[WWE Bracket] Round 2 Match 3: Superstar Billy Graham Vs The Rock

[Hyorinmaru]

Superstar Billy Graham

Graham was one of the first professional wrestlers to achieve popularity principally on the basis of his character rather than his wrestling skills. Superstar Billy Graham is credited for changing how American professional wrestling is portrayed. The WWE describes all of its competitors as "WWE Superstars;" a direct tribute to Billy Graham. Many wrestlers have claimed to have based their looks and styles on Billy Graham. Some famous examples are Paul Ellering, Scott Steiner, Triple H, Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Jesse "The Body" Ventura who were all heavily influenced by Graham's career. Former WWE Champion John Cena called Graham "The Original Doctor of Thuganomics" in an interview about his biography Tangled Ropes. He also won PWI's match of the Year 2 times once in '77 and once in '78.



The Rock

you know all about this guy so here's all the awards and titles he won in his career. It looks better in Spoiler Tags (takes up less room)

Spoiler: Titles and awards

o PWI Match of the Year (1999) vs. Mankind in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble
o PWI Match of the Year (2002) vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X-8
o PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)
o PWI Wrestler of the Year (2000)
o PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2000

* United States Wrestling Association
o USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer

* World Wrestling Federation | World Wrestling Entertainment
o WCW Championship (2 times)
o WWF/E Championship (7 times) (Tied for most reigns)
o WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
o WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Chris Jericho (1)
o Royal Rumble (2000)
o Sixth Triple Crown Champion

* Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
o Most Improved (1998)
o Best Gimmick (1999)
o Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)
o Most Charismatic (1999–2002)
o Best Box Office Draw (2000)
o Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)

 

[Shocky]

God,t his pains me to do this, but it's the Rock. I love and respect what Billy Graham did for the business, as in laying the ground work for the cool cocky heel, a guy based more on character then ability, and essentially being the prototype Hulk Hogan, but the Rock did all of what Graham did, and took it to a whole other level.

the Rock is a huge legend. Sure, the WWE won't be kind to him the further he gets away, and th emore Triple H gets in charge, but he made a very big impact, in a very short time. Yes, his 9 title reigns amount to a hill of beans, but he was hot at a very hot time.

 

[OIL]

The Rock is just too big a superstar to not vote against him. During the Attitude Era he, along with Austin were the two main men, and The Rock came alive with his personality. His promos were out of this world, and his matches, while some highly overrated, were always solid, as were his wrestling skills. Still loved by the fans now, The Rock has left one of the biggest legacys in the wrestling business, and I'm sure the WWE would pay anything to have him back.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Yeah The Rock was good but Without Billy Graham there wouldn't be and Rock. Billy Graham made the Chatacter popular and that's what The Rock relied on more than anything. If there was never a Billy Graham there wouldn't have been The Rock.

 

[klunderbunker]

This has to be the Rock. Graham was great, but he's been largely forgotten. He was inducted into the HOF in a ceremony that no one remembers. The Rock was bigger than Austin and we still see the after effects of his dominance today in his acting career that likely never would have happened minus wrestling. Graham laid the groundwork for the Rock, but could Graham have been replaced? Likely so. Could the Rock have been replaced? No.