WCW Region, Greensboro Subregion, First Round: (12) Jeff Hardy vs. (21) Owen Hart

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the WCW Region, Greensboro Subregion. It is a standard one on one match. It will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

#12. Jeff Hardy

Vs.

#21. Owen Hart

​

Polls will be open for three 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.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I prefer Owen as a wrestler and human being, but I don't see a reason to vote for him.

He beat Bret. That's all I can think of. However, they're brothers, and anyone who has a brother knows it really doesn't count. Being brothers changes the playing field. Jeff Hardy wins world titles and beats superstars. Owen didn't. Sorry, Owen.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Owen Hart was an upper midcarder for a majority of his career, and probably would have gotten a World Title run before it was all said and done if he hadn't died. We can't judge him based on what would have happened though. The fact is that Jeff Hardy is a 6 time and counting World Champion facing someone who's biggest win was probably beating his brother in the opening match of WrestleMania. A great match, but not the same as winning a World Title. Hardy wins.

 

[Alex]

I said my reasons for voting Hardy in the live discussion but I'll say it again.

Hardy helped revoultionise matches, won every title in WWE except two, has been a world champion in two different companies and is extremely popular.

Owen Hart while a good enough wrestler was always Bret's brother. Everything of note he did involved Bret. As much as I love that Wrestlemania match they had, that is Owen's only big win. Hardy's beaten the top superstars in the business.

Hardy wins.

 

[Teddy Irving]

This looks as if it is going to be a walkover for Hardy and to be honest I can see why. Owen Harts tragic death cut short his career and it is impossible to tell where he would have gone had that not happened. I believe he would have gone far and I believe he was actually the better of the 2 Harts but since there is no real way of knowing this I suppose it is going to go to Hardy.

But my vote will be going to Owen as I don't want to see him steamrolled

 

[Johnny Scumm]

If Owen didn't die he would've been so much more successful!

Is the argument you're going to see a lot of here. However, I'm still voting for him. He beat Bret Hart, unlike Nick, I think that counts. There's never really been a Hart type guy that Jeffs beaten and with the way he's been over the past few years , you know as well I do he could walk into this one off his head, nobody knows whet would happen, hence why my vote is going to Owen Hart.

 

[Thriller Ant]

If Owen didn't die he would've been so much more successful!

Is the argument you're going to see a lot of here. However, I'm still voting for him. He beat Bret Hart, unlike Nick, I think that counts. There's never really been a Hart type guy that Jeffs beaten and with the way he's been over the past few years , you know as well I do he could walk into this one off his head, nobody knows whet would happen, hence why my vote is going to Owen Hart.

Owen could decide to make an entrance flying in from the ceiling and fall. That's just as likely as Jeff showing up in the same condition he was at Victory Road.

One win doesn't make a career. Yes, that was a great match, but beating if beating his brother in the opening match of WrestleMania is his career highlight, he shouldn't win. Jeff is a multi-time World Champion. Owen was a midcarder. Don't be an idiot.

 

[Shocky]

Jeff Hardy wins pretty easily. I've been a large Hardy detractor, but I'm not so blind as to vote against him blindly. At the end of the day, Jeff Hardy is a six time world champion, along with winning a decent amount of midcard titles along the way. Owen Hart will always be the What If guy. Ya, he might have won the world title (he wouldn't have), same with someone like Brian Pillman. Find a legit reason to make me believe that Owen Hart would have been a world champion in 1999 or 2000, you won't. The man had a built in feud with Steve Austin, but the two didn't sniff each other in 1998 or 1999. Owen's time came and went, and he didn't make it to the next level, Hardy did.

 

[Alex]

If Owen didn't die he would've been so much more successful!

Is the argument you're going to see a lot of here. However, I'm still voting for him. He beat Bret Hart, unlike Nick, I think that counts. There's never really been a Hart type guy that Jeffs beaten and with the way he's been over the past few years , you know as well I do he could walk into this one off his head, nobody knows whet would happen, hence why my vote is going to Owen Hart.

Jeff's beaten Kurt Angle a guy who has the same (if not more) technical ability than Owen Hart.

And if you really want to say Owen would've been more had he not died. He was playing a masked superhero at the time of his death. He was playing the equivalent of The Hurricane, he wasn't likely to be going any further than where he was.

