WWE Region, Manchester Subregion, Second Round: (8) AJ Styles vs. (9) Batista

[klunderbunker]

This is a second round match in the WWE Region, Manchester Subregion. It is a standard one on one match. It will be held at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England. Assume one week has passed since the first round match.

#8. AJ Styles

Vs.

#9. Batista

​

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.

 

[deem]

I'll open this thread with something that might be a bit debatable, I dunno. Would be good to start a discussion though so I'll fire away. Batista should win here and its not close imo.

I've mentioned a few times my kayfabe theory of "TNA main event = WWE midcard" due to the success upper midcarders have when crossing from WWE to TNA. I mean, that's definitely true for early TNA. Maybe it's more competitive now - certainly not during the time Styles was undoubtedly the #1 guy in TNA. You could obviously argue he was The Ace during his long TNA title reign, but I think Angle was always the dormant #1, even if not the champion.

I'm not writing Styles off just because he was TNA though. As I said, obviously there are certain stars in the TNA main that would do just fine amongst the WWE main eventers within kayfabe. Hardy and Angle spring to mind as people that jumped across while being relevant main eventers and continued to dominate. I just don't think AJ has been dominant enough to be on their level if we are evaluating who would win a kayfabe match.

You can certainly make an argument for AJ though. He did very well against Abyss, the most similar guy to Batista on their roster. Abyss certainly doesn't have the pedigree that a 6 time WWE world champion has, a guy that's beaten Cena, Orton and HHH clean on occasion. You can also say that Batista lost to Mysterio in a #1 contender match clean - again, Mysterio is a more credible opponent than Styles and Dave absolutely dominated the feud.

I don't see how you vote for AJ unless you are voting your favourite or the better wrestler.

 

[Thriller Ant]

I was set to give this one to Batista, but I'm wavering a bit. I went back and looked at some of his matches against smaller guys, such as Shawn, Eddie, Benoit, etc., and Batista hasn't had as much success against them as you would think. At the same time though, AJ has never faced someone as big and strong as Batista. I'm still leaning Batista, but I'm not 100%.

 

[ABMorales787]

AJ can and should beat Batista. If there's any major level talent in WWE with a worse win/loss record to other similar level talent than John Cena, Batista is that man. Losses to Edge, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Booker T, the fuckin' Great Khali. Put this man in a major match. Aside from his one win to John Cena and the feud with Triple H, chances are he'll lose. Because that's how all his feuds went. Lose, rematch, lose, rematch, lose, rematch, hey I finally won. Either that or he'll tear something during a match and take a 5 month break.

Meanwhile AJ Styles is TNA's most successful tenured star. Say what you will about TNA being smaller in scale. That certainly doesn't diminish AJ's abilities in the ring. Whether it's flying all over the building and landing on Bully Ray or going hold for hold for 30 minutes against Kurt Angle, they don't call the guy "Phenomenal" for nothing. Not to mention he's nowhere near as injury prone as Batista.

Vote AJ. Because while Basketballs don't hold grudges, wrestlers can do more than look mean and make funny faces.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I definitely prefer AJ, but no way he moves past Batista.

Batista was nearly unstoppable during his prime. Never cared for the guy, but he didn't lose all that often. AJ has traded victories with Kurt Angle, which helps him, but he has never been a dominant force, not like Batista.

If we're voting favorites, AJ wins, hands down. But we're not, so Batista moves forward.

 

[ABMorales787]

I was set to give this one to Batista, but I'm wavering a bit. I went back and looked at some of his matches against smaller guys, such as Shawn, Eddie, Benoit, etc., and Batista hasn't had as much success against them as you would think. At the same time though, AJ has never faced someone as big and strong as Batista. I'm still leaning Batista, but I'm not 100%.

Bully Ray, Rob Terry, Hernandez, Apolo. Yes indeed, AJ has faced big men. And guess who's won each time. AJ. Well, except for that one time where Ray kicked AJ's head into the entrance ramp, but you get the point.

Batista on the other hand even has losses to Rey Mysterio.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Bully Ray, Rob Terry, Hernandez, Apolo. Yes indeed, AJ has faced big men. And guess who's won each time. AJ. Well, except for that one time where Ray kicked AJ's head into the entrance ramp, but you get the point.

Batista on the other hand even has losses to Rey Mysterio.

I'm not familiar with Apolo, Bully Ray isn't nearly as strong, and Terry and Hernandez kind of suck. None of them are really fair comparisons to Batista.

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

Big Dave takes this one, and it's not even close. I know it's tough to overlook all those big time victories AJ has over top stars like Apolo & Hernandez, but I think it's best we don' start comparing the likes of Rob Terry to the Undertaker.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Batista would win this. I know all you AJ lovers don't agree which is fair but when it comes to popularity AJ Styles isn't in the same league as Batista.

