We are down to the Elite 8

[Shocky]

Welcome everyone to the Elite 8 of this years Wrestlezone Tournament. I did this the first year, but didn't do it the last year, so I hope to make this a tradition.

Essentially, this is a thread dedicated to the 8 men that have made it this far. Regardless of what you feel, these guys made it here, so they should be recognized for their accomplishments.

I try to list off notable accomplishments, and post a tribute video to each man.

You may discuss the Elite 8 in here if you like. The tournament will resume on Friday, (a few days of America vs. Canada is a much needed ice breaker for the next few days).

Oh, and a poll for the fun of it.

 

[gd]

I'm thinking that the final four is going to be Taker, Jericho, Austin, and probably Hart. In the end, I think it comes down to either Jericho or Austin winning, and I'll give the edge to Jericho. Especially with the KOTR stipulation of the last 3 matches and the whole " I beat Stone Cold and the Rock in one night" thing going on for him, I think Jericho can win this.

 

[Shocky]

[youtube]cnaCO9a366A[/youtube]

The overall #1 seed of this years tournament makes his way into the Elite 8 for the first time. The man has won the WZ Legend's Tournament, along with the Tag Team Tournament in the last year. Is this the year that the son of the Legendary Stu Hart finally makes it to the top?

Bret Hart is an accomplished wrestler in every company he has been with. While in the WWF and WCW, Bret Hart would go onto win many titles, including illustrious mid card titles such as the Intercontinental Title on 2 occasions, and the United States Title on 4 Different Occasions.

Not only did Bret Hart excel in the mid card, but he thrived as a main eventer. Bret became only the second man in history to become a five time WWF Champion. When Bret left the company, he continued where he left off, becoming a 2 time WCW World Champion.

Bret Hart is a Royal Rumble winner as well. Bret is also the only man to be a double Triple Crown winner. He won the Triple Crown in both the WWF, and WCW. Bret Hart is also tournament tough. Bret is the only Two Time WWF King of the Ring winner, and he won a Tournament for the Vacated WCW Championship at Mayhem in 1999.

Odds of Winning: #1. Bret Hart to me seems the man of destiny this year. I flip flop between either him or Austin, but the momentum is clearly on Bret Hart's side.

 

[Shocky]

[youtube]bk_H4MN25bU[/youtube]

Dwayne Johnson, the first Third Generation superstar of the WWF, make hsi way into the Elite Eight for the first time in Tourney History. Son of the Soul Man, Rocky Johnson, Grandson of the High Chief, Peter Maivia, is the Rock destined to take the crown this year?

The Rock debuted in the fall of 1996, and became and instant hit to the Garden crowd in New York. In his debut match, young Rocky Maivia left to the crowd chanting his name. The Rock would go onto win 2 intercontinental titles within the first year of being in the business.

At the young age of 26, just his second year into the business, the Rock became, at the time, the youngest Champion in WWF history. The Rock would go onto become the most celebrated WWF Champion of all time, winning that title, a record 7 times. The Rock would also add 2 WCW Championships to his impressive resume.

The Rock is a former Royal Rumble winner, and the Rock also has done fairly well in tournaments. He finished in the Finals, losing to Ken Shamrock in the 1998 King of the Ring. Later, that same year, The Rock would win the Deadly Game tournament for the Vacated WWF championship at Survivor Series.

My Odds: #4. Clearly the Rock is one of the top 3 stars left in this match, if not out right #2. However, he faces a considerable challenge in round 1. If the Rock can make it past hart, he becomes one of the odds on favorites to win the entire tourney.​

 

[Shocky]

[youtube]g3cr4C-4Az4[/youtube]

The Lionheart, Chris Jericho, makes his way into the Elite 8 for the first time in Wrestlezone Tournament History. The multi-national star hopes to close the deal, and become champion.

After having a succesful career over seas, Chris Jericho returned to the States, first in ECW, adn then in WCW, before finally moving onto the WWE where he has stayed. Chris jericho was an accomplished mid card wrestler, capturing 4 WCW Cruiserweight Titles, a WCW TV Championship, a European Champion, and a record holding 9 time Intercontinental Champion.

Chris Jericho not only excelled as a mid card wrestler, but became a good Main Eventer as well. Chris Jericho captured his first World Title in October of 2001, and would later become the first Undisputed Champion in Modern Wrestling history. In Total, Chris Jericho has won 2 WCW Championships, The First Undisputed Champion, and 2 World Heavyweight Championships.

Chris Jericho's major tournament win was a mini tournament of sorts, for the first Undisputed WWE Championships. In one night, Chris Jericho defeated both, WCW Champion the Rock, and WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.

