tested against the greatest. The scatters of matches he's had against the huge draws he has more than his fair share of losses.

So in kayfabe I think you can argue Andre crushes the midcard while jobbing a bit to guys like Thesz. He's certainly capable of winning and the Cell helps that, so I don't think its a crime if Andre advances from a kayfabe POV. Still, I'm saying Thesz is tough enough to survive, work a leg and cripple the big guy before grinding out the win.

If Andre wins, it's fine too.

 

[mrppv420]

All the credit and respect to Lou Thesz for his outstanding career, but Andre fully wins this one.

If anybody really knows the legend of Andre at all, then you know he only lost if he truly wanted to lose. The man coule pick up small cars to change tires and not use a jack. You think he'd actually lose a match like this? The only reason Hogan was able to lift Andre off his feet and let Hogan pin him clean was because he knew his health was failing and wanted to pass the torch.