The guy was arguably the #1 face in 2005 and that was when the Cena era just started. He often main evented over Cena and only lost the title because of an injury, there's no telling how long Batista would have stayed on top if he didn't get injured. I like AJ more but I've always liked Batista. He's got a good look, natural charisma and he is so hard hitting and powerful it makes his limited moveset look much more impressive.

I'm not so much arguing if AJ can take Batista because he can but if I had to put one over the other I would take Batista. Not so much because of his size and power but because he has taken down some of the biggest names in WWE over the last 10 years and was a pretty good hand while they had him.

Drax the Destroyer wins.

 

[PsychoBlack]

My vote is going to the Phenomenal One here.

AJ isn't hurt from being in TNA one bit in my mind, it's a credible company where he's faced credible competition and accomplished some amazing things. He was the first triple crown and grand slam champion, headed the X division when it was at it's peak and also holds the record for most reigns with that championship. He was the ace of their company and one of the few home grown draws that they have.

Batista's case is hurt because he was never the number one guy in the company. Cena, HHH, Orton, Edge, and Undertaker were all ahead of him at one point or another as far as being THE guy.

 

[Bernkastel]

Wasn't Batista a bigger draw? Even when you take in consideration the difference between TNA and WWE's ratings and revenue. Just comparing Smackdown to Impact, Batista should be the more popular susperstar over a period of time [not in raw numbers, but the percentage of how much those numbers improved.] Impact has always struggled to find their "true" top draw, and has settled for a few "niche" draws. I've always found AJ to be one of those "niche" draws.

I'm willing to withhold my vote in case someone wants to educate me further.

 

[IHW]

This may be one of my favorite match-ups so far. Classic big strong guy vs. small agile guy. Batista is one of the best "strong men" WWE has ever had. The character, heel or face, was always a great one. He was a cool, big guy with style and who new his way in the ring. His heel promos toward the end of his run in WWE were great. He has one many championships, and beaten many big names.

Thing is, you can't compare Batista's wins with AJ's. You can't compare Batista's championships with AJ's. You cannot compare drawing power. Everything Batisita done was on a much larger scale than AJ Styles. It wouldn't be a fair comparison.

Both men know how to put together an entertaining match that can keep the fans on the edge of their seat. But, AJ Styles could out wrestle Dave any day of the week, and twice on Sundays. He may or may not hit the Styles Clash on the big man, but Styles should fly his way into round three.

 

[edgefan14]

I believe that batista's overwhelming power and stamina take down A.J. here. I believe AJ is hurt by being in TNA, he is the best wrestler in that buisness right now but is still not as good as some of WWE's mid carders like Wade Barret Alberto Del Rio Ryback Dolph Ziggler The Miz or Mark Henry

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I know Killjoy isn't comparing Batista to the likes of Hernandez, Apolo, and Terry.

Batista may have suffered a loss to Mysterio but wasn't that in a cage match? This isn't a cage match. What happened to Mysterio at Survivor Series? Destroyed.

 

[a0161613]

I'm not familiar with Apolo, Bully Ray isn't nearly as strong, and Terry and Hernandez kind of suck. None of them are really fair comparisons to Batista.

Forget Apolo and Hernandez. Abyss is the easiest comparison here and AJ has beaten him in his prime.

I know Killjoy isn't comparing Batista to the likes of Hernandez, Apolo, and Terry.

Batista may have suffered a loss to Mysterio but wasn't that in a cage match? This isn't a cage match. What happened to Mysterio at Survivor Series? Destroyed.

It's an unfair comparison because apart from 2002, WWE never saw a prime Rey Mysterio.

I much prefer AJ personally but given that prime Batista headlined WM twice against the biggest name that the company had plus has other WM main events to his name, I can see why AJ won't progress. But he should.

Vote AJ.

 

[PsychoBlack]

Wasn't Batista a bigger draw? Even when you take in consideration the difference between TNA and WWE's ratings and revenue. Just comparing Smackdown to Impact, Batista should be the more popular susperstar over a period of time [not in raw numbers, but the percentage of how much those numbers improved.] Impact has always struggled to find their "true" top draw, and has settled for a few "niche" draws. I've always found AJ to be one of those "niche" draws.

I'm willing to withhold my vote in case someone wants to educate me further.

I think it's unfair to call AJ a "niche" draw. Guys like Raven and Waltman were niche draws in TNA. AJ has withstood the test of time and remained a major player in TNA for more than ten years now. Look at some of the guys that have came through TNA almost all of their draws were either guys that had a cult following or were stars that were built in other promotions. AJ came in as a fresh face and has become almost synonymous with Impact Wrestling. Calling him a niche draw is just disrespectful to the hard work that he's put in over the years to help build TNA into what it is today.

