Dylan Waco Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 So the discussion on Jeff Hardy and Lex Luger in the other thread seemed like a good opportunity to run something like this. Let's start with three: Who is Better, Jeff Hardy or Lex Luger? Who is Better, Jeff Jarrett or Kurt Angle? Who is Better, Dean Malenko or Chris Candido? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DietSoda Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Jeff Hardy Kurt Angle Dean Malenko That was easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Jeff Hardy Kurt Angle Dean Malenko That was easy. Oddly I disagree with all of those picks Jeff Hardy is a guy that looked like he was finally getting it when he returned to the WWE in 07 and for a while might have been one of the top two or three guys in the company. His matches with Umaga were really a turning point for me in thinking that he was becoming a strong worker. He still has his moments now, but he comes across as really broken down as often as not in the last few months. More to the point his low points have been terrible. Luger on the other hand was a guy that got boring, but I don't think he ever got abysmal. Even in 96-98 he would occasionally surprise you with a good match and in 88-90 he was a legitimately great worker. His run of matches in 89 v. Rich, Kendall Windham, Barry Windham, Michael Hayes, Rick Steamboat and Brian Pillman is a great stretch of solid bouts against a wide variety of opponents with different skill sets. I can't see Hardy ever doing anything like that. ' Luger had a much higher peak, that lasted longer, produced better matches and saw him hold his own against a variety of workers. His lows - while pretty low - also were not as bad as spot blowing meth head Jeff. I'd say Luger is easily better. Kurt v. Jarrett is closer, but career v. career I'll take Jarrett. Angle is a guy that had a strong peak that has become insanely overrated. 00-02 Angle has a lot of solid stuff, but I think the drop off is pretty incredible. You go from ultimate cartoonish sprints like Kurt v. Rey and really strong hate filled fights like Austin v. Angle to Angle being one of the only guys in the company to have actively bad matches with Brock over night. I can really count on one hand the number of really impressive Angle performances I recall from late 02 - 06 when they repackaged him as a pseudo-shooter. Even then the stuff isn't all that great it just seems more spirited. Jarrett is a guy that I think gets slept on as a worker because people hate TNA and his HHH like grip at the top of the card. Still as a Southern style worker Jarrett has few rivals in modern times. He had the best non-gimmicked Shawn Michaels match I've ever seen and it was largely because they worked a TN match in Nashville with Jarrett walking Shawn through the spots. He got more out of guys like Ahmed Johnson than could be imagined using similar techniques. Memphis work is good as both a babyface and a heel and it's not surprising that Angle's best TNA match was with Jarrett, because Jarrett has been in a disproportinate number of the strong TNA matches (v. Angle, v. Lethal, v. Raven, v. Styles, et.). Candido didn't get the chances Malenko got and still I feel like I've seen more good peformances from Candido than Malenko who almost never got the most out of the talent he was in there with. His best match is v. Ultimo at Starrcade 96 and then the drop is pretty big. Candido and Smothers probably had a dozen matches better than the best Dean matches, but few people have seen them. Candido could work comedy schtick and badass schtick and was good at both despite being as small as Dean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuttsy Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 I maintain that Candido was one of the best, most versatile, multi-talented performers of his generation. For me he is easily, easily better than Dean Malenko. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Evans Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Hardy Angle Candidio Luger was pretty good in 89-91 but after that it went all to hell. I was a Luger fan in 97 when I was younger but man those matches don't hold up at all. I'd put Hardy/Jericho over anything Luger did after he went to the WWF on. I liked Jarrett in Memphis and his feud with Tommy Rich is one of my faves. I also thought he was underrated in WCW but man his WWF and TNA runs are bad. Angle was one of my favorite wrestlers ever at a time and Angle/Benoit from RR03 is still my favorite WWE match ever so I pick him. Malenko just bores me to tears looking back at his stuff for the WCW project. He had some good matches with Rey, Eddie and Jericho but some of his stuff has just aged awfully. Candido was so great in SMW with his feuds with Smothers and Ricky Morton. He even got some good matches out of Bobby Blaze. I also liked his ECW stuff with Storm and Taz. Haven't watched those matches in a while but I remember liking them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Candido was also a great top in squash matches. Jarrett has been one of only a handful of guys to consistently have good matches in his TNA run (Styles, Storm). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Who is Better, Jeff Hardy or Lex Luger? That is a tough one, b/c I hate spot matches, but Luger also got soo boring later in his career. If I was go prime vs prime, I'd go with Jeff Hardy. Purely for the run that Dylan Waco mentioned. Who is Better, Jeff Jarrett or Kurt Angle? Jeff Jarrett, easily. Angle never really got wrestling which always lead to stupid stuff. Jarrett freaking had awesome matches with beat down Raven. Who is Better, Dean Malenko or Chris Candido? Candido, Malenko was also a little too boring for me. Although when he teamed up with Benoit in WCW, he was freaking awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Who is Better, Jeff Hardy or Lex Luger? Tricky. Of course Hardy does cool spots and insane stunts falling off ladders, but I never bought into him being a good wrestler nor a big star. Luger sucked for most of his career, but the way he worked hard against great opponent in his younger days produced much more excellent matches than Hardy ever had. Plus I loved his Total Package stint with Liz, his most fun years to watch purely because he was so good at being the character. Luger. Who is Better, Jeff Jarrett or Kurt Angle? Angle is the most overrated wrestler in history probably, and Jarrett has been criminally underrated especially since the TNA years. Jarrett all the way, I can't stand Angle's idea of a "great wrestling match". Who is Better, Dean Malenko or Chris Candido? Malenko could be dull, Candido could be spotty, but Candido was much more fun to watch overall, thanks to his goofy antics and dynamic ways. Malenko was too set in his ways which on occasion took matches down (like with Rey or Benoit). Candido Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 His WWF run was handicapped because of the stupid gimmick he was stuck with (more than one actually), but anyone who says Jarrett's TNA run is bad is being willfully ignorant just for the sake of hating TNA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Evans Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 What are these great TNA Jarrett matches I need to see? I remember Jarrett/Styles being good and I liked the first Jarrett/Angle match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kronos Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 His WWF run was handicapped because of the stupid gimmick he was stuck with (more than one actually), but anyone who says Jarrett's TNA run is bad is being willfully ignorant just for the sake of hating TNA. I am with you on this one. The singer gimmick in WWF was horrible; he was a bit better in WCW. But in TNA, he's really done some good stuff. Did he book himself to power? Yes, and he shouldn't be lauded for it. I used to be a Jarrett hater, but he's won me over big time. His feud with Raven was terrific. (loved the match when he fought Alexis Laree in the Clockwork Orange House) His mic work in the last year has been exemplary, far better IMO than Angle's has ever been. Angle has done some very nice stuff in the ring, no doubt -- but JJ understands the whole package in a way Kurt never has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Not much to add to the names that have already been thrown around, but I'm almost prepared to make sort of a contentious statement, but I'm not quite prepared to back it up just yet. That said, I'll throw it out there, and come back to elaborate or shoot down my own statement whenever I feel like I have seen enough to fairly say: Psicosis was more talented than Rey Misterio Jr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted August 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 There has always been a certain contingent of smart fans that prefer Psicosis to Rey. I've never really seen it, but I've only seen a small amount of their work outside of the States. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eduardo Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 If we were to compare their careers up until they came to America, then yeah Psicosis blows away Mysterio's work. In AAA, Psicosis was a pretty great trios worker that was capable of some great brawling, comedy, some great sequences, and some insane bumps. But I can't see the argument for Psicosis being better than Rey, when comparing the last 13 years of their careers. Rey's WWE work is impressive enough that there is very few people I would put ahead of him, although I would love to hear an argument for Psicosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 It's really insane to think it's been 13 years since Rey joined WCW. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 I admit to basing this entirely on AAA 1993-1995 watching as of late. Psicosis was incredible, and at least at that point in their careers, was a more complete wrestler than Rey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DietSoda Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 I think Psicosis was better too. What's the argument for Rey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 anyone who says Jarrett's TNA run is bad is being willfully ignorant just for the sake of hating TNA. His feud with Raven was terrific. Living in Nashville, I got to see a lot of Jeff Jarrett in person, including the Raven feud. Sorry, but I was not impressed. Were the matches technically decent? Sure; JJ even once got something okay out of freaking Don Callis. But in terms of actually drawing money or getting his character over, Jarrett was a huge failure. Nobody wanted to see him as the invincible superman top star; witness the deluge of garbage thrown into the ring after he pinned Raven. The crowd was not happy with seeing the owner of the company book himself as the unbeatable champion. Meanwhile, I like most of the nutty stuff that Angle does. Yeah I thought his match with Shawn at Mania 21 was easily MOTN. What of it. As to the others: Jeff (by a narrow margin), Candido, and Rey. Why have there now been half a dozen posts about Rey vs Psichosis, without a single detail discussed of why one is better than the other? I admit, I haven't seen the vast majority of either man's Mexican career. So I base my opinion on the stuff they've done in America, and Rey has a much broader and deeper list of neat matches with widely differing opponents. Part of that is the fact that Psic never got to work that wide range of opponents, he was only booked against other cruisers, but the cause of such things shouldn't really matter when you're talking about the actual work performed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted August 18, 2009 Report Share Posted August 18, 2009 Jeff Jarrett would be a really talented opening match guy. I don't know that I've ever seen much more in him than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted August 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 Jarrett isn't a natural main eventer for a major company. I totally agree with that. Having said that in the last few months I've rewatched some Jarrett and some of his performances hold up very well. His Southern Chickenshit heel act is a really good one. And he can work out of control brawls better than a lot of guys that are known for that style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomk Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 Has Angle ever worked a smarter match than Jarrett v Chyna? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 The thing about Rey and Psicosis is that it's easier for a rudo to look better because a rudo does more work than a technico. Psicosis was a sloppy worker and somewhat poor offensively, but he had great schtick and took incredible bumps. Rey in AAA was pretty much an early version of WCW Rey -- he aborbed as much punishment as he could take before rattling off a comeback. That's okay in a trios match or 2/3 falls, but in WCW it took him a while to adjust to one fall singles matches. His weakness in AAA was that he couldn't brawl and his matwork was weak. Psicosis wasn't a hell of a lot better, but could cover up for it with the madcap stuff he did. In WCW, I thought he looked strong in his first couple of matches, but they jobbed him out in his first month. Ideally, he should've been brought into the company as a "Mysterio hunter" or something like that, and they could've ran a Sano/Liger type feud, but WCW didn't give much thought to it and had Malenko as Rey's main opponent in his first six months. So, yes, Psicosis was more entertaining than Rey in AAA, but he hung out with great rudos from UWA and CMLL. Mysterio, more often than not, worked alongside crappy AAA luchadores. His best period was probably when they put him together with Santo and Octagon and they formed a kind of third rate Space Cadets. Octagon was such a big star at that time that I guess Rey worked more like Octagon than someone classy like Solar or Lizmark. Angel Azteca was the closest thing to a Solar or Lizmark, but for whatever reason wasn't pushed. I don't think there's much comparison between WWE Rey and any of his earlier work. He's a much better worker now than he's ever been before, which is strange and unusual, but a credit to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Morris Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 I agree that Jarrett isn't main event material, but from a workrate standpoint, I prefer the overall body of his work to Angle's. Along with the issues already mentioned regarding Jarrett, another problem was WCW deciding to do that "I want in the Horsemen" angle when fans never bought him as somebody who fit in with the Horsemen. They should have just made him an nWo member upon his arrival, as he would have likely made it work with his heel mannerisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted August 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 Incidentially the spinoff of that produced a couple of very good Nitro tag matches with Eddy and Jarrett v. Mongo and Benoit. Neither is longer than seven minutes or so, but they are probably two of the ten best matches I ever saw run on Nitro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 I don't think he was hip enough for the NWO. Yes, I know Virgil and Mike Rotunda were in the NWO, but work with me. I think Jeff Jarrett is a guy who has far, far more than met his full potential. Decent in the ring, really good at times in fact, but terrible presence and charisma. He's not even bland, his persona actively works against him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.