WWE, Pittsburgh. Round 1, Match 2: #31 Yuji Nagata vs. #34 Bob Orton Jr.

[Shocky]

The following match takes place in the WWE Region under WWE Rules in Pittsburgh, PA.

#31. Yuji Nagata

vs.

#34. "Cowboy' Bob Orton Jr.

​

 

[klunderbunker]

Wow this is a dull match. Just the thought of these two wrestling is putting me to sleep. Neither have ever really doen anything of note other than set a world's record for longest time healing an arm. Nagata was a glorified jobber here in America and while he was big in Japan, that has little meaning in America. Going with Orton I guess, but I won't argue for him.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I'm personally not a big fan of the Japanese style. I think Kenta Kobashi is so overrated it's unreal. However, Yuji Nagata had a fucking incredible match with Kurt Angle when he went to Japan. That was intense. Angle won, but not by much. Fantastic match. Kurt had the shit kicked out of him. Almost literally. Brutal, brutal kicks. A great competitor. He'll be getting my vote.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

While Nagata and Orton are both boring, Nagata took Angle to the limit when they wrestled which is more impressive to me than anything Orton did so Nagata has my vote.

 

[NSL]

Nagata may have taken Angle to the limit, but Orton had some classic with Hogan. He may not be the greatest wrestler, but I'll be voting for him. Like KB though, I won't argue too strongly for Orton, or against Nagata.

Either man gets squashed by Angle though.

 

[Tastycles]

Orton has the strange distinction of being held in higher esteem because of his family name, which is being carried by somebody younger. He wouldn't be seeded this highly if he wasn't Randy Orton's dad. Orton never really got the better of anybody, and he was entrely to blame for Hogan and Mr T.'s win at the first WrestleMania.

Nagata didn't do much in America, but he did a hell of a lot in Japan, and is definitely capable of beating Orton. Nagata wins this, but it'd be a long dull match that nobody in the Pittsburgh crowd would get into.

 

[Shocky]

I've seen enough of Nagata over the years to know that I really enjoy the guys ring work. While I'm no expert on the man, the guy is solid in the ring.

I know enough about Cowboy Bob to know that the guy isn't half as good as what his last name suggest. This is a rare case where the Son has made the father's legend larger simply by being related, ala Rocky Johnson. Bob Orton was lucky enough to be good friends with Roddy Piper and be able to right the coat tails of the heat that Piper generated to stardom.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Great call, Shocky.

Bob Orton Sr. reminds me a lot of Dino Bravo. He was always a heel, but never a good enough heel to be anything more than a thorn in the side of a legitimate champion. Hogan feuded with Bob Orton, but nobody took that too seriously - he was more of a nuisance than an actual threat. The parallel to Roddy Piper is spot on.

Yugi Nagta is a man who deserves a 2nd look in this tournament as a terrific member of the Japanese wrestling contingent getting more and more respect each day around here.

 

[Theo Mays]

Hmm I'm stuck here. Don't know much about Nagata and Orton is overrated. But if he has his cast on his arm, which I'm assuming he will as he had that for most of his prime then he will get the cheap W here. Nagata will probably control most of the match and turn his back and Orton will clock him with the cast.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Bob Orton, Jr., blows chunks. I don't think I could put it any other way. As many have already mentioned, the only reason why current fans would know him today is because of his son. Nagata, unfortunately, gets a bad rap because he was nothing more than a contender for the Television Title during his stint in WCW during the late 1990s. However, he is, in my opinion, among the Japanese greats. He is essentially his generation's Tatsumi Fujinami: a great technical wrestler who is stiff, strongly built, and relatively unknown to the English speaking world. So, Nagata easily gets the win here.