WWE Region, San Diego Subregion, First Round: (9) Dory Funk Jr. vs. (24)Bruiser Brody

[klunderbunker]

This is a first round match in the WWE Region, San Diego Subregion. It is a standard one on one match held under WWE Rules. It will be held at the San Diego Arena in San Diego, California.

#9. Dory Funk Jr.

Vs.

#24. Bruiser Brody

​

Polls will be open for four 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.

 

[The Brain]

Dory Funk Jr. is always one of the most underrated guys in this tournament while Bruiser Brody is one of the more overrated. Like Bockwinkel, Funk deserved a higher seed. Funk beat Gene Kinski for the NWA title and although it was his only reign it lasted four years before he finally lost to Harley Race. Brody was pretty much a journeyman that bounced around different territories rather than landing consistent work. He did well everywhere he went but never stuck around anywhere long enough to achieve the success Funk did. This will probably be closer than it should be but Funk should move one.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Funk was a master technician in that ring, and a legit bad ass outside of it. Bruiser Brody was a genuine crazy person who did things his way. One thing Brody did was respect the business and this match would be a stiff, slobberknocking match that would see some blood, sweat, and a few chairshots.

I'd give the edge to Dory Funk simply because I think Brody would end up gassed after so long and wouldn't be able to take more punishment.

 

[Tastycles]

Definitely Dory Funk Junior. Like almost all 'journeymen', Brody only went everywhere because a)he couldn't be trusted enough to put any long term faith in him and b) he never connected with an audience sufficiently that they demanded his presence. Funk was by no means the best or most deserving of the old school NWA champions, but the fact that he was sufficiently popular and trustworthy to get a shot is enough for him to win here.

 

[Blade]

It would be a great match between two very different wrestlers. But as Tasty indirectly said, Dory was the man for a long time. Four years as NWA world champion. Plus, the guy invented the Texas Cloverleaf, my favourite submission of all time. Bruiser is respected, some may call him a legend. But Dory wins here.

 

[HBsam31]

A great match, but I agree with the rest that Funk was the man for quite a while while Brody was a journeyman who could not be trusted. I also agree that Funk Jr is underrated in these tournaments, and this first round match would belong to him.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Bill Watts told this great story on LOW of how once Brody thought he shouldn't sell for Hodge coz he was smaller than him. Hodge realized it, hit him like a "buzzsaw" and had Brody screaming and begging Watts to tag him. "Show him your arms" said Watts with a chuckle.

Those hookers were a force to be reckoned with, and those amateur wrestlers weren't bad either. Funk Jr. (while I have his rep to go by) was great and next to Brisco and Hodge was a fantastic grappler of his time. Definitely Jr.

 

[Bdubbs]

This match would have some insane, hard-hitting brawling. I'm voting Dory for two main reasons: He was the man in NWA for a 4-5 year stretch, and he's more versatile, with his technical skill, than Brody. Brody is known mainly for his feuds with Abdullah, but the butcher doesn't hold a candle to Dory.

This wouldn't be a cake-walk for Dory, but in the end, I don't think Brody has the necessary tools to put Dory down for the count. Dory to round 2.

 

[deem]

Easily Dory. I'll give a couple of succinct points.

They have actually fought 11 times, giving a decent sample to just look at that form for a first round match. In America, Dory Funk won 3 and lost one, with one double DQ. In Japan, Bruiser Brody won 2 and lost 1, with two draws. Finally, in a neutral ground, Dory Funk beat Brody. This match is in America, where Dory is dominant. It's not just over this small sample that he's dominant either - Brody has always struggled in America while Dory has excelled.

While both are excellent choices in a kayfabe tournament, Brody has always struggled to adhere to the rules and WWE is far less lenient than Japan with regards to rule breaking. I can easily see him overstepping the line and getting DQ'd here.

With Dory all the way here. Kane in a WWE ring will be a more difficult test next round imo