 

[Big Papa Santo]

I hate to be "that guy" but Batista was a top guy in the WWE, where the best wrestlers in the world compete, yet Styles was a top guy in TNA, where former WWE stars come to try and relive what they were in the WWE and indy stars who can't make it in the big E come to get some TV experience. AJ falls into the latter, and even though he has held the TNA World Title before, that's the equivalent of being a mid-card champion in the WWE. Batista on the other hand, is a former World Heavyweight and WWE Champion, which means that he had two very different talent pools to defend his title against which included such bona fide stars as John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H, and The Undertaker who he faced on the grandest stage of them all in 2007 (Something else that Styles has never done, Hell he's barely even left the Impact Zone which mind you, is a very small place) Batista just has so much more big-match experience and I don't think that I even have to go into how he much of a beast of a man that Dave is. I'm not trying to undermine AJs abilities, but he is outmatched when they are compared to that of the six foot six near-300 pound wrecking machine that Batista is. Batista wins this.

 

[Mr Mikey Mike]

There's no way in hell Aj Styles goes over Batista. No way! Is Aj a better wrestler than Batista? Yes, but that's the only area in which he has the edge. Is Aj anywhere near the draw as Batista is? No. Has Aj defeated anywhere near the caliber of opponents that Batista has? No. Look at who Batista has defeated. Triple H, John Cena, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Edge, Kane, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, JBL, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, and he also defeated Rock and Foley at Wrestlemania(albeit a handicap match). Sorry, but Aj has never faced a monster like Batista. Batista takes this quite easily.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

The arguments I've read here are saying that because Batista was in the WWE and AJ was in TNA, that means AJ would lose to Batista... which is just not a fair judgement.

AJ Styles could be up there with Jericho and Punk as one of the best wrestlers in the world. His innovative style in the ring and his ability to out think his opponents would give him a great advantage against Batista, who has a one track mind and would try to use power and brute force to win.

I know Batista's beaten greats in the WWE and he had a good run as champion, but his drawing power wasn't there and he wasn't a good hand in the ring. He put Cena out of action with a broken neck... and has had quite a few botches with his limited in-ring abilities.

Styles can beat Batista... don't let the TNA stigma skew your thought process.

 

[The_Sharpshooter]

Give me AJ all day. I vote with a kayfabe mindset, and I see AJ having too much in his arsenal to lose to a one trick pony. This match has severe Batista beatdown, followed by AJ roll up written all over it. Followed by Batista grabbing the Mic and screaming "I........QUIT" in the weirdest voice possible.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Batista beats those with a lot in their arsenal. Only decisive losses Batista has are against Cena and Undertaker. AJ Styles is neither Cena nor Undertaker. How much drawing power has AJ Styles had since 2005?

Vote Batista.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Fuuuuuuu... this is going to be tough. It's like Goldust and Warrior from the last round. AJ Styles is the polar opposite of Batista. That is, a guy that's worked really hard to get everything he's achieved in wrestling and has done it all by being, at time, fucking incredible, at other times, just very good. Batista had a great look to him and WWE capitalised. But really, he was lazy, generally boring, never really excelling at anything unless a good physique is a category.

It took AJ Styles over five years of pumping out amazing match after amazing match and being phenomenal in the ring to earn the accolade of being the TNA golden boy, the firm fan favourite and the face of TNA, and he held that position for only a couple of years. Not really his fault that, but I digress. It took Batista just three to go from TV début to beating HHH on PPV, three years of being under the wings of two of the greatest of all time. Let's not forget Orton was the break-out young star from that Evolution faction, of the two young stars it contained.

Batista was never the top draw for as long as John Cena was around, not that there's any shame in that. But AJ Styles was in TNA, even if that may not mean as much. Batista's career was a whole slab of mediocrity with briefs periods where he actually tried. And in reality, he wasn't even really much better on the microphone than AJ Styles. Sure he's not a mic genius, but AJ gets his point across well, and well Batista would retort that weapons are not only welcomed, they're allowed, so that's really a toss up apart from that brief glimpse at the end of Batista's career, yeah I'll admit it, that was good.

I know I've said I don't really let this sort of thing affect my decision but Batista was also a cunt. People have spoken about how he cheated on his wife that actually had cancer at the time. Compare that to AJ Styles who didn't sign a contract with the WWE (which I think works well in his favour here) because he didn't want to move to the developmental territory because it would contradict with his wife's college plans. Not to mention he has the dates of the births of his children tattood onto his side (I don't know if this counts for or against him, for all I know he only did this because he's got a terribly memory).

What you are really voting for here people is someone who gave his heart to wrestling and is legitimately one of the top in-ringers ever because of it, against a guy that never gave much of a shit about wrestling and just coasted for the majority of his career. AJ could definitely find a way to win this in kayfabe. But really, just answer me this. Who would you rather watch? If the answer is genuinely Batista, then I don't know if I can do anything for you.