My Odds: #5 Overall. Jericho faces against the IWC darling of RVD in round 1, and what should/could be a squash comes into question right away. If jericho wins, he has the unenviable task of either facing the Rock or Bret Hart in round 2.​

 

[NSL]

I think the Final Four is going to be Hart representing the WWE, Undertaker representing WCW, Edge representing ECW, and Jericho representing TNA.

Hart and Taker are going to be spent after fighting Rock and Benoit. They both have great conditioning, and will have what could be the two best matches of the round. But, they won't be able to last against Jericho or Edge. Edge will have a brawl with Austin, but won't be nearly as worn out, and Jericho and RVD are built for the type of match they're going to have, so it leaves both men with barely any wear.

This sets up Jericho v. Edge in the final. Taker will be in better shape than Hart, giving Edge a tougher fight to the finals. Hart will be broken down, and be easy pickings for Jericho. Jericho walks into the finals at 80%, while Edge is at maybe 50%.

Will is bound to pull out "But, that's perfect for Edge!", and I'm sure he's right. But, sometimes, the hill is just too much of a climb. Jericho gets the win in a classic.

 

[Blade]

I think we can eliminate RVD and Benoit straight away. Yes they are good. But no they simply cannot compete with the other 6 guys.

I think the whole thing will depend on the outcome of Edge vs Austin and Rock vs Hart. It all comes down to those 4.
I think the winners of those matches will get to the final cause I think both Austin and Edge (yes, even Edge) could get the win over Undertaker and I think both Hart and Rocky could get the win over Jericho.
It's all down to those two matches...
See, here's what I'm thinking;
It's tough to say whether Edge could beat Hart and The Rock
Austin could beat both The Rock and Hart, but Edge would give him a serious problem.
We know all 4 men have great endurance since they've all either won a Royal Rumble or won King of the Ring, so that might not be such a huge factor. It'll simply come down to who is better than who.

So it all depends on who wins between Edge/Austin and Hart/Rock.
I personally am hoping for an Edge vs The Rock final cause I think that would be close as hell.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Why is no one giving RVD the credit he deserves? During his prime Jericho was beaten by Van Dam plenty of times so we know he can do it. I mean to say we can eliminate him right away just blows my mind. I mean really we can't eliminate anyone straight away so please give RVD a little credit for at least making it this far.

 

[gd]

RVD isn't getting credit because he doesn't deserve it. He should have lost to Savage in the submission match and he should have lost in the triple threat match last round. He was ok, but never anything special. There is no way in hell he should get past Jericho

 

[Hyorinmaru]

RVD isn't getting credit because he doesn't deserve it.

Are you fucking serious!?! It's either blind hatred for the man or a total lack of knowledge about his career that is making you say this I'm sure. He deserves as much credit as any of the other 7 still in this tournament and to say otherwise is sheer stupidity. longest reigning ECW TV Champ, WWE Champ, ECW Champ Multi time hardcore, tag team & IC Champ. Just because he doesn't have the list of credentials the other guys have does not mean he deserves no credit.

He should have lost to Savage in the submission match and he should have lost in the triple threat match last round.

Should've but didn't. It's called an upset

He was ok, but never anything special. There is no way in hell he should get past Jericho

He was one of the most talented men to ever step foot in a WWE ring and I'll do my best to get him past Jericho

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

RVD isn't getting credit because he doesn't deserve it. He should have lost to Savage in the submission match and he should have lost in the triple threat match last round. He was ok, but never anything special. There is no way in hell he should get past Jericho

Rob Van Dam has had just as good a career as has Chris Benoit. Dare I say, he was more entertaining in the ring, more charismatic, and aside from sheer technical ability, a better wrestler. Savage had no way to put Van Dam away in the submission match and I believe he had a serious chance of winning that Monster's Ball were it to actually take place. Now, if we want to talk about people who don't deserve to go over others, let me again reference Chris Benoit. There is no way in hell that he should have gone over Hogan in the last round.

(Edge should have lost to Lesnar as well..)

 

[SavageTaker]

Are you fucking serious!?! It's either blind hatred for the man or a total lack of knowledge about his career that is making you say this I'm sure. He deserves as much credit as any of the other 7 still in this tournament and to say otherwise is sheer stupidity. longest reigning ECW TV Champ, WWE Champ, ECW Champ Multi time hardcore, tag team & IC Champ. I could go on but I really don't feel like it.

I agree that Van Dam deserved some credit. But in my honest opinion 6 other competitors in this tournament deserve way more credit than Van Dam.