 

[El Rev sXe]

I don't like at all Jeff Hardy as a person, but he definitely has a bigger legacy than Owen does. Don't get me wrong, Owen was a great wrestler, but at the end of the day, with his death we are limited to basically say that he has one win that in some way "defined" his career.

On the other hand, Hardy has been world champion for numerous times, being a top draw for both WWE and TNA, as well having really memorable moments (for good or worse) in wrestling history.

Jeff Hardy wins this one. Let's see how far he goes...

 

[Brewski]

I don't like Jeff Hardy, as a singles competitor he doesn't entertain me. teaming with his brother I loved watching him but he's clearly slowed down for me. I don't really consider him innovative with his style. Maybe in WWE he was but around the world guys were doing crazier stunts years before.

I like Owen. When I was younger I thought he was boring but he gets the benefit of hindsight and youtube from me. He was an incredible performer in the ring even if he was a terrible talker.

If Owen hadn't passed tragically this might be a different story but it's clear who the bigger player is here. IMO Jeff's best match was when he wrestled a still prime Kurt Angle to a time limit draw (over and over). He matched angle that day in what I consider a spectacular match. Angle is a much better wrestler than Hart, Hardy matched Angle that day.

Hardy wins by pinfall.

 

[Tastycles]

Owen Hart kept his nose clean, acted professionally and immersed himself in deep storylines, yet he still never really made it into anything other than a curiosity who beat his brother occasionally, though rarely when it mattered. Jeff Hardy has put almost no effort into his wrestling career, except to get nailed in ludicrous manners that have no doubt contributed to his drug addictions.

But for all that, Hardy is more successful, more popular and more likely to win a match between them. If you put masking tape over the two names on their respective CVs, everyone would pick Hardy for this. The only thing that counts against him is the respective personalities, but we've seen again and again that pricks can prosper in the world of wrestling.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Hardy is a skinny weenis who has about as much power or believability as a commissioner of one of the top sports leagues in the US. I'm supposed to believe that a guy who reached his highest heights on SD and in TNA belongs in this competition. His biggest plus happens to big his biggest minus in that he reached his career climax while high as a kite.

Owen was never a top talent but always seemed skilled enough that he could and should overcome a guy with some fancy moves. Plus as a booker of the ultimate tournament I am going to try and please the brother of the guy who matters against the brother of the Hamburgular.

Owen wins, use some sense and really ask yourself if Hardy is the singles talent we have to pretend he is or a guy who is an artistic addict that falls off a lot of stuff really cool-like. Plus this is NC and we need to do something to light a fire under their asses for when Flair comes to town and puts on a real show.

 

[The Crock]

I get it -- a majority of the IWC hate the Hardys (especially Jeff) for the way they've handled themselves throughout their careers. Jeff's a notorious fuck-up and even showed up to the main event of a Pay-Per-View high off his ass; I can't defend some of the personal choices Jeff Hardy has made, but that's not really what this tournament is about. At the end of the day, it comes down to who would go over in a one-on-one match between Owen and Jeff, and I can't vote against Jeff here. I like Owen Hart as much as the next guy, but he was nothing more than a career midcarder, whose tragic, untimely death led to his career being raised onto a pedestal it shouldn't put be held on. For all the fond memories we have of Owen, he was never a top guy -- but Jeff, for all his mistakes, has proven to be a bonafide star for the last 6 or 7 years now.

If it came down to personal preference, this would be a much closer decision for me, but I can't objectively put Owen Hart over Jeff Hardy. Yeah, Jeff's been a glorified stuntman for a large part of his career, but he's gained an army of fans in doing so and proven his worth against the top stars of this era. Hardy wins.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

I don't get to pick who I want to, that's not how this works. I can, but it's not very fair. I won't though. For all the potential that he may or may not have had, Owen Hart never had more than a sniff of the big time. Jeff Hardy has been successful in it for years now. I don't necessarily thinks he's as good as Owen was, or at least could be, but I think their ability is not too big a gulf so that Owen could overcome the career of Jeff Hardy.