Don't let the meat head push you around, AJ can take this.

 

[jmt225]

AJ Styles, all day, everyday.

Better wrestler? Check.

More charisma? Check.

Legitimately tough? Check.

Draw? Check.

AJ's best work by far surpasses anything Batista has ever done. Batista could have great matches against great wrestlers, but he didn't have the ability to go out there and tear the house down every single night, with anyone on the roster like AJ can do.

Batista's presence relied strictly on his muscles. That's it. His promos were mediocre until he turned into a douchebag heel towards the end of his run, which then I admit Batista became a fantastic character, but it was too little too late for me. The guy quit the business just as he was putting it all together. AJ Styles hasn't been the best on the mic throughout his career, but he's had a presence like very few in the sport. When he comes out, at first sight you know you're looking at someone special. Only an insane amount of charisma can explain why that is.

Toughness... listen, if AJ Styles can beat a prime Samoa Joe, then he can beat a prime Batista. That's all there is to it. Not to mention he has wins over Abyss, Kurt Angle, Sting, and even held his own against Frank Trigg in an MMA match, while Batista has losses to Mr. Kennedy, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton, etc. so I don't want to hear any bullshit about how AJ wouldn't be able to beat this guy. Could AJ beat him 10 times out of 10? No, but he could still beat him and do so clean and decisively.

And as far as this draw shit people might want to shove down others throats... Batista had huge names there to draw with him and sometimes for him. AJ has carried TNA on his back for years. It was AJ getting all the hype during their 10$ pay-per-view days. It was AJ getting all the hype when they were on Fox Sports at 3 in the afternoon during a weekday. It was AJ who got the company to Spike as much as anyone. And AJ Styles is a HUGE reason why today TNA is still standing strong. So please don't feed me any shit that Batista is a bigger draw.

AJ crushes Batista in every aspect of pro wrestling, that's all there is to it. I don't have anything against Batista, but if you vote for him, I promise you're only doing so because he has the bigger muscles. This isn't a bodybuilding contest... it's a pro wrestling match, and AJ is the far superior pro wrestler, so please vote for him.

 

[shattered dreams]

I think some of you need to check the facts before you start overselling Batista's greatness. Pop quiz who has held the WWE title longer Batista or Jeff Hardy? Answer Jeff Hardy. Batista has had the only not second rate title in the company for 37 days total over 2 reigns. That is far from dominant. According to the Internet wrestling database Batista won less than 60% of his matches. On PPV the number is less than 50%. Yep, that is right, on PPV your "dominant" "top guy" was more likely to not win than to win. AJ has a better winning percentage on PPV than Batista does.

I am sure some of you will try and play the competition card. Well, AJ is 3-1 against CM Punk. But Batista beat Undertaker, well AJ ended Sting's title winning streak at BFG. AJ has also beat Scott Steiner, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, Abyss and soon to be WWE hall of farmer Booker T. Spare me the he hasn't wrestled anybody or can't handle a powerful wrestler malarkey.

AJ Styles is an all-around talent, an innovator, a good person and has brought more to the business. AJ Styles helped build a company from the ground up as the face of the X division style. Batista coasted on the B show thanks to his workout buddy while the ratings trended downwards. There was nothing unique or innovative about anything Batista did. He brought very little to the business and took a lot. He brazenly took women that were dating other wrestlers and then treated them poorly. When her friend complained he got her fired. AJ Styles is 10 times as strong as Batista is agile.

At the end of the day this is an easy choice for me. Do you believe the hype that a Smackdown talent is unstoppable or do you pay your respects to one of the great entertainers of the current era? Spiral Tap for the victory.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Batista may have suffered a loss to Mysterio but wasn't that in a cage match? This isn't a cage match. What happened to Mysterio at Survivor Series? Destroyed.

Between October of '09 and the end of January '10 he lost to Rey 4 of the 7 times they faced off, including the final two encounters of the program. So it goes beyond just a single loss in a cage.

And I would argue a prime AJ is a much more credible opponent than a past his prime Rey was at the time. And as stated AJ has been successful when facing larger competitors.

There are plenty of muscle bound WWE superstars remaining in this tournament. I would think a booker would want to keep AJ around to draw some attention from TNA followers, as well as keep a competitor in the tournament who has a very athletic and aesthetically pleasing style that is different from most of the remaining combatants. His novelty and uniqueness is a positive here, while Batista is just another big cookie-cutter McMahon creation.

But most importantly...

This match being competed in Manchester is a big deal for AJ. Being the TNA representitive in this city, in a country where TNA has taken over as the most viewed wrestling program, and in an arena where TNA drew one of its largest crowds, AJ gets the bump for having the crowd on his side.


Vote AJ in Manchester.