As far as Van Dam beating Jericho in his prime, well that's very debatable. You can say that his prime was in WCW, you can say his prime was when he became the first undisputed champion in the WWE, or you can say he is currently in his prime. There's so many time periods in which you can say Chris Jericho was/is in his prime.

As far as all of those reigns, congratulations to him, I guess. He won the IC title when it wasn't nearly as prestigious as it once was. He won the Hardcore champion which meant absolutely nothing when it existed. He was the longest reigning ECW TV champion. TV champion not the original Heavyweight champion in ECW. He never made it to the top division in ECW while Jericho did in the WWE . Van Dam had a horrible reign as the WWE and as the ECW champion. He didn't even hold the WWE belt for a month. I think he might of held the ECW title for a little bit over a month. While Jericho has held the Heavyweight belt in the WWE and had reigns longer than one month, something Van Dam can't say.

was one of the most talented men to ever step foot in a WWE ring and I'll do my best to get him past Jericho

I can think of a hell of a lot more people that were way more talented than Rob Van Dam that stepped foot in the WWE ring.

 

[Fizzy]

I'll start pushing my argument on why RVD shouldn't beat Jericho when the official thread opens up. I'm backing Stone Cold. Stone Cold was arguably the greatest professional wrestler ever. He is a 6 time WWF Champion, a 2 time WWF intercontinental champ, among many more which if needed I will state in the official thread. The only real threat I see right now is Bret Hart, because 1. He beat him, and two Bret gets so much support on this forum. I do however think Austin can get past Hart, and win the entire thing.

 

[Shocky]

[youtube]fWXe6e95G9Q[/youtube]

RVD returns to the Elite 8 for the second straight year, hoping to close the deal this time around. Rob Van Dam is probably the one wrestler remaining that isn't most known for his time in the WWE. RVD, most certainly, is an ECW wrestler through and through. Will this be to his advantage, or prove to be a weakness in his quest for the Wrestlezone Tournament crown?

Rob Van Dam is most remembered for his phenomenal near two year run with the ECW TV championship, which only ended due to a severe leg injury. RVD also managed to unify the European, Hardcore, and Intercontinental Titles. In all, RVD was a 1 time ECW Champion, 1 Time European Champion, and 6 Time Intercontinental Champion.

Rob Van Dam finally one the championship that eluded him most of his career, capturing not only the WWE Championship, but the newly revived ECW Championship, becoming the only man to hold both of those titles at the same time. Rob Van Dam is a 2 time World Champion.

Rob Van Dam has the longest title reign of any major American Tile during the 90's. Rob Van Dam is also undefeated on the Biggest Stage of them All, an impressive 5-0 at Wrestlemania. Rob Van Dam's best finish in a major tournament was in 2002, losing in the King of the Ring finals to Brock Lesnar.

My Odds: #7. There's the outside shot that RVD gets by Chris Jericho, but he has an extremely up hill battle from that point on. His fans are solid, but I'm not sure if they are solid enough to get him to the crown.​

 

[JGlass]

He deserves as much credit as any of the other 7 still in this tournament and to say otherwise is sheer stupidity.

Does he deserve credit? Definitely, RVD is/was definitely a great wrestler, obviously he was good enough to get this far, but does he deserve as much credit as The Undertaker? Hulk Hogan? Bret Hart? I'm sure there are some RVD diehards out there who would say so, but I think the majority of wrestling fans would not put him in the same class as the former 3. I wouldn't say it's stupid to not give him as much credit as some guys such as Hogan of Taker. In fact, I really think Jericho will go over RVD, but I'm going to save my arguments for their actual thread.

I think we're going to have two great matches here, and two that would be tightly contested if it were a real match, but unfortunately the votes won't show it, and sadly, that's going to be Edge vs. Stone Cold. Sad as I am to say, I didn't really see Edge getting past Lesnar, and I'm not sure if I can imagine him getting past Stone Cold, though I would be thrilled if he could (Will, please help convince me he can). I also can't see Taker vs Benoit being very close. However, both Hart vs Rocky and Jericho vs RVD will be very interesting matches.

Overall I'd love to see Y2J win it all, but I'm not so sure that will happen. I'm excited to see how this tournament plays out though.

 

[Uncle Sam]

The odd ones out are undoubtedly Van Dam and Benoit. Even Jericho appears to be better top eight material than them, though I think he's had the easiest road here.

Van Dam should have gone out to Savage earlier and he only won the triple threat because Savage and Triple H split the vote. I won't hold that against him. I will, however, hold the fact that Chris Jericho is undoubtedly a better, more successful wrestler against him.

