Tuesday, March 13, 2012

WrestleMania Tournament: Round 1 - Block A

To celebrate the WrestleMania season we're doing a WrestleMania tournament. It's a public poll so anyone can participate. 32 matches have been determined by our committee to be eligible. The brackets were randomized.

Let's have some fun! Please join in on the discussion in the comments and make your case.

Round One - Block (A) "All Grown Up"
Polls close and new match-ups posting this Sat. 3/17.















3 comments:

Brian said...

okay.. looks like I'm first to share my thoughts on these first eight matches.. - let's do it:

- i picked Razor/Shawn ladder over Flair/Savage although i'm not particularly enamored with either.. - watching the Flair bout on the Savage DVD set I wasn't impressed.. - and while I prefer their Summerslam bout at the time Razor and Shawn felt really cutting edge and stood out..

- i went with Edge/UT over Edge/Jericho.. - I wasn't real keen on the Edge/Jericho feud(s) with the cage match being the only to stand out.. - Taker/Edge felt appropriately big.. and while I dig their Hell in the Cell match from Summerslam even more this was a really good main event.. - i'd honestly take Taker's performance here over either of the HBK or HHH bouts as well although realize that'd seem absurd to some..

- i def. went with Steiners/Headshrinkers.. - i can revisit the TLC with awe as it did of some unbelievable stunt spots and bumps.. but i champion the dark-horse here.. - and really, you should revisit the Steiners bout if you haven't seen it in a long time.. it's unbelievably almost dangerously stiff with some crazy big bumps and high octane offense.. - arguably the best tag match in WM history

- i actually championed getting the backlot brawl into this tourney only for me to not vote on it here.. - Cena versus HHH was electricity.. I know that sounds cheesy, and well, it is, but I remember vividly watching it with a room full of hardened, cynical wrestling fans and us all rollicking by the end (similarly to Punk/Cena at MitB).. - in some respects this felt larger to me than the Rock/Hulk bout which is a testament to the performers as it didn't have the built-in heat or a particulary well-developed build..

- battle of the Brets.. - I went with the Austin submission match.. although I think I liked the Iron man more than most of my colleagues.. - in fact, can recall two screenings of at at various get-togethers (inc. Jess' old place on Hampshire Dr.) where halfway I glanced around the room to literally a bunch of snoozing bodies fast asleep like babies.. - i digress, sub was both Bret and Austin's best WM performance

- this was a tough one.. i'm a huge Piper mark.. and I don't care for HBK.. but stripping that away that three-way probably holds up stronger over time.. - some good structure/pacing, physicality, and a solid finish.. - don't see it getting out of the 2nd round though..

- i liked Cena/HBK a good deal although their Raw match was better in many ways.. and I'm bit of a nostalgia pushover so I went Andre/Hogan.. - in the first decade or more of my wrestling studying I probably saw that match more times than any other.. likely in the dozens at this point.. - one of the best "marquee" matches in wrestling history and gave the fans what they wanted

- this was tougher than some may think (at least for me).. - thought Taker was Batista's best in-ring opponent by a large margin.. and the only reason I didn't vote them here (and I almost did) was I liked their Cyber Sunday match a hair more so went with the obvious (but deserved) choice of Savage/Steamer..

am looking forward to what others say about their picks.. and the next eight are dropping this Sat. to round out the first round!~

Adam said...

Here's what I chose:

- I always liked the ladder match as it still holds up pretty well so I picked that. Savage and Flair is still a pretty decent match and I enjoyed it upon a recent re-watch.

- I wasn't a big fan of the Jericho/Edge feud and I though the cage match they had to blow it off was a complete snoozer. I found more that I liked in the Taker/Edge match when I watched it for the 50 Greatest Superstars DVD so I voted for that.

- Both these matches are really good. The Steiners match is just as brutal and stiff as it was when it first happened but I have to go with the TLC match here, mainly for the crazy spots.

- I probably haven't seen Cena/HHH since it aired but I'll be revisiting it soon as I'm trying to get all the Mania's watched before this years show. The thing that I didn't like about Piper and Goldust was the stuff inside the arena. Everything else was great but I have to go with Cena/HHH here.

- The submission match I think is probably going to win this whole thing. I remember getting really bored when I first saw the Iron Man match but, to this day, that submission match just hooks me in every time I see it.

- Have to go with the three way match here as I though it was just a phenomenal match with a great ending and all three guys at the top of their game. Yeah, Piper and Bret was good but the emotion just wasn't there.

- This is a toss up. I like Hogan/Andre for its historical value but not much else can be said about it. Cena/Shawn was nowhere near as good as the 40-minute TV match but I'm going to have to take it over the legend.

- Steamboat and Savage is a classic for all times. Batista and Undertaker had a decent match but when I watched for my Mania countdown a few years ago, I didn't like it as much as I remember I did on the first airing. Have to go with Steamboat/Savage here.

Jessie said...

here we go:

first up i actually voted Macho-flair; i've had a soft spot for that bout since being a kid and watching it live, having the Liz magazine; the ladder is historic no doubt, but i've always liked the summerslam one more

Edge v. Edge matches; tough battle, as I wasn't in the least excited about taker v. Edge and it exceeded my expectations where as I was looking forward to Jericho v. Edge and it let me down, so went with Take's big moment

Have to say TLC all the way even though that Steiners is an often overlooked potatofest full of great spots; the TLC was a career defining match for all involved (looking at you Rhyno!)

The Backlot Brawl is great fun but the OJ hijinx and in ring later kind of ruin it; Trips v. Cena is a Mania classic, under the radar but the most simplistic worked match and the crowd was eating it up

Two Bret matches, one a much maligned experience for him but the Iron Man is often chuckled at but hardly attempted by anyone and I haven't seen it done better since; But the Submission match is completely iconic, both men know exactly how to make this match work and it's brutal and dramatic, a perfect fit for a mania bout

I don't know what i'll pick over this 3 way as it was one of the most fluid 3 man matches i've ever seen; ;i know there's a Benoit factor that may turn some off but i can't deny it's greatness; Hart v. Piper is really good too but doesn't measure up here

I actually surprised myself and picked the Hogan Andre match as nothing is more marquee or feels more like Mania than when those two square off at the beginning of their match. Cena v. Michaels, technically, is far and above but their Raw match deserves many more accolades

hands down the classic IC title match takes this, even thought Taker and Batista surprised everyone as the sleeper attraction at that Mania