[WWE Bracket] Round 1 Match 3: Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs Nikolai Volkoff

[Hyorinmaru]

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Austin is one of the pioneers of the Attitude Era of the WWE. He has feuded with some the the best in the business. He has held numerous titles in WCW and WWE. He has also been given many awards by both PWI and WON that inculde Feud of the year, Match of the year, and Rookie of the year.



Nikolai Volkoff

Nikolai Volkoff was mainly a Tag Team wrestler but he did have some Singles vicotory. In his own word his most memorable match was against Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF title in a sold out Madison Square Garden. That being said what most of the fans remeber him for is time Teaming up with the Iron Sheik. They won the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania 1 by beating The US Express (Mike Rotunda & Barry Windham.)​

 

[Checkmate]

For a few seconds, I had to ponder my vote.

Volkoff was a great competitor, no doubt. I remember him both for his in ring skills and his ability to draw heat. However, I think that is all I can say about Nikolai, and I certainly mean no disrespect there. He paved the way for future anti-American shenanigans, like La Restistance and the Un-Americans (from recent memory).

Now, Volkoff had character, but Stone Cold Steve Austin had ATTITUDE. He was THE Man when all others had gone. He brought the WWF/E to new eras, and defined himself not by his in ring skills, but by his work ethic. He grabbed the torch from those before him, then tossed it out and drank a beer. Very few have done what Austin has done for the business, and that is what makes him a legend.

So, in a straight up contest, I'd give the wrestling edge to Volkoff. However, this doesn't mean he'd win. Austin pulled out wins from places I've never seen before. He refused to give up when his pride was on the line, and his character is like none other.

As JR would say, I vote "AUSTIN, AUSTIN, AUSTIN!"

 

[klunderbunker]

Why is Volkoff famous?

*waits*

No one knows? That's because there's no reason that he is. He did next to nothing but get beaten up by Hogan and get carried by the Shiek. He won the tag titles on his gimmick, not his in ring work. Overrated to end all.

Austin is a legend to the end of the word. He carried the company through the Attitude Era. Without him, we'd be watchign Nitro. He still gets massive pops to this day, and will until the day he finally quits. He wins this with a stunner in about 3 minutes. Austin in a domination.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

I hope people don't vote for Austin because they feel he is overated and because he's a fairly "new" legend. Or I hope they don't vote against him because of what he does now(same old lame appearances)Austin is the legend of his time. Ahead of Hart, HBK, HHH, Nash, and maybe even the Rock, Austin was the ratings king. He deserves all the sucess he got. Volkoff could draw heat and had a good character, but was he a legend? Maybe, but not like what Stone Cold is.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

While Volkoff was great at getting heat during the cold war he did not carry the WWE while they were fighting WCW in the ratings. Austin's muti-year feud with Mr. McMahon was something that helped WWE win the ratings war and put WCW out of business. Austin is another one that should go far.

 

[Shocky]

Volkoff was a heat magnet, but it's a black heat, it's not real. He wore the garb of the enemy. It's no different then saying racist remarks (JBL) to stay over. It's cheap heat, it's not real, it's an illusion. He just happened to be from the right country at the right time in history to stay over. Nikolai did nothing memorable, minus attempt to sing the Russian national anthem.

Austin is a legend. How big of a legend is highly debatable in my book. His flash in the pan nonsense sits well with many, but I don't think he's as big of a star that the WWE would like you to think he actually is.

 

[CCS]

Steve Austin is the man who carried the Monday night wars for RAW. You could argue that if he didnt WCW would have defeated the WWE. Austin vs The Rock is one of the all time great feuds in WWE history and the fans still talk about it today. Nikolai Volkoff was basicly a heel through his entire career and he got over with the crowd because he played a evil russian. Volkoff left no real mark in pro wrestling. Steve Austin could make a argument of bieng the most important wrestler besides Hulk Hogan in WWE history. Austin wins.

 

[Showtime]

I don't know how much love Volkoff will get being paired up against Austin. Shocky nailed it on the head, Volkoff got cheap easy heat because he was from Russia, dressed up like one, and sang the national anthem. Volkoff never won the WWE title, or did much in the way of memorable things.

Austin on the other hand, was the biggest thing in the WWF for a long time. People can shoot at Austin that he was a one trick pony, or that he wasn't nearly as good of a wrestler as people thought he was, but the fact of the matter remains, Austin is a legend in the WWE. His victories and segments live on forever in WWE. So without doubt this one goes to Austin.

 

[Harthan]

Volkoff wasn't a bad wrestler, but he drew heat cheaper than Mick Foley. Actually, it was similar to Mick Foley. He just insulted everyone's home country every minute. There wasn't any reason to hate him other than being Russian. He was nothing fantastic, althought it can be said he did pave the way for numerous foreign heels in the future. His "legacy" is still around today, looking at Koslov. But basically, Volkoff wasn't hated because he was a clever or intriguing heel, it was because he was a dirty communist. He was basically the Drago to the face's Rocky.

Austin, on the other hand, was brilliant. He was amazing in the ring and a master of promos. There's only a handful of men who could ever equal Austin's promo skills, and the only one who could ever top him is probably the Rock, and only then by a small margin. He entertained and drew huge. He had excellent matches constantly, and created a classic with Bret Hart, one of the more notable of several Austin had.

Austin would rip Volkoff apart in a match. He would be hit with a Stunner before even getting through with singing his anthem. Annihilation.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Yeup if the two men met in their primes, it would be a 5 minute affair. While Volkoff was involved in one of the most entirely hilarious moments in WM history, when he and Boris got shanghai'd by the Hart Foundation, while Austin is responsible for the most lucrative time in the history of the WWE. Not even close here folks.

 

[Father:_Polley]

Sadly this is so Norcal. Volkoff was a great tagger and a good heel at getting heat, but he never really amounted to much beyond that. A match with Samartino at MSG is a decent claim, but others have done that as well, it doesn't make him the greatest guy alive.

Austin isn't a true legend in the sense of the word. He had a good career and was a cult figure of Attitude Era WWF because he had a good gimmick. But a gimmick, a catchphrase or two and an anti-authority attitude isn't going to win this tournament. HHH had more runs, Undertaker has a streak and Rock got a movie career. All his contemporaries have done reasonably well... but he's not in the league of the Old School Legends. Nonetheless, Volkoff is weak opposition

 

[Fizzy]

I actually had to make a tough decision for this one. I thought that it would be super easy, but then i thought about it and remembered that they both did a lot for the business. I voted for Stone Cold just because I think wrestling wouldn't be the same without him where as not much would change without Nikolai. That is really what i based my decision on.

 

[matt_indiana25]

Austins icon status is up there with Hogan and Flair. From what I can remember in Volkhoff was he was not even the best member of his tag team alliance when he was with the Iron Sheik. Austin wins big in my book.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Results: 36-0 for Austin. Austin goes into Round 2 to either face Andre or IRS.

My thoughts: I'm not surprised Austin won but I hope people researched Volkoff a little bit and didn't vote for Austin just because he's Steve Austin. Austin is the better wrestler and better champion which is why he deserves to win this. I also want to disagree with something Shocky said

Volkoff was a heat magnet, but it's a black heat, it's not real. He wore the garb of the enemy. It's cheap heat, it's not real, it's an illusion. He just happened to be from the right country at the right time in history to stay over.

What Heat is real? In my time watching wrestling almost none of the Heat has been real (Minus the Edge, Hardy, Lita love triangle) It as all been an illusion. my experience researching the goings on the the backstage workings the Heels have actually been some of the nicest people to work with. If fans actually hate a wreslter as a person because of who they portray on TV then they got problems.