People will argue it's not the case, but Benoit is completely out of his league going up against The Undertaker. He's the final one of my four to vote for remaining, and I'll be damned if he isn't going out. The Undertaker is fresh off a decisive victory against one of the tournament favourites, Sting.

Will seems to reckon that he'll be able to persuade people round to Edge. Some weaker willed individuals have already fallen apart without hearing an argument. Common sense says Austin would stomp a mud hole in him and walk it dry.

The Rock and Bret Hart is easily the most interesting match up, and the only one where I'm not really certain. Hart is going for the tournament triple crown and people on the internet are hardly famed for their appreciation of The Rock. Overall, I think Bret will win, and by a much greater margin than he should.

 

[The Todd]

Well my pick of The Rock isn't looking good. I say that because against Kane the regulars said he was going out. They said the same against Angle. Now I see a lot of backers of The Rock which inevitably means he will lose. Hart's main offence is submission, which doesn't work on prime Rocky. Rock shoulkd win, but he won't.

Undertaker will breeze past Benoit. Too many vote Benoit in normal matches, but 'Taker has so many supporters Benoit goes home. This should have been 'Taker Hogan which would have been the tie of the round.

Edge Austin is a very close match up. Edge has my vote, Austin is one dimensional whereas Edge is a very good scout of his opponents moves. In his repotoire he has the perfect counter to the stunner. Without the stunner, Austin can't win.

RVD Jericho is a good match. They have a lot of history, but they were in the old Jericho days. In the codebreaker Jericho has got a much improved finisher and he could hit it whilst RVD goes for the frog splash. Jericho, narrowly.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

I think Bret Hart defeats The Rock. It's gonna be close, but in the end I feel Bret has the edge.

Undertaker should breeze through Benoit. Nothing in Benoit's moveset can finish the Undertaker. Taker simply doesn't tap out so rule out the Crippler Crossface. The flying headbutt may put Taker down for a bit, but it has never finished anyone off(as far as I know) and there's no reason to believe that it will here. Taker moves on. (I still can't believe Benoit went over Hogan)

Jericho should go over RVD (still don't understand how RVD went past Savage and HHH)

Edge and Austin. Very interesting to say the least. At first glance, many will say Austin, but looking closer it may not be so one-sided. Edge has plenty of ways in which he could win and will make the match interesting. I still think Austin wins, but it may not be because of sound arguments for him, but out of name and popularity alone.

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

I say Edge, he is an 8 time world champ. He has been involved in some of the greatest moments and feuds in the WWE. He was involved in arguably the best tag team ever. He is the first ever MITB Champ. He is the first ever 2x MITB. He may have never won the "big one" on the Biggest Stage of Em All. But he has had many memorable matches at WM.

 

[Shocky]

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Chris Benoit, makes it into the elite 8 of this years tournament, coming off one of the more controversial victories, a win over Hulk Hogan. Benoit pulled a similar feet last year, defeating Sting in a ladder match. In order for Benoit to advance, he has the toughest road arguably of any of the wrestlers left in the tournament.

Chris Benoit made a name for himself over sees in Japan, becoming one of the most successful Junior wrestlers in the land of the Rising Sun. Benoit returned to the states, competing in the big 3, ECW, WCW and the WWF. In all, Chris Benoit is the record title holder for the US championship, with five title reigns, a 3 Time WCW TV Champion, and a 4 time Intercontinental Champion.

Chris Benoit was finally able to win the big one in January of 2000, capturing the WCW World title at Souled Out (I was there, hooray for me). Benoit voluntarily dropped the title, and left for the WWE, where at Wrestlemania 20, Chris Benoit captured the World title to become a 2 time world champion.

Chris Benoit is only the 2nd man in history to start a Royal Rumble at #1, and survive and win the match. Chris Benoit is also a former Super J Cup Tournament winner in Japan, and lost in the finals for the vacated WCW Championship at Mayhem in 1999.

My Odds: #8. Out of all that remain, Benoit might be the one I enjoyed watching the most, but even I realize his road is nearly impossible. The Undertaker looms largely, and the man is a beast in these tournaments, and the road gets no easier from there.​

 

[Shocky]

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The Undertaker, returns to territory he is all too familiar with. The Undertaker is the only man to make it to Elite 8 all 3 years of the tournament, and has made it to the final four at least in the years past. The Undertaker is looking to repeat as Wrestlezone Tournament Champion.