Jeff Hardy is the number one draw in the number two wrestling company in America and that is a big deal. Owen could have done more, maybe he was overlooked at times, but the fact is that WWE did perfectly well without needing to push him to the top, but there was a period they needed Jeff Hardy to support an entire brand, and that makes him more important than the charismatic Hart brother, and more deserving of a victory.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I'm noticing a lot of Hardy votes here. Because he's such a technical powerhouse right? Please. Owen Hart was a fine wrestler and beating Bret Hart in his prime is more than what Hardy's done in his career... also, Owen was a calculated wrestler who didn't take a lot of risks in the ring during matches. Hardy lives and dies by his aerial maneuvers.

Hart will win this when Hardy makes a key mistake and Owen slaps on a sharpshooter to get a pass-out victory.

HE'S NOT A NUGGET!

 

[Jaffa]

I'm noticing a lot of Hardy votes here. Because he's such a technical powerhouse right? Please. Owen Hart was a fine wrestler and beating Bret Hart in his prime is more than what Hardy's done in his career... also, Owen was a calculated wrestler who didn't take a lot of risks in the ring during matches. Hardy lives and dies by his aerial maneuvers.

Hart will win this when Hardy makes a key mistake and Owen slaps on a sharpshooter to get a pass-out victory.

HE'S NOT A NUGGET!

Yer I agree beating his at wrestlemania in an opening match is way more impressive than being a 6 time world champion being the top babyface of the 2nd biggest North American company and the 2nd top babyface in the world's biggest company. I agree beating Bret Hart once when he wasn't even champion is a much more impressive feat than beating the likes of Edge, Triple H, CM Punk and Kurt Angle for world titles. Also out of curiousity how many times of note did Owen lose to Bret because I was under the impression it was basically every time except wrestlemania X.

 

[ABMorales787]

Yeah, Owen ain't got shit on Jeff Hardy. Jeff's a guy who fucked up his life and reached an extremely low point by showing up high at a PPV main event and still got the crowd to care massively about him a few months later. He's still a big merch seller and can still perform solidly despite the constant self abuse.

Owen on the other hand would be the other Hart. The Matt to Bret's Jeff. The one who could've have but didn't. Owen was great in the ring, but he certainly was not as popular as Jeff Hardy has been over the years.

 

[Kermit]

I just have a feeling that if this match actually happened that Owen would keep Hardy grounded for most of it. I think Jeff would finally get a chance to go up top and hit a big move, but Owen would roll out of the way and then lock in the sharpshooter. I am just fantasizing, but that is the way that I would see the match going down.

 

[deem]

Ok so, so far during this tournament I've mostly voted on who is the "bigger star" and would logically be booked to go over in this tournament. Let's address that first.

Yes, Jeff Hardy reached a higher peak than Owen Hart. He got more over (probably, Owen was a great heel during late 1994 but faltered) and won the big one. We can't begin to guess whether Owen would of won it, so we won't. It's irrelevant. It didn't happen, Hardy went higher on the card, drew more and had a bigger career.

Usually thats enough for me, but this match is interesting - because I strongly feel this is exactly the type of match Owen Hart would win. Vs a super popular babyface that he can be a huge douche against. Let's look at this in more detail within kayfabe.

[youtube]8LqVSPWsO48[/youtube]

There isn't a ton of wrestlers like Jeff Hardy in the WWE at this time. The best I can find is a young X-Pac here. It's exactly the way I see this going down though, Owen bumping around like a lad and making Hardy look great before capitilising on a mistake.

[youtube]eYV1Z1hEGvI[/youtube]

He had Shawn Michaels beat clean here - that's a pretty big deal during Shawn's absolute prime.

[youtube]uINAMc0ooG8[/youtube]

Just to be balanced, here he loses to shawn but considering Shawn is one PPV away from main eventing Wrestlemania 12 for the biggest moment of his career, and is being booked as strongly as possible, it's SUPER competitive. And this is a tougher opponent than Jeff Hardy ever has been or ever will be, bear in mind.

Now Jeff.

He's 4-1 down lifetime to the Xpac. 4-1 down, as a face vs a heel. Sure, he's not in his peak though ok.

Prime Hardy was booked superrrr strongly vs the roster and was pretty much the #2 babyface in the WWE. Vs Triple H he had a win/loss over this time of 4-2 in Jeff's favour. Vs Randy Orton, he went 3-3. Both of those are massive, massive heels in the WWE.

The guy whose workrate was most similar to Owen Hart in the main event picture at that time? CM Punk. CM Punk was absolutely nowhere near the level he has reached now. He had just turned heel, was slowly getting over but he hadn't even won his first WWE title. My point is, CM Punk was no Orton or HHH at this stage, not by any means, and yet he repeatedly won the pay off match vs Jeff Hardy and had an overall 4-3 record over Jeff.