This is usually where I write something about the mid card success of said wrestlers, but to be honest, there is nothing for the Undertaker, besides a few tag and Hardcore titles. Why, because the guy was always destined to be a main eventer, a place that he has been for 20 years.

The Undertaker captured his first world title just one year into his WWF Career, and has gone onto capture 4 WWF Titles (including the Undisputed Title), and 2 World Championships. The Undertaker is the only man to beat both Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin in their primes for World Titles. In all, of the 12 titles both of those men won, The Undertaker had a hand in 6 of those title losses.

The Undertaker is a Royal Rumble winner. Perhaps over shadowing all of the Undertaker's accomplishments is one word, the Streak. The 17-0 list of whose who in professional wrestling that the Undertaker has amassed will never be duplicated. The Man simply doesn't lose when the lights are on brightest.

My Odds: #3. I'm kind of thinking it's foolish to have him at #3, but Austin and Hart seem to have it going for them this year. Simply put, the guy has been around for 20 years. Most of the people that vote in this thing were probably not born when this man started his run in the WWF. The Undertaker only lost once, to Shawn Michaels, who went onto win the first tournament, and the Undertaker returned the favor last year. He is going to be tough for anyone to beat.​

 

[Shocky]

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The Rated R Superstar Edge, coming off one of the better comebacks in Tourney history, breaks his way into the Elite 8 for the first time. With only 3 matches to go, can Edge find the opportunities to get him to the end?

Edge is the most golden of any wrestler that the WWE has ever created. Simply put, if there was a title to be won in the WWF/E, chances are Edge has had it around his waste, at the very least once. Aside from being the most decorated tag team wrestler in WWF's history, the man is a former US Champion, along with being a 5 time Intercontinental Champion.

After many years of not being able to reach the big one, Edge finally busted threw that glass ceiling. Not only has he busted threw it, he has skyrockets beyond that level. Edge has been able to become a 5 time World Champion, and a 4 time WWE Champion, only Triple H has won more titles while employed by the WWE.

Edge is a former King of the Ring winner, defeated Kurt Angle in 2001. Edge was also the first man to win the Money In the Bank match at Wrestlemania. Edge is only the 2nd man to hold the six major North American Titles, along with Bret Hart.


My Odds: #6. I know Will probably just shot himself, but the man faces Steve Austin in round 1, not a simple task. If he gets by Austin, in all likely hood he faces off against the Deadman, which again, no simple task.​

 

[Shocky]

[youtube]5KC_DLibFyQ[/youtube]

Stone Cold Steve Austin returns to the Elite 8 after missing the cut last year. Steve Austin lost in the finals in year one, and this year, hopes to finally reach what he just missed grasping two years ago.

Steve Austin has had at least moderate success every where he has gone. In WCW, he became a 2 time United States Champion, and a 2 time WCW TV Champion (NWA Depending on who you talk to). When he went to the WWE, he became a 2 time Intercontinental Champion.

Steve Austin managed to sky rocket to success, the likes of which only one other man has seen in the business recently. Steve Austin went onto become a 6 time WWE Champion, a huge accomplishment before the brand split.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is a record holding 3 time Royal Rumble Winner. Steve Austin also is a former King of the Ring winner, defeating Jake Roberts in 1996 for the crown.

My Odds: #2. Only #2 because Bret Hart has had such amazing momentum the last year, and the fact that Will is backing Edge so hard. Steve Austin is coming off of a year where he was inducted into the hall of fame, and Vince McMahon proclaiming him to be the greatest of all time, yes, most might think its for show, but it carries a lot of weight with it. The guy is retired, and for the most part, hasn't over stayed his welcome like other supposed retired legends. I simply think the guy is too damn popular not to make it to at least the finals.​

 

[gd]

The fact is the other 7 competitors are in a completely different class than RVD. RVD was pretty good, but he was far from great. I don't see any way that he'd be able to get past any of the other remaining wrestlers.

The main reason he's gotten this far is because there are a lot of ECW or RVD marks that will vote for him no matter who he faces, even if RVD should clearly lose the matchup.

 

[RVDgurl]

I have to say that the elite 8 are ALL deserving to be there. Every man left in this tournament has had a successful career and the lists of their accomplishments are unmatched. It is no secret who I'm backing in this thing and I will make my case for RVD when the next match is posted. I'm not counting anyone out of this thing just yet, but if I would have to pick I would say the Rock is odd man out. He is the one guy up there who's personality and gimmick were far superior to his skills in the ring. Not to say that he wasn't solid, he just wasn't on par in the ring with the other 7 guys. I guess we will just have to wait and see who comes out on top.