This is the most technical guy Jeff faced. He had more luck against a near prime HHH than him, while Owen has always excelled against highflyers.

Look, if you wanna pick who is the bigger star, who has achieved more, who deserves to go through, this is a no-brainer for Jeff Hardy. An absolute no brainer.

But when I consider this match, all I see is Owen Hart getting in Jeff Hardy's head and capitlising on a mistake to get into the second round.

Also, logically - why on earth would they put Jeff Hardy through to face Andre the Giant in the 2nd round?! Of courseee they would book Owen through, that match works roughly 19309311x better.

I dunno. Just throwing it out there. You can't go wrong with either man here and Jeff deserves it. I just think Owen would win in kayfabe.

 

[Alex]

What people forget is Jeff Hardy can actually wrestle. Shocker I know he can do more than 'the flips'

[YOUTUBE]69XeWsnb68I[/YOUTUBE]


I said it before, Kurt Angle is seen as the if not one of the greatest technical wrestlers ever and if Hardy can wrestle him to a standstill he could do the same for Hart.

 

[supernatural1981]

This is not a simple choice but i am not gonna let my bias towards Owen Hart cloud my judgement.

Jeff Hardy would win this match because of his ability to not only high fly which Owen can do but also he can wrestle like Owen and go hardcore which Owen is not known for.

I think this would be a match of the year candidate if they wanted to but gotta choose Jeff Hardy at the 30 min mark

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

It's no secret that Jeff Hardy has had a more successful career than Owen Hart did. Jeff had memorable matches at Wrestlemanias, won most of the WWE titles, revolutionized tag team wrestling and was massively over for much of his career. He's had a pretty amazing career, despite what the naysayers will say about him.

Owen Hart was no slouch either. He never won any world titles, but he did win the rest of the championships that WWE offered in his time, plus he was a King of the Ring winner, something that Jeff never achieved. Also, Owen was a pretty big innovator during the late 1980's during his time in Stampede and Japan.


Personally, this would be an incredible match to watch, maybe one of the best of the entire first round, as both guys styles match up very well. This would be a highly entertaining high flying match with Owen also keeping the match grounded with his superb technical ability.


I'm gonna assume that this match would take place with both guys in their prime, namely Owen circa 1994-1997 and Jeff circa 2006-2008.


As far as who the greater wrestler was, it was probably Jeff Hardy solely for his achievements. But for this match, I voted in kayfabe and who would win. I could see Owen sneaking a way to win this match. Jeff, until the latter stages of his career was known for putting guys over. He lost many of his major matches. I could see Owen making Jeff look great in the match (and vice-versa) only for Owen to pick up a cheap win by cheating somehow. Maybe his feet on the ropes or having Mr. Fuji or Jim Cornette interfere. It'd be a great match, but Owen would pull out the victory I feel.

 

[Con T.]

So in the LD, I pretty muched spewed all of my hatred at Jeff Hardy. I talked about how, while over, how he set the standard for moronic bumps that will (and have) crippled wrestlers, that's he a druggied liability to the business, and that Jeff Hardy was a secondary player, and when pushed came to shove, Jeff Hardy would never get a victory over the top men of the company at the time, in Cena, Orton, and Batista, and that while he'd score victories over Triple H and Edge, he'd never been a reliable performer.

And that's all still true. But I still have to vote him over Owen Hart, if I'm being objective. And that's all I gotta say, because, well, fuck Jeff Hardy

 

[Bernkastel]

It would be completely foolish to discriminate against Jeff Hardy for his exploits outside the ring, who cares if his crystal meth lab burned down his house, who cares if his brother's a fat fuck of a failure. Bottom line is that Jeff was very popular during his peak with the WWE, and was gaining some serious recognition as one of the greats. He had several great matches at the time, enough to completely overshadow his career as a seemingly perennial midcarder.

Owen Hart was very good talent, but he's overrated. He's mostly judged on what he could have done, and not what he actually did. Before his untimely death he was far from breaking through to his brother's level. I can't recall Bret even putting Owen over once in a major promotion.

Even though he isn't on Bret's level either, Jeff Hardy should, and would win this match.